Man Overboard

5. Did I Get This Straight? Do You Want Me Here?

                 

Their band, or "blink" as Mark introduced themselves at the beginning of their practice purely for my benefit, was pretty good. I was surprised to find out that both Tom and Mark sang; I wasn't really sure what I was expecting though. They just both sounded so different when they talked, and their singing voices were the same way, which is why it worked I supposed. They harmonized well and strummed away on their instruments, leaving Scott to carry a steady beat.

            I couldn't help but smile when Tom sang the second song in their set. His voice was high and would occasionally crack. It sounded like something you'd expect from a teen who just hit puberty rather than a high school graduate. That was the same impression I got when I first heard his voice, so it was perfect.

            Just listening to them play made me instantly feel better after my little breakdown. Some of their songs were humorous, made ten times funnier from the silly faces Tom made at me while playing. Other songs I couldn't quite wrap my head around, and I wasn't quite sure if I really wanted to know if Tom was actually referring to a salamander in one of them. But the songs I really liked were the ones with lyrics that I could relate with. It was even better if the lyrics were masked by an upbeat tune; that seemed to represent how I felt most of the time. It wasn't until you actually listen when you realize the true meaning of the song.

            I turned to Anne who was sitting next to me on Scott's bed. "So you said you're the reason the band's together?" I asked.

            "Yep," Anne smiled at me. "Tom met Scott when he enrolled at Rancho. Tom became friends with my boyfriend, Kerry, which is how I met him. He was always whining about wanting to form a band so I introduced him to Mark. Next thing I know, they're writing songs together."

            I nodded and turned back to the guys, who had paused their playing. Tom was smirking at Anne, and Mark was shaking his head discreetly.

            "You left out a vital detail, Anne," Tom said. He winked at me before looking back at Anne. "Tell Willow here about Mark's little accident."

            "I hate you so much," Mark muttered. He was avoiding all eye contact with everyone in the room, looking down while tuning his bass.

            I glanced over at Anne, confused. "What accident?" I asked curiously.

            Anne just burst out laughing. She clutched her side and fell back on the bed. I looked over at Tom, waiting for an explanation since Anne clearly wasn't capable of giving me one.

            "It was like the third time I met Mark," Tom started, a smile lighting up his face, "and we were hanging out together outside, right? So Mark is all like, 'Oh man, Tom is so cool. I need to do something to show him I can be cool too-'"

            "Okay," Mark interrupted dramatically, glaring at Tom. "That is not how it happened."

            "Shush, I'm telling Willow the story," Tom silenced Mark. Mark rolled his eyes and looked back at his instrument. "Anyways, so Mark decides it would be cool to climb up a lamppost-"

            "It was cool," Mark defended, his lips creeping up into a small smile.

            "Yeah," Tom agreed. Then he let out a laugh. "Until you fell and broke your ankles."

            "Oh my god," I gasped. "Were you okay?"

            Mark gave me a pained expression, his blue eyes widening. "It was terrible, Willow. It hurt so much. Some nights I lie in bed and I can still feel the bones shattering beneath my weight."