A few weeks have passed since Andy started Royal Wood High School and things have gotten pretty well for him. Despite school being school the young man been enjoying the company of Luna Loud and her group of rock loving friends. Ever since the third day of school Andy has spent his mornings, before school starts, hanging out in the music room with his new friends and again with them during lunch. One Friday morning Andy went to the music room to socialize with his friends. Just as he entered he saw, and heard, Luna playing her guitar. It was a soft melody she was playing, which gave the young man a relaxed feeling. He was about to sit down and continue listening until Luna turned her attention to him.
"Hey Andy," she greeted him cheerily. "Hows your morning going so far?"
"Its the morning so kinda meh." he responded "That was a nice tune you were playing. I feel a bit bad for interrupting you."
"Oh it was nothing special. Just playing around if anything. Did you liked it?"
The boy nodded "Yeah it was really relaxing. Would it be too much to ask for you to keep playing?"
The rocker agreed to his request and, with a smile, started to strum her guitar. The music was smooth, and once again, gave Andy a relaxed feeling. The young man was entranced by this melody that was being played and, if he could, would wish nothing more then to hear it for the entirety of the day. Luna herself was in her own zone, transfixed on her performance. Every pluck of a guitar string with her pick, every time she shift her left hand on the guitar neck she felt like she was on top of the world.
"Luna is really making that guitar sing."
Andy snapped back to reality to see Sam sitting next to him, enjoying the purple rocker's guitar playing.
"Uh yeah she's making one hell of a show." the young man said with a smile.
At that time Luna noticed that Sam had sat next to Andy. She gave Sam a smile and stopped her music to say hi to her. "Hey Sam. You came at a good time. I was just giving Andy one gal free concert."
"Although I'd be okay with paying to see Luna perform in a concert." the boy interjected.
Sam chuckled at the boy's comment, finding it very flattering of him to say, "I'm with you on that one pal." the blonde said "Maybe you should join a music contest or a talent show, Lunes. You might make it big."
The rocker had thought once or twice about applying to a music contest but didn't really think she could make it. Still it was an option and she wasn't going to rule it out. "Maybe. I'd have to think about it." she said.
"Either way Luna you got two votes right here." Andy said, motioning at himself and Sam.
The Loud made a light smile at the comment and support of her friends. "Thanks you two."
"Oh!" the blonde suddenly exclaimed, "You guys doing anything tomorrow? I was gonna ask if you guys wanted to go to the mall."
"I'm free for tomorrow." Luna said "I did all my chores yesterday. What about you Andy?"
"I'm free too." the boy said "And I really need to get some new clothes."
Sam grinned and started to get ready to leave to class, "Cool. I'm gonna go see if Ruth and George can join. I'll see you guys later"
After bidding Sam farewell, both Andy and Luna decided to leave to their first class as well. During that time, while the rocker was putting her guitar away, Andy waited for her so they can walk to class together and was left to his thoughts. Tomorrow would mark the first time Andy would be with his friends outside of school. He was, without a doubt, excited for what would come the next day.
As expected on a weekend the Royal Woods mall was fairly busy, packed with people chatting and moving about. Andy arrived at noon, dropped of by his mother, and made his way to the meeting spot. Sam was already there, sitting at bench when she and the young man spotted each other.
"Hey Sam. Have you been waiting long?"
The blonde shook her head, "Not really I just got here a few minutes ago," she moved over so that the young man could sit with her "Here take a seat. Its gonna take everyone a while to get here."
The boy took her offer and sat next to her, "So did you have any place in mind that you wanted to hit up?" he inquired.
"I thought maybe we can hit up Chilled Subject, you did say you wanted to get some new clothes. I think that'd be a good start," she said "And after that maybe head to the music shop, see if there some new albums out."
"Sounds good to me boss" Andy said with a grin.
By that time George and Ruth had arrived and greeted Sam and Andy. Shortly after Luna had entered the mall but she wasn't alone. She was accompanied by two of the three girls Andy saw with her talking to on the first day of school, the girl with big blonde hair and the girl with sunglasses. Luna spotted her friends and turned to tell the other two girls that she'll see them later. Andy was about to ask Luna who those girls were but when she approached them everyone was ready to head to their first destination, so the young man figured he'd put the question off for later.
The group made their way to Chilled Subject, initially staying together until the girls started to move deep into the women's section which prompted Andy and George to go to the men's. Unbeknownst to Andy, his friend had goal in mind. While he's never had a problem with Andy's usual attire, George felt like the young man could pull off a different kind of apparel. While looking at the graphic t-shirts George seen a blue denim jacket on a rack near the shirts and thought it was a good place to start.
