8. Take Five

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Setting up took a lot longer than I anticipated

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Setting up took a lot longer than I anticipated. All the instruments had to be unloaded, put together, placed in the right place, plugged in. The amplifiers and speakers had extremely long cables that went from in the café to outside. Stands had to be put up for the microphones, kit had to be arranged. It was chaotic.

A good forty five minutes later, everything was set up. They were ready to go. Jason's guitar case sat open a few meters in front of them, ready to accept any change people gave them.

Walking over to Jason, I took out the giant sticker I had made.

"Good luck," I say nudging his shoulder with my own. "You'll do great."

"Why thank you," he says, nudging me back even harder. I had to grab his arm to stop me falling over. He stood there, laughing.

"That's not funny," I huff.

"Just a bit."

"Well, you guys should probably get started," I whisper in his ear, standing on my toes to reach.

He turned to face me, grabbing my waist and pulling me closer to him. "Do I get a kiss for good luck?"

My breath hitched, eyes widening. No one had ever tried to kiss me before. Snapping out of my trance, I put my hand over his face and push him away, smirking at his attempt. "Nice try, buddy."

He just smiled, putting his hands in his pockets and shrugging his shoulders. "Worth a shot," he says before walking back to his guitar.

"Oh, Jason!" I call.

He turns around, looking confused. I show him the sticker, the new band name drawn on it in bold, colourful letters.

"You might want to put this on the bass drum."

He just grins at me, walking over to take the sticker. "Thank you."

All the guys look confused as Jason takes down their band name from the drum. Putting up the new sticker, he steps back so the others can have a look.

TAKE FIVE

The new band name.

"Wow," I heard Kyle say. "That's actually a very good name. Jason, did you come up with it?"

"Nope. It was all Jessica."

Five sets of eyes turned to look at me. All at once, they came rushing over, and enveloped me in a giant group hug.

"Best band name ever!" I hear Matthew shout.

"What could we have done without you?" Blake says after him.

"Seriously guys, you only met me like an hour ago," I laugh.

"Still. Thank you Jessica," Aidan says.

"Alright, alright! You guys can let go of me now!" I laugh, trying my best not to show the guys my slowly reddening face. No one had ever thanked me like that before. Ever.

"Let's go guys!" Jason shouts, jogging over to the set.

Sitting down on a bench opposite them, I watch as Jason gathers them into a huddle. My mind wanders back to when Jason tried to kiss me. Was he doing it because he genuinely liked me? He'd only known me for a couple of days. Was I just an easy target?

The strum of a guitar brought me back to reality. They were starting! This is the first time I'll properly hear them. They better be good.

"Coming out of my cage
And I've been doing just fine
Gotta gotta be down
Because I want it all"

O. M. G. They were playing one of my favourite songs! I loved Mr Brightside! I've loved that song since I first heard it with my brother on the radio and we both learnt it together.

"Jealousy, turning saints into the sea
Swimming through sick lullabies
Choking on your alibis
But it's just the price I pay
Destiny is calling me
Open up my eager eyes
'Cause I'm Mr. Brightside"

I sing along quietly, loving the music they were playing. They were amazing musicians. I actually felt lucky and privileged to have been asked to join.

When they had finished the song, Jason came over and started dragging me towards the set.

"Come on. You should join us now."

"Woah, slow down a minute. You really want me to do this?"

"Yeah. I thought we cleared this up," he says, looking confused.

"I have an idea. Give me ten minutes," I say whilst jogging backwards away from him.

I turn and run in a full out sprint down the promenade, heading for the closest supermarket. Slowing down to walk quickly through the automatic sliding doors, I head towards the clothes section. Five minutes later, I walk out the bathroom, new outfit in place. I sprint back to the set, hoping I don't look out of place if I'm to join.

Reaching the set, they're just finishing up their song. I walk over and tap Jason on the shoulder.

"What do you think?" I ask when he turns around.

He looks me up and down, eyes widening with surprise. "You changed."

I sure had. I didn't want to make it look like I wasn't part of the band if I was going to sing with them. I was now sporting a blue hoodie over a white crop top, paired with the black jeans I was already wearing from school.

"Now I can be a proper member of your band."

"Well then. What are we waiting for? Let's do this!"

***
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