This Is Not an After School Special

For the rest of the day, I found myself unconsciously protecting my forearm. I wished that I'd brought a hoodie, but the warm September weather made it unneccessary. Besides that, I had been in such a rush that morning that the thought hadn't even crossed my mind.

I slid into Matt's truck after school, only to find him sitting in the driver's seat, grinning widely.

"What did I do now?" I asked, somewhat impatiently.

"Nothing," he said hurriedly. "I'm just observing you, that's all."

"And what have you concluded?"

"Nothing. Yet," he added. "But I definitely wish that I could be there to witness just how awkward you're bound to get when you call him tonight."

"Thanks for having faith in me," I grumbled, trying my best to pretend to be angry with him. The truth was, I would be teasing him just as much if the situation were reversed.

"Aw, come on Beck," he punched my arm lightly. "You know I'm just bugging you."

"Yeah, but you know that I suck with guys. I never know how to act."

"I'm pretty sure your mom has given you the whole 'just be yourself' speech, so I shouldn't have to get into that."

I laughed. "Yeah, I think I recall that discussion. It was about the same point in my life as the 'he threw a rock at you because he likes you' one."

Matt's laughter echoed in the small cab of the truck. "A kid threw a rock at you?"

"No, actually. He threw it at my friend, but he had terrible aim."

"That's... tragic," Matt was now making an effort to hold back his giggles, and it was making his cheeks colour vividly.

"You can laugh, Matt," I told him. "It's funny, even I'll admit that."

"At least Josh won't throw rocks. I don't think he will, anyway."

"One little pebble, and I walk," I said, attempting to sound threatening.

"What about a metronome? If you can't catch on after long enough, he might have to resort to throwing something. And that's an object that will no doubt be nearby."

"What the hell is a metronome?"

Matt sighed, as though he had no idea how clueless I really was about anything that had to do with music. "That thing that was in the choir room today. It was sitting on top of the piano, and it had that needle that went from side to side," he illustrated by waving a finger in the manner of the metronome. "It's designed to keep you in a steady rhythm."

"I see," I replied, nodding to show that I understood.

Matt pulled into my driveway. "Call me if you have any news later, okay?"

"Okay. See you, Matt," I called over my shoulder as I hopped out of the truck.

As soon as I got inside, I grabbed the cordless phone from the base. I consulted my forearm for the correct digits, then frowned. Josh hadn't given me a time to call him, he'd just said 'later.' Maybe he had other things to do right after school, and he wouldn't be home. But I didn't want to wait until after supper, just in case he'd wanted to get started tonight. I stood there for a few long minutes, debating. My parents still weren't home from work, and I decided that it would be best to call him before they were there to listen in. I punched the numers into the phone and pinned it between my shoulder and my ear while I took my bag off of my arm and hauled it to my bedroom. Just as I tossed it onto my mattress, someone answered on the other end of the line. I grabbed the phone and straightened my head, as though that would make it easier to hear.

"Hello?" A pleasant female voice asked.

"Hi," I cleared my throat softly, since suddenly it seemed to be clogged with something. "Is Josh home?"

"Um," she paused. I could hear her murmuring something to someone else. "Yes," she replied suddenly. "He just walked in the door, actually. One moment, please."

I could hear hushed voices, then a moment later Josh spoke. "Hello?" His voice was businesslike; formal and polite.

"Hey, Josh," I said as confidently as I could manage. "It's Becky."

"Oh, hey Becky. How's it going?" His tone changed instantaneously, and he was suddenly friendly and warm.

"Pretty much the same as earlier today. Although I now know what a metronome is. That's new, I guess."

He chuckled. "That's new? What am I getting myself into by helping you?"

"More hot water than you know."

"That doesn't sound promising. Maybe you'll be a natural and pick it up really easily, you never know," he sounded patronizing, like he knew that it wouldn't be that simple but he wanted to give me some added confidence.

I made my way back out to the living room and sat down on the couch. "Yeah, I guess that's a possibility."

"What's your curfew?" He asked suddenly.

"Ten on weeknights."

"Okay, I've got some things that I need to do right away, but we could meet up around seven-thirty. Would that work for you?"

My heart thudded audibly in my chest. "Yeah, that would be fine. Where are we meeting up? I have no idea where you live."

"Actually, I have another place in mind. Have you ever heard of Little Mountain Sound?"

"Yeah. That's that recording studio downtown, isn't it?"

"Exactly," he sounded relieved that I knew that much, at the very least. "Can you meet me there?"

My eyebrows knitted together in confusion. "Why are we meeting there? Do you know the guy who owns it or something?"

"You could say that," I could hear a grin in his words. "It's my dad's studio. I just want us to be able to be somewhere that my mom won't jump in every couple of minutes. She's a vocal teacher, so she would pretty much take over if we did this at my house."

"No offense to your teaching skills, but I'm so inexperienced that don't you think professional help would be adviseable?"

"Believe me, things will be about ninety-nine times more stressful if she's there. She's taught some of the best. And I'm not exaggerating. She would be way too hard on you, Becky."

"Oh," I was a little scared to ask who she'd taught. "Well then it's just you and me, I guess."

"Okay, great. I'll see you later, then."

