Two Sticks and a Band

Chapter 6- Her Rock

I ring the doorbell to Kim's apartment. It's stopped snowing outside, but still sits at freezing temperatures as usual. I'm bundled up in a jacket and her hoodie again, though it's been washed since yesterday.
The door opens, Kim also bundled up and a backpack on.
"You ready?" I ask.
"Let's go," she says, closing the door behind her.
We make our way to the bus stop, with it arriving in just a minute. We aren't leaving Toronto, but instead heading to the other side near the sea.
We sit down on the empty bus, the warm air from the heater making us feel less tense.
"So yeah, I was in Chaos Disorder," I mumble. "We were actually pretty popular in Toronto a few years ago, and they want us to play as an opening act for The Battle of the Bands. Some kind of reunion to get the crowd going."
"I remember you guys. What did you play?"
"Oh, uh," I hesitate. "I'm the singer."
"You were the lead vocalist for Chaos Disorder?" She looks at me, surprised. "Stephen is gonna flip when he learns this."
"What? Why?" I laugh nervously.
"He was a huge fan. I don't guess he connected the dots."
"Then let's make this a surprise," I smile. "I do look pretty different compared to back then."
"I remember. Blonde hair and a more sexual vibe. I think Stephen had a bit of a celebrity crush."
"Really?" I laugh. "Too bad."
She laughs back, us beginning to sit in silence again.

——
Two boys sit outside on their front porch, laughing about anything and everything together. One has shaggy black hair, the other with long brown and a stubble. They turn their attention on us, standing up and sprinting over as we walk to the porch.
"Seth!" The long haired boy yells, embracing me in a hug. "God, it's been so long."
"It has," I smile back, letting go of the hug.
"You found a drummer?" The black haired boy asks.
"This is Kim Pines, the drummer of the band i'm in now: Sex Bob-Ombs. Kim, this is Dan and Jackie."
"I've been to a few of your shows, you're really good," Dan says, shaking her hand eagerly.
"Thank you," she says, staring. I guess she doesn't know how to respond.

We make our way in and back into a spare room filled with instruments. It's been so long since i've been here, it's really giving nostalgia.
Kim makes her way to the drum set, looking it up and down. Then, she starts to grab the sticks.
"Wait," I almost bark at her. "Did you.. bring any?"
"I did," she says, setting her backpack down and reaching into it.
I walk over to her, hesitantly picking up the drum sticks. I look at them, tears almost filling my eyes. They haven't been touched since Zach used them, the hot pink tape still covering the ends and the split of wood in one of them from me attempting to use them. "I'm not sure if i'm ready for anyone to use them, yet," I mutter, still looking at them deeply as they sit in my hands.
She pulls out her own, tapping on a few drums to get a feel of if they need to be tuned. Sure enough, they do.
I take the sticks over and sit them on the table, but something feels off. I feel guilty for replacing him in a way. Maybe I can do something to help that.
"Do you have his pink tape?" I ask Jackie as he's about to grab his guitar. He walks over to a drawer, pulling out the familiar pink roll from before. I smile at him, taking it in my hands along with the drum sticks.
I walk back to the drum set, holding the sticks against the bass drum. Then, with the roll of tape, I tape them in the shape of an X.
"There," I speak proudly, looking at my creation.
"I like it," Dan says, putting his arm around me. Kim gives him a dead stare. "Chill, I don't want to steal Seth from you," he laughs.
"She doesn't mean it like that," I look at him. "She may look mean, but she's really sweet once she gets comfortable."
She turns her glance to me, giving a slight accepting smile. I'm right.
"So i'm thinking," Dan starts. "We do a few songs. What about Bathroom Bitch, Autotheist and Groan?"
"I like that lineup. Kim, you play what you feel is right." With a nod from her, we all take place.
Dan begins playing his electric guitar for a measure before we jump in.
"I wanna fuck you in the bathroom. I wanna fuck you on the roof of my car. I wanna drink your juice so badly, I want it dripping from my ass to the floor.."
"That's the fun Seth I know," Jackie shouts, excited.
I turn around to Kim, giving her an embarrassed look. This song is not my style anymore. "Baby, I'm an animal, but you can have a taste. God, I feel so powerful when grinding on your face. Yeah I want it harder cause this love shouldn't go to waste. Won't you let me be your girl, won't you let me be your girl?"
Continuing the song, I feel like i'm on fire. I forgot what it's like to sing so much, and can't believe that I remember the lyrics. But we did practice every day for years until we got sick of them. Though, I can't help but feel embarrassed knowing Kim now knows what kind of songs I write.
The song ends, me looking back at Kim. "That was perfect!" The others nod in reply, her giving me a smirk as to say 'it's cause i'm the best in the world' like I said. "Autotheist starts with guitar and drums. so-"
"One, two, three, four!" Jackie shouts, leading the two in as he holds his bass in hand.
"Dear, God up in heaven. Are you glad I learned my lesson? I'm not making any promises that it'll end any time soon. Dear, God up in heaven. How do I fucking get in? You tried to make me scared of Hell, but i'm living there, im living there!"
And with a hard hit, the chorus starts.
"And if I was God, id kill the people who believed in me. And if i was God id make everybody bow to me. And who says I am not God? I am God to me! And if I was God, I'd make you all believe in me."
Kim plays it all perfectly again. She really is the best. I could never, it sounds like she's played these songs for years. But I guess that's just music theory!
Dan starts the next song with his electric guitar again, 8 measures before I begin.
"Won't you come around in your car in the middle of the night again? I've got a thundering storm cloud hanging low above my head again! And if I lied about my name, is it fine, would you mind? Sorry we can blame it on that i'm young, naive, and really miserable!
And yeah, I wanna spend the night with you-ou-ou-ou. Yeah! I wanna feel a beating, bleeding heart, don't you? Because I've never really known. But I pinky promise you i'm alone and I wanna know what it feels like, uh-huh."
I quickly change the lyrics around to fit something that popped into my head. What if this were about Kim? So instead of age and being grown, i change it to me lying about my name instead. I feel like it fits better, and it's a thank you in a way I cannot express myself.
"That was great!" I smile, clapping my hands together. "It feels like old times, like nothing ever happened. I mean, everyone still remembers their parts! I do think Zach could bring the last bit out a bit more," I say as I turn around to him. But instead, he's not there. Kim is. I guess It felt too much like old times. "Oh-" I stutter. "Sorry..."
I hang my head down, realizing my mistake. I hope I didn't hurt anyone's feelings. Suddenly, I feel arms embracing me. It's Kim. She doesn't say anything, just holds me.
"We all miss him," Dan says, joining the hug with Jackie not far behind. "But you were the closest with him. You don't need to apologize for anything, it's just a natural response."
Tears full my eyes at those words. He really isn't here, but it feels like it. Fuck, I miss him. The tears start flowing harder as I remember the funeral in black, flowers scattered across the cathedral and the band disbanding that day.
"Let's take a break," Kim says, looking up at them.
"I need to use the bathroom," I state, pulling away and wiping my tears with my palm. The scars on it show heavily still from my past battles with creatures of another world-or the future.
With that, I make my way to the bathroom, looking at the wreck I am in the mirror.

