The Party Scene

Chapter 5
One Day, A Bassist

The whole table stared at Samantha as she sat there with her mouth ajar. She closed her mouth, and opened it again, as if she were about to say something, then she'd close it again. What did she know about this boy that nobody had heard of?

"Samantha?" snapped Ali. The girl turned to face her friend, with her mouth still sprung open.

"Huh?" was all she could say.

"What's your deal woman?" questioned Alex.

"Deal...I have no deal." she sputtered, and got up and trotted away.

"Well, that was strange." concluded Alex, everyone nodded their head in comparision. Overhead the bell sounded to release lunch to go back to class, and immediately the janitors came out to wipe the tables for the incoming classes for the next lunch. Ali glanced behind her and saw her friend still walking, and could tell even by just viewing the back of her, that her mouth was still wide open.

"Rian, Jack meet at my house after school." said Alex breaking away from his group of friends.

"Don't forget Cayden is coming over with me!" said Jack excitedly.

The end of the day rolled around semi quickly, usually after lunch classes seem to go faster. Not for Jack, he couldn't stop thinking about Cayden. He was having a hard time concentrating in all his classes because only one thing was on him mind.

"Jack Barakat...can you tell me the sign for carbon?" asked Mrs. Bennett during the last class of the day.

"Cay....C?" he found himself slipping out.

"PSST!" spat Alex. Jack turned around, and Alex held his hands out in a 'what-the-hell manner.' Jack shook his head and shooed him off.

"Mr. Gaskarth, is there something you'd like to share with the class?" asked Mrs. Bennett. He shook his head. "Good, so lets contin-" she was cut off due to the bell.

"Jack, what's your problem..." asked Alex as they walked into the hallway.

"I can't stop thinking about her." said Jack.

"Who is her?" said a females voice behind him. It was Cayden.

"Oh no one." said Jack alarmed. Lie.

"Oh well okay then. Listen, can I have a ride with you?" she asked.

"Sure, we're all going to Alex's house, I hope you don't mind." he said tilting his head towards Alex.

"No, not at all." she smiled. The three of them walked out to the parking lot where Jack's mom was in the van waiting for them. All three piled in and the van strode out of the parking lot. Once Jack's mother dropped them off at the Gaskarth's residence, they plopped down on the couch to wait for Rian, who should have been arriving at any moment.

"This is a nice place, Alex." said Cayden.

"Thanks." he replied. This was pretty awkward...it was completely silent in the house, and no one said a word. Cayden looked around absentmindedly and twirled her brown hair around with her index finger. Jack, who was to her left, fidgeted with his cuticles. And Alex who was to Caydens right was making this obnoxious sound with his lips, he'd press them together really tightly, and push them apart. Just as Jack was going to thump him in the back of the head, the doorbell rang. This of course was Rian.

"About time." said Alex opening the door to reveal Rian, with Ali and that girl Samantha.

"Hope you don't mind they tag along..." whispered Rian walking past Alex in the doorway. "Zack should be here in a little." he finished.

"Oh umm...okay." stuttered Alex closing the door behind the two girls.

"Wow, what is this one big study session?" giggled Cayden as everyone sat down around the coffee table.

"Band practice.." said Alex. "And, they're just here." he pointed to Ali and Samantha.

"Band?!" exclaimed Cayden. "Jack, you're in a band?" she asked looking over at him. He gulped and nodded, his mouth went dry every time she said his name and he felt like an idiot when he couldn't speak.

*RING*
"That must be that Merrick guy." said Alex about twenty minutes after Rian arrived. He ran to the door, and there was a boy with black hair and a bass case in his hand.

"Are you Alex?" asked the boy shyly.

"Sure, you can call me that." snickered Alex. Zack walked in, and voices hushed, and all their gazes were directed upon him. He gulped. Awkward.
Immediately Alex ordered everyone to come into the garage, it was time he shared what'd happened the previous night.

"So, after you guys left." he directed his attention towards Rian and Jack, "I came back in here, and I was just playing some random notes, and I started to sing some of the lyrics that I'd been working on, and it sounds really good. It's rough around the edges, but I think I may be getting on to something." he finished. The two boys were ecstatic with the news, and bounced up and down in place like little kids begging for Alex to play the song. "After Zack plays a little for us..." he said. Jack settled himself in the corner with Cayden, and they began to watch intently. And Rian sat off to the side with Ali. Alex was staring directly into Zack's eyes waiting for him to play, or rather screw up. And then there was Samantha standing up eagerly on her tip toes, also staring directly into his eyes, his soft eyes that were piercing into her heart.

"Lets see what you've got." smirked Alex. The boy with the bass gulped, and began to strum. They we're all there, physically. The guy named Jack was off in the corner talking with that one girl. Then there was the other girl staring directly into his eyes. They we're all staring at him. The guy was good, there was no denying that.

