Chap. 17
Jammin'
Beast Boy walked down the hallway with fierce determination in his eyes. This was going to be it. No jokes, no stuttering, no nervousness. He was going to go right into Raven's room and tell her how he felt. He didn't know what was going to happen from there, but Beast Boy didn't think about that now. As he got closer and closer with each step, his determination grew. He wasn't going to be the little kid that Raven and everyone else seemed to think he was. It's time to be a man. He thought, as he finally walked up to Raven's door. Face totally set, Beast Boy reached his hand up to knock……
And then pulled it back, as his confidence totally broke. I can't do this. He thought over and over again, as he began to pace in front of the door. What the hell made me think that I could do this? She's never gonna talk to me, and I'll sound like an idiot. Beast Boy gripped his hair in his frustration, and likely would have torn it out if something had come from behind the door. A cry of frustration suddenly issued from inside the room. Beast Boy paused, and as he pulled his hands back form his now ravaged hair, he began to hear something else coming through the door. But it was muffled by the steel of the door, almost impossible to hear. Walking over, he gently put his ear to the door, in an effort to gain even an iota more of sound. As the green one strained his ears to their fullest, Beast Boy tried to identify whatever the sound was in his mind. Though the door still made it hard to hear, BB was eventually to hear a low, stringy noise that sounded like
Dirnt, dirnt, dirnt , dirnt
"What in the.." he wondered as the sound continued. But then he heard the noise move into a higher range with a sharp slide, and realization came. She's playing her bass. He thought, as he listened in. But what song is it? As far as BB knew, Raven liked to just play along to songs she listened to with her headphones. Usually, he could figure it out after a few minutes, but this was something he'd never heard before. But as Beast Boy kept listening, he realized why. A thin, soft voice began to glide over the steady bassline. For a second, BB thought she had her stereo on. But then, he let out a small gasp as he realized that Raven was the one singing. But that turned out to be a mistake, as the music suddenly stopped. BB pulled away from the door as he heard the sound of footsteps coming towards the door. Moving back from the door, he straightened his hair and tried to keep the panic he felt inside inside.
The door opened with a whoosh and Raven stepped out, her black-and-silver bass in her hand(the silver was a special decoration Brett had made in the image of a bird with wings outstretched; it reached out from below the strings and covered the sides)Turning to the side, she took one look at BB and her eyes narrowed. "How long have you been standing there?" She asked. "Um, just now?" he replied nervously. "And did you hear anything?" she asked, with quite a bit of urgency. "A little. You sing nice?" he answered nervously. Raven sighed and said, "You don't have to lie to me." "I'm not." He insisted. "I liked it, even if I couldn't hear what you were singing." At that, Raven seemed to brighten a bit. "Well, ok, just don't tell anyone ok?" she asked, as she turned to go back inside her room. But before she could, Beast Boy asked, "So what song was it?" "You wouldn't know it." She answered, as she tired to shut the door. But then he asked, "Maybe if I could see the lyrics you've written?"
At that, Raven let go of the door, reached through, grabbed Beast Boy, and pulled him through. "How's you know that?" she demanded. "Well, you usually play along with your records and… wait you actually pulled me in here?" he asked in amazement. "I can keep an eye on you this time. Now answer the question." Raven said. "I just made a guess. It didn't sound like anything I knew, musically or lyrically, so I just took a guess. Plus the scream of frustration helped." Beast Boy answered. Raven shook her head and said, "Just don't tell anyone ok?" "Sure." Beast Boy answered. "Why?" "I don't want anyone to hear anything until I've got it right. And I'm having writer's block." "What do you mean?" the green one asked. "Why do you care?" Raven asked. "I've got nothing better to do." Beast Boy answered. "All right, I can't get a good rhythm down. I've got the lyrics, I've got the chords, but I can't figure out how to put it together." "That's all?" Beast Boy asked. "Yeah."
Suddenly, a huge grin broke out on Beast Boy's face. "Oh this can't be good." Raven said. "Grab your amp and follow me." With that, he all but leapt out of the room and into the hallway. Raven looked at him for a moment, then shrugged and picked up her cords and amp. The two teens then headed for the other side of the Tower, finally stopping outside of Beast Boy's room. "What are we doing here?" Raven asked. "You'll see." The green one replied, as he opened the door. The two entered, and Raven's nose instantly wrinkled in disgust. "What died in here?" "Just set up and it'll be worth it." Beast Boy said, as he moved to the back of the room. Raven shook her head, wondering what she had gotten herself into, but she started to set up anyway. Just as she finished plugging her cord into the amp, she heard a thump behind her. Startled, she turned to see Beast Boy sitting behind a drum set. "You're kidding me." She said, as she looked on with a small smile. "I thought you needed help with rhythm." The green one said, as he twirled his drumsticks. "When did you start to play?" Raven asked. "Since I was a kid. My parents wanted me to learn an instrument, but I kept smashing 'em. So they figured I should play something that involved smashing." "Makes sense." Raven said, as she strapped on her bass. "So what were you thinking with this song?" BB asked. "I was kinda thinking something like Staind or Depeche Mode. Slow and depressing, but hard." Raven answered. "Big surprise. I think I got something." BB replied, as he began a drum groove….
For the next two hours, the two Titans ran through Raven's song. Raven ended up pulling both guitar and bass duty as they slogged through the parts, keeping the rhythm and outlining the riffs. It was a tricky thing for her to pull off, but BB had no such problem. He beat his drums with an unbelievable amount of skill, switching from a reggae type style, then to metal, then something that sounded like dance music, but yet he made everything fit within Raven's basslines. Finally, they called a halt and both teens collapsed, tired but proud of their efforts. "I think that went well." Beast Boy said, as he inched closer to Raven. "I'm too tired to disagree." Raven said, as she pulled off her bass. "I had no idea you could play like that." She commented. "You didn't know I could play." Beast Boy added. Raven had to smile at that. Turning to the green one, she said, "Thanks." "N o problem." Beast Boy replied. "No, I really mean it. This has been the first time I haven't thought about him all week." Beast Boy was silent, then asked, "Rae, if you don't mind me asking, this song…" "It's about him." Raven said instantly. "I was so angry, I had to write something, then I got the idea of putting it to music and…." "Do you feel better now?" BB asked. Raven paused, then answered, "A little bit, but it still hurts." Turning to face Beast Boy, she asked, "With Terra,… how did…. Does it…" "Does it ever go away?" BB finished. Raven nodded. "Not really." Beast Boy answered. "I still miss her. I still wish things could've been different. But it does get easier to deal with. And it hurts a little bit less as time passes." Raven was quiet, soaking in BB's words. "Wow, I didn't think you had this kind of speech in you." "I've been doing some reading lately." The green one answered. Raven smiled again, then got up. Bending down, she said, "Thanks again. For helping and for listening." "I'd do either for you Raven." Beast Boy replied. The empath smiled, then lightly kissed his forehead. She turned and walked out, which was a good thing, or else she would have seen Beast Boy melt into a puddle of goo.