"Andy dude," he started, grabbing the jacket "check out this jacket man. Looks pretty rad huh?"
"Yeah looks nice. You gonna get it?" the boy inquired to his brunette friend.
With a sly smile, George initiated his plan "Actually I was thinking maybe you should get it for yourself. I think you can pull it off. What do ya say?"
Andy looked at the jacket for a little bit but it felt like an hour. He was in the midst of an inner debate with himself. On one hand he did like how the jacket looked and figured trying out something new wouldn't hurt him. On the other hand his insecurities were keeping his optimism at bay. He thought that if he suddenly started wearing a Denim jacket out of the blue, he'd certainly never hear the end of it from his other peers. Eventually his insecurities were the victor in this debate.
"I think I'll pass" the young man quietly said.
The brunette was slightly disappointed but was still adamant about achieving his goal. "Come on man just give it a try. You can't really know until you see yourself wearing it."
After looking at it again, Andy sighed "Can you get me one in a large?" he asked.
Barely hiding his enthusiasm, George did what Andy requested. The young man unzipped his hoodie and switched it with the jacket. While putting it on he felt embarrassed, afraid of that people would give him weird looks or that they might hide their laughter, but nonetheless he got it on and looked to his friend.
"Ooooh my man, I knew you'd look good in it!" exclaimed George, finally letting his excitement release. He then grabbed Andy, leading him to the closest mirror. "Look at yourself bro! You are killing it with that jacket!"
Despite having his face slightly flushed, due to his current company acting like his biggest fan, Andy admitted that the jacket fit him really well. "Its actually not bad. I think I can get used to this." he said, with a bit of confidence in his voice.
George, not letting this momentum go to waste, decided to seal the deal "See what I mean? Its a good fit man. You should totally get it." he said to which Andy agreed "Oh and one thing when you're wearing this don't button it up. Gotta show off what awesome shirt you have on."
"Sure thing chief" Andy sheepishly responded "but I'm kinda afraid that I'll get flack for suddenly trying to look cool."
The brunette dismissed his friend's concern "You are cool man and this jacket will raise your coolness. How about we get the girls thoughts on this?"
"I don't know about tha-"
"Thoughts on what?"
The boys turned to see the girls standing next to them as if they've been there the entire time. Ruth was the first one to notice Andy wearing a jacket which, despite having hair covering them, made her eyes glimmer. When they noticed a second later, Luna and Sam had that same glimmer in their eyes as well. The young man's face turned beet red, both from being admired at and the silence that surrounded the group. Eventually George was the one to break the silence.
"What do you think ladies? Is he rockin that jacket or what?" the brunette inquired which the girls agreed to which the young man made a satisfied smile.
Andy just stood there with burning cheeks "I-it was George's idea." he managed to spit out.
"Either way Andy it looks good on you." Sam responded to the young man's comment. "Makes me wish I would've thought of it first"
The last part of Sam's sentence turned a switch in Ruth's head. "Hey I got an idea! why don't the rest of us pick one thing out for Andy?"
The other two girls instantaneous agreed with the girls idea. Andy on the other hand was reluctant about the suggestion. He looked to George to stop this idea from being executed but was betrayed when the brunette encouraged Ruth's proposition. Seeing how it was one against four the young man just bit his tongue and let his friends select one piece of clothing for him. Ruth selected a black casual vest, saying it'd go with anything Andy had. Sam chose a short sleeved blue plaid flannel shirt, which she admitted wasn't special but thought plaid would be nice on Andy. Finally Luna got the young man a Donnie Ames Neo t-shirt, to commemorate her first interaction with him.
"Th-thanks guys." Andy said still sheepish. "I'm really flad...fladder..." he sighed and collected himself "flattered by all this." he managed to finish.
"No problem dude," Luna responded "Anything for a friend."
"Yeah man. You're one of us!" George added, ruffling the other young man's black curly hair.
These words warmed Andy greatly. He was truly happy about meeting these people. He gave a smile that melted all his friends hearts. "I should probably go buy this stuff then. I'll be back" he said. He then made his way to the counter with his head high and a walk full of confidence with a bit of a skip to each step.
After they were done looking around in Chilled Subject, the group headed to a music store called Melody Shop. Once they entered everyone went to different areas. Sam, George and Luna were checking out what new albums have been release, Ruth was looking at the drums and Andy was wandering around. While looking around the youth saw a book about learning how to play the guitar. He picked it up and started to flip thorough the book. He was contemplating getting the book but was approached by Ruth.
