Ecstasy

Chapter 10

Tyson:

I jumped up the steps of the dimly lit house. Music was already seeping out of the windows. I tapped on the front door, hoping they would hear me.

Jarrah opened the door. "Great! You made it," he said opening the door wider for me.

"Of course I made it!" I said sarcastically. I followed his tall figure into the basement. There were boxes of instruments in a pile by the door. It was Friday, the day of our gig. The room was hazy and smelled of dope. I took a deep breath and grinned at Sean's reaction to me arriving.

He sat on the couch one arm wound around Lilly's waist, the other hand holding a joint. "Sonny!" He said his voice raising a few octaves. He grinned goofily at me.

Nate came down the steps panting and sweating. "Give me hand here Sonny," he said gesturing to the remaining cases. "Sean's useless when he's high."

I just laughed. Then I noticed Nate's annoyance. "What?" I asked. He was never unhappy. He just rolled his eyes in irritation.

"Sean dropped his bass," Jarrah called from across the room his nose buried in sheet music.

"What the fuck? No!" I spun around looking at Sean. He stared back at me with wide glassy eyes and then burst out laughing. Lilly joining him.

I just looked at him cocking an eyebrow and smirked, he was gone. "Give me some of that?" I asked, opening my hand. Sean flicked the rollie at me. I caught it before it touched the ground.

"Sonny! A little help here?" Nate yelled over the noise of the stereo. I turned as I took a long hit of the weed.

He was struggling with one of our large amps. "Alright I'm coming," I said dropping the joint back on Sean's lap. I skipped up to Nate and easily took the heavy piece of equipment off him.

"Where to?" I asked.

"Upstairs, side of the house, in the back of the van. Thanks." Nate said breathlessly.

I heard his steps follow me up the stairs as he hefted part of Jarrahs drum kit.

"Is your bass okay?" I asked over my shoulder as I walked out the garage door and dumped the amp in the back of the car.

"Yeah it'll be alright," he huffed as he put the bass drum on top of the amp. I knew how long he saved up for that bass.

"Oh good," I exhaled a sigh of relief, "relax Nate" I squeezed his shoulder guiding him back into the house. "You're getting too edgy, calm down."

I knew him; he always got nervous before a gig. Usually we fed him a few beers. We got down to the basement and all the rest of the equipment had already been brought up. I pushed him onto the couch beside Sean.

"Natie!" he yelled, ruffling Nate's bright red hair. I laughed and pulled the joint out of his fingers. I put it to my mouth and drew a long breath before offering it to Nate.

"When do we have to be there?" I mumbled.

"Starts at seven," Jarrah said over the tapping of his drum sticks to the beat of a radio song.

"Okay then, start inhaling Natie," I laughed.

***

We got there at six thirty and were set up around quarter to. It was a large house party. Some wild uni students found us on facebook and decided we would fit their twenty first birthday bash. I looked around the house, I couldn't see one responsible person here. It was even before seven o'clock and alcohol was already in everyone's hand.

With my acute eye and knowledge of the dealing world I witnessed a few discreet handovers and felt reassured when we finished that I had a packet of my own pills in my back pocket.

***

"Thank you! Thank you everyone, you're brilliant!" Sean yelled over the noise in the background as we finished our last song. A large applause followed Jarrah's last drum beat. The birthday boy stepped up to Sean to give him a drunken hug and followed to shake all of our hands.
He then pulled the mic off Sean and yelled over the crowd, "Party's only started!" with a large roar of approving voices as a response. He turned back to us only swaying a little on his feet with his drink in his hand. He slapped a hand on Sean's shoulder.

"You guys are staying for the rest of the celebrations, right?" he slurred.

Jarrah mumbled something like he had to leave because of work the next morning but the rest of us nodded.

"Yew!" then he yelled over the loud noise of digital music being turned up, "Let's get these guys a drink!"