False Alarm
o3.
The bell rang, making Jamie sigh in relief. She closed her lyric book up, and clutched it in her hand. The red, slightly ripped, and graffiti ed notebook was her life. All of her poems, lyrics, personal thoughts, and guitar riffs were inside.
She walked to her locker, seeing her brother walk down the stairs. He looked at her, and smiled as he gently pushed past the crowd. He got to his locker as she just opened hers.
"How was your day?"
Jamie shrugged, biting inside of her mouth.
"It was fine. Nothing crucial."
Tommy sighed through his nose, knowing that the five assholes did something.
"Alright. I'm going home, but I'll stop by later at Pete's house to see how you guys are doing."
Jamie smiled, and nodded. Her brother ruffled her hair, and walked outside, the hood of his sweatshirt never leaving the top of his head.
"Jamie! Come on!"
She chuckled at Nate's voice, and saw her three best friends waiting for her at the front doors. She closed her locker, and saw Matt and Jimmy leaning against the wall near her, talking to each other. She kept walking, her head down, not wanting them to see her.
"There's the bitch now."
Jamie ignored Matt's voice, and kept walking. She could hear her friends talking, not paying attention. She rolled her eyes as she heard Jimmy's laugh.
"Probably off to fucking cut her wrists with those pussies."
Closing her eyes, hurt, Jamie bit her lip from saying anything. She knew if she did, she'd never leave, and all she wanted was to sing and scream her heart out. Not hearing footsteps behind her, she was relieved to be standing at the front doors.
"Come on, guys."
They nodded, and walked outside. Nate got in to his black pick up, and started it up. Pete and Kev got in to Pete's white grandam, and the motor roared. 'Heaven and Hell' by Black Sabbath started to play, making Jamie turn it up. She sang along to the amazing words, making Nate smile.
"I can't stop thinking about those fucking assholes in class today."
Jamie looked at Nate as he turned the radio down slightly. Jamie just shook her head, and sighed.
"Fuck them, man. Tommy said that they'll get theirs. Don't worry."
Nate nodded to himself, and cracked his knuckles, while one hand stayed on the wheel.
"I hate them."
Jamie looked out the window, silently agreeing with him. Ever since eighth grade, those boys have been jerks. No one knows what triggered them. They just figured that they'd be assholes just because they are kinda popular. That's what she didn't understand.
Comparing her friends with Matt, Brian, Jimmy, Zacky, and Johnny, they all like the same things. Metal, hard rock, piercings, tattoos, etc., so what made them special?
Shaking those thoughts away, Jamie saw that Nate pulled into Pete's house. They both got out, Pete pulling his car behind him. The four walking to the garage, while Pete entered the code into the small keypad next to the doors. It immediately opened, the band walking in. A drum set, three guitars, and two basses were seen immediately, along with three microphones and four amps.
"Let's get this shit going, boys."
They laughed as Jamie made her way to the microphone, and plugged it in. She blew in to it, and turned her amp up.
"You guys can blare it. My dad ain't home, and my neighbors are on vacation."
"Like that ever stopped us before."
Jamie laughed to herself at Kev's comment, knowing it was true. False Alarm would play as long as they wanted, as loud as they wanted. Any complaints, anyone can submit them in writing and give them to Pete. The band, of course, would either throw them away, burn them, or just play louder. Pete's dad was never home, since he was a lawyer in L.A., so no worries there.
"Alright, alright. What song first?"
Kev sat at the drums, and twirled a stick between his fingers, while the other layed on the snare. Pete plugged his guitar in, and played 'Twinkle Twinkle, Little Star' quietly. Nate stripped of his shirt, and slipped his bass on. He turned the volume up a bit, and sat on the amp.
"Wanna do a cover, or one of yours?"
Jamie tapped the mic, making the noise echo off of the walls.
"Let's just do a cover real quick. I gotta scream."
The boys smiled, and got in their positions.
"Sweet. Which one?"
Jamie smiled, and scratched her head.
"The Last by Underoath."
Kev clapped, and Pete started playing the opening notes. Soon, Nate came in, his fingers moving just as fast as Pete's were. Kev then jumped in, his cymbals and bass drums rattling the room. Jamie then let out the first two screams, her eyes clenched shut, feeling stress leave her body. She then head banged to the music as it got faster. It slowed down for a few seconds, until it kicked in again. She screamed the lyrics as hard as she could, the rest of the band head banging as well.
