A/N: This may be short, but Ollie meeting Louis comes next! Keep it locked here for that!

Chapter 32: Audition

Other things had happened before Juno and I came back to Port Angeles. Lily and Marshall had their baby, who Lily agreed to be named Marvin. Ted got back together with Victoria, so I ended up meeting her after hearing a few stories about her. And Barney? Well, he got engaged with Quinn, his live-in girlfriend, who recently quit her job as a stripper. Never thought that guy would settle down, but it looked like he would.

Life was good over the summer. I didn't end up meeting Louis yet, but Juno started teaching me guitar. I learned a few chords within a week through July.

"You go through the audition first. Then Joe will decide if you're okay to join up with us."

"I thought Joe was the drummer."

"Doesn't matter. He's still the leader of the band. Now try a C chord."

I strummed it a few times.

"Good. Might want to invest in a few supplies. That'll show the others that you care about this."

"Wow. You really want me in the band?" Juno never pushed me this hard on something, unless you counted seeing my family again.

"Yeah, Ollie. You're my brother. I want a friend up there with me."

I smiled. "I'm your guy, J."

The next few weeks were extensive training. One day we went to the music store Juno went to frequently, and bought a bunch of supplies.

"If you make it, and you get Mandy's cut, I'd recommend investing some of that money into your own guitar. I can't have you using my own this whole time." She said while in the store. She pulled a capo off the rack.

"Sounds reasonable." I replied. "Any recommendations when I audition?"

"Play something that you know they'll like." Said Juno. "They don't want just someone who can play. They want someone who plays what they want. They want someone who likes the music they like."

"How will I know what they like?"

"If you know I'll like the song, they'll like it. Their tastes are like my own."

A few weeks later, I was tuning up the guitar Juno lent me for the audition. I didn't really expect to be a member of a band anytime in my life. I had been a hunter, an explorer, and a bartender. Never had I thought I would be in a band. I didn't even think I could make it. But Juno had been teaching me hard for the past month. I knew a few songs that I enjoyed to listen to, and I got a sense of what to play.

Before we went in, Juno stopped me.

"One more thing, Ollie." She reached into her pocket and placed something in my hand.

It was small and thin. I opened my hand to see something I hadn't seen leave Juno's pocket for 7 years: her lucky guitar pick. A bright green one with a bass clef symbol on it. This was the first time I really paid attention to the detail on it.

"Use that, and play their ears off, Blake."

If you have a friend that trusts you with their most precious item ever, then that's the milestone that says you really are best friends. Juno never let that pick out of her sights, so this meant a lot to me.

An actor that I saw once on YouTube said that he hates auditioning for roles, because the casting directors are always so emotionless, and don't even pay much attention. It's always so intimidating to see them all sitting in a row like crows on a phone line. This wasn't like it at all. All the band members were sitting in a disorderly fashion, with some on a couch, one in a beanbag chair, and others just around the room. I was auditioning in the back room of the music store that Joe worked at.

"Hey, guys!"

"Ollie! Great to see you!" Said Mark. Some of these guys knew me through Juno. I guess that could help my chances.

"You got a song?" Said Joe. He was among the ones who seemed like he wanted me in the band.

"Yeah. But I need you guys to drop me a beat."

A few looked puzzled. I just smiled and started for them.

"*stomp stomp clap stomp-stomp clap. Stomp stomp clap stomp-stomp clap clap."

Some of them shrugged and went along with it as I started playing.

"So this is what you meant/ when you said that you were spent/ and now it's time to build from the bottom of the pit/ right to the top/ don't hold back."

Juno nodded in approval as several of the others grinned, continuing the beat. I kept it up.

"Packing my bags, and giving the academy a rain check/ I don't ever wanna let you down/ I don't ever wanna leave this town/ cause after all/ the city never sleeps at night/"

The others started singing along with me.

"It's time to begin, isn't it/ I get a little bit/ bigger, but then, I'll admit/ I'm just the same as I was/ now don't you understand/ That I'm never changing who I am."

I clearly made the right choice for a song, using Juno's advice, because they were liking it. But even though Joe had a smile on his face when I finished, he still said what they all say at the end of auditions: "Thanks, Ollie. We'll be in touch."

A few weeks went by. Juno didn't tell me anything of the audition, or of Louis. I was dying to meet the guy who Juno had fallen for. After hearing how she was describing him, I was expecting someone nicer than me. But, as I soon found out afterwards, Juno had made a massive mistake. Ted told me a year after meeting him of a theory: everyone will date someone that is a huge mistake before meeting the one they will marry. Ted had one that I hated, but I'll get to that. And Juno had Louis.

I spent the remainder of the summer staying in good spirits with the others at Maclaren's, and the gang. Victoria and Quinn were very accepting of me. They both hadn't met me until the summer, but they both liked me.

"I can imagine someone like Barney would have a bartender for a friend." Said Quinn. "You seeing anyone, Ollie?"

"Not at the moment." I said. With the occasional drunken one night stands, I barely connected with anyone. That was just how I was. Always looking for the "One", being almost as picky as Ted.

"Don't fret yet, Ollie." Said Victoria. "There's a girl out there for you."

This was the high point of the summer. Everyone I knew was happy with their lives, and love lives. But then September dawned. This kicked off what I dubbed, and later Ted agreed to call the "Autumn of Breakups".

Barney was convinced by Arthur to sign a prenup that ended up becoming a fight over domination in the marriage. I saw Robin fighting with her dumbass boyfriend, Nick over a thing about the TV being on during sex

.

"Say what now?" I asked. She was asking for my help about the problem afsnick Nick left the bar.

Robin looked at me sternly. She was a bit embarrassed by this fact: "I get turned on when I see myself do the news during sex." She put out.

"Ooo-kay. That is weird."

Robin nodded. "But Nick doesn't understand that. He got really mad when I was watching my show during sex."

"Robin, as your friend, I gotta ask one think: have you even told Nick this fact? Because I can think of several guys who would be happy to hear this, and encourage the tv to be on if this was the case."

Robin sighed. "No, Ollie. Nick doesn't know."

"So tell him." I said. "I may be a guy, but contrary to what most girls seem to think about all guys, I am one that has feelings. I'd want my girlfriend to tell me about this stuff."

"You have a girlfriend?"

"No." I admitted. "But thanks for dampening my spirits about that."

"Sorry." Said Robin. "So I should tell Nick that the newscast of me turns me on?"

"Uh, *yeah*!" I exclaimed. "Get to it!"

Soon after Robin left, Juno came into the bar.

"Juno? What are you doing here? I've never seen you here before."

"You got it!" She exclaimed.

"YES!" I cried. I jumped over and gave her a big hug. "This is awesome! So when do I start?"

"That gig I talked about in June got cancelled. Until we're booked for something, you're under my eyes for learning more. And you're buying your own guitar. No idea when you'll actually start. But I'll keep you posted."

"I know I'll have to buy my own guitar." I admitted. "But business is good, and I have more than enough saved away for one, so no problem. You can help me pick one out tomorrow."

I made a huge mistake that night: I shouldn't have talked to Robin. I should've given advice to Barney and Quinn. If I had, then maybe they'd be married. But then again, maybe things would've been different for the worse. Because then things wouldn't have changed several months from then.