"A guitar lessons book huh?" she asked with a smile "Are you thinking about playing one?"
"Ever since you asked me when we first met I've been thinking about it a lot." the boy said "But I haven't really decided."
She tilted her head to the side "Why's that?"
Andy shut the book close and sighed. "It multiple things really. I don't own a guitar nor can I afford to get one. I don't think I'll be good at it either. Or what if I don't enjoy it. Just things like that."
Ruth didn't like hearing the youth doubt himself. She understood how he felt because she had those same feelings when she first started playing her first instrument. The girl even thought of quitting, but after some convincing and long hard effort, she started to love playing music.
With this knowledge she figured she'd might be able to help ease her friend's doubt. "I understand how you feel, Andy. I was doubtful when I started playing my first instrument. I might've quit but my family convinced me to keep trying so I did. It was hard but it was worth it in the end."
"So you think I should go for it?" Andy asked slightly soothed by hearing Ruth's story and how she over came her lack of confidence.
"I can't decide for you. Only you can make that choice." the girl replied
Andy nodded and gave a shy smile, "Thank you Ruth. You know….for the vote of confidence."
"Anything for you, sweetie." she said returning a warm smile to him, "Although if you do want to learn to play a guitar you should ask Luna. I bet she'll gladly teach you."
The young man gave his friend's suggestion a thought. He still was on the fence but figured if he did decide to play a guitar Luna would be better to consult with then a book. One thing was certain he will decided soon enough.
After they regrouped, the teens found themselves hearing the rumbles of their stomachs. None of them had eaten anything since they woke up so they decided to go to the food court to satisfy their hunger. The food court had an assortment of fast food chains from burger joints to taco shops to even a kebab place. Andy was unsure of which to choose, seeing how all of them looked good. In the middle of pondering, Luna, George and Ruth had already decided on what they wanted and went to get their food, leaving the boy with Sam. The blonde was looking at the restaurants as well but then spotted a little sign which made her jump with glee.
Looking at his friend with a puzzled look he ask "What's up Sam? You find something?"
The girl turned to him with glimmering eyes and pointed at a burger place called Jimmy Doe's Juicy Burger, "Jimmy Doe's has a thing called the Giga-Burger challenge! The challenge is timed but that isn't the only thing to it. The burger is so large that one person can't eat it all so what they do is split it in half so that two people can eat it."
"Yeah that sounds like a challenge. You plan on doing it now?"
Once she heard that question Sam's attitude changed, "Well… thing is I've been trying to beat it ever since it began in the summer but….I've had no luck." She woefully said.
"That sucks," the young man said clearly seeing how disappointed his friend is. "How many times have you tried it?"
"A bunch of times. I've had my dad and little bro help me. Heck even Luna and George tried to help me win it but its a no go." she said losing whatever enthusiasm she had to begin with. "Maybe I should pass this time."
Andy stayed silent for a moment before speaking, "I'll help you with the challenge."
Sam looked at Andy directly in his eyes, retaining some sparkle in hers, "Are you sure about that? I don't want to force you to do it."
The boy chuckled, "I'm cool with it. Besides it'll be fun and I feel really hungry"
Giving the young man a warm smile, the blonde guided him to the restaurant where they ordered the Giga-Burger challenge. Within a couple of minutes the duo were sitting at a small table and, in the middle, the Giga-Burger, sliced in half, sat there. Sam calling it large wasn't an exaggeration in fact one would have thought that it was a pie that looked like a burger. If the width of the burger wasn't intimidating, the thickness of the beef patty was similar to the thickness of a novel, making it more menacing. Other than that the burger had the usual works such as cheese, lettuce and ketchup. Sitting with the teens was a Jimmy Doe's employee who served as the time keeper of the challenge, though he wasn't keen on being there.
"Ok...you two get ten minutes to eat the burger." the employee said rather dully "You have to eat all of the burger under neath the time limit." he then yawned, "The challenges starts now..."
While Andy and Sam started their challenge, at a table farther away, sat their friends that are in the dark about their endeavor. They had already gotten their food and were waiting on the other two for a few minutes. They've kept texting and calling the two but there was no answer which worried them. Eventually they noticed a crowd surrounding a table though, at first, it didn't concern them.
After looking at the crowd for a minute or so George decided to check out the scene. "You know what? I'm gonna go see what the big deal is about over there. Ruth please don't eat my fortune cookie." the boy said with a stern tone that was met with Ruth cutely playing dumb.