"Stop!" exclaimed Alex. Everyones heads shot his direction. And Zack twitched and messed up on his chord. "Ha, that last note sucked." laughed Alex. "But in all honesty you're really good. What do you guys think?" asked Alex looking to Jack and Rian. They shook their heads up and down. "What do you say Zack? You want to be apart of this band?" he asked tilting his head with his hands placed in his front pockets anxiously waiting for an answer.

"Definitely!" smiled Zack putting his bass down and running to the other boys who were crowding around him to welcome him into the band.

"I've got to go to the restroom." Lie. "Where is it?" he asked.

"Out this door and down the first hall, second doorway on the left." said Alex, sounding like a tour guide. Zack thanked him and quickly walked into the house.

"Hey..." he said chasing after Samantha. She stopped dead in her tracks.

"Uh..." she breathed.

"I know you...don't I?" he asked. Oh God, thought Samantha, losing her voice. She nodded her head up and down.

"I do...why can't I remember anything about you?" he asked. She shrugged. "Are you scared to talk?" he said taking a step closer, she took another step back, and shook her head left to right. "So, uh then say something..." he said taking another step forward. Samantha's back found the wall. She was trapped.

"Zack." she gasped. He looked at her, into those strangly fimilar eyes. He'd seen her before, he knew her. "It's me..." she sighed. He took another step, he was inches from her, and she was buckling at the knees. He made her weak. He placed his hand across her cheek, and she placed her hand on top of his. He leaned in closer, and closer, then his breath was hot on her ear.

"Samantha..." he questioned. She sighed in relief. "How could I forget you." he whispered. She pushed his hand off her face, and looked him in the eyes.

"I've missed you for so long." she began.

"Ehmm." came a voice from behind them. It was Alex, and everyone else was behind them staring. "Guess you didn't need the restroom afterall." smirked Alex.

"Alex, you're being rude!" started Ali. "You two know each other?" she questioned.

"We went to the same school, then I moved here about a year ago." explained Samantha.

"So you two have some unfinished business, or something like that?" asked Rian.

"If you don't mind." asked Zack. Everyone shook there heads indicating they didn't mind.

The two went on into the living room to catch up and reflect on the past year without each other. As for Jack, he was still with Cayden.

"Hmmm, so when are we going to study?" she asked.

"Can I tell you something?" he asked.

"Of course." she giggled.

"I suck at math. I only said that so I could hang out with you." he said lowering his head. Cayden placed her hand on his chin and lifted his head up, and she gave him a kiss on the cheek.

"I know." she breathed.

"You did...then why-" he fumbled over the words.

"I'm not that dumb, I can take a hint." she smiled and the two walked outside.
Alex and Rian were in the garage playing their instruments, and Ali was sitting on the floor watching the two. Everyone was slipt up in the house, but still it was just how it needed to be for the time being.

"Do you remember the last thing you said to me before I moved?" asked Samantha sitting next to Zack on the couch. He hesitated to answer, and was biting his lower lip.

"You told me that you wanted to g-" she began. But was quickly interupted by Jack running into the house skipping and jumping and spinning around in circles.

"ALEX! ALEX!" he shouted. "ALEX SHE KISSED ME!" he countined, everyone ran into the living room and laughed at how cute Jack could be sometimes.

"Did you shout after she kissed you and scare her off?" joked Alex.

"Not funny, she had to go home, it was getting late." said Jack with his lisp.

"Lets go outside and talk..." suggested Zack, Samantha followed him out the front door where they sat on the steps.

"Anyway...you said.." she began again.

"Shush....I don't remember what I said, but I remember what I did..." he smiled.

"Remind me how that went again." she said leaning forward.
Inside all bodys were peeking out of the window to get a glimpes of the two outside.

"I really did miss you." said Zack with his nose touching hers. She giggled softly, and they kept wiggling their noses together.

"Does this mean we'll see more of each other now that you're with them?" she asked.

"I hope so." he grinned, and leaned back so he wasn't close to her face any longer.

"Good." she sighed.

Eventually that night everyone left and Alex's parents made it home with some food, and he got into the bed to talk to a girl that he felt he was drifting apart from. It was Jewelz. He really did care for her more than he had any other girl, but she was always so busy with school life to be apart of his life. And he knew she hated to admit it, but deep down she felt the same way. He could just sence it, and this wasn't something that made him happy. He called her that night, and they talked as they always did. It wasn't the same tonight. He told her about getting a bassist, and she was so happy for him. He didn't feel she really cared, no matter how excited she sounded. She told him about her day. "The highlight was getting to see you, of course." she said. Maybe they would be okay, he'd work at it, he cared for her, and didn't want to lose her. What was happening to him, why had he suddenly felt this way. Just last night he'd never been happier talking with her. He'd try harder to make this work.