quick note: I know I put a lot of songs in the box on the side, but I think it would really set the scene of this final chapter if you play this one song. Ever since I first heard it, I've just known it was the perfect theme song for TAS, and it just seemed fitting to share it with you in this final chapter (gaaah)
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“So then what happened?”
“Well, we lost,” Charlie’s got a glittery look in his eye that doesn’t quite match the bad news he’s giving.
“But there’s something you’re not telling us,” I prompt, glancing from my brother, to my parents, to the rest of his bandmates (gaze skipping over Lucas’s hastily) to Piper and Halle. The eight of us are sat in my living room: perched on sofas and cushions or – in mine, Piper’s or Halle’s case, sprawled across the two double airbeds we set up last night.
They arrived home about ten this morning, waking the three of us up by bounding into the house in a whirlwind of noise and celebration.
“Well, we’ve missed out on the record deal,” Matty chimes in, leaning forward with a brilliant smile on his face. “Nonsense Candy were pretty much the clear winners. But…”
“But we overheard some label guys talking outside,” Lucas adds, a smile of his own forming: not quite as smug as the others but carrying a certain amount of pride. “And apparently bands signed through talent contests hardly ever produce a record that charts,”
“Which is of course gutting for Nonsense Candy,” The three of them try to look contrite for a grand total of about three seconds, before Charlie continues. “So anyway, we were hanging around after hearing that, feeling pretty rubbish with no idea what to do next,”
“That’s when I came in!” My dad grins, slinging an arm around my brother’s shoulder with an unmistakable note of elation in his tone. “I heard some girls talking about a video on the tube,”
“You mean YouTube?” I frown, looking at Charlie for help.
“He means YouTube,” He concedes, and I nod in understanding.
“Anyway,” My dad continues, disgruntled. “I heard them talking and-”
“And apparently some guy with a really popular channel was at the semi-finals, and stuck a video up of us!” Charlie yells, breaking out in a huge grin. “And it already has over two hundred thousand views!”
“Charlie! That’s my favourite part!” My dad grumbles, but it’s overpowered by the excited gasps and cheers that come from me, Piper and Halle.
“No way!” I grin, surprised that a video that popular has escaped my attention. “So what are you going to do now?”
“We’re going to start a YouTube channel!” Matty says, sounding as if he can’t quite believe how things have turned out. “Contact the guy who posted it and ask if he’ll direct everyone to our channel, and just post things until we get enough recognition to maybe reach out to some labels,”
“Well, we’re going to do that,” Lucas smiles ruefully, ever the sensible one. “But first, we’re coming up with a band name,”
*
The final day before term starts offers one last surprise for the summer: the type of day that is so beautifully sunny it’s practically like being abroad. I watch as the sun creeps ever higher into the sky; a patchwork quilt of pale, purest blue and breezy white clouds. I savour every minute of my last lie in before donning my shorts and padding downstairs.
“Morning,” I call out, expecting someone to answer. When none is forthcoming, I try again. “Hello?”
I hear the faint sounds of talking coming from the kitchen, and so I follow it. Pausing on the threshold I take in the source of the sound.
YOU ARE READING
The Almost Summer
Humor[ completed - 17/3/14 ] [ undergoing slight editing ] [ Wattyawards2014 ] [ featured on the Wattpad Official account's Summer Beach Reads list ] Autumn always knew she was named after the wrong season. She lives for the summer months, desperate f...
