‹ Prequel: Backstage
Center Stage (Into the Future)
Band Practice
“Kaylee! Joey! Jeez, it’s about time,” Rob yelled from his drum set. “Sorry guys,” Joey said as he pulled the guitar strap around his neck. Kaylee took her bass out of her case and pulled the strap around her neck. Joey and their other guitarist, Johnny, tuned their guitars together as they sat on the end of the wooden stage they had built in Rob’s garage. Kaylee looked over at Rob who was tapping out the beat to the song they were going to play. On the center drum, the words Black Dawn were painted in a midnight blue color.
“Ready, babe?” Joey asked strumming out a random chord. Kaylee smiled and nodded.
“Ok,” Joey started out by himself at first with soft chords.
“There’s a girl over there.
and she’s looking at me
When she smiles
all my fears melt away.
She makes the darkest room as bright as the daaaayy.
When she’s here
I know that everything’s perfect
And nothing can stand in my way…”
“1,2,3,4,1,2…” Rob called.
“Cuz when she smiiiles at me
My day is complete
When she laughs with me,
Me world can’t be beat.
When she kisses me
My heart fly’s away now,
And every day with her is like a walk in heaven!”
They played together, it was the one song that most of the people in town knew for it was one of the only ones that they were allowed to play in all ages areas. Joey was the writer of most of the songs, inheriting some of his dad’s abilities to…give color to the lyrics. But that was a different song. He wrote it for Kaylee, she didn’t know it though. His dad did something like that for his mom. ‘2,000 light years away and 80, wasn’t it?’ Joey thought. ‘Oh well, just keep playing,’ he thought for he had just messed up a chord.
They ended the song and decided that they should focus on some of their other songs now. They were about to start playing when Joey’s cell phone when off. “Hang on…” Joey said after Rob slammed his sticks onto the cymbals. “Sorry,” he said as he quickly muted them. Joey checked the little screen. ‘Private Call.’ All of the home phone numbers said that, so Joey guessed it was his mom. “Hello?” he said into the receiver.
“How come no one’s home to greet me here? I’m all alone!”
It was Billie.
“DAD!” Joey yelled into the phone. All of his band members looked over at him and quickly huddled around Joey. Billie was everyone’s hero in the band, but he was always gone. He had been on tour for the past five months…again. “I thought you got home tomorrow,” Joey said excitedly.
“Well, I was. But we were able to get an earlier flight and I though I’d be surprising you and your mom but I guess I was wrong,” he said with a laugh. Joey laughed back shooing everyone away from his ear.
“HI MR.ARMSTRONG!” Kaylee yelled. She was the only one that had ever met him. Billie laughed.
“Hi Kaylee. You guys still going out?” Billie asked. Joey grabbed Kaylee and pulled her to his side.
“Hell yeah!” Kaylee gave him a kiss that made Johnny and Rob groan and walk away. Billie was laughing softly on the other end.
“Alright! Don’t make out in my ear! I gotta go unpack. See you when you’re done with…What are you doing?” Billie asked.
“Band practice. And I’m gonna end it now so I can come home.” There was a group
“Awww c’mon!” from Kaylee, Johnny and Rob.
“I’ll call mom and see if she can get off. We can see if Jakob can get out of school early,” Joey said.
“Yeah sure, just don’t get him in trouble. Remember what happened when he burned that thing down in his science class?” Billie asked. Joey began to laugh.
“Yeah, that thing burned fast! Alright, bye Dad. See yeah in a few,” Joey said. He hung up.
“Can we come!” Rob yelled from his stool.
“Family, guys. Sorry, I gotta go. Kaylee do you want me to take you home or do you want to stay and have one of these bozos do it?” Joey asked.
“I’ll take you home,” Rob said with a sly smile.
“Ew, no!” Kaylee said with a laugh.
“I’m only joking!” Rob cried as Joey stared daggers at him. “You are Joey’s girl and I know that if I even think of anything involving me and you, I will get the crap beaten out of me,” he said in a monotone voice as if he had practiced saying that line over and over again. Joey gave a smile.
“Thank you, that practicing did you good.” Rob rolled his eyes.
“Forced is more like it,” he said under his breath.
“Call me and I’ll come pick you up, ok?” he said to Kaylee who was still attached to his side.
“Yeah,” she said.
“Alright so, I’m off. Johnny, you are lead guitar until tomorrow,” Joey said as he walked towards his car. Johnny gave a salute.
“Aye Aye, captain!” he said. Joey laughed. “Same time tomorrow?”
“It’s always the same time tomorrow,” Rob said.
“Alright! Bye guys!” Joey stared off towards his car.
