Teenage Dirtbag

“So how was your date?” I asked Zack.
It was Saturday and we were sitting in Rian’s kitchen, waiting for Alex and Haley to get here for band practice.
“It was pretty good” Zack answered.
“What did you do?” Cassadee asked curiously.
“Dinner and a movie” Zack responded.
“How original” Rian laughed.
“Shut up” Zack replied.
“Any chance of you two going out again?” Cassadee asked.
“We are actually, tonight” Zack answered.
“Well that’s quick” I noticed.
“Yeah well, it felt right, why wait longer for a second date?” Zack asked.
“That’s true. When will we meet her?” Rian asked.
“At our wedding, probably. After she said yes. It won’t be until then I can be sure you guys won’t scare her away” Zack answered laughing.
“Hey, we didn’t scare Cassadee away either” I exclaimed.
“Hey, I’m just here because I enjoy hanging out with Haley and being backstage at concerts okay” Cassadee answered, causing Rian to fake a sad face.

The doorbell rang and Rian got up to get it.
“But seriously Zack, we want to meet her!” Cassadee continued after the interruption.
“Trust me, if it gets serious, you will” Zack promised her.
“Yay!” I exclaimed in a high-pitched voice, causing Zack and Cassadee to laugh.

Rian re-entered the kitchen followed by Alex and Haley.
“Hello there lovebirds” I joked.
“You’re just jealous” Alex replied.
“I suppose that’s true” I admitted. “I really wish I could date Haley.”
“You should’ve told me that sooner. Had I know that, I wouldn’t have thrown myself at Alex” Haley replied with a serious face.
Alex faked a sad face.
“Well, at least now you know where you stand Alex” I said, patting him on the back.
“Yeah, thanks man” he replied.
“Ready to practice?” Rian asked.
“Isn’t Tay and Aimee coming?” Alex asked.
“Aimee is at the mall with some friends and Tay and her band have a meeting with a record label” I answered.

Tay was supposed to come hang with us as well, but she called me earlier to tell me they had gotten a call from a small record label that was interested in signing them. I had to admit, I was kind of jealous. How awesome would it be to actually be signed and record an album?
“Seriously? Are they getting a record deal?” Haley asked. “That’s fucking awesome!”
“They just had a meeting to discuss it, they don’t actually have one yet” I explained. “If they are done on time, she’ll come over later with her sister who’s in town.”
“I didn’t even know she had a sister” Haley said.
“Yeah me neither, but apparently she does” I replied.
“How cool would that be though, if we would get a record deal one day?” Alex said, staring into the distance, with a dreamy look on his face.
“Yeah it would be… But that’ll probably be a while” Rian said.
“Thanks for shattering my dream, man” Alex said.
“Anytime” Rian replied. “Can we go practice now?”
“Fine” Alex sighed.

We all got up and went into the hallway, down the stairs to the basement where our instruments were waiting for us. I usually just left my electric guitar at Rian’s, as I mostly played my acoustic guitar at home and that way I wouldn’t have to carry it with me all the time. Cassadee and Haley took their usual spots on the couch while we got ready to play.

Tay’s POV
The guys and I had just had a meeting with a small record label and surprisingly we got a record deal! We had just left the studio we had the meeting at and were on our way back home.
“We need to celebrate this” Jordan stated.
“Indeed! I say we throw a party tonight” Mike agreed.
“A party? And invite whom? We don’t have any friends here and I’m pretty sure our friends and family won’t come all the way from New York” Rob laughed.
“Hey, speak for yourself! I have friends, and my sister” I exclaimed.
“Oh right, we can party with Tay’s friends” Rob nodded.
“Oh come on, you like my friends” I said.
“Yeah, except for that Jack dude” Mike answered.

I rolled my eyes. Since I lived with these guys, they knew everything about my one-sided crush on Jack, which didn’t make them like him very much. At times like these I felt like I was their little sister they had to protect. Of course they were all elder than me, I was the only one still in high school, but they did tend to be overprotective sometimes.
“You can’t dislike Jack for liking someone else” I said, shaking my head.
“Sure we can!” Cameron explained.
“I’m gonna invite all of them over tonight and you’re going to be nice” I said sternly.
“Yes mother” Jordan said.

I told Jack I’d come to Rian’s if we were done on time. We would go to our apartment first, where my sister Sam was waiting for us. She had come to visit for the weekend, which I was really excited about. Of all my siblings, I was the closest to Sam and I had missed her for the past couple of weeks. She was three years elder than me and she had always been that big sister you always see in movies. I could go to her for advice on anything and she had always been very protective of me as well.

