We All Fall Down

We've Got These Big City Dreams

The first few band practices mainly consisted of the boys emptying Rian's fridge, arguing over possible band names and Jack claiming that they would be bigger than Green Day.

"Woah, calm down there, Tre Cool!" Zack laughed as he threw some of the chips he was eating at Jack's face.

"Laugh now, but in a few years we will be playing sold out shows." Said Jack as he picked up the chips that had landed on his chest and shovelled them into his mouth.

"Slow down, we still don't have a band name!" Rian said as he set up his drum kit for todays practice.

"Ah, that's where you're wrong, my friends," Jack suddenly jumped up and intertwined his fingers, impersonating an evil genius, "I just so happened to consult the Rock Band name generator and that said-"

"Let me get this straight," Rian interrupted, "you're saying you've got a band name for us?"

"Duh!"

Rian stopped what he was doing to focus his full attention on Jack. "Well, come on, tell us!"

"I would if you'd let me speak!" Jack exclaimed, but the smile that crept onto his face suggested that he was less annoyed than he was eager to tell his friends the band name they'd spent hours trying to think up. "Anyway, the name it suggested is..." he paused dramatically for a moment, letting his friends get more and more frustrated, "Salt-Horse-Razor!"

The only sound that followed was the spurt of Zack's drink from his mouth and then his manic, uncontrollable laughter.

"It's perfect, isn't it!" Jack asked nobody inparticular, obviously wrongly taking Zack's laughter as a good sign.

"Perfect?" Rian almost yelled, his eyes wide in amazement at Jack's suggestion, "I am not being part of a band called Salt-Cow-Razor!"

"Horse," Zack corrected as his laughter began to die off, "it's Salt-Horse-Razor."

"I don't really give a shit! Alex, tell him!"

"Huh?" Alex looked up from the notebook he was working in; he had been given the job of writing songs for the band, a job which he was taking very seriously. Writing had been one of his passions for years and now that he had been given an opportunity to put his skills to good use he felt happier than he had in a long time. The fact that he got to spend time with people who genuinely liked him made him happier still. "Sorry, Ri. What was that?"

"Salt-Horse-Razor." Jack interjected before Rian could say anything.

"Sorry, what?"

It was Rian's turn to get a word in, "Jack wants us to call the band Salt-Horse-Razor, please tell him he's being a jackass and no one would pay to see us if-"

"Guys, guys, guys!" Alex said, standing up to get in between them before a fist fight could be started. "Let's not get into a fight over this!" He turned to Jack, "Sorry dude, but I think we should put a little more thought into our band name before we commit to it." Jack looked like he was about to argue but bit his tongue as the sound of footsteps descended down the basement stairs.

"There you are!" Rian's mom almost yelled, she seemed tired and out of breath. "Come on!" She told all the boys, "Team building starts in fifteen minutes so get a move on!"

With that, she ascended the stairs two at a time without waiting for an answer from any of the boys.

As the others all gathered up their instruments to get ready for team building, Alex suddenly became very nervous; this was his first exercise since arriving at the camp. He quickly told himself not to worry. It couldn't be that bad!

Right?