“Joey Wait!” he turned around and saw Kaylee running towards him. He smiled. She stood in front of him and then gave him a kiss. Joey pulled away after a few seconds and smiled.
“Yes?” he said with a laugh.
“That was all,” she said with a smile. “Bye babe.” She ran back to the makeshift stage. Joey jumped in his car and sped off towards home.
“Ready, babe?” Joey asked strumming out a random chord. Kaylee smiled and nodded.
“Ok,” Joey started out by himself at first with soft chords.
“There’s a girl over there.
and she’s looking at me
When she smiles
all my fears melt away.
She makes the darkest room as bright as the daaaayy.
When she’s here
I know that everything’s perfect
And nothing can stand in my way…”
“1,2,3,4,1,2…” Rob called.
“Cuz when she smiiiles at me
My day is complete
When she laughs with me,
Me world can’t be beat.
When she kisses me
My heart fly’s away now,
And every day with her is like a walk in heaven!”
They played together, it was the one song that most of the people in town knew for it was one of the only ones that they were allowed to play in all ages areas. Joey was the writer of most of the songs, inheriting some of his dad’s abilities to…give color to the lyrics. But that was a different song. He wrote it for Kaylee, she didn’t know it though. His dad did something like that for his mom. ‘2,000 light years away and 80, wasn’t it?’ Joey thought. ‘Oh well, just keep playing,’ he thought for he had just messed up a chord.
They ended the song and decided that they should focus on some of their other songs now. They were about to start playing when Joey’s cell phone when off. “Hang on…” Joey said after Rob slammed his sticks onto the cymbals. “Sorry,” he said as he quickly muted them. Joey checked the little screen. ‘Private Call.’ All of the home phone numbers said that, so Joey guessed it was his mom. “Hello?” he said into the receiver.
“How come no one’s home to greet me here? I’m all alone!”
It was Billie.
“DAD!” Joey yelled into the phone. All of his band members looked over at him and quickly huddled around Joey. Billie was everyone’s hero in the band, but he was always gone. He had been on tour for the past five months…again. “I thought you got home tomorrow,” Joey said excitedly.
“Well, I was. But we were able to get an earlier flight and I though I’d be surprising you and your mom but I guess I was wrong,” he said with a laugh. Joey laughed back shooing everyone away from his ear.
“HI MR.ARMSTRONG!” Kaylee yelled. She was the only one that had ever met him. Billie laughed.
“Hi Kaylee. You guys still going out?” Billie asked. Joey grabbed Kaylee and pulled her to his side.
“Hell yeah!” Kaylee gave him a kiss that made Johnny and Rob groan and walk away. Billie was laughing softly on the other end.
“Alright! Don’t make out in my ear! I gotta go unpack. See you when you’re done with…What are you doing?” Billie asked.
“Band practice. And I’m gonna end it now so I can come home.” There was a group
“Awww c’mon!” from Kaylee, Johnny and Rob.
“I’ll call mom and see if she can get off. We can see if Jakob can get out of school early,” Joey said.
“Yeah sure, just don’t get him in trouble. Remember what happened when he burned that thing down in his science class?” Billie asked. Joey began to laugh.
“Yeah, that thing burned fast! Alright, bye Dad. See yeah in a few,” Joey said. He hung up.
“Can we come!” Rob yelled from his stool.
“Family, guys. Sorry, I gotta go. Kaylee do you want me to take you home or do you want to stay and have one of these bozos do it?” Joey asked.
“I’ll take you home,” Rob said with a sly smile.
“Ew, no!” Kaylee said with a laugh.
“I’m only joking!” Rob cried as Joey stared daggers at him. “You are Joey’s girl and I know that if I even think of anything involving me and you, I will get the crap beaten out of me,” he said in a monotone voice as if he had practiced saying that line over and over again. Joey gave a smile.
“Thank you, that practicing did you good.” Rob rolled his eyes.
“Forced is more like it,” he said under his breath.
“Call me and I’ll come pick you up, ok?” he said to Kaylee who was still attached to his side.
“Yeah,” she said.
“Alright so, I’m off. Johnny, you are lead guitar until tomorrow,” Joey said as he walked towards his car. Johnny gave a salute.
“Aye Aye, captain!” he said. Joey laughed. “Same time tomorrow?”
“It’s always the same time tomorrow,” Rob said.
“Alright! Bye guys!” Joey stared off towards his car.
“Joey Wait!” he turned around and saw Kaylee running towards him. He smiled. She stood in front of him and then gave him a kiss. Joey pulled away after a few seconds and smiled.
“Yes?” he said with a laugh.
“That was all,” she said with a smile. “Bye babe.” She ran back to the makeshift stage. Joey jumped in his car and sped off towards home.