The Bird and the Worm

I laughed as Brian gritted his teeth and barely managed his way through one of the many much more difficult guitar solos, being careful not to lose my own rhythm and mess up the drums. He was holding the guitar controller like he held his guitar- as though he was ready to make it scream or something. He was in the zone, regardless of whether he was screwing up or not, and I muttered a few choice obscenities to myself as the drum solo came around.

The guys snickered a little, but then they fell silent as they watched me play. The solo was all over the place, and I probably only missed nine or ten of the notes out of the thirty zillion that were flying full-speed along the screen.

The song finished, and I set the drumsticks down, stretching my arms a little.

“How the hell do you lose on the guitar, Brian? She beat you by like…” Matt glanced at the final score on the screen, “seventeen thousand points. How does that happen?”

Brian growled playfully at him, pulling me to his side with one arm. “Shut up, dude, she was in her high school’s marching band. She’d probably whoop your ass, too.” I raised an eyebrow at him as I looked up at him. “What? It’s true.”

“All right, damn it, I’m beating that fucking high score. There is no way a girl is gonna have a higher score than me.” Jimmy sat down at the drums, and he twirled the drumsticks like he was playing a show live or something. “Well, damn it, you gonna pick up that guitar or not?” he said, glancing back at me. I sighed. “You don’t have to play that crazy piece of shit Brian just mutilated.” Pulling out of Brian’s grip, I picked up the guitar controller and slung it over my shoulder. “Hell yeah, girl, show ‘em how it’s done.”

He found a song that he told me I’d be good at, and we set our difficulty level. Like me, Jimmy played on expert. I figured that I could probably handle expert as well.

Jimmy started in on the drums, and when Davey Havok’s voice started screaming out angst-filled lyrics, I smiled to myself, keeping my eyes glued to the screen as I did my best to play along with the notes the game wanted me to play. Jimmy easily got in the zone- he was banging away at the drums and tapping his foot in rhythm on the kick while I was strumming mindlessly away, jamming to one of the best AFI songs known to man.

“There is no way she just beat your high score. How’s that make you feel, Bri?”

“Like a freaking failure. I never have enjoyed being beaten by girls.” I set the controller down and let him pull me into his arms. I leaned against him as I realized it was kind of cold on this bus and his body was naturally warm. “What time do you guys figure we’ll be at the next venue?”

“Uh, probably about two hours.”

“Mmm.”

“Don’t get any sick ideas, Bri. We still have to do those damn sound checks and everything.”

“Yeah I know.” He sighed. “After the show?”

Zacky flashed a classic grin. “After the show, we won’t have to leave for at least three hours.” I could see the wheels spinning in his head, and as I glanced between him and Brian, I could pretty much deduce that they were planning something I obviously wasn’t in on. Brian simply smiled at me, and Zacky shook his head and shuffled off to grab a Coke. “Got any special plans, Bri?”

Brian shrugged, pulling me a little closer as he leaned back against the doorway, and I kept silent. “Eh, I dunno, maybe. Might hang out with Heather for a bit. Late night coffee or something.”

“Last time you went out for coffee with a girl (Michelle), things ended at a hotel,” Matt teased him, earning a nudge on his arm. He brushed it off. “Whatever dude. Heather’s a smart chick, right, girl?”

“Oh yeah, that’s me. Oober smart.”

“Not just anyone gets into the sociology field, missy,” Matt scolded me, and he winked. I rolled my eyes. “But the rest of us can chill on the bus while you two do what you must,” he said, glancing at Brian, telling him to be responsible with his eyes- all in about three seconds. Brian’s lips touched my hair, and Matt nodded approvingly.

“Thanks, Matt.”

‘Ready set go it’s time to run, the sky is changing, we are one, together we can make it while the world is crashing down…ready set go it’s time to run, the sky is changing, we are one, together we can make it.. ‘

“Hello?”

“Oh my gosh, Heather, you have no idea what I just heard.”

My heart jumped a little. “What did you hear?”

“Remember that aunt that no one likes yet puts up with every year at the family reunions that you drag me to?”

“Yeah.”

“Well she was in some pancake house in the middle of effing nowheresville Florida, and she called your mom and I just happened to be over making apple pie- don’t ask, that is a long story- and I heard pretty much everything they said.” She paused. “Heather?” I squeaked in response. “Your mom heard about your lip-moistening session with Brian. I mean, I say kudos, you know, but that’s just me. Your mom’s furious…she kind of scared me, actually. She wants you to come home. She doesn’t like the idea of you making out with ridiculously gorgeous rock stars.”

“Is she coming for me?”

“Yeah. I mean, she’s a little far away, but she knows where the next show is, so you can’t really escape her.”

“Oh…”

Brian was watching me now, a little concerned by my sudden silence. “Heather? What’s wrong?”

I glanced up at him, offering a small smile. He narrowed his eyes. He wasn’t buying it. I sighed, relenting. “My mom heard about me kissing you in the pancake house and she’s blowing things wayyy out of proportion.” He held out his hand for the phone, and I handed it to him.

“Gina?” I heard an explosion of my best friend’s babbling, and she explained everything she’d just told me. He nodded, listening intently and running the hand that still held me to his side along my side, his fingers skimming along my borrowed shirt. “Yeah, well, I’m not really sure how I can be of any use…” “You know, that might actually work…how badly would her mother freak, though?” “I had no idea that her mother would be this- yeah I guess that’s the right way to put it…well why does she care anyway? Heather’s nineteen, and- oh well that explains it.” He glanced down at me, and he sighed, his lips spreading into a smile I knew he was forcing. “Okay. I think that’s what we’ll have to do.” “Yeah. Here’s Heather.”

“Gina?”

“Okay so you guys have a plan…how attached are you to your mother, exactly?” I raised an eyebrow at Brian, and he shrugged.

“Um…I’m not ridiculously fond of her, but I’d like to not be disowned.”

I could almost hear the smile in her voice as she said, “Brian’s got a plan, then.” She sighed. “Ohmigod I’m so glad I caught you in time…well I think I’m gonna call her to try to calm her down. I don’t know why she’s going so crazy. I’d be ecstatic if my kid was being treated this well by a hot rock star.”

“Gina-“

“No. No thanks. Not yet. I’m just doing what I can so that you get your three days, alright?” I relented, mumbling in agreement. “Oh yeah, and, uh, give Brian a good long kiss for me. That’s what you owe me.”

“Great.”

“I’ll talk to you later. Bye, Heather. Good luck.” Her end of the line went dead, and I sighed, leaning against Brian and letting him wrap both arms around me.