Communication from ALLSTAR STUDIOS:
Subject: Information Concerning the Official Battle of the Bands Contest hosted by Allstar Studios and its following sponsors
Congratulations fellow rockstars! This e-mail serves to provide all information regarding the semi-finalist contest that will take place on May 2nd, where local bands will fight for a chance of competing with the big dogs at the upcoming Battle of the Bands Contest that will be hosted on June 23rd, 7:00 PM at the Staples Center in Los Angeles, California, at the chance of winning a cash prize total of 100,000 dollars and a personal meeting and collaborative concert with American bassist Randy Jackson. Bands have from now until May 2nd to practice their best hits for the semi-finalist competition, and if won, will get an all-expenses paid trip to California.
Alain pinned the letter so that it'd be the first thing he saw every time he opened his otherwise bland school e-mail account. His heart sputtered and raced as he imagined the flashing lights, screaming fans, and sweat dripping down his forehead as he blew notes out of the woodwind instrument as if there'd be no tomorrow...
But for now, he had calculus to think about. But even so, he had his first rehearsal after school. So life didn't look too bleak.
"Alan, may you come up to the board and solve the second derivative for me?" His teacher asked. Gritting his teeth, he stood up and gripped the black Expo marker in front of him.
"It's Alain..." he whispered, writing the answer on the board. When he went back to sit down, the teacher looked at him, puzzled.
"That's a picture of a hot dog," she finally spoke.
"Hot dogs are sandwiches, after all." Alain claimed wisely.
It used to annoy him terribly whenever people got his name wrong, but lately, another thought has soothed him throughout it all. After all, once he becomes famous, no one would ever forget his name. He whispered "Alain" to himself, evoking a vivid hallucination of billboards and light boxes highlighting his name. Oh what a joyous day that'd be, he thought to himself.
After class, Alain made sure he was the first to get out of the wretched room. As he stepped out into the hallway, a familiar voice made him jolt.
"Hey Alain," the voice greeted him. He turned. Hayes stood idly as several people tried to navigate through his tall, lanky figure. "I just wanted to make sure, everyone's going to your house, right?"
Still flabbergasted, it took a while for his words to finally register. After several moments, Alain nodded his head dumbly, walking side-by-side with the chess boy to his next class. "Yeah, of course. Is that all you wanted to ask me?"
Hayes thought about that question for a bit. "I guess so, but I also just wanted to walk with you." Something about that sentence and his sentiment made Alain's heart leap. What was making him feel like this?
"Well, here's my stop." Alain gulped. "See you after school, Hayes."
Hayes gave him a small salute. "See you, comrade." And left as quickly as those words escaped his mouth.
There were a lot of reasons why Alain was so excited about his current situation. Most obviously, he had a chance of achieving fame and fortune and meeting his ultimate idol, but there was another reason why Alain could never sleep at night. Something deep within him, something he couldn't quite exactly put his finger on. The thought of being able to spend countless waking hours with some of the most eccentric and interesting people he had ever known, working side-by-side and so terribly close to Schween, Rachel, Hayes...
What was happening to him?
He shook himself physically to prevent himself from being distracted once more. But he couldn't help it. He was just so excited. Was the excitement from the possibility of forming new deep friendships, or was there something else he was attuned to, something he was afraid of admitting?
