Before It Rains

PART SEVEN
I’m not sure whether or not I fell asleep. It was one of those things where I didn’t feel sleepy, but so much time had passed, I knew I must’ve. I checked the clock. 5:43? Woah. My iPod was still on, playing “Walking in Memphis”. I turned it up louder and started to sing with it.

Put on my blue suede shoes
And I boarded the plane
Touched down in the land of the Delta Blues
In the middle of the pouring rain
W.C. Handy -- won't you look down over me
Yeah I got a first class ticket
But I'm as blue as a boy can be

Then I'm walking in Memphis
Walking with my feet ten feet off of Beale
Walking in Memphis
But do I really feel the way I feel

Saw the ghost of Elvis
On Union Avenue
Followed him up to the gates of Graceland
Then I watched him walk right through
Now security they did not see him
They just hovered 'round his tomb
But there's a pretty little thing
Waiting for the King
Down in the Jungle Room

Just before the second chorus, I heard a noise outside the door. I ignored it until the door opened and all the guys flooded in, Ruben leading the pack, saying something that sounded like, “Come on, let’s move it along here.” I abruptly stopped singing, praying they hadn’t heard me. I loved to sing more than almost anything else, but definitely not in front of anyone besides my brother.

They were all standing kind of awkwardly in the doorway staring at me. Ruben came over to the bed and grabbed one of the ear buds and rolled his eyes at me, flicking his head over, gesturing to the guys in the doorway. He started singing along. He first got me interested in music and we sang together a lot. Almost forgetting about the guys in the doorway still, I began to sing with Ruben.

Now Muriel plays piano
Every Friday at the Hollywood
And they brought me down to see her
And they asked me if I would --
Do a little number
And I sang with all my might
And she said --
"Tell me are you a Christian child?"
And I said "Ma'am I am tonight"

Then I'm walking in Memphis
Walking with my feet ten feet off of Beale
Walking in Memphis
But do I really feel the way I feel

Put on my blue suede shoes
And I boarded the plane
Touched down in the land of the Delta Blues
In the middle of the pouring rain
Touched down in the land of the Delta Blues
In the middle of the pouring rain...

When the last words faded off, I switched the iPod off and rolled the wire of the ear buds around it, placing it in the top drawer of my dresser. And what the hell, the guys still hadn’t budged from freakin’ doorway! I waved my arms at them.

“Hello everyone, go back to your houses, there’s nothing to see here.” I half shouted. They relaxed a little bit but still didn’t move. I sighed.

“It wasn’t that bad, was it?” I asked, trying to coax them into saying something. Austin was the first one to respond.

“No way, Sam. It’s just that... you guys are so...” he trailed off. I raised my eyebrows at him.

“Good,” Max finished for him. “That was seriously, like, ‘da bomb.” I smiled at him.

“Thanks. I don’t really like to sing in front of people, though.”

“I couldn’t tell,” Shane said. Turned out he was actually speechless for once. Well, almost anyway. He had said something.

“Are you guys going out for the choir?” Max asked. “Please?”

I looked at Ruben. I hadn’t even realized it, but I was clueless when it came to classes. My mom hadn’t mentioned anything about it. I’d either have to email her and find out, or go back to see my good friend Mr. Boroughs. Ha ha.

“Is it like an after class thing or something? And are you guys in it?” I asked Max.
Apparently he knew something about it.

“Well, yeah, it’s a couple days a week after classes finish up and you have to audition and stuff. And I’m the only one here who does it. They’re all losers,” he said, pointing to the three guys behind him.

I laughed. “I think I already figured that out,” I said. They scowled at me. Shane jumped over and tackled me to the ground. I let out a gasp before the wind got knocked out of me completely. He looked concerned first, then surprised, but when he realized I had my breath back, he started to laugh.

“And you thought I was weak!” he spat out in between laughs.

“I just got smacked to the ground by a high school guy, and you got knocked over off a bed by a girl wielding a pillow. There’s a difference,” I pointed out.

Austin laughed again and punched Shane in the shoulder. “She got you, man!” Shane frowned at me and this time brought Austin to the ground. There was only one thing I could think of that guys liked more.

“Hey, you people, who wants to come get dinner?” I shouted. Shane and Austin jumped up and all of them headed for the door. Maybe if I backed slowly into the room they’d go without noticing they forgot me...

Austin backed up back into the room. “Not getting rid of us that easily, Sam,” he said. Damn! “Come on!” He tried to pull me out and just to be difficult I didn’t move. He made a face at me and then turned and shouted out the door. “Kai!”

Kai came back in the room, brushed his long dark hair out of his eyes, and picked me up by my waist, throwing me over his shoulder. I squealed. “Kai, put me down! Ruben, help me out here!”

“No such luck, sis,” he told me, chuckling. I pounded on Kai’s back, but he didn’t put me down until we were in the elevator.

“I called Asia. She’s going to meet us in front of A,” Max informed us. Sure enough, when we got outside, she was jogging over to us.

“Hey, guys, what took so long? When Max said you’d be out in two minutes, I didn’t really think it would take that much longer!”

Austin pointed to me. “Blame her. She tried to run away.”

Asia looked sympathetically at me, but still laughed. “It doesn’t work,” she said, shaking her head.

“I noticed.”

“Hey, y’all, I’ll race you to the cafeteria!” Ruben yelled, taking off across the lawn. We all followed after him, breathing in the fresh air.