Disclaimer: I do not own How to Rock.
The practice wasn't any better then their day at school. The band mates got into meaningless fights with each other, left unsolved. Stevie sat on the couch, hearing another argument between Kacey and Zander begin from behind her.
"You're playing it all wrong"
"No I'm not"
"Please Zander, you couldn't keep a beat if your life depended on it"
"You sing like nails scratching on a chalk board!"
"Oh really?"
"Yeah, Really"
"Enough!" Stevie cried, getting up to stop her two friends. "Enough. Nelson, Kevin and me have been hearing you two yell at each other all practice. Just stop" Stevie said. She looked from Kacey, then Zander. The two band mates stared silently at each other, anger lurking in their eyes. "Let's just practice" Kevin suggested from his spot on the drum set. "I need to take a break" Kacey said. "You haven't been doing anything" Zander told her. Kacey glared at Zander, her right hand firmly gripping the mic. "Here we go again" Nelson mumbled, and shut the keyboard off.
Kacey shook her head then, hearing what Nelson had mumbled. "No" Kacey said, looking at Zander straight in the eye. "This won't happen again. Because I quit" Kacey announced. She then pushed the mic into Stevie's hands. Then she left, swinging her bag and the open band room door shut behind her.
Stevie turned back to Zander, her eyes widening in alarm. "She's just over reacting" Zander said, staring down at the strings on his guitar. "I don't think so" Nelson said. Stevie stared anxiously at the door, "Do you think that I should-" "I'll do it!" Kevin suggested, "No, sit down Kevin" Zander commanded. Kevin complied silently.
Zander stared hard at the guitar in his hands as Stevie lowered herself onto the couch. Nelson walked away from the keyboard and grabbed his book bag, "Nelson what are you doing?" Stevie asked him. "Practice seems to be over now. I'm leaving" Nelson said. "What? But we didn't-the door slams shut- anything" Stevie finished, staring at the door.
Zander pulled his guitar off of him and put it back in his case. "So we're not going to practice?" Kevin asked, sitting clueless at the drum set. Zander looked up at his friend, "Of course we're not going to practice anything. Do you not see me putting my guitar away?" Zander asked loudly. Kevin looked intimidated by his friend. Stevie punched Zander's arm.
"Kevin, he's just in a bad mood. He doesn't mean it" Stevie reassured as Kevin walked pass her. Kevin nodded and with that walked out of the room without another word said. Stevie turned to her best friend, "What's up with you? All that happened today was that a kick me sign was taped onto your back. Why do you have to make it into such a big issue?" Stevie asked him. Zander rolled his eyes. He walked out, leaving Stevie all alone.
Mat was just around the hall from the band room. He had heard everything, the fights in the band room, since the beginning of practice to now. Which had only been about an hour or two ago. Mat let out a heavy sigh and leaned on the wall. The feeling of guilt was beginning to gnaw and chew at him inside. This was all his fault.. This was all-
"Hey Mat" Stevie greeted. Mat looked up from the floor. "Um..Hey" Mat said, he then begun to leave, "Hey, I haven't see you all day, where were you?" Stevie asked curiously. "Just, um.. around. I didn't see you guys much either" Mat agreed. Mat then caught sight of Zander walked back down the hall. He must have forgotten something in the band room. Mat sighed. "Hey, what's wrong?" Stevie asked him.
"Can I...Can I have a hug?" Mat asked. "A hug?" Stevie repeated, oddly. Before Stevie could protest, Mat grabbed her and hugged her, pulling her close. Stevie was rigid, unsure about what to do about getting a hug from her new friend. But in the end, Stevie's hands hugged him back.
Zander stood by the band room door, his hand sluggishly letting go of the doorknob, he eyes locked on the two people far from him at the other end of the hall.
Mat spent the night, laying awaking, thinking of the things that had happened.
"Sup" he greeted his friend. "Hey Mat" Samantha greeted. "Can you do me a favor?" Mat asked. "Sure, what?" Samantha asked curiously. "You like pranks don't you?" "Of course I do" Samantha said, "It's my specialty" she added. "Alright, you see that guy over?" Mat then pointed to Zander, opening his locker. "Go and put this on him" Mat said, and handed her a "kick me" sign. Samantha smirked, "Odd school" she said.
Mat stood from the side, as she did as she was told. When the bell rang, and the two split ways, Samantha walked pass Mat, giving him a smile and a wink. He gave back a forced smile.
In the lab, Mat sat another pair away from Kacey. His friend was sitting next to him, and his other friend had just come in late, just as he had planned. Kacey let him have the last empty seat. Mat ripped his eyes away, afraid and angry at what was going to happen.
The class burst into laughter as chemicals squirted over Kacey. As the class hooted and cheered, Mat sat silently, staring at his notebook. Kacey's partner, James then turned to his friend and high fived him, "Oh, she totally fell for that" James said, "Yeah, she ate that chemical" his other friend piped him. Mat said nothing. "Hey, Mat? You okay?" James asked, "Isn't this what you wanted?" asked his friend. Mat looked up, "Yeah" Mat answered.
Mat had just left his class, and caught sight of Nelson, heading to the lunch room. It was just a mere accident that jocks had run pass him. Luckily, Nelson had dodged them in time. Mat sighed and then headed straight for the unknowing boy, causing him and his books to come crashing to the ground.
Peers from all around seemed to enjoy the show and laughed. Mat tried swallowing the large lump that was in his throat. The guilt was eating too much at him, Mat then turned around, to help his friend when another person came and knocked over Nelson's small pile of books. They walked away laughing, mumbling nerd, geek.
Mat sighed, pondering if he should help him. Someone bumped roughly into him, causing the teen to return to reality. No...He just can't. Mat turned around and left Nelson, letting him to fend for himself.
Mat ate his lunch silently, while the few friends he sat with chattered on. Near by, Mat saw Kevin getting lunch. Mat poked at his lunch, suddenly loosing all his appetite. As Kevin neared his table, Mat felt the urge to climb under it and hide. Instead, one of his friends stretched out a foot, and as predicted, Kevin tripped.
Mat turned away as he watched his friend collide with the floor and the roaring laughter of the lunch room.
Mat rolled over on his side. He squeezed his eyes shut.
I'm sorry Zander
I'm sorry Kacey
I'm sorry Nelson
I'm sorry Kevin
I'm sorry Stevie
I'm Really Really Sorry Gravity 5
Please forgive me...
-PBL.
