CHAPTER 30
So sorry. Just one more quick author's note, addressed to my good friend, gtCGO17.
You talk about wrestling bears being unrealistic. Sure it is something that you wouldn't do every day, but it is NOT impossible, and you need things like these to liven up the story, and the skills Miguel learned may pay him well later in the story. I never said he was wrestling a huge-ass 700 pound grizzly bear. I made sure to state the fact that the bear was not much bigger than him.
If you want proof that wrestling bears works and helps train you into a better fighter, read about Khabib Nurmagomedov. He is one of the best UFC fighters of all time (his record is 29-0). He has often said that he spent a lot of times wrestling bears when he was growing up, and that was what made him into the BEAST grappler he is today.
"All right. So what are we doing?" Miguel asked, as him, Sam, Demitri and Hawk sat in one of their school's music rooms the next day, ready to actually start their project. They didn't really have work for any other subject, and this was an extremely important summative as it would basically determine whether they would pass or fail the course, so they were all ready to work.
"I don't know." Hawk said, as him and Miguel tossed around a tennis ball. "Where do we even start this shit?"
"Okay, let's start with what instruments are we each gonna play?" Sam asked, taking charge as the stupid guys around her messed around. They all turned to her and paid attention.
"Um… I mean I guess I can play guitar okay. Really basic chords though." Miguel said.
"I'll play this." Hawk said, picking up maracas and shaking them. "Actually, Miguel, you should play this one. I'm sure you've used this before!"
"Maracas are originally Colombian, dumbass." Miguel replied. "We Ecuadorians are too smart for dumbass shit like that. And anyways, no way in hell you get to just shake maracas while I'm stuck singing AND playing guitar."
"What? Would you rather me do this?" Hawk asked, banging random, dissonant notes on the piano. They all winced at the horrendous sound.
"Miguel, just let him. It'll shut him up." Sam said. "I took piano lessons when I was younger…"
"Of course you did, princess." Hawk remarked, rolling his eyes. Sam glared at him.
"SO I'll help you out, Hawk, and I'll play the piano instead. You just shake your dumb maracas." She finished. Hawk nodded, gratefully.
"What should I do?" Demitri asked. "I don't know how to play any instrument. My 'instrument' that I chose at the beginning of the year was the tambourine."
"Just go with that." Sam said, throwing him a tambourine from the supply room. "We really don't have time to learn entirely new instruments. None of us are very good at music at all. If we get a D, we'd be so lucky."
"If we get a D, I'm throwing a party!" Hawk exclaimed.
"All right. So next thing we gotta sort out is what song we're singing. Anyone have any ideas?" Demitri asked.
"Please, NOTHING from the Lion King!" Miguel begged. "I had to stand on stage, motionless, for hours, dressed as a goddamn tree and I had to watch them sing the same stupid songs day after day! It's ironic the song's called Circle of Life when it made me want to kill myself!"
Everyone laughed and nodded.
"Okay. We hear you. Nothing from the Lion King." Sam laughed. "Let's everyone suggest a song, and if 3 people agree to it, we do it. If 2 people agree to it, we discuss it.
"How about some Ratt?" Hawk suggested. Sam and Demitri rolled their eyes.
"No! Definitely not!" Demitri asked.
"Hard no." Sam added. Hawk turned to Miguel.
"Miguel?" He asked. Miguel shook his head.
"Sorry, man. No from me too. Way too difficult to sing, and way too difficult to play on guitar. You guys gotta remember, you forced me to sing. I have probably the worst voice in the world."
"Well that's a lie." Sam stated. Everyone looked at her, confused.
"Huh?" Miguel asked.
"You're a pretty good singer, Miguel. I've heard you sing before in the shower." Sam said. Everyone turned to her, and Hawk smirked.
"I'm sorry, when was this?" Miguel asked, completely at a loss.
"Evidently, when you and your girlfriend were showering together." Hawk remarked cheekily in reply.
"What! NO! Hawk!" Sam exclaimed. "Miguel, it was like 4 months ago. I came to your house and you had just woken up and you were taking a shower. I could hear you from where I was sitting in your room."
"Oh, yeah. That makes sense. I forgot. You two are boring." Hawk stated.
"Hey! We weren't boring!" Sam cried. "Not that it's any of your business, but Miguel and I got to thir…"
"Okay, Sam!" Miguel interjected, blushing furiously as Hawk cackled gleefully and Demitri laughed hysterically. "When you guys are done talking about Sam and my sex life! Could we please just decide on a song?"
"Okay, how about Castle on the Hill?" Demitri asked. Miguel shook his head.
"That's going to be an insanely difficult song to cover with our shite level of expertise. We need a bare-bones easy song." Sam said. Miguel was scrolling through his Spotify playlist and he stopped on a song that he really liked, but was extremely basic and easy.
"I've got one. It'll take not just me singing though. You guys are gonna have to back me up. But it'll allow Hawk to just play the maracas and Demtiri to play the tambourine." He said. Sam nodded.
