Kammy.

Chapter 5 Wow!

September 20th, 2019

Today was the day that I was going to know if I made the team. It also meant that if I did, Sammy wouldn't have. The thought made me a little sad. I didn't like playing against my best friend. We've always played sports together. It would feel weird if he wasn't by my side. It would feel weird if I wasn't by his side.

I got up and did my routine. I got dressed and then grabbed my bag. After placing it by the door, I walked to the fridge. There was leftover oatmeal from yesterday so I ate that. I looked through my Instagram as I ate. Then, I replied to some texts. Sammy came out of his room a few minutes later and made a bowl of cereal.

We talked for a bit. He asked me if I was okay and if I felt any better. 'I'm still a little sore and I have some bruises here and there, but it's not that bad.' 'Okay. Well, are you excited to see if you made the team?' 'Not really.' 'Why not?' 'Because, if I made the team then that means you didn't.' 'Well, I would rather you make the team than me.' 'Why?' 'There would be a girl on the guys football team.' 'I know. It's just not going to be the same if you aren't there.' He looked at me and smiled. 'Ditto.'

I didn't have class till 11:45 and Sammy didn't have class till 10:45 so we hung out at home for a while. He played a few songs for me on the guitar and I helped him come up with some lyrics. He still wouldn't let me hear that other song he made, but I'd wear him down sooner or later.

'Ha! I win.' I glared at Sammy as he did his victory dance. This was the third game of Guitar Hero that I lost. I pulled the guitar from over my head and placed it in its spot on the TV stand. 'I don't know why I keep playing this game with you. You've been playing guitar since you were ten.' He was still dancing when I walked into the kitchen. I grabbed a soda from the fridge and twisted the cap. I took a few sips from it then walked over to Sammy and handed it to him. He sipped from it, then set it down on the coffee table. I placed a coaster underneath it. I looked at the clock. It was 8:50. 'You want to watch a movie?' I asked him. 'Sure. What are we watching?' 'Notting Hill?' 'Okay.'

I grabbed some hot cheeto puffs, another soda from the fridge, and settled down on the couch next to Sammy. We watched the movie till Sammy had to go to school. I cleaned up the stuff, then headed into my room to work on my design. It was a pantsuit that could also turn into a romper. I'd had everything else worked out with the design except for one thing. I couldn't figure out how to do the pants. I had to find a way for them to detach into the romper and still make the outfit look good. I tried zippers in the third sketch, but it didn't look right. I tried velcro, but it was still awkward. I didn't know how to hide it when the pants were off and it was just the shorts part of it. My brain felt like it was going to break so I got up and walked into Sam's room.

I loved going into Sam's room. There was always a calmness to his room. Anytime we hung out, it was usually at his house. I think it was the stuff he had. Framed photos of his family. Posters of his favorite guitarists: Jimi Hendrix, Keith Richards, Pete Townshend, and a few others. Two bean bag chairs in the corner. Little figurines and small baubles decorated his dressers and TV stand. Tiny succulents filling empty spaces. I loved his room. Don't get me wrong, I loved my room too. My room was a comfort room, his was calming.

I grabbed his guitar from his case and played a few notes. Sammy tried to teach me how to play when we were 13, but I never really got the hang of it. I was better at Guitar Hero than I was at playing the actual guitar. I tried playing our song, but I stopped pretty quickly. I held the guitar, staring at the worn wood. A 314ce 6-string Taylor guitar. Venetian cutaway, sitka spruce top, and sapele back and sides. Sammy had always loved music, but his love of guitars started when he met Pete Townshend.