Always and Forever - Book 2

Blame It On The Alcohol

As Hunter made his way down the hallway, he spotted Puck leaning against a locker, looking unusually serious. Puck's eyes lit up when he saw Hunter approaching.

"Hey, man," Puck greeted with a smirk. "Got a minute?"

Hunter raised an eyebrow, curious. "What's up, Puck?"

Puck pushed off from the locker and walked alongside Hunter. "So, I heard that Rachel's got the house to herself this weekend. Her parents are out of town."

Hunter nodded, catching on. "Yeah, so?"

Puck grinned wider. "Well, I was thinking it'd be the perfect opportunity for a party. You know, get everyone together, blow off some steam, and—" he paused dramatically, "—have a good time."

Hunter raised an eyebrow. "Rachel's not exactly known for her wild parties. How do you plan on convincing her to go along with this?"

Puck shrugged, a mischievous glint in his eye. "That's where you come in. I know you're on her good side right now, so I figured you'd be the perfect person to help me talk her into it."

Hunter chuckled. "You're asking me to be your wingman for a party?"

Puck nodded eagerly. "Yeah, man. I know it's a bit of a favor, but I'm counting on you. I think if you help me, we can get Rachel to agree. And, you know, it could be a good chance for everyone to let loose."

Hunter raised an eyebrow, considering. "Alright, I'll help. But if this blows up in our faces and Rachel ends up hating us, you're taking the blame."

Puck laughed. "Fair enough. Thanks, man. Let's get this party started!"

With that, the two of them set off, ready to convince Rachel to host a party and turn it into a night to remember.

***

Hunter walked into the choir room and saw Rachel at the piano, her fingers poised above the keys.

"What's up, Rach? How is the songwriting coming along?" Hunter asked, rounding the piano.

Rachel looked up with a bright smile. "Hey! It's going wonderfully. I think I have a new tune that's really special. That's why I wanted you to come by. I wanted you to listen."

"Oh, okay. Cool. Well, we said we'd work together on this, so shoot," Hunter said, settling into a nearby chair.

Rachel nodded enthusiastically. "It's a bit rough, but I think it's really special. I'm excited for you to hear it."

She motioned for Brad, the accompanist, to start playing. As the first notes filled the room, Rachel's voice joined in, her song beginning with a soft, emotional melody.

Rachel

There you rest,
With all the rest,
Of my accessories on my night stand.

You're red or yellow,
And like a good fellow,
Sometimes you get lost in my mess.

But when schoolgirl pigtails won't do,
And I need to control my 'do,
You're the only one I can count on.

My headband,
You're my headband,
Wrapped right around my melon,
You're a product like Magellan....

Hunter frowned as he stopped Rachel from continuing. "Uh ... wait, wait. It's a song about your headband?"

Rachel blinked, taken aback. "Yeah, it's called 'My Headband.' They said to write a song about what you know."

"Well, it's very interesting," Hunter said, trying to be diplomatic. "But it's not exactly emotional or..."

"It sucks," Rachel admitted.

"Yeah," Hunter agreed. "But you're right. To write something impactful, you need to have experiences that resonate."

Rachel sighed. "How am I supposed to write a song like Joni Mitchell or Carole King? They lived."