Heard it Through the Grapevine

Chapter Thirteen

The next day, even though the tension in the house had winded down, I was still feeling a bit sorry for myself and the whole situation. I mean, Matt hadn't even come back yet. I had no idea when I would see him again.

I was still sulking in my room by the afternoon when Nick and Reese came and found me. They seemed dressed for an adventure, and each were sporting packed backpacks.

"Come on," they said. "Lets get you out of the house. We're going to MDO to clear our heads before battle of the bands, and I think you could use some fresh air."

We drove out to Los Osos, and the view from the car was enough to make me feel a lot better. The rolling green hills under the sunny blue sky felt like it was out of a magazine. When we got to MDO, we set up our hammocks in a magical looking forest and then headed down towards the beach.

"Have you ever taken shrooms before?" Nick asked me. I shook my head. Him and Reese exchanged a knowing look, then pulled out a thermos. "We brewed some into a tea. Take some, I think it's gonna help you out."

I took a long drink from the thermos. It tasted like lemon tea at first, but then it got very bitter. I coughed a bit, and they laughed. We continued on down towards the beach, looking at rocks and watching the waves roll in. Eventually, the colors of the water stood out a little brighter, the air smelled a bit sweeter, and the sand underneath my toes felt a bit more grounding. I had never experienced anything like it before.

When we made our way back up to the hammocks, Nick and Reese started telling me about their theories about how all the birds in the area are robots, and they all go back to Morro rock to recharge.

As we hung out, I didn't feel like talking much. I was too lost in thought. My hands were starting to look weird, and the sky was turning a new color. At one point, I looked up to see Nick and Reese just staring at me. It was enough to make me break down a bit, and before I knew it, I was sobbing.

The two boys hurried over to put their arms around me. It was comforting, and I started to slow down a bit. After a few minutes, Nick asked me what was on my mind.

"I just feel like I've caused so much drama since I've been with the band–I didn't mean any of it! All i've ever wanted was to just play music."

"Don't think about it like that, Nathan. You haven't done anything wrong. It doesn't matter what's happened, the Honeyboys stick together–everythings going to be okay." Reese assured me. I didn't believe him.

"I just dont think I'm the right fit. I don't think I know what it means to be a Honeyboy." I managed to stammer out through hiccups.

"Nathan, being a Honeyboy is about friendship, loyalty. It's about having fun and loving music. You have already shown us you care–you have everything it takes. We all want you here. Do you want to be here?" Nick said. I looked up at them.

"Yes, yes I really do. I want to be a Honeyboy." We all hugged. I knew what I had to do. As we started heading back, I thought about everything we had been through together as a band. I was ready to head to battle of the bands the next day and play–we had everything we needed. And I wasn't going to let some petty drama get between us.

After stopping at In-n-out, we arrived back at the Hive pretty late. Nick and Reese retired to their room, and I headed into the bathroom to wash my face. But, as I opened the door to head to bed, I came face-to-face with Matt, his hand on the doorknob. We stared at each other for a minute.

"You're back." I said. He nodded.

"Yeah, I'm back." He said, looking down at his feet. I waited to see what he would say. I waited to see if he would apologize for the way he acted. But he didn't. He just stood there. Not wanting to hurt my pride any more, I opened the door wider, slipped past him, and made my way down the hall to my room.

"Goodnight." I called over my shoulder.