Sing While You Can

The Misfits

I stared at the slip of paper.

“It was supposed to be a surprise for us all at Christmas. It’s totally understandable if you don’t want to do it. It would be very hard you know,” Josh muttered to himself, as I wasn’t listening.

“When did you apply us?” I asked

“When we were practicing a few weeks back. I hid a camera at the back of the music room. I submitted our form a week ago,” He answered.

“Well, I… I….”

“I can ring them and say that we have to pull out honestly I-“

“Shut up. Now I don’t think that it is a very good idea honestly, but I suppose we could figure something out. I’m sure Abi would have wanted us to continue with it,”

“Really?” Josh said, a happy twinkle in his eyes.

“Yes you idiot,” I replied and hugged him tightly.

“We’re changing the band name though,” Scott said.

“Why?” Josh and I said simultaneously.

“Well, I never likes the Fallen Angels too much. And The Misfits sounds cooler. I mean, if we do go ahead with it we have a girl with one leg, a drummer with two legs in a cast, a boy with a cut the size of Russia down his face and whatever the heck is wrong with Erin,” Scott joked.

“Hey my cut is not that big! It’s like Luxemburg,” Josh defended covering his cheek with his hand.

We all began laughing and talking about general music stuff.

“So I rung Erin earlier and she said she would do the competition. Only problem is we are out of a lead singer,” Scott said.

“Well we could hold auditions for a lead singer orrrrr,” Josh suggestively looked at me.

“I am not singing,” I protested.

“Why not?” Scott whined.

“Because,” I folded my arms sternly and then said “We could hold auditions on like January 10th? That’s a Sauturday in like 2 weeks. We could just hold them at the music practice room. We would need to advertise it; newspapers, poster, leaflets,” I said and began organising with them.

Later that night, Josh and I were sitting alone in my room. Scott had left to go and see Abi then home to Erin.

“Josh,” I whispered.

“Yeah,” he put his phone down and looked at me.

“I’m scared,” I admitted and began to cry.

“No don’t cry it’ll be fine. I promise,” he stroked my head and hugged me.

“But you don’t know that. People could get horrible. I mean who wants to be friends with somebody who has no leg and is in a wheelchair? Who? And who wants to go out with somebody like that? Nobody in existence,” I sat up and began to panic, my cries getting louder and breaths shorter.

“Don’t be so stupid. I would never leave you just because you’re in a wheelchair. Why would you think that at all? I would never do that, especially to you. Eve, you are amazing. Your funny, kind, caring, talented, beautiful and a great kisser too,” he joked to lift the mood from serious to funny.

“Just because,” I said and snuggled into his chest.

“Listen, I have been wondering on when to say this but, Eve I uhm- love you,” he whispered just loud enough for me to hear.

“You don’t have to say it back I just wanted to get it off my chest and-”

I cut off his rambling with a kiss. He replied straight away equalising the pressure of my lips on his. We kissed for what felt like an eternity but that damn thing called breathing made me pull away.

“So…. You love me back?” Josh questioned his eyebrows rising.

“Of course you idiot,” I laughed.

We lay on the bed for ages in silence and than at some point, we both dropped off because I was woken by my Mum coughing; standing at the door with her hand on her hip looking very judgemental at me.

Oh god.

“Mum, this is Josh,” I awkwardly said elbowing Josh so he would wake up.

“Wha—Hello Mrs Pettiford. Well I best be off. Merry Christmas to you all,” Josh quickly grabbed his jacket and hastily left out of the door.

“Who was he?” My Mum tapped her foot and demanded.

“My boyfriend,” I replied.

“Since when?”

“Over a month now,”

She looked disapprovingly at me then handed me a red parcel.

“Merry Christmas to you too,” I mumbled and ripped off the paper.

I found a little box with a pair of earrings and the book ‘The Great Gatsby’.

“Thanks,” I mumbled.

“Well, I was going to give you some money but then I thought while you’re in hospital you will want something to read or do,” Mum answered and sat down in one of the orange plastic chairs.

“So how are you?” My Dad asked.

“Fine. Nervous but that is acceptable because in half an hour I’m about to get my leg chopped off,”

“Oh yes, how exactly did the accident happen?” My Mum asked.

“Well we were driving and the breaks failed we think and we spun into the traffic got hit and flipped over multiple times. Then the doors flew open and Josh and I fell out of the back,” I explained.

“So it was reckless driving?”

“Mum no. Shut up for gods sake,”

Needless to up until the very minute the nurse injected the anaesthetic into my arm she was ranting at me about how insensible driving can lead to terrible consequences.

I let the anaesthetic take its toll on my body and welcomed the silence of unconscious while trying to ignore the uneasy sinking in my stomach.