New years eve and day passed quickly, and winter break was done just as fast. It was the first day back to school and Andy was readjusting himself, trying to break out of the winter break mode he was on. While he was at his locker that morning he felt his phone vibrate. Curious to see who it was the young man took his phone out and saw a message.
George-(Come to the music room ASAP)
Once he read the text, Andy was now curious about what was so urgent and asked in his reply text.
Andy-(What's going on in the music room?)
George-(Nothing just come here right now.)
The boy exhaled and decided to do what his friend asked him with no further questioning. He finished up with his locker and proceeded to the music room. During that time Andy was thinking about what could be so serious that he needed to be in the room immediately. When he arrived he noticed that the music room was just as it always has been. The black haired boy, then approached his friends still wondering what was in stored.
"Hey I came as soon as I can. What's the problem?"
"I'm glad you asked, my dude." George spoke. "See we got a gig going on at an auditorium and we want you come and watch."
Andy looked at the brunette, trying to figure out if this was a joke or the truth. "You serious? You guys have a gig?"
Ruth nodded her head. "Yup! The place is called Driftwood. They have it open on the weekends for plays or in this case for local musicians to come and perform."
"And a great way to get your music out in the open." Sam added.
"That sounds cool! What day?" Andy asked.
"This coming Friday, dude. We'll probably go on later at like eight or something." Luna answered.
Andy pondered about it. "I'm down for it. Of course I got to tell my mom about it."
"No problemo. I'm sure she'll be okay with it." Sam replied. "Besides it wouldn't hurt to have a back up guitarist."
"Wha?" the young man stuttered.
"Hey that's a good idea!" George said. "Well not the idea of replacing Lunes but maybe we can have Andy do some gigs with us too. It could be a fun experience."
Andy was squirming at the thought of having to be in front of lots of people. "Um...I k-kinda just want to play for fun by myself if that makes sense."
Luna coughed to get everyone's attention. "Even though I'm on board with this idea, I think we should let Andy do his thing."
"Yes Luna. I think its fine that Andy just plays for a hobby." Ruth added.
Sam and George reluctantly mumbled in agreement with the other two girls. Meanwhile Andy was mentally thanking Luna and Ruth for bailing him out.
"Fine fine we'll let Andy be about joining the band." George finally said.
"For now..." Sam muttered to the brunette.
"Okay now that that's done, we'll expect you Friday." Luna declared.
Andy nodded, happily looking forward to that day. It would be his first time seeing his friends actually performing as a band. All he needed to do was tell his mother about Friday night.
"No." Ana flatly said while reading a book. "You're staying home Friday night."
Andy made a frustrated sigh. He didn't think his mother would flat-out deny him of going to see his friends perform. But she did and when she turned down his requests she usually had a reason. The young man had to contest against her decision and decided to do so.
"Why can't I go?" Andy asked.
The youth's mother, put her book down and looked square into his eyes. "Andreas you just got back to school. You need to focus on your studies. Not to mention I don't know anything about this Driftwood place and I don't want you to go there by yourself."
As usual she had her reasons and was standing by them. Still the young Moreno boy kept on with his dispute.
"I won't slack off on my homework. I have study hall for my last period and I'll work on it as soon as I get home!" Andy countered, which was met with a doubtful look. Still he pressed on. "Besides Luna and my friends will be there. Nothing has gone wrong when I was with them."
Ana didn't even bat an eye. "My answer is still the same. No."
The young man was feeling the pressure of this match. "Mr. and Mrs. Loud let Luna go."
"That's their decision. I have made mine Andreas." the older woman said.
Andy had nothing to rebut, he was at a loss of words. This conflict was over and there was nothing left to be said. Without a word the boy went to his room in defeat. He sat on his bed, plugged in his ear buds and started to listen to music. He sat there for a few minutes thinking about how to tell his friends that he couldn't go to see them.
"Man this is really gonna suck." he mused as he began to send a group message to them.
Just as he was about to type, he stopped and thought about his mother's argument. Andy pondered about it and came up with an idea. It wasn't a complete solution but it was all he had. He paused the music and put his phone down. He then walked back to the living room where his mother was still reading her book. Andy sat down while Ana made a tired sigh, expecting another bout with her son.
"What if you came with me to Driftwood?" the boy asked.
The older woman put down her book. "We don't know anything about that place."
It was a foot in the door, albeit the tip of the toes.
"It's an auditorium. Usually it has plays but on some occasions they allow local singers or bands a chance to play."
Ana was quiet while her son spoke. She was contemplating about his offer. "And what about your studies?"
"I told you I'll do them during study hall and then finish them when I get home." Andy proclaimed.
"We'll see." the boys mother said.
Andy waited to hear what else his mother had to say. After a minute or two of silence the boy got up to go back to his room. After noticing his mother thinking about his proposal he didn't want to push his luck. When he got back to his room he decided to stay true to his word and work on his homework.
The whole week Andy was studying and doing his homework without a second thought. As soon as study hall began he went straight to work and when he got home he sat at the dining room table to continue what he started in class. All this time Ana saw her son studying his work. She knew he was working hard and was doing as he promised. It was Friday afternoon when Ana picked Andy up from school and she had made her decision.