Playing for at least three minutes, they cut short. Jamie stopped singing, and took a deep breathe. She reached for a water bottle inside of the blue cooler that was always kept in the garage.
"Fuck yea, J."
Jamie smiled as she took a sip of the water.
"Dude, we gotta play the whole thing at our next gig. That was fucking hardcore."
"Yea, it was."
Jamie put her hair in a messy bun, and cracked her knuckles.
"I'll add it to the playlist."
Pete reached over to the side, leaning over the desk that held notebooks, CDs, and old records. He picked up a sharpie, and wrote the song down. He, then sat on the amp, while Jamie leaned against the wall, a guitar in her hand. She plucked random strings with her fingers, humming to herself.
"Did you write anything?"
Jamie placed the guitar down on the stand, and walked over to her backpack.
"Yea, I did, actually. I wrote three songs, along with solos and shit."
The boys nodded in impressment as she walked back over, her notebook in hand. She skimmed through the heavily inked pages, and smiled when she saw her work. She ripped them out, and handed one to each of her friends. They looked them over, certain labels catching their eyes. In parentheses at certain points read Scream, or Solo for Pete, or Bridge.
"These are sick, J. Where did you come up with these?"
She shrugged, smiling at their awed faces.
"I don't know. Tommy just says that I'm fucking pissed."
They laughed, and on cue, the garage opened. There stood Tommy, his hood up, and hands shoved in his pockets.
"I don't hear any music."
"You missed your sister's sick screaming, dude."
Tommy pounded fists with the boys, and gently punched Jamie's arm.
"Did I? I guess you'll have to do it again."
Jamie smiled, and nodded, taking on her brother's challenge.
"Wanna do Alone in December?"
She nodded at Pete's suggestion, and Kev started playing his drums. Tommy sat on the couch across from the band, while Jamie spoke the intro she knew by heart. Tommy mouthed it along with her, smiling as she started screaming. The whole band, including Jamie head banged as she screamed the lyrics at the top of her lungs. Kev hit his drums so hard, Tommy thought he would put a hole through them.
He watched in awe as his sister held the mic near her mouth, speaking the second part. She ran a hand across the top of her head, and bit her lip before she started screaming again. Pete and Nate's hands moved faster than anyone could see. Kev would mouth along the words while head banging.
Five minutes later, the song ended. Jamie breathed harshly, taking another sip of water. Tommy stood up, and gave False Alarm a standing ovation.
"Hell. Fucking. Yea."
She walked to her locker, seeing her brother walk down the stairs. He looked at her, and smiled as he gently pushed past the crowd. He got to his locker as she just opened hers.
"How was your day?"
Jamie shrugged, biting inside of her mouth.
"It was fine. Nothing crucial."
Tommy sighed through his nose, knowing that the five assholes did something.
"Alright. I'm going home, but I'll stop by later at Pete's house to see how you guys are doing."
Jamie smiled, and nodded. Her brother ruffled her hair, and walked outside, the hood of his sweatshirt never leaving the top of his head.
"Jamie! Come on!"
She chuckled at Nate's voice, and saw her three best friends waiting for her at the front doors. She closed her locker, and saw Matt and Jimmy leaning against the wall near her, talking to each other. She kept walking, her head down, not wanting them to see her.
"There's the bitch now."
Jamie ignored Matt's voice, and kept walking. She could hear her friends talking, not paying attention. She rolled her eyes as she heard Jimmy's laugh.
"Probably off to fucking cut her wrists with those pussies."
Closing her eyes, hurt, Jamie bit her lip from saying anything. She knew if she did, she'd never leave, and all she wanted was to sing and scream her heart out. Not hearing footsteps behind her, she was relieved to be standing at the front doors.
"Come on, guys."
They nodded, and walked outside. Nate got in to his black pick up, and started it up. Pete and Kev got in to Pete's white grandam, and the motor roared. 'Heaven and Hell' by Black Sabbath started to play, making Jamie turn it up. She sang along to the amazing words, making Nate smile.
"I can't stop thinking about those fucking assholes in class today."
Jamie looked at Nate as he turned the radio down slightly. Jamie just shook her head, and sighed.
"Fuck them, man. Tommy said that they'll get theirs. Don't worry."
Nate nodded to himself, and cracked his knuckles, while one hand stayed on the wheel.
"I hate them."
Jamie looked out the window, silently agreeing with him. Ever since eighth grade, those boys have been jerks. No one knows what triggered them. They just figured that they'd be assholes just because they are kinda popular. That's what she didn't understand.
