The Boy Next Door (Rewriting-read description)

Chapter 9

Saturday has come and I lay on the couch tossing a ball while Matt goes through a list of ballads that we found online.

"'No More Fear' from Freaky Friday?" He asks.

"Is that even a ballad?" I respond.

"I don't know, how about 'How about a Dance' from Bonnie and Clyde?"

"That's not a duet." The ball hits my hand and I flick my wrist to send it into the air.

"Um, 'Last Night Of The World' from Miss Saigon?"

"Too long." I stretch my arm to the side to catch the ball.

Matt gives me an annoyed look, "Would you stop throwing that damn ball!"

      "No." I throw the ball again.

      "Oh! How about 'Heart Shaped Wreckage' from Smash."

I smile. "That's it, that's the song we should do."

"I completely agree."

'Can you find the sheet music?" I sit up.

"Looking it up right now."

He is silent for a few minutes, the only noise in the room is the foam football I'm tossing hitting my hand. Then he speaks up, "Okay, right here, it shows guitar and vocal."

"Who's gonna play the guitar?"

      He looks over at me with the 'are you an idiot look? "Who do you think?"

      "I mean I don't play the guitar. Do you play guitar?"

"Yes, I do." He squares his shoulders proudly.

"Well, are you any good?" I interrogate.

"I would hope so, I've been playing since I was ten."

"Oh, wow." I'm shocked.

"So, are down with the live music thing?'

"Yeah," I shrug, "that would be awesome. High five," he slaps my hand, "Look at us being productive."

"Yeah, only after an hour of googling 'male/female musical theatre ballad duets.'"

"Wow that's a mouthful." I reply.

Matt stifles a laugh, "That's what she said."

I slap his arm, "Matt!" But I can't help but laugh too.

Matt uses our printer to get the sheet music. We schedule another rehearsal for next Saturday because Matt said that he needs at least week to get the guitar part down and there is no use in practicing without him actually knowing it.

***

"How did your practice with Matt go yesterday?" Mom asks. 

"Oh, it was fine, we figured out which song we're doing." I poke my fork into the pasta were having.

"Oh, that's good."

Mom has this suspicious look on her face.
     
      "What?" I ask her.

      Mom is silent for a while and then she says, "He's cute."

"Who?" Lilly asks.

"The boy who lives next door, Matt."

I almost do a spit take, "Excuse me?"

"Do you like him?" Mom asks.

"No!" I shout.