"I've given it some thought and I've seen you studying all week long. We will go see your friends at this wood place."
"Driftwood Auditorium." Andy corrected.
The boy's mother sighed. "Right that. But I expect you to continue with the studies."
Andy nodded in agreement. "Yes mom."
"Alright now lets go home for now. We still have a bit till your friends go play." Ana said.
The Moreno's head back home and once they got into the house Andy went straight to the table to work on his homework. While he was working he felt excited for what tonight had in store. Sure he had to work his tail off to earn it and to keep doing so but it was well worth it in the end. After a while of studying, the older woman approached the table.
"How about you take a break for today?" Ana said.
Andy put his pencil down but was confused. "But you said I should keep studying."
"I know and I do want you to keep studying. But you've been working really hard this whole week so you should hold this off until tomorrow." the mother replied.
"Oh okay." the boy said. He finished up his the current question he was working on and put all his stuff back into his backpack. Before he took his backpack to his room he looked at his mother. "You sure about this?"
Ana nodded. "Yes. Just take a day off. Its Friday after all."
Andy didn't say anything and took his bag to his room. In his room the youth put his bag near his bed and began to watch videos on the internet to kill time. It was a little after dinner when the Moreno's left to head to the auditorium. Since they didn't know the way to their destination they had to rely on a GPS to get there.
"You must be really excited to see your friends." Ana said.
"Yes it'll be my first time seeing them jamming out." Andy replied.
"Haven't they played before?"
"Well...kinda. I've only seen them just playing some random tunes. Nothing serious like this." Andy answered.
"I see." Ana spoke. After a little pause she then sprouted a mischievous smile. "Maybe I should go on stage and sing."
Her joke was met with a disapproving look from her son. Nonetheless she laughed it off as she drove.
After a few minutes of driving the Moreno's finally arrived at the Driftwood Auditorium. After a few minutes, Ana managed to find a parking spot albeit it was a bit of a walk from the entrance. Once they got to the entrance they bought tickets to the music performance and entered. The auditorium had a beautiful white and gold color scheme. If it weren't for the theater seats being bolted to the ground it would've made a beautiful ball room. The stage was covered with curtains, indicating that they music performance was yet to start. Andy and his mother sat near the middle of the theater and the former was eager to see his friends.
"Hey Mom," Andy began. "do you think they'll let people visit the performers in the backstage?"
"Maybe. Though I don't think you should do that now." Ana answered.
"I know, I know." the boy replied. "I just thought I'd catch them after they perform."
Ana looked around the auditorium and she noticed there were all sorts of characters filling the seats. There were a mixture of people ranging from all ages attending to see the performers.
"I'd love to see a play here one day." the older woman mused.
The lights then dimmed and the chatter began to simmer down. The curtains then drew open revealing the first singer of the night, a young woman in white. Her music choice was a variation of pop with a mix of electronica. While it wasn't Andy's favorite kind of music he had to admit the beats of her selected songs were pretty catchy.
"She was pretty good and her songs were pretty nice for pop songs." Andy whispered to his mother.
After the young woman was done the next to sing were a vocal group. The group were full of elder African-American men and they sung soulful music. After hearing their singing Ana was reminded of a group she used to listen to.
"They remind me of a group way back when called the Impulses. It brings back some memories." the older Moreno told her son in a hushed voice.
Once the group was done the curtains closed back up. Behind them were the sounds of equipment being moved around and some small chatter going about. Andy had a feeling he knew who the next group was. Sure enough once the curtains reopened it revealed Luna and the rest of his friends much to his joy. Ruth was sitting in her drummer seat, testing her drums and cymbals. Sam was tuning her bass guitar and doing test plucks. Luna on the other hand was strumming her guitar a bit then tuning her strings. After a few seconds, George, who was doing some body warm ups, grabbed the mic and started to speak.
"Hello Driftwood Auditorium!" the Brunette spoke energetically. "You guys ready to jam?"
The auditorium replied with an enthusiastic cheer.
George smiled. "I'm sorry I couldn't hear you. Could you guys repeat that again?"
The crowd cheered again with more passion.
"Alright lets do it!"
After Ruth did a count down the group then began with their first song. It was hard rock song that sounded similar to a classic rock song that Andy liked. George was doing a wonderful job singing and Ruth and Sam were playing their instruments just a well. However Andy was fixated on Luna's performance. She was giving it her all and was having a blast performing on the stage. It was a different side of Luna that the boy had never seen. He couldn't help but be attracted to this side of her.
They're pretty good Ana thought to herself. She was about to say something to Andy but she noticed that he was absorbed by the performance. Ana smiled and went back to watching the show.
Once the song was over the group was met with an applause from the crowd. During that time a stagehand went out from the side of the stage with a microphone stand in hand and placed it in front of Luna. Right then Andy knew it was going to be a duet. The second song sounded like a blues song which was different from the first song. George's ability to switch tones in his singing was something to truly admire, Luna's singing was beautiful. The young man couldn't get enough of her singing. He was feeling a warmth in his chest all of a sudden. Just seeing Luna like this made him beyond happy.