=Kim POV=

I've never seen her cry before. No, i've never seen her upset before. It really breaks my heart seeing her like this.
I grab my jacket, "I'm going to sit outside until she's okay."
"I'll join," Jackie states, though both him and Dan follow.
The three of us sit on the steps, Dan pulling out a cigarette and lighting it.
With a huff, he speaks. "You two are really close."
"Yeah," I reply. I don't really know what to say to that.
"Are you her girlfriend?" Jackie asks.
"No-" I jump. "Just really good friends... right now."
Dan laughs, taking another puff. "You love her though, that I can tell."
Is it that obvious? "How?"
He smiles at me. "You care for her so much without even knowing the situation. You were completely heartbroken when she cried," he laughs, but in a sincere way. "You're her rock."
"I am?" I ask, looking at him.
Jackie starts, earning my attention. "Her rock was Zach. They were best friends since she moved here from France. I mean, he's the one that taught her english!"
"They were inseparable," Dan adds. "She was distant to us after his passing. But I see she's found someone to take care of her. She's way happier than she was the last time we met."
I look back down at my hands, taking what he said in.
"She loves you, very much," Jackie continues with a big grin. "I don't know whether it's romantic or just platonic, but she's back to her old self."
The shaggy dark haired guy takes a puff of his cigarette, following with, "Take care of her for us."
"I will, I promise."
The door swings open, revealing a small figure with my hoodie on. Without a word, she sits in between me and Jackie. She holds her hand out to dan, not making eye contact with anyone. Dan puts a cigarette and a lighter in it.
She follows by lighting it and taking a deep puff, exhaling a huge cloud of smoke. Her head leans on my shoulder. She's not completely better yet. So, I wrap my hand around her and place it on her head, running my fingers through her hair with a slight rub.
"You're a good drummer," Jackie says to me.
"Best in Canada," Seth mumbles, a slight smile appearing on her face as I continue through her hair.
I chuckle in response, looking down at her. Her focus stays on the cigarette in between her fingers. She takes another puff before putting it up to me and shifting her eyes to mine.
"You want some?"
I haven't smoked a cigarette in a while, but one puff couldn't hurt. Instead of taking it from her hand, I lean my head down to it as it still sits in her fingers. I take a deep breath in and let it sit for a second before letting it all out. It makes me feel both sickly and great at the same time.
"I'm ready to go back in," Seth says, standing up. There's no usual smile, but she's looking a bit better. Her eyes still stay red and puffy from the tears she shed.
—
We continue practicing until it's dark out, finally packing our stuff up and leaving at around 6. The bus ride home is silent for a while until she leans her head on me once again.
"Thank you," she mutters.
"Hm? For what?" I reply, clueless.
She chuckles a bit. There's the Seth I know. "For jumping to help me like you did. You made me feel a lot better."
I smile at her. If only she could know how much I truly care.
"Of course," I smile. I wrap my hand around her waist, holding her in my arms again. I love that she likes my touch, it makes me feel butterflies every time.
Soon enough, I hear her breathing slow and notice her eyes close. She must be tired from the crying.

A while passes before I shake her awake, earning a slight groan from her.
"We're here. Want to just stay with me tonight?" I ask. She nods her head slightly, obviously barely awake.
I walk her off the bus, my hand on her opposite shoulder of one that's closest to me. With a few steps to my place, I lead her in. Hollie notices quickly, giving me a smirk. In response, I just my my finger against my lips in a 'shhh'. I continue walking the very obviously tired girl up the stairs and into my room. She lays down on my bed, quickly getting under the blankets and laying there asleep.

I go back downstairs to grab a drink, Hollie still looking at me with a smirk on her face.
"She had a long day," I say. "I didn't want to send her home like that, so I offered to let her sleep here."
"Ugh. Just make out already," She rolls her eyes at me. I chuckle at that statement, grabbing a drink from the fridge.
Maybe soon.

——-
Songs:
Bathroom Bitch- HOLYCHILD
Autotheist- Baby Bugs
Groan- Daizey and the Scouts.