Videotape

Chapter 5

"Do you need help with your guitar?" my mom asked as I lugged my case out the car door. I glanced back at her. "I'll be fine. It's pretty light," I replied. She raised her eyebrows, but nodded anyway. "Alright then. Have fun. I love you, and I'll be here to pick you up in a few hours."

"Love you too. Thanks for driving me," I said as I shut the door and started down the gravel driveway in front of Jade's house.

God, what am I doing? I thought, feeling my heart rate increase as I approached the front porch. I was bound to make a fool of myself; I was no musician compared to her. Maybe this was a bad idea.

All of a sudden, Jade opened the front door just as I was walking up the porch steps. "Hi, Ase," she said with a smile. "Let me get that for you. My mom isn't home yet, so it's just us and Ethan here. He won't bother us." I allowed Jade to take my case by the handle and carry it into the house, then followed her inside and closed the door behind me.

Jade led me to her room, which was surprisingly spacious, and set my case on her bed. "I'm gonna go get a Sprite. Do you want anything?" I nodded. "A Sprite sounds great."

"Alright, hang on a minute," Jade said as she left the room. I looked around, noting the band posters taped and tacked to the walls. I recognized The Beatles, Nirvana, Soundgarden, Pearl Jam, Tom Petty, Kings Of Leon, Coldplay...I smiled as I noticed the Radiohead poster above the nightstand beside the bed. There were lots of bands that I didn't recognize as well. In the corner of the room, there was an electric guitar sitting on a stand. It was all black, including the pickguard, and it had the classic Fender Stratocaster look. In the opposite corner, there was a simple drum kit.

"Here you go," Jade said as she entered the room, handing me a can of Sprite. I took it from her, nodding gratefully. "Thanks," I said, cracking it open and taking a long sip before setting it on the nightstand. Jade set her own untouched can beside it, then grinned down at me. "Shall we jam?"

I smiled, then began flipping the switches on my case, unlocking it and pushing it open to reveal my prized possession: a sleek black short-scale bass guitar. It was a Hofner like John Lennon and George Harrison used. Felix had gotten it for me when I was eleven, and it had held a special place in my heart ever since. Jade raised her eyebrows at the sight of it. "Cool bass," she commented. I nodded. "Thanks. My brother got it for me years ago. I like your Strat."

"Thanks!" Jade said with a smile. "Speaking of which..." She spun around, heading for the corner of the room, where she took her guitar off of its stand and walked over to sit beside me on the bed. She left room for the neck of my bass, which I lifted out of its case and placed in my lap. I glanced up at her. "What songs do you know?" I asked.

"Hm..." Jade thought for a moment, then lit up. "I know 'Black Star', if you want to start out with a Radiohead song. Do you know it?"

I nodded eagerly. "I learned it a few months back."

"Cool," Jade said. "Do you happen to know how to play 'Refugee' by Tom Petty?"

"I do!"

Jade grinned. "Let's start with those, then. I've been itching to play 'Refugee' all day. 'Black Star' first?" she asked. I shook my head. "If you want to do 'Refugee', let's do that first. I don't mind."

Jade nodded. "Okay, then. I'll start us off." She took a moment to recall the correct beat, then began tapping out a steady metronome with her foot. "One, two, three, four..."

It was at that moment in that bedroom, playing an iconic song in perfect sync while surrounded by nothing but music, that my addiction to Jade Griffiths began.