The Lunacy Fringe

That Friday, Felix was just a boy I had a crush on. Of course, I’d known for a while that the crush was different. It wasn’t the kind I was used to, but it was still nothing more than a crush. And then we kissed in the hallway, and everything began to spiral. I fell quick, and I fell hard. And if there was even a grain of truth to all the things I’d heard, I was going to get myself in a lot of trouble.

On Friday, I left Study Hall with Billie to find him waiting on the opposite wall outside the room. We usually all met out front with Quinn so we could get rides home. I smiled when I saw him, and my heart did a little dance in my chest.

“Hey,” he said when we walked over to greet him.

Then he was pulling me into his arms. I forgot all about Billie standing next to me and all about the busy hallway. He touched my freshly re-dyed red hair and planted soft kisses on my cheek before finding his way to my lips. Even though I hadn’t put it into words yet, I could already feel it blossoming in my chest. Something so small that would someday bloom into something beautiful and ageless.

“You know Meg just saw you?” Billie said from beside me.

“And?” Felix replied, kissing the corner of my mouth and making me melt from my head to my toes.

“She’s been trying to win your heart back,” I informed him.

“She can’t take what isn’t hers.” I smiled, and he stole it with his lips. Billie gagged loudly.

“Gross,” she said. We both turned to her at the same time.

“Coming from the girl who asked me to tell her what kind of underwear my brother wears,” I remarked. She shrugged.

“At least I didn’t stick my tongue down his throat right in front of your face.”

“Sorry, Bill,” Felix said, ruffling up her hair in a big-brotherly manner. She looked like an angry cat when he pulled away. He took my hand, and she fixed her hair as we headed outside to find Quinn.

When we got home later, Quinn and Billie went to my house so I could have a moment to say goodbye to Felix by the fence. He promised to talk to me later and left me with a lingering kiss. My lips were still tingly when I headed inside.

Only to find the biggest hypocrite ever sitting on my couch, attached to the face with my brother. I stopped short in the doorway. I cleared my throat to get them to pull apart. They didn’t. So I cleared it louder and was five seconds away from dragging the hose into the house when they finally broke apart for air.

“Hypocrite,” I said. They immediately tried to make it look like they hadn’t just been caught. “So, are you guys official now or what?”

“Yeah,” Quinn said casually. Billie was the only one who looked guilty as she combed her fingers through her hair.

“Why didn’t you tell me?” I shut the door behind me.

“Sorry,” she said.

“It’s alright. Where’s Dad? His car is in the driveway.”

“In his office. He said he wanted to talk to us when you got back.”

“Dad, I’m home!”

“Can you guys come in here for a second, please?” he called back. We all headed to the room at the bottom of the stairs and found him pouring over paperwork on his desk.

“You wanted to see us?” I asked him. He looked up and smiled.

“I have a surprise for you,” he told us.

“Yeah?”

“Yep, but I need you to do something for me first.”

“What’s that?”

“Get all of your friends. Ask them to come over.”

“Which friends?”

“All the guys in the band.”

“All of them?”

“Yep, every single one of them. Let me know when they’re all here.”

“Okie Dokie, Pops.” We left, and I had Quinn and Billie follow me up to my bedroom.

“What was that about?” Quinn asked as I sat down on my bed and picked up the phone. I shrugged.

“I don’t know. He does this kind of stuff every once in a while.”

“Invites all your friends over?” I shrugged again.

“He has a thing for music. One time I tried to start an all-girl band, and he bought us a bunch of equipment even though it never actually happened. He probably just got you guys some new toys or something.”

“You’re shitting me, right?” He plopped down on my desk chair and pulled Billie onto his lap.

“No, I mean—it makes him happy. And I know our house is kind of crappy, but it wouldn’t be the first time he’s shelled out money for musical equipment for one of his kids. My guitars might not be the best in the world, but they’re great. I did ask him for a grand piano once, and he hasn’t gotten that, but probably because we don’t have the room for it.” I brought the phone to my ear and dialed Felix’s phone number.

“Hello?” I heard him ask after a minute.

“Hi, my dad wants you to come over,” I told him.