"Well, what's the song…"
One month later…
"All right! Miguel! Sam! Eli! Demitri! Are you guys ready to perform for the class?" Mr. Smith asked them, exactly a month later. The month had flown by for all of them and it was finally the last day of the school year. They were about to graduate sophomore year and become juniors! The month was awesome. It was like they were all friends and teammates again. When they hung out, none of them really cared too much about actually practising for their performance. They just enjoyed each other's company. It had been so long since they had all been together, and they knew that they definitely wouldn't be spending much time together, at least until the All-Valley, so they made the most of the time they had.
The song they had decided to choose for their performance was absolutely perfect for them. They had gone with a song called Brother by NEEDTOBREATHE. It was the perfect song for them, as the song talked about how they could rely on each other during the tough times.
Miguel, Sam, Demitri and Hawk stood up and walked to the front of the music classroom, feeling the eyes of every one of their classmates on them as they took their places. They were all extremely nervous at this point. This performance would determine whether they'd have to spend their summer in summer school or not. They were the only group with no members that had musical experience.
"So, what are you performing for us?" Mr. Smith asked.
"Um… we're performing a song called Brother by NEEDTOBREATHE." Miguel replied. Mr. Smith nodded.
"All right. Take it away." The teacher replied. The group looked at each other, took a deep breath, and began playing what they had been rehearsing for the past month.
To hear the following song, click:
watch?v=VoqTLWF7ofI
"Or search, "NEEDTOBREATHE Brother Live Acoustic"
Ramblers in the wilderness we can't find what we need
We get a little restless from the searching
Get a little worn down in between
Like a bull chasing the matador is the man left to his own schemes
Everybody needs someone beside em' shining like a lighthouse from the sea
Brother, let me be your shelter
Never leave you all alone
I can be the one you call
When you're low
Brother, let me be your fortress
When the night winds are driving on
Be the one to light the way
Bring you home
Face down in the desert now there's a cage locked around my heart
I found a way to drop the keys where my failures were
Now my hands can't reach that far
I ain't made for a rivalry I could never take the world alone
I know that in my weakness I am strong, but
It's your love that brings me home
Brother, let me be your shelter
Never leave you all alone
I can be the one you call
When you're low
Brother, let me be your fortress
When the night winds are driving on
Be the one to light the way
Bring you home
And when you call and need me near
Sayin' where'd you go?
Brother, I'm right here
And on those days when the sky begins to fall
You're the blood of my blood
We can get through it all
Brother, let me be your shelter
Never leave you all alone
I can be the one you call
When you're feelin' low
Brother, let me be your fortress
When the night winds are driving on
Be the one to light the way
Bring you home
Brother, let me be your shelter
Never leave you all alone
I can be the one you call
When you're low
Brother, let me be your fortress
When the night winds are driving on
Be the one to light the way
Bring you home
Be the one to light the way
Bring you home
They had absolutely NAILED it! The class clapped as they retook their seats, and at the end of the class, Mr. Smith handed Miguel his final grade…
An A+! Miguel was delighted. He now officially had straight As across all subjects. Although it was only sophomore year, he needed to keep his grades perfect to get a college scholarship. Life was great for him right now, even if it was insanely busy. He was on top of his grades, his karate, and nothing could get him down. Of course, he had no idea about the secret that awaited him at home…
HHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH
The next month had flown by for everyone. Johnny and Carmen's marriage was still a complete secret, but it wouldn't stay that way forever. With every passing day, Johnny felt more and more guilty about keeping the secret from Miguel. Miguel had trusted him and opened him up to Johnny so many times. He trusted Johnny with everything he had, and by Johnny keeping this colossal bombshell from Miguel, it was like he was just showing Miguel that he didn't trust him back. Despite all of this, Johnny knew that Carmen had a point, even if he didn't agree with her. Miguel was under a lot of stress and pressure, and he had told Johnny that a couple of times. The last thing they wanted for Miguel was for him to react badly, and for it to mess with his head and cause his academics and karate levels to drop. However, they both knew that with every passing day they kept it a secret, the more upset Miguel would be as he inevitably found out.
Soon, Johnny couldn't take it anymore. He walked into Carmen's place one afternoon when Miguel was at school. Another drawback of not telling Miguel about their marriage was that Johnny couldn't formally move into their place yet. L
"Hey." Carmen smiled as her husband walked into the apartment. She immediately noticed the expression on Johnny's face and she knew what this was all about. "You want to tell him, don't you?"
Johnny nodded.
"Yeah. I'm sorry. I understand why you wanted to keep it secret, but I just feel like he deserves to know, and with every day we keep it secret, the less likely Miguel will be to forgive us. We need to tell him."
Carmen sighed and she eventually nodded. She knew that Johnny was right. It wasn't like Miguel was a kid anymore that gave them the right to protect him from this. He was 16, nearly legally an adult.
"Okay. We can tell him. But this is going to be tricky. We need him in the best state of mind possible if we don't want him to completely flip out."
Johnny nodded and smiled.
"I thought you'd say that. I have an idea…"