Out of Tune

Chapter Nine

Music can change the world because it can change people--Bono

"Infamous Sea Monsters?" Spencer said as he slid into the seat next to Lennon.

It was Friday afternoon, biology class. Mr. Cronenberg hadn't yet started to drone on but Lennon half wished that he would just get the class started. She was eager for the day to be over. Not just because the weekend was only two class periods away, but rather because her date with Bryce would be occurring in just a few hours.

Lennon was a jittery ball of nerves. It was her first date in a while and she'd found that she actually really enjoyed talking with Bryce. They'd formed a habit of sitting beside or across from each other during the lunch period, often spending the majority of the time conversing only with each other.

She was finally starting to feel comfortable in Los Altos. Lennon was caught up in all of her classes, even ahead in a few of them, and she'd begun to understand her role in the friend groups she'd developed.

Lennon was close with Taylor and Danielle and had speculated that some of the iciness from Katie came from the fact that she was clearly crushing on Bryce. On more than one occasion, Lennon had seen Katie staring wistfully towards Bryce only to glower when he said something that made Lennon laugh.

The boys were a little harder to read.

Anthony seemed nice but was inclined to go along with what Danielle liked and wanted. He was clearly smitten with her but the few exchanges Lennon had experienced with him had left her laughing. Anthony was both a skilled soccer player and an expert comedian.

Kyle was a flirt though he avoided any such comment to Lennon – she was sure that Taylor and possibly Bryce had done something to prevent his advances unto her. Still, he seemed nice enough, even if he had a somewhat questionable history with Spencer and her other friends.

That's what she was calling the four boys from the band. Lennon didn't know if they were friends exactly but she'd been spending a fair amount of time with them. Working on their setlist for Quincy's the following week, finishing up the song she was writing for them. Spencer and Miles were always happy for her help. Zeke was slightly less hostile since she'd started proving her worth and Charlie...Well, Lennon was lucky if she got a sentence out of him. He was excessively shy, content to tinker on the piano and scroll through his phone whenever she was around.

Lennon glanced at Spencer with a raised brow as Miles settled in beside him. "Should I know what that means?"

"Possible new band name."

"Infamous Sea Monsters?"

"Yeah."

She levelled them with a stare. "It's terrible."

"Told you," Miles muttered.

Spencer glared. "Blame Charlie. That was his suggestion."

Miles added, "That is true. What about 'The Null Hypothesis'?"

"No. That is absolutely horrid. Worse than Infamous Sea Monsters."

Lennon watched as the boys exchanged a grim-faced glance. Then Spencer sighed. "Back to the drawing board, I guess."

"I'm sure the four of you will come up with something great." But even to her own ears, the words sounded a little flat. "And if I think of anything, I'll let you know."

Spencer smiled and pushed his glasses up his nose. "Thanks, Lennon."

When Lennon arrived at her chemistry class later that afternoon, Miles following half-a-step behind her, it was to see Bryce standing at her lab bench, chatting with Taylor. She walked over to them, Miles fading into the background as he went to greet Charlie, and grinned. "Hey."