“Am I in trouble again? Do I have to give him one of my fingers?” I laughed.

“I think you can keep them. But he wants the whole band over here.”

“Oh, alright. Want me to call them?”

“Quinn’s already on it.”

“Alright, I’ll see you in a minute then.”

“Okay.”

The doorbell rang just as we were heading back down the stairs. So I let Felix into the house, and we all sat down in the living room to watch TV until the other guys came. Within an hour, we had the entire band congregated in my living room, so I went to let my dad know they were there.

“Okay, I’ll be right there,” he told me, still going over his paperwork. So I returned to the living room, where everyone crowded around, looking uncomfortable.

“What’s going on?” Jack asked. I shrugged.

“I have no idea,” I told him as I squeezed back in between Billie and Felix.

“Hey, guys,” my dad said as he stepped into the living room. He was still holding some of his paperwork but didn’t put it down.

“Hi, Mr. Emery,” everyone replied nervously. He looked at me like he was offended that my friends were so polite.

“Please, you can call me Rick. I don’t want any of that uncomfortable old man crap.” He went to get a chair from the kitchen and sat down by the stairs to face everyone. Then he shuffled his paperwork, and Fred sent me a nervous glance. I shrugged.

“So, what’s going on?” I asked since no one else seemed to want to speak up.

“Well, Kid. I’m glad you asked. I just have a few questions for your friends, if you don’t mind. First of all, Ruby’s told me a lot about your band. I’m a musician myself, so I took an interest. The first question I’d like to ask is whether or not you have a name for your band?” The entire room went silent, so my dad looked at Quinn.

“Well,” he started. “There’s a few that we’ve been throwing around. They’re kind of stupid, though.”

“Like what? What’s your favorite?”

“Well—we made a joke about how my family has the weird gem thing. So we thought about calling ourselves The Gems, maybe.” My dad winced and shook his head.

“Hate to break it to you, but it’s already taken.”

“Shoot. That’s what I thought.” Quinn tapped his fingers against his bony knee for a moment before his head shot back up. Like a lightbulb went off in his brain. “What about like—Shoot the Gems?” My dad laughed and nodded.

“I like it.” Everyone nodded along, adding a few words of approval. So my dad wrote it down on a piece of paper. “Awesome. Shoot the Gems it is, then, unless you find something better. Now—Have any of you ever played a live show?”

“Like what?”

“Like a gig. I mean, other than in your friends’ garages.”

“Not—not really.”

“Do you have a band manager?”

“No, well—Billie was like our unofficial manager, but she kind of fails.”

“Sorry,” she said. I patted her knee reassuringly.

“Do you guys have a demo, sample, or anything I can have?”

“I have one at home,” Felix said. “It’s nothing special, though.”

“Could you get it for me, please?”

“Yeah, sure.” He stood up and headed out the door. We were silent as we watched my dad write a few more things down.

“So what’s this about?” Freddy asked him.

“I’ll tell you when he comes back,” he replied. So we waited in awkward silence until Felix let himself back into the house.

“Alright, I got it,” he said, handing the small 45 over to my dad. We watched him write “Shoot the Gems Demo” over the paper as Felix sat down beside me again.

“Okay, so you’re undoubtedly wondering why I’m asking you so many questions,” my dad started. “As I told you, I’m a musician. While I was on what I like to call my ‘musical adventures,’ I made quite a few contacts—and twins—but that’s another story. So what I’m saying is that I know some people who might be interested in sharing your music or booking you for gigs around town or even as far as Los Angeles.”

“Really?” Quinn asked.

“Yes, but for them to want to come to check you out, I need to set you up with a few local gigs. So I was wondering if it’s alright with Billie if I can take over as band manager.” The entire band was silent for a really long time. I wasn’t surprised that my dad wanted to be their band manager. They were good. They had potential. And I hated how jealous it made me feel.

“Um—when you say manager...?” Quinn started.