"Is Luna dating that boy?" Ana asked out of the blue.
"WHA-" Andy almost blurted out but caught himself by closing his mouth and having his hand over it for good measure. "No no they're just friends." he sheepishly whispered once he opened his mouth.
"I see. They seem really close so that's why I asked." the older woman quietly explained.
Andy stayed quiet as the second song ended. His mother's question bothered him. He cherishes George and Luna as friends but to see them as a couple made the young man feel...different. He felt a pressure in his heart just thinking about that. Andy decided to focus on the final song his friends were going to play, a casual rock song. However his thoughts still persist no matter how hard he focused.
"That's not right...George likes Ruth. He's told me that himself!" Andy pondered. "And Luna is usually friendly with everyone. But...if he's going out with Luna then that's okay. They're both awesome and I should be happy for them." However after he finished that thought something else came up. "Why did I feel bad? Why did Mom's question...hurt?"
The youth's thoughts were cut off by the crowd applauding. Andy's friends were done with their song and were finished performing. The curtains closed, so that the stagehands could move the music equipment. Andy felt a tap on his shoulder and he turned to see it was his mother.
"You want to go visit your friends in the back of the stage?" The older woman inquired.
"Ah...yeah. I'd like that." Andy answered to which the two got up from their seats.
The Moreno's made their way to the back of the Auditorium stage. During that time Andy was excited but was still thinking about why his mother's question was bothering him. When the two arrived at the backstage door, Andy decided to knock on it. After a few seconds the door opened to reveal a large man with a nose ring and a cap answering the door.
"Can I help you folks?" the man asked with a thick British accent.
Andy was nudged by his mother. "Uh...I'm here to see L-l-luna. I-I'm her friend" the boy stammered.
"Hold on a sec." the man said. He then turned around and yelled. "Hey Luna! You got some folks who want to see you!"
"Could you let them in, Chunk?" Luna shouted back.
Chunk nodded and held the door for the Moreno's. "Come on in."
Andy and his mother walked in and saw the back stage filled props and stagehands moving the music equipment. Andy didn't know what to do and simply waited until his friends came to him.
"Andy!"
The young man turned to see George approaching him with a big smile on his face.
"Hey George! You were awesome!" Andy greeted.
"Thanks dude!" George said. He then noticed Ana standing behind her son. "Oh you must be Mrs. Moreno! I'm George. Thanks for coming."
"Hello George. Its great to meet you." Ana returned the greeting.
"Andy I knew you'd come!" Ruth approached with Sam in tow.
"Yeah well I didn't want to miss it." The black haired boy replied.
"He really didn't. You should've seen him studying all week long. I thought he was replaced by a studious clone." Ana joked.
Sam laughed. "Is this your mom? She's funny."
Andy made a flat expression. "Yes. That is my mom."
"I see." The blonde responded. "Its nice to met you. I'm Sam."
"And I'm Ruth." the red head girl greeted.
"Nice to meet you girls." Mrs. Moreno returned the greeting.
During this time Andy had forgotten about the question dilemma. He was gladly conversing with his friends and was in a calming mood. It was as if nothing bothered him.
"Hey Andy! Hey Mrs. M!"
Andy's heart skipped a beat when he heard that voice. Luna had finally came over and the young man's chest was feeling warm again. He turned to see Luna with a warm smile. He's seen her smile plenty of times before but this was different. It was heavenly to see.
"Andreas." Ana spoke.
Andy snapped back into reality. "Uh...hey Luna. You...you were great!"
"Thanks dude." Luna chirped. "I just wish it would've lasted longer."
"I feel you. But if it means anything I loved it all." Andy stated with all the sincerity he had.
Luna smirked. "Thanks Mate." she said in her British accent.
That accent made Andy's heart flutter. He was blushing furiously, was making nervous chuckles and was looking around shyly. His behavior was making everyone else around him concerned over the young man.
"You good my man?" George asked.
"HUH? Yeah! I'm great!" Andy answered quickly.
"Ooookay….well I'm gonna go talk to the manager. It was great seeing you Andy! I hope you'll come by the next time too. See you later man!" George said, leaving to meet the manager.
"Yeah we better finish packing up. Later Andy thanks for coming! You too Mrs. Moreno!" Sam bid her friend a farewell.
"I should go too. Have a good night Andy. Have a good night Mrs. Moreno. Thank you for your support." Ruth spoke before leaving.
"We should go too Andy." Ana said. "Its getting late and your friends need to finish up."
"Y-yeah." Andy agreed. He then turned to Luna. "I gotta go. You really were amazing. Let me know the next time you guys perform."
Luna nodded. "Will do my friend. Good night, Andy."
"Good night Luna." the boy said.
Andy left the backstage along with his mother. As they left the building and got into the car Andy was thinking. He thought about his mother's question, thought about what had happened in the backstage when he talked to Luna and how he felt during those times. After some thinking he found out why the question hurt and why Luna was much more radiant than before. He realized that he had feelings for Luna Loud.
Meanwhile, Luna was in the middle of putting her guitar away when she noticed she stepped on a pamphlet. She looked down and picked up the paper and read the cover aloud.
"America's Next Hitmaker."