Comparing her friends with Matt, Brian, Jimmy, Zacky, and Johnny, they all like the same things. Metal, hard rock, piercings, tattoos, etc., so what made them special?
Shaking those thoughts away, Jamie saw that Nate pulled into Pete's house. They both got out, Pete pulling his car behind him. The four walking to the garage, while Pete entered the code into the small keypad next to the doors. It immediately opened, the band walking in. A drum set, three guitars, and two basses were seen immediately, along with three microphones and four amps.
"Let's get this shit going, boys."
They laughed as Jamie made her way to the microphone, and plugged it in. She blew in to it, and turned her amp up.
"You guys can blare it. My dad ain't home, and my neighbors are on vacation."
"Like that ever stopped us before."
Jamie laughed to herself at Kev's comment, knowing it was true. False Alarm would play as long as they wanted, as loud as they wanted. Any complaints, anyone can submit them in writing and give them to Pete. The band, of course, would either throw them away, burn them, or just play louder. Pete's dad was never home, since he was a lawyer in L.A., so no worries there.
"Alright, alright. What song first?"
Kev sat at the drums, and twirled a stick between his fingers, while the other layed on the snare. Pete plugged his guitar in, and played 'Twinkle Twinkle, Little Star' quietly. Nate stripped of his shirt, and slipped his bass on. He turned the volume up a bit, and sat on the amp.
"Wanna do a cover, or one of yours?"
Jamie tapped the mic, making the noise echo off of the walls.
"Let's just do a cover real quick. I gotta scream."
The boys smiled, and got in their positions.
"Sweet. Which one?"
Jamie smiled, and scratched her head.
"The Last by Underoath."
Kev clapped, and Pete started playing the opening notes. Soon, Nate came in, his fingers moving just as fast as Pete's were. Kev then jumped in, his cymbals and bass drums rattling the room. Jamie then let out the first two screams, her eyes clenched shut, feeling stress leave her body. She then head banged to the music as it got faster. It slowed down for a few seconds, until it kicked in again. She screamed the lyrics as hard as she could, the rest of the band head banging as well.
Playing for at least three minutes, they cut short. Jamie stopped singing, and took a deep breathe. She reached for a water bottle inside of the blue cooler that was always kept in the garage.
"Fuck yea, J."
Jamie smiled as she took a sip of the water.
"Dude, we gotta play the whole thing at our next gig. That was fucking hardcore."
"Yea, it was."
Jamie put her hair in a messy bun, and cracked her knuckles.
"I'll add it to the playlist."
Pete reached over to the side, leaning over the desk that held notebooks, CDs, and old records. He picked up a sharpie, and wrote the song down. He, then sat on the amp, while Jamie leaned against the wall, a guitar in her hand. She plucked random strings with her fingers, humming to herself.
"Did you write anything?"
Jamie placed the guitar down on the stand, and walked over to her backpack.
"Yea, I did, actually. I wrote three songs, along with solos and shit."
The boys nodded in impressment as she walked back over, her notebook in hand. She skimmed through the heavily inked pages, and smiled when she saw her work. She ripped them out, and handed one to each of her friends. They looked them over, certain labels catching their eyes. In parentheses at certain points read Scream, or Solo for Pete, or Bridge.
"These are sick, J. Where did you come up with these?"
She shrugged, smiling at their awed faces.
"I don't know. Tommy just says that I'm fucking pissed."
They laughed, and on cue, the garage opened. There stood Tommy, his hood up, and hands shoved in his pockets.
"I don't hear any music."
"You missed your sister's sick screaming, dude."
Tommy pounded fists with the boys, and gently punched Jamie's arm.
"Did I? I guess you'll have to do it again."
Jamie smiled, and nodded, taking on her brother's challenge.
"Wanna do Alone in December?"
She nodded at Pete's suggestion, and Kev started playing his drums. Tommy sat on the couch across from the band, while Jamie spoke the intro she knew by heart. Tommy mouthed it along with her, smiling as she started screaming. The whole band, including Jamie head banged as she screamed the lyrics at the top of her lungs. Kev hit his drums so hard, Tommy thought he would put a hole through them.
He watched in awe as his sister held the mic near her mouth, speaking the second part. She ran a hand across the top of her head, and bit her lip before she started screaming again. Pete and Nate's hands moved faster than anyone could see. Kev would mouth along the words while head banging.
Five minutes later, the song ended. Jamie breathed harshly, taking another sip of water. Tommy stood up, and gave False Alarm a standing ovation.
"Hell. Fucking. Yea."
