Let's See What You're Not

Mark

I walked home with Emma after-school, just like we usually do. Her house isn't that close to mine really, but she comes over to mine every night after-school so that doesn’t matter. On some nights, like tonight, I have her and Josh over and we have band practise. We’re not a serious band; we just do a few cover songs and mess around in the basement at my house.

Josh doesn’t go to our school, but he lives nearby and he’s a pretty nice guy. He’s the singer and guitarist, Emma’s the bassist and I'm the drummer. It all works pretty well if you ignore how Josh struggles to sing and play the guitar at the same time. He’s getting better, but sometimes my dad does the guitar bits for him.

If we were a band that was more than just mucking around as friends, then that would be a problem. But we are just friends having fun so it doesn’t matter at all.

“What time’s Josh coming over?” Emma asked me as we walked past the pier. I live in one of the houses that directly overlook the pier and the sea. It’s a pretty good spot in my opinion.

“About half five today,” I smiled. “Did your lesson go alright at lunch?” I asked.

Her music lesson went through the end of lunch so I didn't get to see her after as we weren’t in any lessons together after wards. I sort of forgot to tell her about Shim punching and kicking me as well... She hasn’t even noticed that I'm limping. Maybe it’s not as obvious as I thought it was.

“Really good actually,” she smiled. “He was in there as well today,” she told me.

My interest in her lesson grew when I heard him mentioned. I think we need to give him a better nickname than him and he soon though. If we’re not calling him by his name we should come up with something a little better than what we have now.

“Is he any good?” I wondered.

“I didn't hear him so I wouldn't know,” Emma explained to me. “But apparently he was watching me play for a bit,” she laughed. Is it wrong that I feel a little jealous right now? Why was he watching Emma? He could’ve watched me! “He might have better taste than I thought,” she smirked.

“You think he likes you?” I blurted out without thinking.

“What?” she gasped. “Hell no. I'm on about music numb nuts,” she laughed at me.

Okay... Now I feel really dumb.

“I know...” I whispered.

God I fail at trying to be convincing.

When we got to my house, my mum had some snacks on the table ready for us to scoff down.

“Thanks mum,” I smiled as me and Emma sat down in the living room in front of the TV.

We put on a music channel and sat back as we ate our snacks and talked about some pretty random stuff. Last night Emma had a dream about aliens landing on earth, which was for some reason made of candy, and they came and ate the entire planet. Then they felt sick and threw it back up and created another universe. Life goes on I suppose.

“How’s your day been kids?” my mum asked us as she sat down with us.

“Pretty good actually Marie,” Emma answered. “Only downside was this plonker forgetting his lunch,” she teased.

“You didn't leave it here,” mum said, sounding confused.

What do I say now? She’ll be asking where my lunch box is soon... Oh. Do I drop Shim in it or act dumb? I can’t lie to my mum...

“I might not have forgotten it,” I mumbled.

“I thought...” Emma started but then stopped herself when she saw the firm look mum was giving me.

“So what happened to it then Mark?” mum asked me.

“Erm...Someone might’ve took it,” I mumbled stupidly.

“Baby,” mum cooed as she came over and pulled me into a hug. She doesn’t know about any of the bullying I’ve had. I hate keeping it from her, but it isn't lying if she doesn’t directly ask me if I'm getting bullied and I say no to her.

“Shimon Moore I'm guessing,” Emma frowned. “I hate that kid, you should’ve heard the stuff he said to me in maths,” she complained.

Emma and my mum love complaining to each other. I'm guessing it’s a girl thing.

“Who is this boy then?” mum asked, looking more at Emma than me though. She knew I didn't want to talk about it right now.

“Some so called badass at school. He’s a bully, a creep and if I'm honest, I’ve got no idea how he got into our sixth form. He’s grades aren’t exactly up to scratch,” she explained to my mum.

“Should I call the school about him?” I quickly shook my head at her. “Well... Is this the first time he’s done something to you?”

“N-” Emma started but I quickly interrupted, making sure my voice was loud enough to overpower hers.

“Yeah. It’ll be a one off mum,” I promised her.

“Right...” she sighed unsurely. “Promise you’ll come to me if he does anything again.”

Yeah, yeah.

I nodded, but I had my fingers crossed behind my back. I think of everything you see. It’s not lying if you have your fingers crossed.

When Josh arrived he had a brief little conversation with my mum and then we all went down into the basement. Everything was ready for us because I sorted most of it out early this morning.

“What we doing today?” Josh asked as he picked up his guitar and started trying to shred. It was alright but not brilliant. God I'm horrible.

“Could work on another cover,” I suggested.

Josh rolled his eyes. I didn't think it was a bad idea. It’s what we usually do and no one complains normally.

“We could be more than some cheapo cover band though guys. Where’s your ambition?”

“So you want to write our own music?” Emma asked him.

“Yes!” he shouted, sounding excited. “If we want to make it we’re going to have to do better than this.”

I thought this was just about having a laugh with your friends. This is the first I’ve heard of us ‘making it’. We could try and write some of our own stuff. I’ve wrote a few drum parts in the past but none have been that good in my opinion. I’ll work on it.

“Got any amazing ideas then Josh?” Emma asked, sounding skeptical.

“I was thinking, we could have this as an intro or something,” he smirked as he went straight into some heavy guitar riff.

“Sounds great,” Emma smiled before muttering, “and familiar.”

I laughed because it did sound like something else. I couldn’t put my finger on it but it wasn't an original sound, if you know what I mean.

“I don’t see you two doing any better,” he hissed. “I'm going to work on this, you guys sort out what you’re going to play, got it?”

“Right on,” I fake smiled.

Emma walked over to where I was sat at my drum kit with her bass in hand.

“Who died and made him boss?” she asked quietly.

I can’t say I haven’t been thinking the same thing...

Josh went home around seven and then dad and I drove Emma back a little later on. He said that he got home a little later from work today because he saw something that interested him so he had to stop and have a look. He was talking about street musicians. If I’m honest I’ve never shown much interest in them, but dad was acting like he’d seen something pretty amazing out there.