Live For the Sake Of Living

"Are you sure that this is going to be okay with everyone else?" I asked skeptically, feeling a sense of worry find its way into the pit of my stomach.

"Of course it'll be fine. Why wouldn't it be?" Jesse asked back, sending a confused glance my way as he drove down the quiet street.

After hearing me play the guitar for him a few times, Jesse had convinced me that I should meet his band. I didn't quite understand the correlation between the two, but Jesse had wanted me to come watch them play anyway, so i decided to join him after school one day. He was driving me to the house where George - the bass player - lived, and I couldn't deny that I felt like I was imposing. I didn't really know any of the guys Jesse was in the band with, apart from their names he had told me, and I had a feeling I would be just a bit unwelcome due to my past issues.

"I would think it wouldn't be fine considering the majority of the school hates me because of half the shit they've heard about me," I answered, but Jesse just rolled his eyes.

"It'll be fine. I promise."

Moments later, he pulled up along the curb outside a beige house that looked quite large from the outside. Staring up at it as it cast an almost ominous glow down onto me, I heard the engine cut.

"You ready to go in?" Jesse asked, and I looked over at him, nodding my head before I slowly got out of the car, allowing him to lead me up to the house. He didn't even knock when he reached the front door - just turned the knob and walked right in. I only felt like even more of an intruder.

"The guys should be in the living room," he said quietly, holding a hand against my lower back to guide me through the small entranceway, moving deeper into the house. The living room was past the stairs in the hall at the left, and I could hear the sounds of teenage boys and a television set being played in the background.

"Hey guys," Jesse called out.

"Finally, Matthews - never thought you'd get here," one of the guys, presumably George, said from his position in a reclined chair. He hadn't looked up until halfway through his sentence, and when he caught sight of me his mouth hung open and he looked surprised.

Uh-oh.

"Okay, so when you asked if you could bring a friend, I didn't think you'd bring her."

"What's that supposed to mean? It's just Charlotte," Jesse defended weakly, and the boy scoffed.

"Yeah, it's just Charlotte, and just Charlotte is probably strung out on whatever mix of drugs she's into these days..." he muttered, his eyes trying to make me burst into flames.

"I can leave," I said, turning to retrace my steps down the hall and out the door, but jesse caught my arm and pulled me to him, ensuring that I wouldn't be able to run off.

"First off, George, don't go around making assumptions about something you don't really know about. Charlotte hasn't been into that shit for months now. And second off, I think she might be able to help us."

Looking at Jesse curiously, I cocked a brow. "Help you how?"

"Well, Todd over there is graduating," Jesse started to say as he pointed out a boy with black hair sitting on the couch, "and as he's going off to college in a couple months, we'll me out of a guitarist and a singer, and I was just going to suggest to the guys that you join our band and take his place. I mean, if they're okay with it."

The room was silent for a moment, and then another guy with sandy blonde hair spoke up.

"How do we even know she's any good?" he asked.

"Trust me, she's good - I've heard her play. That and... her dad's like, a guitar legend and he's been teaching her some new stuff," Jesse explained, and I couldn't help but smirk when he mentioned my dad.

"...Well I for one want to hear her play before anything permanent is decided," George said, and I watched as he looked me over, sizing me up.

"Um, Charlotte hasn't even said whether or not she's interested in joining the band if or when the offer stands," I said, crossing my arms as I looked at Jesse.

"...Well?" he asked. It didn't take me very long to reach a decision - I had wanted to join a band ever since I had learned to play the guitar.

"If the rest of the guys will have me, and think I'm good enough, then sure," I answered, and he smiled.

"Well, I say we get our asses down to the basement and get to doing what we came to do," Todd said as he stood and stretched, and the others all nodded, grumbling their agreements as they all filed down the hall and to the basement door, leaving me and Jesse to follow.

"So, you really know how to bang on those drums," I said with a sly smile, my hands stuffed into the pockets of my zip-up sweatshirt. After Jesse and his band had performed, letting me get a feel for their style and their talent, he had driven me back home and insisted he walk me to my door.

"Eh, I guess," he said, shrugging modestly, and I smiled. "I'm gonna have to have you bring your guitar over the next time we go, so that you can show them what you've got. There's really no way they can turn it down, I just think they're a little iffy about a girl doing main vocals."

Smiling again, my mind briefly wandered to the homework that was awaiting me, and I sighed. "I should probably get inside and start working on school stuff, before mom or dad come out to beat me up and drag me inside," I joked, and Jesse nodded, grinning. "Night," I said softly, waving him off as I went to go inside.

"Oh, and Charlotte? There's one more thing," I heard his voice carry from behind me, and I turned to look back at him, surprised when he didn't say anything but rather placed his lips quickly against mine in a kiss. Pulling away, he smiled, and stepped sideways off the porch.

"Goodnight," he said, his eyes glinting before he turned and headed back down to his car parking along the road.

"Goodnight indeed," I whispered out, unable to keep the silly grin off my lips as I watched jesse drive down the road. Sighing dreamily, I turned and went inside, hearing noise in the living room. Michelle and Brian were sat relaxing on the couch while Jack layed with his head in Michelle's lap, her fingers gently running through his hair. Looking over his shoulder, Brian smiled when I entered the room.

"Hi."

"Hey Dad. So.. guess what just happened," I said, baring a shit-eating grin to him.

"Hmmm... I don't know. What happened?" he asked,. and I stood next to the couch, leaning on the arm of it.

"I... just joined a band. Well, sort of, I guess. As soon as their singer and guitarist goes off to college," I explained, and Brian flashed me a look of excitement.

"Really? That's great! Now you get to carry on my legend and the Haner name. And obviously, my legend will pave the way to fame."

From next to him, Michelle let out a snort, turning to look at him, and I lightly shoved his shoulder.

"Shut up," I said playfully, sitting down on the loveseat.

"Mom says not to say that. They're bad words!" Jackie called as he picked his little head up, and I laughed, rolling my eyes and sticking my tongue out at him, making him giggle before resting his head back in Michelle's lap.