"Yeah, see you at seven-thirty." I hung up the phone, feeling elated. I was going to get an extremely private singing lesson in about three hours. Now I just had to find a way to get to the studio. I had my license, but no vehicle. And I doubted very much that my parents would ever let me take one of their cars downtown. They didn't seem to trust me all that much in the suburbs, let alone in the high-traffic areas. I picked up the phone for a second time and dialed Matt's number.

"Hey, Beck," his voice answered on the second ring. He must have looked at the caller ID.

"Hey Matt. What's new?"

"Nothing. How was your phone call with Josh? Any news?"

"Actually, I need a small favor."

He sighed dramatically. "What do you need?"

"You know I wouldn't ask unless I was desperate," I said defensively.

"Just tell me, Becky. You know I'll help you if I can."

"I need a ride later."

"I don't know where Josh lives," he replied simply.

"I'm not going to Josh's house," I told him. "I'm going downtown."

"Seriously? Why are you going downtown?"

"Because my lesson is at a recording studio."

"Why?"

"Josh's dad owns it. Anyways, if I had money for a cab, I would just do that. And I don't think my parents will lend me the car, so I'm stuck."

"What time do you need me?"

"Around seven. I have to be there at seven-thirty."

"Okay, I'll be at your house by seven at the latest."

I felt an enourmous wave of gratitude. "Thank you so much, Matt. I owe you one."

"You probably owe me more than one by now," he corrected. "But for this, yes you owe me one. Do you know when you'll need a ride home? Or am I supposed to hang around while you learn to sing?"

I faltered. I really hadn't considered that. "Um, that's your call, I guess. I have no idea how long it will last."

The front foor opened, and my mother walked into the house. She looked at me curiously, so I mouthed 'Matt' to her, and she nodded before continuing on her way into the kitchen.

"I don't really want to be a third wheel on your date, so you can just call me whenever you need me to pick you up."

"That'll work. Thanks again, Matt. I'll see you in a bit."

As soon as I hung up, my mother appeared again in the doorway to the kitchen. "Is Matt coming for dinner?"

I shook my head. "No, we're hanging out later, though."

"To do what?"

I was using Matt as an alibi. I knew that my parents would never approve of me hanging out with a strange boy in his senior year that they'd never met, even if it was for something as innocent as choir practise.

"He's teaching me to read sheet music," I lied. "We discovered today at rehearsal that I have absolutely no idea what I'm doing."

Mom shook her head. "Sometimes I think that boy has too much patience with you for his own good."

"It goes both ways, Mom. He's not perfect, either."

"You'll be home by ten, right?"

I rolled my eyes. "How long could it possibly take? Besides, he's already agreed to helping me out whenever I need it, so we don't have to cover everything tonight."

"Are you just hanging out here to do this, then?"

I shook my head. "No, we're going to Matt's place. Apparently Amanda wants to witness this." I was surprised at how easily the lies were coming to me. I didn't even have to think before the words came tumbling out.

"What time are you going? I'd like to have you eat before you go, no matter what."

"He's picking me up by seven."

She nodded. "I'll get started on dinner right now. Go and get your homework done before you leave."

I scowled, but obliged. I didn't want to get into any trouble with her today. I drug myself off to my room and barricaded myself inside until I was finished my English homework. I had gotten lucky that day, and had only been given homework in one class.

"Becky!" My mother called suddenly from somewhere down the hall. "Dinner is ready! Come eat before Matt gets here!"

I left my room, and I could hear my father's low voice talking. "Matt's coming over? Are those two dating? Should I be worried about this?"

My mother laughed lightly. "If they were dating, which they're not, I would be happy. Haven't you noticed how much happier Becky's been since we moved here and she met him? He's a good kid."

I walked into the room, and the conversation lapsed immediately. They had to have known that I'd heard them. There was no way that I couldn't have heard. But I kept my mouth shut, not wanting to start an argument over eavesdropping. I ate quickly, not even paying attention to what kind of food I was shovelling into my mouth. My mind was wandering, and I suddenly realised that I couldn't focus on much of anything these days.

I knew now why Matt was having such a field day with this. He had never seen me really crushing on a guy before. Especially not one that I was actually making plans with. This was unchartered territory for me.

I put my empty plate in the sink, then said a rushed goodbye to my parents before walking out the door. Matt wasn't there yet, but the evening was warm and the air had just a hint of an autumn breeze. I sat down on my front steps and waited patiently. Matt pulled up within five minutes, the engine of his truck rumbling in welcome. I was always happy to get out of my house, and I was even happier when it was my best friend who came to rescue me. I practically skipped over to his truck and let myself in.

"I hope Josh knows what he's getting himself into," Matt mumbled, though his eyes were full of humor.

"Ha ha," I said as I snapped the seatbelt into the buckle. "Just drive."

Matt draped an arm across the back of the seat as he looked through the rear window before backing up. "Relax, I won't make you late for your date."

"If you don't stop calling this a date, I'll personally ensure that you never get another date for the rest of high school," I threatened.

"And how will you manage that?"

"Don't test me, Matthew."

He rolled his eyes at my use of his full name, but a goofy grin had fallen upon his lips. "It's a date, Rebecca."