IT WAS THE last day of school of the semester, and the hallways were rowdy with excitement for the talent show that evening. AJ found Derrick on the way to their English class and waved him down, a sheet of paper held high above his head.
“I got it!” he said.
Derrick slowed and waited for his friend to catch up to him.
“I got the schedule,” AJ said, holding the sheet to Derrick. Taking it from AJ, Derrick perused the itinerary. Of the groups and students who applied for a spot in the talent show, only six were accepted. Stealth was listed as the fourth spot, just after a group of girls doing a dance routine.
Mr. Greene, the band director, was kind enough to let Dustin, Derrick and AJ store their instruments and gear in a storage closet in the band hall. They’d gone to the warehouse and packed all the equipment early this morning before school.
“This is crazy. We’re the only band in the talent show,” Derrick said.
“We’re the only band in the whole school,” AJ shrugged. “Which means we have the upper hand here. Nobody else is going to be doing what we’re doing up there.”
Derrick saw his point. “Hey, have you seen Haley this morning?” he asked.
“No, why?”
“She wasn’t in Biology class, and I just wanted to know if she’s okay,” Derrick said as they walked into the classroom together.
“Why wouldn’t she be?”
Sitting in their desks, Derrick leaned across the aisle. “She came over last night,” he whispered. “It’s her parents. They’re getting a divorce apparently,” he said.
AJ nearly did a double-take. “Are you serious? Why? Her parents are, like, Mount Vernon’s first couple.”
“I’ll tell you later,” Derrick said. Behind them, Rebecca came into the classroom just as the tardy bell rang. She averted her eyes from Derrick’s, taking her seat quickly. Though he tried to get her attention, she paid no attention to him.
He wanted to talk to her, to let her know that everything was okay between them, despite what happened with Doug. He knew she was probably embarrassed, but to treat him like he didn’t even exist made him upset, like he’d done something wrong.
Before he could talk to her, though, Mrs. Rogers walked in, lugging a television cart. “Last day of the semester, so we are going to watch the movie adaptation of Romeo and Juliet,” she announced to a mix of groans and ooh’s.
Derrick looked at AJ, who pulled out his notebook to scrawl on a page of lyrics he was working on. He’d been busy reworking some of the lyrics for the songs they planned on recording for their demo tape, his notebook covered in scribbles and notes scrawled in his messy handwriting. On the weekend nights that they spent the night at each other’s houses, they went over the songs over and over, tweaking them until they were perfect. However, Derrick was convinced that they were never really done. Eventually they’d be set on tape, no longer able to be edited or changed.
As Mrs. Rogers prepared the video cassette on the cart, Derrick ripped a sheet of paper from a spiral notebook and wrote a note on it.
Are you mad at me?
He folded the sheet and, with Mrs. Rogers busy fumbling with the controls on the front of the VCR, turned and handed the note to Rebecca. She took it with a sigh.
After a few moments, with the television playing and the lights turned down low, Derrick felt a tap on his shoulder and he reached around without turning, holding his open palm behind his back. Rebecca placed the note in his hand and he clasped it. In the glow of the television screen, he read her reply.
No. I just don’t think we should be friends.
Beneath her words, he wrote out his response.
We can still be friends.
He held the folded paper behind his back and felt her take it from him.
After a few seconds, her felt the tap on his back again, and he once more held his open hand behind him. He felt her place the paper there, her fingers lingering on his for a heartbeat, filling his chest with warmth. With the page in their shared grasp, he held onto her hand for a few moments more before she pulled away.
He unfolded the page again, and underneath his words were hers.
Good luck tonight.
♪ ♪ ♪
What snow had fallen earlier in the week had mostly melted, piles of gray slush still hanging on in the recesses of buildings and shadows. The walk home after school was cold and Derrick pulled his coat tightly around him as he started on his way toward his neighborhood. He knew the next few hours would go slowly, just as the entire day had. Even as he crossed the street, he could see movement and action already at the school’s auditorium as preparations for the talent show were underway.
