So I know Bobby should probably be in this, but I don't feel like I know enough of his personality from the show to feel confident writing him (also, I still haven't forgiven him for stealing all the songs), so let's just pretend he joins a bit later, yeah?

Anyway, I've been thinking a lot (mainly after seeing some amazing - and hilarious - fanart) about how Sunset Curve could've been formed and when this idea came, I just had to write it. So yeah, enjoy this piece of chaos lol

1991

"Hey, you play drums, right?"

Startled, Alex looked up from his locker to see a boy he didn't recognize standing right next to him, wearing a hopeful smile and a startlingly orange knit cap. Wasn't there a no-hat policy at the school? Alex was pretty sure there was.

"Um… yeah?" He closed the locker door slowly, unable to keep himself from frowning. Because how the heck had this random guy found out about that? His drumming wasn't exactly something he brought up often in class, let alone in the school hallways for it to be overheard.

The boy's grin widened - heck, he was pretty much vibrating with excitement. "I knew it! Dude, you gotta join my band!" Then he must've sensed Alex's confusion, since he quickly added, "Oh, you're always drumming on your desk during biology - we're in the same class, by the way," They were? Alex had had no idea - though to be fair, he didn't exactly pay attention to his classmates except the ones he usually sat with, "and I might've listened in outside the door sometimes when you jam in the music room after class so… yeah. Anyway, wanna join my band?"

For a moment, all Alex could do was stare. Then, "You've been… stalking me?"

"What? No!" The boy paused. "Okay, maybe a little, but not in a creepy way, I swear!"

"That's… okay." Shaking his head, Alex adjusted the straps of his backpack. He knew the appropriate reaction - his usual reaction - would be to freak out and get the heck out of there, but there was just something about this guy that was so… so non-threatening somehow. Was it the excited way he spoke? The way he emphasized words with his entire body? His crazy expressive eyes? No clue. All Alex knew was that instead of running he found himself raising an eyebrow and saying, "What's the non-creepy way to stalk somebody?"

"I… I mean," he spluttered, "I needed to keep my eyes out for musical talent, you know? It's not like I coulda just gone 'round asking random people to join my band if I didn't even know they played. That'd be weird."

Alex barely bit back a second 'okay.' "And you couldn't have, oh I don't know, asked people in music class?"

"I did… and they all said no. But that's why I'm asking you!" He suddenly grabbed Alex's arms, the hopeful smile coming at him again at full blast. Man, how much energy did this kid have? "Please say you wanna join? Pleeeease?"

"Wait, wait, wait, hold up a second." Alex brushed his hands off. "I can't just… just join a band without knowing anything about it. Like, what type of band is it? Who are the other members? Where and when would we rehearse? Does it even have a name?"

"I was thinking towards a rock style - I just love playing electric guitar and there's so much you can do vocally and… and nothing can pump you up the way a sick rock beat can, you know?"

Despite himself, a small smile curved Alex's lips. Yes, he very much did know that. He didn't know how many times he'd gone to the music room after school, plugged a rock or punk cassette into his Walkman and wailed along on the drums for hours, letting the screaming guitars, energetic vocals and pounding beat dissipate every little stressful thing on his mind.

"As for the other things, I haven't gotten 'round to them just yet," the boy continued, "but I'm on it. No sweat. So... you in?"

Leaning against the lockers, Alex gave him a measured look. To say the plan for the band was flimsy would be an understatement. No other members, no rehearsal space, nothing more than this boy with his guitar, undeniable passion and, possibly, Alex's drumming. If he agreed.

And, surprisingly… part of him wanted to.

His common sense was stronger, however, and instead he said, "I'll think about it."

"Think about it? Dude, come on, this is gonna be the most epic band ever!" The boy pouted at him, and damn, if that wasn't the biggest case of puppy dog eyes Alex had ever seen in his life. "Is it about the bandmates and all that? 'Cause I can totally-"

"Whoa, whoa, whoa," Alex held his hands up, "I didn't say no. Okay? Just… this isn't something I can decide on the fly. Joining a band is a big freaking deal, man."

"But it's a good freaking deal!"

Thankfully, Alex was saved from finding a decent counter argument by the school bell. He straightened, shoving his hands into his pockets. "I gotta go to class, but I promise I'll think about it. Okay?" Without waiting for a response, he turned around and followed the stream of students down the hall.

"Hey, wait! You didn't tell me your name!"

A brief moment of hesitation. Then he called over his shoulder, "Alex!"

"I'm Luke!" came the response, just audible through the chattering crowd. "And this band's gonna be legendary, Alex! Legendary!"

Sure it will.

Alex shook his head and kept walking.

:::

Two hours later, Alex had barely made it out to the school parking lot when he heard someone yelling his name.

"Alex! Hey, Alex, wait up!"

Turning around, he saw that energetic kid - he'd said his name was Luke, right? - hurrying towards him and waving frantically. With his other hand he was pulling along another boy, dressed in a red flannel way too big for him and a look of absolute confusion on his face.

"This is Reggie," Luke said the second they came to a stop in front of Alex. "He plays bass!"

