ϟ Drummer Summer ☼

Chapter 2

June 17th, 1988

"We're going to the festival today!" Avril giggles, excitedly. "My aunt says she'll drop us off at the Beach Club."

I put the book that I was reading down and looked Avril in the eyes. "Will we grab food there?"

"Obviously!" Avril browses through the closet she claimed as hers. "And there's a few cool bands playing today!"

"Do you know them?" She lays down a few outfits on her bed and I look at them with disapproval.

"I know some guys from last year when I came here. They're working as staff and heard them practice." She picks up on my expression of disapproval towards her clothes. "Don't make that face! We're going to a concert, not church!" She finally decides on one outfit and I take the opportunity to choose one for myself.

"Still, you know what boys are like..." Avril is very hot, like - really hot. She's attractive and pretty popular in school for it. Her curvy tall figure stands out everywhere she goes and her gorgeous auburn hair complements her Hawaiian sun-tanned skin. Deep down, I think she loves the attention, but she always dismisses me.

"You're really pretty, June." She stares into my eyes when she says it. "Maybe you should do something about it and get a boyfriend." I feel my cheeks burn.

"I don't need a boyfriend!" Avril shrugs.

"There's a lot of hot guys in Hawaii, Ju. Get yourself a surfist and enjoy him!" I pick a sundress and get undressed to put it on. "Maybe surfists aren't really your type..." Avril starts ranting while she's getting dressed as well. "You're more of a nerdy-Yale guy." She says in a condescending tone.

"What's wrong with nerdy guys from Yale?" I pull the dress through my head and smooth out the creases.

"Oh, nothing nothing. They're just sooo... what's the word?"

"Intelectual?"

"Boring." She replies with an eye-roll. "You're in Hawaii, away from your mother! Have some fun for once!" Avril sounds a bit irritated, shoving the unchosen clothes inside her closet - they'll get wrinkly in no time.

"Are you okay?" I ask, concerned.

"Yes." She surely doesn't sound okay. "Let's just get dinner, yeah?"

She turned on her heels and exited the room.

My hands hurt after hours of practice.

Sonny has been enslaving us for these past days - band practice from sunrise to sunset, we barely got a break.

I get up from the uncomfortable stool I've been sitting on for the past hours and stretch my legs:

"Okay, I think we're good. Tomorrow we'll just make some final changes and we're good to go." Sonny puts down his guitar and stretches as well. "I'm gonna grab some beers and dinner. Any special requests?"

"I just want beef." Jax pronounces himself.

"Is beef alright for everyone?" We all look at each other and no one protests, not even Hunter with his usual growls. "Beef it is! I'll be back in a bit." Sonny gets out the door and we can finally breathe.

Hunter takes the opportunity of Sonny being gone and takes shelter in his room, while me and Jax stay in the living room. I reach for the phone and dial Lucy's number once more - I haven't gotten any reply from her since I left for Hawaii. I've tried a couple of times in the past few days, but I never got an answer.

"Trying Lucy's again?" Jax asks, his expression twisting in concern. I nod and roll my eyes.

"Yeah."

"Are you sure it is the right number?"

"She was the one who wrote it." No answer from the phone again. I smash it back into its stand.

"Do you think she gave you the wrong number?"

"Why the fuck would she do that?" I untie my hair and tie it back again. Jax shrugs.

"I don't know. She's weird, Holt." I nod in agreement. "You should focus on the band for now."

"Maybe you're right." I go inside my bedroom and grab a piece of underwear and a towel. "Shotgun on the shower."