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lolita's pov

04.15.19
as my hands made their way up and down the frets of the guitar, i let the music blindly guide my fingers. desperately attempting to reach the low note and harmonize, veronica abruptly stopped singing as the guitar slowly made its way into a solo. when i finished, my eyes flickered up to see a very frustrated, curly haired girl.

"honestly, i just don't think this will work. it's intolerable, c'mon lola. we both know that chord does not match my vocal range. what is it with you and this solo bullshit?" veronica spat with her sassy, strangely usual tone.

"veronica, we have been at this shit for almost 2 hours, let's just take a break? you're starting to piss me off." jackson angrily retorted.

he set down his bass, walking to the fridge to grab a water. currently, it was 2:27 on a rainy Saturday evening. we had been trying to come up with a new song for weeks, and i could tell the stress was starting to really get to jackson.

"i just don't understand why you guys aren't taking this more seriously. if we want that record deal, we need to win battle of the bands. we should be practicing way more than we already are, we can't afford to just sit around and drink water." she said, viciously. jackson stood up and set down his water.

"quit bitching. you might just wear out your voice, miss superstar."

i quietly laughed, and veronica's head darted quickly in my direction. i put up my hands in secession and gave her a short smile.

"v, battle of the bands is in June and it's literally April. you've got to calm down, it's gonna be fine. i think i'm gonna run to the cafe real quick, you guys want anything?" i asked, picking up my keys.

they both agreed they didn't want anything, and i ran through the soft raindrops as they began to pick up. revving up the engine, the radio immediately began playing loudly. just another mediocre song being ruined even more the mainstream media, of course. annoyed, i changed the station to hear a more mellow song.

"we haven't spoke since you went away,
comfortable silence is so overrated.
why won't you ever be the first one to break?
even my phone misses your call, by the way."

hm, i like this. i tapped my fingers on the steering wheel as i pulled into the parking lot and grabbed my bag from the passenger seat.

"that was from the dining table by harry styles coming straight off his new, self-titled debut album! streaming now on all platforms! and for you lucky folks in the bay area, harry is rumored to be staying in town for the local haiti benefit gala, so keep your eyes peeled! this is derek on 95.1 k-"

that's enough of that, thank you derek. i was kind of in disbelief that harry styles would be in san francisco, but it's not really that big of a deal i guess. his music is cool. i hurriedly walked into the crowded coffee shop, waiting in line behind a man with a black hoodie over his head.

"that'll be $6.73, i'm a big fan by the way." the barista gushed.

weird, i thought, but not as weird as this strangely overpriced coffee. who is this dude? a thick british accent spoke into existence.

"god, i forgot my wallet. i'm so sorry. god, would you please exc-"

"please," i piped up from behind him while reaching into my bag. "let me get that for you." i said, smiling politely. i handed the lady a $20 and asked for a caramel macchiato.

"thank you very much, to whom do i owe the pleasure of meeting?" he spoke once again, turning to face me. those eyes, man.

"i'm lolita. i believe you're harry?" i said, trying my best to keep my excitement under wraps as i grabbed my hot cup and thanked the nice girl behind the counter. he nodded and smiled. my phone lit up, with a text from veronica of course, and i sighed and gave a light smile again.

"i've got to run, nice to meet you harry. i hope to see you again." i held my hand out.

"i believe you will, lolita." he shook my hand and i walked out, back to my car.

driving home, i thought of the events that just took place. as much as my pre teen self imagined that moment happening, i had so many other things going on that it started to slip my mind. how rude of me though, i guess i should explain some things! i'm lolita, i'm 17 and about to finish my senior year of high school. even if the first impressions weren't the greatest, veronica and jackson are my best friends, and our band is called the bay with me on the guitar, jackson on the bass, veronica on the lead vocals, and my older brother bradley on the drums. he's been out of town with his girlfriend for the past few weeks, so the group has started falling apart. anyways, bradley and i grew up in san francisco with our mom since our dad passed away in 2006, but we still lived in most of the suburbia aspects. summer camps, root beer floats, trips to the beach, we still got to experience the childhood that not every child was lucky to have. but in the end, nothing made my life worth while like music did. one hot day, after hours of digging around the dusty basement, i stumbled upon the iconic '86 fender stratocaster guitar. glossy black and smooth to the touch, i was absolutely head over heels. i was 13 then, i'll be 18 in october, i don't know where the time went.

speaking of, i finally made it back to veronica's garage where i found her and jackson lying on the beanbag and staring at the ceiling. the room reeked and they were both laughing while pointing at the christmas lights.

"no way you guys smoked it without me, i was gone for like 15 minutes!" i yelled putting down my bag and jacket.

"we didn't finish it! come here" jackson yelled much too loudly as veronica brought the joint up to my lips and flicked the lighter.

as i took countless inhales and exhales, the creativity and euphoria washed over me and left me refreshed each time. as we played our music and laughed together, not much else really mattered to us. who knew you could find peace like this on a rainy saturday?

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