Jordan pulled into the driveway of our apartment and we all got out. I hadn’t texted Sam we got the record deal yet, as I wanted to see the look on her face. I unlocked the front door and went inside. I heard foot steps approaching us quickly and Sam soon appeared in the hallway.
“And?!” she exclaimed excitedly.
We all faked a sad face, as we had agreed on earlier. As expected, Sam’s big smile quickly faded.
“We got a record deal!” I exclaimed.
“Oh you bitch!” she replied, hugging me. “Congratulations guys!”
“Thanks” Jordan replied sheepishly.
“We’re having a celebration party tonight and you better come” I told Sam.
“Ugh fine, I’ll be there” she replied winking.

“Now let’s go meet these boys you won’t shut up about!” Sam exclaimed after I changed into something more casual upstairs.
I had been talking about my new friends a lot to her, mostly about Jack. We called each other almost every night just to talk, like we used to when I still lived in New York.
“Fine, let’s go” I said. “Jordan, we’re taking your car.”

I didn’t have my driver’s license yet and Sam came by plane so she didn’t bring her car either. I put my favorite denim jacket on and grabbed Jordan’s car keys from one of the nails we used to hang our keys and headed them over to Sam. Within 10 minutes we had arrived at Rian’s house and since Alex and Jack’s cars were parked in front of it, I figured they hadn’t left yet. Sam and I got out of the car and walked up to the front door, ringing the doorbell.

“They probably won’t even hear the doorbell if they’re still playing” I said, more to myself than to Sam.
Indeed, no one opened the door. I took out my phone and dialed Haley’s number, as she would probably be most likely to pick up. After the phone rang for a few seconds she did indeed pick up.
“Hey Tay!” she exclaimed and I heard someone say “that rhymes” in the background.
“Hey, we’re outside, can someone let us in?” I asked.
“Oh, yeah right, I’ll be right there” Haley answered, hanging up.

Seconds later the front door was opened and Haley and Cassadee appeared behind it.
“Hey guys!” I said, walking in.
“Sam, this is Cassadee and Haley, Haley, Cass, this is my sister Sam” I introduced them to each other. They shook hands while I took my jacket off and hang it.
“Let’s go to the basement, shall we?” Haley suggested.

I nodded. Sam and I followed Haley and Cassadee to the basement. To my surprise, Aimee wasn’t there. She had been at most band practices lately, to my dismay. She would always be all over Jack.
“Taaaaaay!” Jack exclaimed when he noticed me, walking over to us to hug me, which didn’t go so well due to his guitar being in between us.
“You must be Jack” Sam said laughing.
“And you must be Tay’s sister whose name I don’t know” Jack replied.
“Sam” she said, shaking Jack’s hand.

Alex, Zack and Rian came up to us to introduce themselves as well.
“Play on” I told them after they all had introduced themselves.
“No, hold on, how did your meeting go?” Jack asked.
“Well, we kind of got a record deal” I said smiling.
“No way!” Alex exclaimed. “That’s fucking awesome!”
“Yeah congrats!” Jack exclaimed. “This calls for a party!”
“We’re actually throwing one tonight and you’re all invited” I told them.

“Zack won’t be there though, he has a date” Jack said before Zack could say anything.
I turned to look at Zack. “Again? Same girl or a different one?”
“Same one of course, what kind of guy do you take me for?” he replied laughing.
“Ooh, so you hit it off huh?” I asked.
“Yeah we did” he replied.
“Why don’t you bring her?” I suggested.
“Because we won’t get to meet her until their wedding” Jack explained.

“Don’t you think it’s a little soon to think about marriage?” I asked, slightly confused.
“I’m not actually thinking about marrying her!” Zack exclaimed. “I just don’t think she’s ready for you guys yet.”
“But you have to come!” I said, faking a sad face.
“Pleeeease?” Sam attempted to help me.
“I’ll talk to her okay? I won’t promise anything though” Zack replied.
“Yay! What about the rest of you?” I asked.
“I won’t pass up on any chance to party” Jack said.
“Yeah count me and Cass in” Haley said.
“And I guess Rian and I will have to go as well to make sure the two of them behave themselves” Alex said, pointing at Cassadee and Haley.
Rian nodded in agreement.

“Uhm, should I be counting on Aimee as well?” I asked Jack.
“Uhm… no, I don’t think so” he replied.
“You sure?” I asked.
“Yeah” Jack replied. “Tonight’s your night.”
I wondered what that was supposed to mean. Why would Jack not invite Aimee because it was ‘my night’? Or did he mean something different? No, I couldn’t allow myself to think like that. Jack was in love with Aimee. He probably just didn’t invite her because it wasn’t really her kind of thing.

“Will you continue to play now? I promised Sam she’d get to hear a famous rock band live” I joked.
“Yeah, I’m disappointed” Sam nodded.
“Sit back and see how it’s done” Alex said.
“What? I can’t hear you over the sound of my record deal” I joked.
“Oh look, she’s already getting arrogant” Jack said, shaking his head. “Such a shame.”
“Just start playing already!” I exclaimed, sitting down on the couch next to Cassadee and Haley. Sam followed my lead and the guys started playing.