Despite AJ’s excitement about the schedule of the night’s events, Derrick felt more apprehensive than ever. The pressure of performing in front of the entire school was getting to him, and practicing and rehearsing were starting to feel like work instead of having fun.
“Hey!” he heard AJ’s voice behind him.
Derrick slowed to wait for AJ as he jogged up. “Hey man, I didn’t see you much today. Are you ready for tonight?”
“I guess. As ready as I’ll ever be,” Derrick answered curtly.
“Oh come on, Derrick. What’s wrong?” AJ asked.
“I’m just burned out on all this,” Derrick admitted. “On all the rehearsing, playing the same songs over and over. I’m glad the talent show is tonight because I don’t know how much more of this I can take.”
“Is this about Wednesday night? With Rebecca?”
“Sort of. Some of it. I don’t know. I just miss jamming being fun, and it hasn’t been fun for me in a long time. I don’t know why. It feels like work.”
AJ didn’t respond, just looked at his shoes as they continued walking.
Derrick continued, “I don’t think it’s your fault, or her fault, or anyone’s, really. It just feels like we have spent so much time preparing for this talent show that we have forgotten why we wanted to do it in the first place.”
“I understand that, but we have a good thing here, Derrick,” AJ said. “You’re not just the most talented musician I’ve ever met, but you’re also my best friend. I don’t want you to think this is work. I want to be a musician so that we can make music and enjoy life for the rest of our lives.”
“I want that, too. But right now it just feels like it’s too much. I think maybe after the show tonight I’d like to take some time away from rehearsing.”
“But what about the demo tape?” AJ asked.
“We can work on it after Christmas,” Derrick said. “I just want some time to unwind. There’s so much going on that I haven’t really taken the time to slow down.”
“Is this about Haley’s parents?” AJ asked.
“Partly, if I had to be honest,” Derrick shrugged. “It’s that, it’s Rebecca, it’s this whole music thing in general. Like, what if we’re not destined to ‘make it’? There are so many musicians who never leave their own town, who never play in front of an audience. What makes us special?”
“What makes us special?” AJ said incredulously. “You, man! You’re the heart of this thing. We live and die with you.”
Though he was sure that AJ meant well, the prospect of being the main component of their band didn’t sit well on his shoulders.
They had almost made it to Derrick’s house, and AJ continued, “For me, this band, our music, it’s what lets me drown out everything else around us. All I know is, when we’re making music together, when we’re jamming out and I can feel Dustin’s bass drum in my chest, it’s all I ever dreamed of.”
“Yeah,” was all Derrick could muster.
“Look, let’s just get through tonight, and then we’ll take a break til after Christmas,” AJ said. “We can record after Christmas when I get my four-track.”
They walked up the sidewalk to Derrick’s house and walked into the warm and inviting living room. Doug was home for the day, and he was stoking a fire in the fireplace in the living room, squatting in front of it. The whole house had been decorated in Christmas colors, with a wreath hanging above the mantle.
“Hey guys,” Doug said, turning to them. “Why didn’t you tell me you were walking? I would have come to give you a ride.”
“It’s okay,” Derrick said as he shed his coat and backpack. “I just wanted a few minutes of peace before tonight.”
“You boys ready for the talent show?”
“I think so.”
AJ nodded. “Yes, sir.”
Doug chuckled. “It’s okay. I appreciate the respect, but I’m not in uniform. You can just call me Doug.”
“Yes sir, Doug,” AJ said.
Derrick shook his head and AJ snorted his laughter.
“Well, you guys are going to kill it tonight. I’m excited to hear you play,” he said.
“When’s mom coming home?” Derrick asked. He and AJ had crossed into the kitchen, sticking their heads in the French doors of the refrigerator.
“Any minute now. We’re going to make dinner before going to the auditorium. Tacos tonight,” Doug said.
“I like tacos,” AJ said.
“Well, you’re in luck because Dee’s tacos are the best.”
As they talked, Derrick looked at the clock. The next three hours could not go fast enough.