Join the Band

Throw it away
Forget yesterday
We'll make the great escape
We won't hear a word they say
They don't know us anyway
Watch it burn
Let it die
Cause we are finally free tonight

I could hear the boys practicing from my room, and I had to admit, for a band that only played covers in the basement, they were pretty good. I sighed and closed the book I wasn’t reading. They were distracting me and I decided I didn’t care what my brother was going to do to me, I was going down there.

I did a quick mirror check; my dark brown, usually curly hair was dead straight as a result of that morning’s boredom coupled with my only-one-week-old straightener. I applied mascara to the already thick eyelashes that curtained my brown-green eyes and covered my few pimples with concealer. I ran my eyes over what I was wearing – Paramore tee, purple skinny jeans, black cardigan vest – and approved. I shot the mirror a funny look and exited my room.

I hovered at the bottom of the stairs as they finished a song – Face Down by The Red Jumpsuit Apparatus, minus the screaming – tapping my foot to the beat. Being a twin, my brother’s best friends and band mates were also some of my best friends: Matt the guitarist, lanky as with sandy blonde hair that covered most of his blue-grey eyes and an innocence about him, despite his uncanny ability to join conversations at the worst times. Joe the lead singer and rhythm guitarist, slightly stocky – especially compared to Matt – but a with voice that could make an audience of thousands dance wildly or blubber like babies depending on what he was singing, he had light brown hair that curled around his ears and halfway down his forehead keeping his deep green eyes in a good view for “the ladies to look deeply into”. And Jai the drummer, tall with naturally jet black hair – styled short and spiky at the back and long and side-fridge like at the front – and bright blue eyes. I’d known Jai pretty much since I was born, since he’d been my next door neighbour for that long, and he was my best friend. He noticed me standing there just as they played the last line and shot me his signature playful grin. I couldn’t but help smile back.

“Ok Haylee, what are you doing here?” I jumped at the sound of my name and tore my eyes away from Jai to look at my brother. Zane was about half a head taller than me but had the same eye and hair – styled similarly to Jai’s, tho I had to admit Jai’s looked better – colour as mine. He looked very “rock-star” in his skinny jeans and bass slung over his shoulder.
“Can’t a sister watch her brother and friends jam in her own basement?” I asked innocently, plonking myself down on one of the arm chairs they had pushed against the wall.
“Not without an ulterior motive she can’t,” Zane replied. I frowned.
“Look you guys were distracting me from my book, who cares if I just want to watch,” I retorted annoyed at how my brother always seemed to think I was up to something.
“Just let her watch Z,” Jai said throwing a stick up in the air and catching it again, “What harm could it do?” Zane sighed.
“Fine,” he said giving up and going back to position. Jai winked at me and I grinned back, trying to ignore the flipping his smile made my stomach do.

They started another song – Blink 182’s All the Small Things – when half way through Joe started coughing.
“Shit, Joe are you ok?” Matt exclaimed, puling his guitar off and all but throwing it down. Not having an instrument to worry about, I was the first to Joe’s side, pulling him into a chair and offering him water. He drank it and slowly his coughing subsided.
“Are you ok?” Matt repeated, looking down at him with the worried expression mirrored on everyone’s face. Joe paused for a minute before shaking his head. Everybody’s brow creased. Joe grabbed a piece of paper and a pen off the table and wrote something on it.
“Stop panicking, it’s not serious, I’ve just lost my voice,” I read out what Joe had written. Everyone relaxed slightly.
“But can you sing?” Zane asked. The rest of us looked at him like he was an idiot.
“Of course he can’t sing, idiot,” Matt said. Zane just rolled his eyes.
“I meant would he be able to sing in two weeks for Battle of the Bands,” Zane explained. Comprehension crossed our faces and we turned to Joe. He though for a long moment before slowly shaking his head.
“Shit,” Matt spat through his teeth.
“You got that right.” Zane replied.
“Sorry guys,” I read out for Joe.
“Well what are we going to do?” Matt asked.
“I don’t know,” Zane replied. While Zane and Matt ping-ponged ideas, with the occasional input from Joe’s paper, I looked up at Jai. I’d noticed he hadn’t said anything and I saw he was deep in thought. Suddenly he looked up at me.
“Haylee can sing,” he hadn’t said it that loud but the room was suddenly silent.
“What?” I almost whispered when I got over the shock.
“I’ve heard you, you’re amazing,” Jai answered matter-of-factly. I shook my head.
“When have you heard me sing?” I demanded.
“In choir. And…” he paused, suddenly self conscience, “And when you play and sing on your window sill when you think nobody’s listening.” That’s when I remembered Jai’s bedroom window was right across from mine.
“Shit.” I whispered self conscience myself. I blushed and stared down at floor.
“Can you do it?” Zane asked. I frowned at him.
“You want me to sing for you?” I asked surprised that he’d go for it.
“Well I don’t see any other option.”
“It’s a good idea. We can do Paramore songs!” Matt exclaimed, suddenly excited.
“Hate to disappoint you guys but I’m not doing it.” I said, determined.
“Why not?” Matt asked his face falling.
“Because I don’t do the whole audience thing.” I replied “I don’t sing by myself on stage in front of people. Ok?”
“Lee-lee,” Jai started, using the nickname he made for me when we were four I winced knowing a guilt trip was coming, “please. I know you can do this. You won’t be alone; you’ll have us right behind and next to you. We need you.” Jai was staring straight into my eyes giving me his puppy dog look. He knew me too well, I caved.
“Fine,” I sighed, “I’ll practice with you guys but I’m not promising that I’ll be able to get up onstage.” That seemed to be good enough for Jai.
“Ok, lets get started; we’ll do something Paramore to start off with. I know you know That’s What You Get.” He said grinning at me. I shot him a death stare, but it was only half-hearted and he skipped off to his drums as the boys grabbed their guitars and I took to the mike.