Catastrophic Happenings

“So first things first,” Rick said to the band the following day at practice. Though it was the same time as yesterday’s, they were in a completely different location. Azalea had offered to permanently hold practice at her place since the basement was completely vacant. Rick was grateful that they got out of his mom’s house. She no longer had the chance to hold the favor over his head. “We need to start working on our music.”

The band was currently lounging in the area of Azalea’s basement that resembled a family room.

“Are we really not going to use any of our old stuff?” Cade asked. “We did have fans that liked those songs.”

“So you didn’t notice how odd it was for a girl to be singing songs about getting head or banging a girl while she’s wasted?” Austin turned to him.

“Ew!” Azalea shrieked. “Which song was about head?”

“Sugar it up,” Austin chuckled. “Your audition song.”

“Who do you guys think you are, Lil Wayne?”

Sammy laughed out right.

“What are you, a prude?” Cade followed, not quite so under his breath. Azalea sent him a hard look, but like the other three in the room, decided to ignore the comment.

“It was all Jason,” Austin defended.

“Exactly,” Rick exclaimed while gesturing his hand at Austin. “We need to get rid of all things Jason. And the old stuff is good but I think we should just start fresh.”

“I think it’s a great idea,” Sammy said. “New is always fun.”

Before Cade could add another of his two cents, Rick turned to Azalea, “You said something about you playing guitar, correct?”

Azalea’s eyebrows immediately rose. “No, I said I played piano. I don’t play guitar anymore.”

The entire room noticed how defensive Azalea became at the question, but Rick continued, “Could you pick it back up again? Because it’d be great to have another guitar—“

“No,” Azalea said again quickly. “I quit because I sucked. Honestly, I really blew,” she added.

Rick nodded, though wasn’t entirely convinced. “Okay then. What do you guys think of having a keyboard?”

“Why are you assuming that she’s amazing at everything?” Cade asked. “You don’t even know how well she can play and you’re already signing her up for new roles.”

Azalea rolled her eyes, got up, and stomped up the staircase.

“Cade!” Rick chastised.

“What?” he asked with his hands up. “She’s being a baby.”

“Would you please stop being so mean to her?” Sammy pleaded.

“Yeah,” Austin agreed. “It isn’t going to get you anything in the end.”

Rick ran his hands through hair that was still too long for his mother’s liking. “Do you think someone should go after her?”

But soon after Rick had spoken they heard the return of her feet on the staircase. Tucked underneath her arm was an electric keyboard. She sat near the wall perpendicular to the couches that the band and Rick were sitting on and set the keyboard down in front of her. After plugging the chord into the wall she placed her hands on top of the keys. She started out just playing some scales, looking up at Cade every so often with a smirk. And then she started playing a melody.

“That’s Konstantine by Something Corporate,” Austin announced.

Azalea looked up and smiled at him. Then she said, “I can also sing and play piano simultaneously. If you were wondering,” she tagged on, directing her eyes at Cade.


“Alright, I think you’ve proved your point,” Cade said.

Azalea ignored him and continued on.

“Let her continue,” Sammy said to him. “She’s pretty good.”

“Thanks, Sammy,” she said with a smile. Azalea stopped singing all together but continued to play. “I would, except this song is like, ten minutes long.”

“So,” Rick clapped his hands together in front of him. “What do you guys think of having a keyboard?”

“It could be cool,” Austin said, looking down at the movement of Azalea’s fingers. “Maybe not to try to put it on every song and make it a permanent thing, but it’s good to have that option. Especially if we want to do an acoustic song.”

“Bleh,” Sammy nearly cut Austin off.

“Sammy isn’t a big fan of acoustic songs,” Rick explained to Azalea.

“You can only do so much with bongos and a tambourine!” Sammy defended.

The group laughed.

“So generally,” Rick spoke to Azalea, “making songs is a collaboration. If you have a melody, or lyrics, just bring it forth and we’ll work on it all together.”

“But it broke down to Jason and me writing the lyrics and Cade and Sammy doing the melody,” Austin clarified.

Azalea shrugged, still playing the keyboard, “Whatever is fine with me. I honestly don’t know which I’ll be good at, if at either.”

“Why do you speak like that?” Cade asked her.

“Like what?” she asked confused

“Like you’re in some English novel.”

Azalea drew a deep breath, and then gave a forced smile, “I’m sorry if sounding literate bothers you.”

“Play nice, Cade,” Rick said jokingly. However, in his mind, he was worried if Cade and Azalea would ever get along.