Unexpected (Avi Kaplan)

Somewhere I Belong

"No no no no no! Guys this isn't working out. It just doesn't have that Pentatonix flair," Bailey said through the speaker. We had gotten started on recording their Christmas album, but this was the sixth take on the first song and no matter what we tried, Bailey was never satisfied.

I just sat quietly the whole time, watching and observing. She took her finger off the button and leaned back, an exasperated expression on her face. She looked to me with raised eyebrows. "I knew there was work in making an album but geez. I never expected this," I finally said with a small smile. "It's still surreal though."

She nodded, her mind obviously still trying to figure out how to make the track better. Shaking her head, she leaned up, placing a slender finger on the button. "Sorry guys. It's just not working. We're gonna have to scratch it. Take ten," she said with an apologetic look. The five walked out, talking among themselves before Mitch spoke up.

"Are you sure there's nothing else we can do? I really liked that song," he said with a sigh.

"Yeah. We've done two holiday albums already and have yet to do Oh Come All Ye Faithful," Kirstie added with a sad look.

"I have to admit it's one of my favorites," Kevin spoke up, taking a seat on the couch.

I sat in silence, still sipping on my hot chocolate. I could see where Bailey was coming from, but I had to admit, I liked the song too. If only there were some way to fill out the sound. Five people could only do too much.

"If only there were some way to sound fuller. I want this to be as realistic as possible though," Scott said, taking a seat on the arm of the couch, a sigh escaping his lips. He seemed to be on the same track of mind I was.

"Like a chorus," I spoke up, glancing over at Bailey. "I know some people from school I can call that I'm sure wouldn't mind helping," I added, though the look Bailey gave me was skeptical.

"Well well well. Shorty's got an idea. Stupid, but it's an idea. The last thing we need is a bunch of money-hungry college kids ruining everything," a deep voice said sarcastically as Avi spoke up.

I looked at him with narrowed eyes. "Keep in mind I'm a college kid."

"Exactly."

"What do you have to lose? The worst that could happen is that it's not what you're looking for," I said as I returned my gaze to Bailey, deciding to ignore Avi's comment. "They can be here in twenty minutes."

"If they're as good as you, or at least close, I'd say twelve of them. Like you said, the worst that could happen is that it's not quite right. Not to mention it would keep the standard you guys have set for yourself because there wouldn't be any instruments," she said as she looked up at the five of them.

"I'll call them," I said and got up, heading out of the room to make the calls.

The moment the door closed, Mitch stared at Avi and shook his head. "Why are you so mean to her? She didn't do anything but bring us coffee and make a suggestion," he said as he looked up at Avi from his sitting position.

"I don't like the idea of putting up with someone I don't know constantly. Especially someone that tries too hard."

"She was trying to help. She was being nice," Kirstie spoke up, though her voice was still quiet. She didn't want to get in the middle of anything but she had to admit that his behavior was out of the ordinary, even for him.

"Just forget it," the bass spoke up as he took a seat on the floor.

"Is this about you know who?" Kevin asked with furrowed eyebrows.

Avi just repeated himself. "Just forget it." But that gave everyone the answer they needed to know.

"Dude, that was four years ago. You've gotta let it go. Just because Ivy has dark hair and hazel eyes doesn't mean she's her. You know as good as I do that she's long gone," the dark skinned man said with a sigh. He was concerned for his friend, but he understood why he was acting like that. He didn't want to get attached.

"It's like I'm reliving it all over again man. I can't go through it again."

"Just give her a chance. I don't know about anyone else, but I want the old Avi back. The fun-loving, prankster who thought dragons were real."

"THEY ARE!" Avi yelled defensively, though the others simply laughed.

About ten minutes later, I walked back in with twelve people behind me, an equal split between men and women. "These are the best that I could find," I said as I looked at the others, introducing each of them.

"Back to work guys," Bailey said and the group headed back into the sound room, followed by the chorus. After running through the song a few times so they could get used to it, Bailey hit record and they began. I watched the whole group, but my eyes seemed to always wonder back to Avi. It was strange how one person could go from being so bitter one minute to happy the next. It was...confusing. But he couldn't have always been like that could he? Bitterness isn't something you're born with. It's something you're taught. There had to be a nicer version to him, right?

I had to admit that the chorus complimented Pentatonix nicely, especially on the song. And taking a glance at Bailey, I noticed that she was like a kid in a candy store. We both remained quiet until the end of the song when she pressed a button and spoke into a mic. "I think we've got a hit guys," she said with a smile as the group began cheering as they came out of the booth. 

"I wanna hear," Mitch complained, causing me to shake my head a bit, though I couldn't hide the smile. He was like a toddler. I leaned over and pressed the playback version, listening to the song as it rang out. Nodding my head slightly, I kept my eyes forward, a bit nervous for the group's comments on the addition.

When it ended, I pressed the stop button and slowly swiveled in my seat, seeing the smiles and excitement, but no one said anything. Until a certain voice rang echoed through the room.

"I have to admit, shorty, it's not terrible," Avi said, and I swear I saw the faintest hint of a smile tugging at the corner of his lips.

"That's how he says he likes it when he doesn't want to admit it," Kevin said and I couldn't help but laugh.

"Don't twist my words. But I may or may not have judged you too quickly," the bearded man, and I gave a triumphant smile. As nice as it was to feel like I belonged to somewhere, I still got a tingly feeling that I was still going to have to prove myself to completely get on his good side, and I was ready to accept the challenge. 

A/N:

Who is this mystery girl that Ivy reminds Avi of? What happened that made him so angry? Update coming soon. I'm trying to update at least once a day if not more. Don't forget to comment and vote and let me know what you guys think! <3

~*~*~Ash~*~*~