Back to the Start

My morning run. It's definitely the best part of the day. Since last night was spent tossing and turning, I decided to run and watch the sunrise, something I hadn't done since high school, and that was out of necessity, because school started at 7:30. The sunrise was breathtaking, with so many pastel purples and pinks and oranges painting the sky. I had almost forgotten what it looked like. A gentler, less fiery version of the sunsets. 

I tiptoe back upstairs, since mom and dad are probably still sleeping. Tossing my clothes in the hamper, I head to the shower. Finally feeling tired after the shower, I drop into my bed and fall into a dreamless sleep. 

My phone is vibrating incessantly yet again. I swear if Sam woke me up again... Or not. Unknown numbers? Oh. It's probably the rest of the boys. Did they all seriously keep my number?

The first one I see is all caps. Pat. This is definitely Pat. "RACHAEL! YOU'RE BACK AND YOU DIDN'T EVEN TELL US?! I MISS YOU! COME VISIT US! WE HAVE PRACTICE AT JOHN'S TODAY. 3!"

Next. "Hi Rachael. Kennedy here. We hear you're back. Pat said he invited you to practice, so I guess see you there."

"BY THE WAY RACHAEL, THIS IS PAT!"

"Hey Rachael with an extra a! Long time no see. Good to hear we're all talking again. See you at practice!" Jared. He always called me Rachael with an extra a. Wow. I do kind of miss them. I remember missing Gare, but now...

Just as I was about to reply to them, my phone vibrated again. Unknown. Well, it has to be John. "Pat invited you to practice? Just in case he forgot, it's my place at 3. You remember how to get there right? -John"

They all assume I can come. Of course. And another text. Garrett. Figures. "You're coming to practice today? Dirk is bringing your friend Sam I think. We have a shoot in a bit, before practice, which is the only reason I'm up."

Sam. That would explain why I didn't get a text bombardment from her this morning. She was probably planning on texting me after. And now...I'm going to have to tell her the whole story. I was honestly planning on it when we went to lunch, but then chickened out. All she ended up getting was that I saw my ex a few times unexpectedly and didn't want to stay... Should I tell her now that I'll be seeing her? Nahh. I'll surprise her. 

Walking into John's garage, I can see the boys are definitely not practicing. John and Jared seem to be discussing something important, probably music. Pat is jumping up and down on Kennedy. Garrett is staring intently at his laptop, while Sam and Dirk are laughing at something on Dirk's phone. Smirking, I say, "I don't know if it's just me, but the fame has gotten to your heads." Getting most of their attentions, "At least your old practices consisted of actual playing.", I end dramatically. 

Pat is the first to jump up and tackle me with a hug. The rest of the boys follow suit, minus the tackling. Except for Gare. He's still staring at his screen. Sam is staring at me in surprise. 

I walk over to Dirk, ruffling his hair. "Trying to hit on my roomie? Long time no see. Are the boys still annoying models?"

Sam is still staring as Dirk replies. "Always. So you're the Rachael Sam was talking about?"

"The one and only. And that felt like deja vu...why? Oh right. Cuz I think Gare asked me the same exact thing."

Sam finally asks me, "How do you know them? Oh.  Ohmygod. Seriously? Which one?"

Looking back and forth between the two of us, Dirk says, "I guess this is my cue to leave. I'll be right there..."

Leaning closer to Sam, I whisper, "Gare. I just...I realized when you said it was Dirk, and I'd already seen Garrett this morning and didn't want to again. Not that it made a difference, because he came outside and we talked. And then I guess he or John told the rest of the guys, and invited me to practice. And if you want, I'll tell you the full story later." Straightening up again, I also tell her, "And I knew you were coming. I thought about texting you, but surprises are better, aren't they?"

Suddenly, from the other side of the room, Garrett yells, "Finally!"

We all stare. Sheepishly looking around, he says, "Sorry. John has the slowest wifi on this planet. I just connected. Who wants to talk to Falyn now?"

Shit. Seriously? Now? The boys all rush to crowd around Garrett. Dirk, Sam, and I stay behind, but not for long. "Dirk! Rach! Sam!", calls Garrett. "Come meet Falyn."

Reluctantly, I step closer to them. "It's fine if you guys want to talk. I don't want to intrude or anything." I can see John studying me carefully. 

"Fay doesn't mind," he replies cheerfully. Turning to the screen, he asks, "Do you?"

After a pause, she says, "Of course not." I however, do not think she sounds thrilled to talk to me at all. So I'll just pop my head in and out. 

"Hii Falyn! Gare told me all about you guys. Nice meeting you. I'll let the rest of them steal you back now.", I say quickly. 

After a few more minutes of talking to everyone, I hear Falyn asking if she could call so they could speak alone. As John gives Gare the ok, he turns off his laptop and heads into the house. The rest of them start getting ready. Dirk has his camera out again, so he's probably going to get a few candids of them playing. 

Turning to Sam after they've played a couple of songs, I ask, "What do you think?"

"They're good.", she says slowly. "I probably never would have listened to them on my own, but this music is really good. The lyrics are different too."

"Yea. They've grown up. Sound-wise at least. I can't say personality-wise though. It feels like high school again. John's garage. Listening to them play. I was their first fan. And critic. Besides for their families of course. But even before Kennedy and Jared."

Seeing Sam's confused face, I explain how they were formed and their original members. 

As I tell Sam more about the band's history, John turns to me. "Rach, can you go find Garrett and tell him that we really need him now? The sound is unbalanced without his bass."

I walk quietly into the house, not wanting to startle him. I can hear him pacing back and forth. Then I heard him. "Fay! I don't get it. Why are you mad at me? I wasn't even the one who invited her." Stopping, he lets out a frustrated sigh. "You never even got this mad at me when we were on tour!"

Oh. Lovely. I'm the reason Mr. and Ms. Perfect are fighting. 

"Because she's my ex? I told you! All we did was talk and catch up. I have you now, and I love you. I would never ever hurt you like she did to me! Why would I ever consider going back to her, like you think I would?"

My heart stops.

"I didn't even invite her to come! Pat did. But you're not mad at Pat! ... Don't tell me it's because she wasn't his ex! No! Why? I asked you last time if you were ok with it, and you're obviously not! Why didn't you just tell me?"

He what? I need to go tell him that the boys need him to practice, but my feet won't move. 

"Wait. Falyn! Don't hang up! Fay--shit.", I hear him mutter. He continues to pace around. And then I hear a smash. Shit. What did he do? Peeking into the other room, I see that he's facing the wall with his back towards me. Oh. Did he just punch the wall? As I see him wind up for another punch, I quickly step out and clear my throat. He spins around, startled. 

"Oh. Rachael. I, uhh, didn't see you there."

"Obviously. Are you ok? John sent me here to tell you that they need you to practice."

"Right. Practice. Did you...hear any of that?"

I decide to play dumb. "You mean you trying to tear down John's wall? Sure I did. Lucky you're not much of a fighter." Oh crap. I cover my mouth as soon as I realize how he could have misinterpreted what I just said. "I'm going to go back now. I didn't mean." Shaking my head, I whisper an apology and run back out. 

"Where is he?", asks Pat as soon the garage door opens. John stares at me accusingly. 

"I--I don't know. He got into a fight with Falyn I think, and...", I say trailing off. Wringing my hands, I say, "I have to go. My mom, just, uhm, texted me." And I run out again.