Under Jersey Skies

Saturday came and the four members of my new band stood, or in Joey’s case sat, in Joey’s garage. It was our band’s first official practice together, and I couldn’t stop smiling as Arriana passed out sheet music for everyone’s instruments, I was so excited.

“So, we’re going to start out with a cover, we need to get comfortable playing together first, but we have two weeks until Battle Of The Bands, so we gotta get at least one song written before then. Each band gets a maximum ten minute set, so we need two songs polished up and ready for the night.” I explained.
“Well, there was that old song I wrote months ago, remember Jackie? The one you made up lyrics to? We could work with that?” Arriana suggested.
“Good idea, we’ll get Pitiful figured out first, and then look into that.” I smiled. “Everyone ready?” I asked.
Korey, Arriana and Joey replied in unison.

Joey counted us in by tapping his drumsticks together, and we began, Joey drumming, Korey on Bass, Arriana on Guitar, me on Vocals;

“As I recall, with my stomach turning and I was hiding away from myself
away from you, like nothing, but something was terribly wrong, and I admit that I was only waiting for the right time, right time, the right moment for you to look away, though you never did I pretended for a while, SO I COULD WALK WHERE I DON'T BELONG!”

“I remember every word you said, come back here time, come back! and I remember I'll soon be dead, PITIFUL, so pitiful!”

I looked behind me, smiling at Joey, bending my knees in time with his drumming. This was going so well for our first time playing together. I gripped the microphone stand, and resumed singing;

“But I know, as I hammered those nails into your beautiful hands your eyes still try to search for mine, but I look away, now your eyes are the only thing that can save me, I'm still so afraid of them piercing, you're breaking into my prison, just pretended for a while, my soul is dying, I won't look away!”

“I remember every word you said, come back here time, come back! and I remember I'll soon be dead, PITIFUL, so pitiful!”

“Pitiful, pitiful, so pitiful, pitiful, SO PI-TI-FUL!!!!!”

I looked over at Arriana, and she looked back, the two of us sharing a smile as she breezed through the solo on her sparkly, candy apple red guitar.

“And I remember every word you said, this time I won't look away, and I remember every word you said, and this time I won’t look away!”

“AND I REMEMBER EVERY WORD YOU SAID! Come here time, come back! AND I REMEMBER I’LL SOON BE DEAD! Pitiful, so pitiful!”

“AND I REMEMBER EVERY WORD YOU SAID! Come here time, come back! AND I REMEMBER I’LL SOON BE DEAD! Pitiful, SO PI-TI-FUL!”

The four of us finished, and could not stop grinning at one another, proud of what we’d achieved. For a first run through as a newly formed band, we had sounded amazing.

“Wow.” I laughed.
“No shit.” Korey said.
“So.” Joey spoke up. “It’s clear we work well together, what are we gonna call ourselves?”
“Yeah, he’s right; we need a name to enter Battle Of The Bands.” Arriana agreed.
“Well, it’s clear we all love Blindside, otherwise we wouldn’t be covering Pitiful.” I said. “And Blindside is what brought us all together and got us talking about forming a band, and Blindside just happen to have a song called About A Burning Fire.”
“Which would be an epic band name!” Korey chimed in, catching my drift.
“And an epic song.” Joey added.
“All those in favour say Aye.” Arriana spoke.
“Aye.” I said.
“Aye.” Said Joey.
“Aye.” Said Korey.
Arriana laughed. “Aye.”
“Then it’s settled, About A Burning Fire it is.” I smiled…

***

Arriana parted off sections of my fringe with a fine toothed comb, ready to cover it with pink dye in Bella’s home salon later that night. It’d been awhile since I’d slept over. In the midst all the chaos with Frank and Gerard, and Jessica’s death, I’d kind of drifted from Arriana, but I was making up for that now.

“Have I ever mentioned how gorgeous your hair colour is?” She said.
“Quite a few times.” I laughed. “I can’t believe I’m dying my fringe pink again.”
“Yeah, the last time you had a pink fringe was when Jessica was still alive, wasn’t it?” Arriana asked.
“Yeah.” I exhaled, my lips curling into a sad frown.
“Do you miss her?”
“Every day.” I admitted. “She was my first real friend when I got here, even despite all the fights.”
“I bet Gerard misses her too, huh? He took her death pretty hard.”
“He wrote a song for her.” I told her.
“Really?” Arriana asked, smearing pink dye into my hair.
“Yeah, it’s beautiful.”
“I hope I get to hear it someday.” Arriana said.
“I wrote something myself, after she died, during class one day.”
“You should bring it to band practice next time?” She suggested.
“Nah.” I shook my head. “It’s something I’d rather perform solo, it’s very personal.”
“Understood.” Arriana smiled. “Well.” She said, folding up the last bit of foil in my hair. “That’s gotta stay in for awhile and we got some time to kill, so, up for a little Singstar?”
“Sure.” I smiled…