When he made his way, the brunette was surprised at what he saw. His friends were doing the challenge that he failed to complete. At the same time the two youths were halfway done with their burger slice but there were four minutes left. Meanwhile George made his way back to the table where the other two girls were as fast as he could to relay the news.
"Yo! Sam and Andy are doing the challenge!" he said with excitement.
Luna shot straight up from her chair, "No way brah! Are you serious!?" to which she made her way to the crowd, disregarding the fact that she was still had her own food to finish.
Two minutes were left in the challenge and the duo were close to being a quarter done with their burgers. However they were feeling the struggle. Both Andy and Sam were at their limit, with as much as a literal handful of their burger. However both knew that if they took a couple more bites they would overcome the Giga-Burger challenge. So close yet so far, a light at the end of the tunnel but so small it was a speck. With one last ounce of determination they both bit their burger and the timer rang. They had failed to beat the time limit. The crowd groaned in disappointment, while the Jimmy Doe employee told the contestants to try again some other time and quickly left the scene. Sam had a bittersweet feeling. While she did fail again, she was close to winning the challenge. Whatever woe she felt before this event was replaced with a subtle but strong determination.
"Sorry Sam." Andy said feeling more bitter then sweet about this outcome, "I kinda hope I would help you. Guess I got ahead of myself."
The blonde put her hand on his shoulder, "Don't be. I feel great about this...well actually I feel full but you get what I mean."
The boy chuckled at her joke and felt a little better, "Say….you want to try it again? You know once we recover for a week." which was met with a giggle and a nod.
"Yo dudes you nearly beat it!" Luna popped in after the bystanders left and wrapped her arm around the both of them. "You guys did great. Maybe next time you can beat it!"
"One can hope, Luna, One can hope." Sam said.
"Alright champs lets get back to George and Ruth. We'll celebrate." the purple rocker declared.
"Sounds good. We'll be there we gotta catch our breath." the young man asked to which Luna agreed and made her way to the others. After a short couple of seconds Andy stood up, "Well partner shall we join them?"
Sam warmly smiled and replied "Yes...partner."
After a rather eventful day it was time for the group of friends to head home. Sam, George and Ruth had already left, leaving Andy and Luna to themselves at the entrance of the mall. While waiting a question popped up in Andy's head. He had yet to ask who the two girls that Luna came with are.
"Hey Luna who were those two girls you were with when you came here?"
"Those are my older sisters." she answered. "You never seen them before at school?"
"Er...I have but I didn't think they were your sisters." he said.
Luna grinned and shrugged "Its cool. They run with a different group so I can see how you'd not know."
There was a bit of a silence after Luna finished her comment. In that silence Andy eventually got curious about Luna's family.
"Say how many siblings do you have Luna?" the boy inquired.
"I got ten siblings. Nine sisters and one brother." She said casually.
"Wha-?" Andy started. "Th-that many?"
The rocker nodded, not fazed by her friend's surprised, "Yup. I'm the third oldest."
The black haired boy was stunned by this revelation. Luna was part of a large family, the third oldest in fact. He still had trouble wrapping his head around it. Many things went through his head like how chaotic is the house or what struggles the Loud parents have to face. He also felt bad for Luna's only brother being the only boy in the house.
In the midst of her friend being dazed by her answer, Luna returned the question to him, "What about you? You got any sibs?"
After he snapped back into reality, Andy answered her question quietly, "No….I'm an only child."
"Really?" the purple rocker mused "You were that much of a handful as a kid that your parents stopped at one?" she teased
"I don't know. My dad passed away when I was three." he simply said.
"Oh..." Luna responded. She felt like she hit a nerve with the boy. Guilty that she made a joke not knowing about Andy's old man, she attempted to apologize but was cut off.
"Don't apologize. Its ok really." the young man said putting on the best fake smile he could make. If there was one thing he hated it was when people apologized about his fathers passing when he was young. He just found it unnecessary for them to do simply because what's done is done.
Silence befell the two teens for a short while. Andy, not wanting what he said to ruin the atmosphere quickly thought about what to say. He didn't care that he was changing the subject so obviously. He didn't want Luna to feel bad or awkward about it. After thinking about it he remembered the conversation he and Ruth had at the music store. Without a second of delay the boy turned and faced his rocker friend. She met his gaze, reluctantly, but was relieved and curious when she noticed that he had a positive expression on his face.
"Luna will you teach me how to play a guitar?" he asked. But by then he knew his answer.