The Road to Fame (Hydrogen: The Origins)

Chapter 4: Welcome to Washington Prep, Part 2 (Lindsay's POV)

         Note: This chapter has 1 's' word and 2 'f' bombs, just letting you know before you read :) 

      3rd period wasn't as bad as I thought it would be. We sat by alphabetical order in pairs, so I was partnered with Tyler. Miles was next to us, Brent's unnamed friend was by some girl, and Brent and Jesse were together. I don't know if it was just instinct, but I felt like Jesse had something against me. I just couldn't think of what it was. 

           4th period was music appreciation. I walked into class after the guys and looked for a place to sit. I heard someone yell, "Lindsay!" 

           I turned to see Tyler, Brent, and their crew all together. Brent said, "We saved you a seat."

           I sat down next to Brent and said, "Thanks." 

          Tyler said, "I don't believe we've had a formal introduction yet. I'm Tyler Lynch."

          I said, "Awesome to meet you, Tyler. I'm Lindsay."

         Tyler said, "I know who you are. I'm a huge fan."

          I said, "Aw, thanks."

          He said, "You already know Brent, but let me introduce you to everyone else. This is Miles, Kevin, and Jesse."

          Miles said, "It's awesome to finally talk to you. We have 1st through 3rd together."

          I said, "I recognize you from math. It's nice to meet a fellow 10 percent."

         Miles said, "Same."

         Kevin said, "Sup." He did that weird thing with his head. 

         I said, "Hi. It's nice to meet you."

        Jesse said, "Hi, Lindsay. I'm Jesse. Can I just say that you have an amazing voice?"

        I said, "Thank you so much. That means a lot."

        Jesse smugly smiled and then turned away, putting a fake gun up to his mouth. 

        Our teacher, whose name was Mrs. Hansen, walked up to the front of the class. 

        "Hello, guys! I'm Mrs. Hansen, and I hope you guys are all here for music appreciation. If not, then maybe I should be teaching somewhere else!"

         She laughed at her joke, but the entire class was silent. She said, "Okay. So, before we start, I want to debrief what this class is going to be about. We're gonna explore everything in here. We're gonna learn about how music is made, how it's written, how the sound is explored, everything. Second semester is gonna focus on you and how you enjoy music. We'll have projects, performances, anything that an aspiring musician like yourselves could want. Now, I did have some getting to know each other games planned, but first, I'd like our new school alumni, Lindsay Mace, to say a few words."

            Everyone cheered for me as I joined Mrs. H at the front of the class. I said, "Hi guys! Um, before I really start, I just wanna say that I don't want you guys to think that I'm conceited just because I'm famous. I'm like everyone else here. I go to school, love food and have a passion for music. I actually don't have a lot to say about myself, so I'll give you guys some advice. When I was younger, I had dreams to become famous but never thought that I would actually get the chance to record with Carpenter Productions or go on tour. But look at me now. I'm famous. I want you guys to try your hardest. Don't let the fear of striking out keep you from playing the game. I know that you guys are all talented and that you can do great things in this world. Thank you."

         Everyone cheered again, and Mrs. H said, "Lindsay, do you mind if I show everyone a video of your last concert in Virginia?"

         I said, "I don't mind at all. Go on ahead."

         She plugged in her projector, and the beginning of my concert started playing. 

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         After class, everyone left to go get lunch, and I met up with the crew. Brent said, "Can I just say that that was awesome? That was easily my favorite performance of yours, besides your 2-night stand in Chula Vista. I went to both. Amazing!"

         I said, "Thanks! That means a lot."

         Jesse said, "I'm gonna go get lunch, but I'll see you guys after school! Don't forget. Practice at 4:30!"

          The guys waved to him and then turned to me. I saw Brent roll his eyes.

         I said, "Why the eye rolling?"

        Brent said, "I hate Jesse. We all do."

        I said, "Why?"

        Brent said, "Because he's a narcassistic, superficial piece of shit. He only cares about himself. We would kick him out of the band, but we can't."

        I said, "Why not? Just tell him to leave."

        Miles said, "We can't do that because we don't have a replacement for him."

        Tyler said, "And he won't quit, so we're kinda stuck with him."

        Kevin was silent again. I really wished he'd say something, but it was probably a sensitive topic. Then again, he didn't talk at all before that either. Except for the "sup" and weird head thing. I almost broke my neck doing it back.

       I said, "Well, I hope you guys can work it out."

       Brent said, "Thanks, Lindsay. We're really glad to have you around."

       Miles said, "Yeah. You're a breath of fresh air in the heat wave that is Jesse Wilson."

      I said, "Thanks, I think."

     Tyler said, "I'm hungry. Let's go eat."

          We walked to the lunch line, opposite of the one Jesse was in. Ours was longer, though. Apparently, people really liked the tacos on the first day of school. 

         Brent said, "So, Lindsay, the guys and I wanted to talk to you about something."

         I said, "Okay. Go ahead."

         He said, "Well, we have a band. Our name is Hydrogen, courtesy of Miles' talent for science. We have our practice at 4:30, as you heard, and we were wondering if you wanted to stop by and have a listen. We could walk you over there after school or you could just meet us at the place. It's at a place called Future Music, and here's the address."

        He wrote something down on a piece of paper, and Miles scoffed. "You're definitely a leftie. Why the fuck you lyin'?"

        Brent said, "Shut the fuck up. Here you go."

        I took the paper and said, "Well, I'd love to go. It's about 10 minutes away from my house and 5 from here. I'll be there at 4:30 sharp."

        Brent said, "Awesome. I'm so excited. I hope you like us."

       I said, "Trust me, I will."

       I was having a great day. Already, I'd made 5 new friends. I was still iffy about Jesse (and Kevin because he didn't talk that much) but it was awesome. I was excited to see the guys perform later. 

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