Our Wasted Youth

The bell finally rang after what seems like an eternity. Study hall was the last class before lunch, a time that allowed me some small break from the ever so interesting classes I was forced to going to. I dropped my stuff at my locker and grabbed my lunch before heading to the cafeteria.

The huge room was alive with the buzz of conversation. It was amazing anyone could actually hear themselves think as they stepped through the double doors. I walked through, searching for somewhere to sit while catching snippets of random conversations. Apparently, the head of the debate club was in deep shit after being caught in supply closet with someone other than his girlfriend during third period. Drama followed this bunch like stink followed a zombie.

"Hey, need a seat?"

I turned to my left to see Alex, sitting at a table with only three other guys.

"Seems like it," I muttered, staring around at all the other filled tables.

"Here, you can sit with us. Scoot your ass over, Rian."

Alex patted the newly made space on the lunch table's bench and I slid in to join them.

"So, clearly you know me. Allow me to introduce my gang of misfits. This guy over here, with the weird lesbian hair is Zack." He pointed toward the guy sitting across the table from me. Zack had longer black hair that hung in his face, and what I thought were brown eyes. When he shifted to get a look at me though, I saw they were actually a really pretty hazel color, brown with greenish blue snaking through them.

"This lanky freak is Jack." The guy sitting next to Zack, Jack, was tall and skinny, with his shaggy black hair bleached in the front and big brown eyes.

"And last but not least, we have Rian." Rian had longish brown hair and perfect teeth - the kind of perfect that had me in braces for three years.

"Hey guys." I gave a little wave in their general directions.

"So you’re the girl who actually likes good music?" Jack asked.

"Well, yeah I guess."

"Nice." Jack nodded his head.

They all returned to the conversation they had been having before I showed up. I pulled my notebook from my bag and continued my writing.She glanced away from him. "Why should I?" She questioned. "Because you will never find what you seek living like this." He whispered. - I looked away from my notebook at the sound of the boys arguing.

"I'm just saying, we need one," Zack stated.

"Why?" Alex asked.

"We need someone who is actually organized. Someone who can help us book gigs and get our music out there," Jack said.

"I don't see why we can't do it ourselves."

"Really, Rian? We are lucky we can actually remember to rehearse once a week," Zack countered.

"Bottom line, we need a manager. Someone organized, who is willing to take a risk and try and get this band off the ground." Jack leaned back and crossed his arms after he had said it, staring down the guys.

I sat there, listening through each one’s side of the argument. I kept my gaze on my notebook, trying to make it seem like I wasn’t eavesdropping, when a thought hit me. I didn’t know shit about running a band, but I was pretty organized if I said so myself. I had a few connections here and there at different little clubs. They were a small group of guys who just wanted to play music, but they needed someone willing to help them push themselves to the level where they actually got that music to other people.

Not to mention, manager would mean someone would have to hang around with them, right? Get them ready for shows, sit in on practices, all that stuff. It wasn’t that I was so desperate for friends I was considering weaseling my way into this group by playing manager. It would just be nice to be needed, to have something to do when your mom bugged you to go hang out with someone. Yeah mom, I’ve gotta go! I’m helping the band tonight!

My mouth moved before my brain could process and next thing I knew I was saying the words that would seal some kind of fate for me.

“I could do it.”