“I thought it would be a waste if I didn’t use my connections to help my son’s band. I know how to do the job. I’ve done it before. And if you guys are interested in spreading your music, sharing it, and playing it, then I think I can help you accomplish that. I know a couple of guys who run a small independent record company based out of LA. They wouldn’t bring you fame, but they can definitely sign you up for some small summer tours. They can help make a record. I mean—if that’s what you wanted.” I could almost hear the frogs begin to chirp outside.

“Well—we’d like that—but we were just kind of hoping it happened because someone liked our music. Not because our parents showed us off. No offense.”

“None taken, but I promise that’s not something you have to worry about. That’s a band manager’s job. It’s about marketing. If you want your music to get anywhere, you have to be willing to share it. But no one is going to think you got anywhere because of me. And the record company guys are smart. They won’t invest in you if they don’t believe in you. The least I can do is send them a copy of your demo and get their feedback. They might not want to sign you on, but they can definitely give you some pointers on how to improve.” There was silence again as my dad’s proposition sunk in.

“Why are you doing this?” Quinn finally asked him.

“I never got the chance to be a father to my son,” he said. “Now it’s my chance to do what I should have done a long time ago.”

“By being our manager?”

“By supporting you. I figured this way I can make both of my kids happy at the same time.” He sent me a smile, and I returned it. It was a sweet gesture, but it didn’t really affect me. Unless he was referring to Felix. “So what do you say?”

“Billie, you don’t mind?” Freddy asked. She shook her head.

“Oh no, I was a terrible manager. So go for it,” she assured him.

“Let’s do it,” Felix suggested. Everyone looked at him. “How often do people get a chance like this? We have someone who knows people and is willing to help us. We might as well use it, right?”

“Okay,” Quinn decided. “We’ll do it. Everyone agree?” The band nodded.

“Good. Now, can I talk to the boys alone, please?” my dad asked as he zeroed in on Billie and me. I scoffed.

“Fine. Whatever. I guess I’m just not important to the band,” I said dramatically as I stood up. Billie followed me, pretending to pout.

“You guys are just groupies,” Quinn said. I almost punched him.

“Excuse you. If you ever call me a groupie again, I will kick you in the dick.”

“Alright, alright. God.” I stuck my tongue out at him and pulled Billie outside into the yard so I could take Cerbie out.

“So what do you think?” she asked me as we sat down on the back steps. I was busy scratching the dog behind the ears.

“You need a bath,” I informed her. She was supposed to be white, but she was covered in grass stains and dirt clods.

“Ruby?”

“Sorry. I don’t know. I guess it’s pretty cool. I hope things work out.”

“That’s it?”

“What else can I say?” I asked with a laugh.

“Oh my God.”

“What?”

“You’re jealous.”

“I am not jealous.”

“You totally are.”

“No.”

“Yes.”

“No.”

“Shut up. Don’t lie to me.” I groaned.

“Fine, just maybe like a little,” I told her as I pinched my fingers together.

“Why?” she asked.

“It’s just that—I’ve wanted to be a musician my whole life. And I’ve worked really, really hard to get where I am. And—I know my dad would do the same for me if I was in a band, but—I’m just a girl. No one will want to see us on stage unless we take our clothes off.” She sighed heavily.

“Yeah—being a girl sucks sometimes. But you’ll be okay. Maybe someday you’ll start your own band. Or that all-girl band will get going again. I’d offer to start with you, but I can’t play any instruments, and I get stage fright really bad. One time Quinn tried to make me sing, and I threw up.” I laughed and shook my head. “But you’re really good, Ruby. You don’t need to be in a band or get any help from your dad. You’ll get there someday. Even if it’s not the same way as the others.” I nodded and leaned against my knees.

“Thanks, Billie. And if I ever do start an all-girl band, we’ll work through the stage fright thing.” She laughed and shook her head.

“Never gonna happen, but thanks for the attempt.” I leaned against my hand and smiled at her.

“I’m glad you and Quinn are—making out—now.” She blushed.

“Me too.”

“I mean, it’s cute—when you’re not making out on my couch.”

“Sorry, it just kind of happened.”

“It’s cool.” I went back to patting Cerbie on the head. “Just um—please don’t tell anyone what I said? About being jealous?”

“I literally have no idea what you’re talking about,” she replied with a smile.