First Time Around

I stood outside of the band room as I hear people talking and instruments being tested. I can hear Saber talking with two guys. The one with a slight English accent is Quinn.

I inhaled deeply and knocked on the door as I slowly exhaled. The talking and playing silenced and the door was opened by Saber.

“Scarlett,” she said and hugged me tight. Her short black spiky hair was tickling my face in the process. “I thought you would never come.”

She led me in and made me sit on the couch that was facing a little stage. The amplifiers and cords were all scattered. And four bean bag chairs were spread out. The room’s well lit, with a red wallpapered wall that’s been scratched and stickered on with many known bands of the past. And spray painted on the yellow ceiling was two big words:

GLOBAL REGIME

“Principal Hill said that our name should be something that’s not death related or really dark,” the guy that invited me to join the band said. “Sorry to invite you in all of a sudden.”

I smiled. “It’s fine.”

Saber who is obviously excited for me pulled me for a small tour around the band room.

“This stage here is used if we’re going to practice for a real rock show,” Saber started. “But if we’re only practicing for the songs, we sit almost everywhere. And the yellow bean bag chair’s for you, by the way. We just bought it yesterday. Elisse, our vocalist before, took her bean bag with her.”

I looked at the two guys that were standing in anticipation.

“I can’t believe that Scarlett Turner is going to join the band,” the smaller guy with blonde hair said. He must be a freshman. He walked up to me and held out his hand, “My name’s Alexis Schmidt. You can call me Alex. I play the drums.”

I shook his hand and smiled at him. I think he got weak in the knees since he walked weirdly and sank on his green bean bag.

“We took him in because he was great at the drums,” Saber whispered. “The past drummer also graduated, by the way.”

The dude that asked me to join walked up to me as well. “I’m Quinn Turner,” he said. “Call me whatever you like. I’m this band’s guitarist.” He looks familiar.

“That’s nice, you’re a Turner, too,” I said to him with a smile.

“We might be related,” he said.

“I don’t think so.” I winked at him and sat down on my bean bag. “So what genre do you guys usually play?”

“A really slow and lame genre,” Alex said. “I don’t even know why they called this a rock band.”

“Elisse doesn’t want rock songs. That’s why our usual songs are like that,” Quinn said.

“I don’t even know who made her join,” Saber said. “But maybe it was Shane—our drummer before—asked her. They were going out, anyway.”

“We don’t write our own songs,” Alex said. “Principal Hill said that it would only take most of our time, so we do covers of songs from other bands.”

I nodded in agreement. My phone went off and I looked over and saw it was Jade.

Dude, Brian’s here with me watching our practice. His parents dropped him off again.

Okay. Watch over him for me.

“Let’s practice on Therapy by All Time Low,” Alex said as he readied himself with his drums.

I shrugged as I took the microphone. I felt nauseous but I just hid it. Quinn stood up and started playing. He looked at me and nodded as a sign that I could sing.

“My ship went down,” I sang. “In a sea of sound. When I woke up alone, I had everything”

And as I sang freely with these people that are smiling at each other now, I don’t like to stop now.

“Give me therapy, I’m a walking travesty but I’m smiling at everything. Therapy, you were never a friend to me…”

I don’t know why, but as I sang some more, I felt tears building up. I remembered my dad, smiling down at me while he played the guitar and singing his heart out. He was singing a song that he made for me; a song that I kept replaying in my head; a song that I never wanted to sing anymore.

“Therapy, you were never a friend to me…you can choke on your misery”

As the music stopped, they all clapped for me. “That was awesome, Scarlett!” Saber clapped as she jumped up and down.

Quinn started to play song of The Maine and we stopped to look at him. “Fuel to the Fire, girls,” Quinn said.

And Alex followed with his drums. Saber played her bass like a boss. And I sang the song with all my heart. I’ve never felt so happy with singing before. I felt my father singing to me as well, and back then I wanted to know how it feels to sing with those cool guys behind him. And now, I guess I’ll figure things out.

“Your hoarse voice made you look hotter,” Alex said. “The way you imitated John Oh’s voice there, was awesome.”

“Well, I kind of sing The Maine songs too when I’m alone in the Arts Room,” I said, pretty embarrassed by the way I lost control in singing.

Quinn was smiling at me, and I looked at him with a confused face. “You looked absolutely stunning singing.”

That was when I realized who he looked like. He looked like Thomas Turner, my father. They have those same green eyes, like mine; that wavy black hair; those small cute ears; and his nose. Quinn is a complete replica of my father!

I felt like vomiting but I remained calm and told myself that it might be a coincidence. But what if it wasn’t? What if it’s destiny that I joined this band and meet him? What if it’s destiny that made me sing in the Arts Room and he happened to walked in? What if destiny’s playing with me so I could meet him?

What if Quinn’s my step-brother?

And that thought kept replaying in my head as we sang different songs for the past two hours.

The curiosity grew every time I looked at him. He even moves like my father!

I have to find out who he is and fast. I can’t believe that the past that I’ve been trying to avoid is haunting me one by one. What the hell is going on?!

First, Neil was all over my past, researching everywhere. Second, I’m babysitting my cousin, Brian, but they don’t know me. Third, Riley told me that Melissa—my biological mother—kept on visiting my house. And last, my supposed-to-be step-brother is in the band with me.

Can this get any worse?