"Hi." The boy - Reggie - did a little wave, before a giant smile broke out across his face. "Ohh, I get it, you're in the band too! Cool! What do you play?"

"Uh… drums, but I'm not in the-"

"I talked to the janitor," Luke spoke over him, beaming too, "and she agreed to let us in on Wednesdays and Fridays after six to use the music room. I mean, it's not as great as, like, our own studio, but every band has to start somewhere, you know? And it also means we don't have to buy all the instruments and speakers and stuff just yet - we can just borrow the stuff already there! And I figured a band name's something we should come up with together, right?"

Alex blinked, not even knowing how to begin to process Luke's vomit of words. "... Right."

"Great! So I'm thinkin', six sharp tomorrow? If we really want this band to rock, we gotta commit!"

"Sure!" Reggie replied happily.

"Hold up… 'we?'" A sigh escaped Alex's lips at Luke's nonplussed look. Was this guy for real right now? "I haven't even said yes!"

"But you did!"

"Really?" Alex crossed his arms. "When?"

"Like two seconds ago!"

"... Okay, 'right' is not a yes."

Letting out a frustrated noise, Luke threw his arms out. "Come on, Alex, please. If you miss out on this, you'll regret it for the rest of your life."

"Debatable."

"Just… just come tomorrow, alright? Play a set with us and I'll show you this is worth your time. I… I'll even bring pizza!"

"Wait, really?"

"Really," Luke answered Reggie, not looking away from Alex.

A small, private smile crept across Reggie's face.

"Please, Alex. We need you."

Alex hesitated. Looked from one set of puppy dog eyes to another. Tried to keep hold of his steadily crumbling resistance.

Man, this was probably gonna be the dumbest decision of his life.

"Fine. Fine, I'll join the band!"

"Yes!" The force of Luke bowling into him nearly sent him toppling over. A yelp a second later told him Reggie had been pulled into the violent hug too. "This is so great - I've got so many ideas, you guys, I can't wait to show-"

"Luke Patterson!"

The hug ended just as violently as they all snapped their heads around to see their very angry principal stalking across the parking lot towards them. In his hands were a bunch of brightly coloured papers.

"Uh oh," Reggie said, face pale.

Alex rounded on Luke. "Okay, what did you do?"

"I… I mighta sorta broken into his office to print band flyers? And forgotten to switch the printer off when we came out to find you?"

"What?!"

Luke laughed nervously. "... And I set it to a hundred copies."

Muttering a quiet 'okay' under his breath, Alex buried his head in his hands. As he'd thought: dumbest decision of his life.

"Yeah, I don't think the principal's a fan of giant-sized confetti in his office," Reggie stage-whispered to them both while the man stalked closer. "He looks pretty mad."

"Patterson, get over here right now!"

"Yup, definitely time to leave." Not waiting for an answer, Luke ran over to the bike stand off to one side of the lot, pulling out and swinging up on his bike in one fell swoop. "Six sharp tomorrow, okay?" he yelled. "And band names - try to think of some band names!" And with gravel spraying everywhere and the principal running after him he took off down the street.

Alex and Reggie simply stood there, watching as Luke disappeared out of sight. As the principal yelled some final choice words after him. As he hurled the flyers in the closest trash can before stomping back inside the school again. Then Reggie broke the silence.

"Whoa… we're starting a band. An actual band." A grin slowly spread across his face. "Can you believe it?"

Huffing out something between a sigh and a laugh, Alex shook his head. "Nope. Whatever I'd thought I'd be doing today, joining a band was not one of those things." A sudden thought made him turn to Reggie with a frown. "How'd Luke rope you into this?"

For a second, Reggie seemed almost surprised at being asked. Then the smile was back. "Okay, so I'm on my way out," he began as the two of them started down the street (the opposite way Luke had sped off in) "when I pass the principal's office and notice the door's open - which is weird, you know, since he's usually so strict with that - anyway, I can hear banging and someone yelling - things like 'Why won't this stupid machine work?' and, yeah, you get the drift - so I look inside to see if everything's okay-"

As Reggie animatedly kept telling his side of the story, the crazy reality of it all fully hit Alex: he'd just agreed to join a band. He'd agreed to join a band with people he barely knew, with no experience of playing music in this type of setting and without even giving it more than, like, two hours of thought. It was a big commitment, an even bigger deal and most of all: the biggest freaking change of his high school life.

Honestly, the whole thing was terrifying… but also kind of exciting?

"-and I'm like, 'No way, I play bass!' and he's like, 'Really?' and I say 'Yeah, really!' and then he goes 'We need to find Alex!' and pulls me down the hall and the whole time I'm just thinking 'Who's Alex and why the rush to find him all of a sudden-'"

He'd give it a shot, he decided as Reggie realised he'd been walking the wrong way the entire time and the two of them had to split ways. Sure, it'd already been proven that this was the stupidest choice he'd made in a long time, but who knew - maybe it could actually bring some good with it too?

Besides, the band probably wouldn't last more than a week anyway.