Battle of the Bands - Sanders Sides

Chapter Two

Remus' feet pushed him closer to the band room. The hallways cleared around him, everyone heading towards the exit. Usually he'd be doing the same, but not today. The closer he got, the more excitement rushed through him, making his smile grow. It wasn't that often that the three got to play together. But when they did, they enjoyed every second.

He reached the room, putting a hand on the door before pushing it open. The smell of the brand new metal cymbals, the velvety leather case of Janus' guitar, and the sounds of Virgil warming up his keyboard surrounded the man.

His two friends cautiously looked up at him, smiling upon realizing who he was. The drumsticks in his hand batted against his legs excitedly. Janus smirked, plugging in the microphone. "Took you long enough!" He remarked.

"I know, I know I'm always late. But you two don't keep a vital part of your instrument in your locker on the other side of campus!" Remus countered.

"Whatever, just sit down. I wanna play before my dad demands I come home!" Virgil groaned. Remus agreed, carefully moving over Janus' guitar amplifier. He noticed that the outside of his bass drum was newly painted with the band's logo. One large yellow skull in the front with a purple and green one on either side of it.

"Nice job with the logo, Virge!" Remus acknowledged, making Virgil blush a little bit. Taking a seat on his plush drum seat, he twirled the sticks between his fingers before hammering them down against the drums to warm up a bit.

A gigantic dopey grin appeared on his face. No matter how shitty Remus' day was, this was the place that made him happy. He had lost sight of that somehow, but it was coming back to him now.

"Alright, you two ready?" Janus asked to which they both nodded.

"I printed this music in the library during lunch today. I thought it really encapsulated our band really well," Virgil said. He pulled out a worn book from his bag, loose papers already slipping out of it. Taking one of those papers, he passed one to Janus and Remus, giving them some time to look over it.

"This is perfect, babe!" Janus cheered, pulling him in for a sweet kiss. Remus rolled his eyes and playfully gagged. Virgil proceeded to flip him off as they pulled apart.

Janus went back over to his guitar and microphone while Virgil scurried back to the keyboard. They all looked between each other before Remus slapped his drumsticks together, cueing them to start.

"I spend the night, yeah, doing ninety in a sixty-five
Ignore the lights 'til I'm by your side
Because when you take this out on me my knees get weak
With that heart of kryptonite

"I stole the moon
I made the stars align
And I showed you how to fly
And you made me the bad guy

"You paint the scene with the colors of an enemy
All over me, and for your friends to see
I took just one misstep and now I'm hanging by my feet
Out of sight and out of reach

"I stole the moon
I made the stars align
I showed you how to fly
And you made me the bad guy
I fought for you
I kept you safe at night
I would have risked my life
And you made me the bad guyYou made me the bad guy
You made me the bad guy
Yeah, you made me the bad guy

"Guess I forgot, guess I forgot
History repeats
Once lost and found, once lost and found,
We're too blind to see
Just show me how, just show me how the villain is me

"And I stole the moon
I made the stars align
I showed you how to fly
And you made me the bad guy
When I fought for you
I kept you safe at night
I would have risked my life
And you made me the bad guyYou made me the bad guy
Now do they even know
You made me the bad guy
Ha, got it
You made me the bad guy!"

As Janus hit the final note of the song, the three students looked at each other. "That was incredible!" Virgil cheered, running over to Janus' arms.

"Yeah, the was the best we've ever sounded!" Remus added, climbing away from his drum set. As the band began a small celebration amongst themselves, the band room door swung open. The three boys jumped in surprise before glaring at the people who walked inside.

One wore sunglasses, a black leather jacket, and skin-tight jeans. Another had round glasses, a pink blazer with cargo shorts. Remus didn't recognize either of them, it was only the third teen he knew. Blue polo, brown pants, and a silly gray cardigan. That was Patton Smalls, Roman's boyfriend.

Remus rolled his eyes, trying not to pay that much attention to them. This was the most popular band at school. Filled with popular kids, who played popular songs. But, he knew they were nothing but trouble. "What are you three scum bags doing here?" The leather jacket guy asked. "We reserved the band room after school today!"

"Chill, Remy!" Janus commented in an annoyed tone. "We're just playing some music."

"Also, you can't reserve the band room; it's a public space!" Virgil blurted from Janus' arms.

"Did anyone ask you, emo?" Remy snarled.

"Cut it out, dude! Can't you just leave us alone?" Remus asked, nervously drumming against his leg.

"Actually, Remy's kinda right," The pink blazer teen spoke. "We always play in here after school anyway. And currently, you're wasting a bit of that time," He was trying to say what he meant as nice as possible, but it was obvious he was growing frustrated.

"It's okay, Emile," Remy calmed him, planting a small kiss on his head. "These guys were just leaving, right?!"

"We don't have to leave because you say we do!" Janus argued, letting go of Virgil to get in Remy's face.

"You kinda do. See babes, we have the power over this school's opinion. One bad review with you three and your band will be finished!" They didn't have to say it, but Janus, Virgil, and Remus all felt fear strike their hearts. It showed as Remy flashed a cocky smirk. "But we'd hardly have to do anything anyway. You guys are freak enough, no one would dare listen to your, so-called, music!"

"What's going on here?" A new voice asked. Everyone turned around to see who had walked in. Remus froze upon seeing this person. He was slender and tall. A dark blue shirt with jeans and a striking blue tie along with professional glasses completed his look. The mustached boy was starstruck with a feeling he had never had before. This boy was stunning. His heart fluttered and his breath grew flat as the new boy came further into the room.

"Sorry, Logan. We were gonna start warming up, but then these assholes got in our way!" Remy spat.

"What? Hell no! You're trying to kick us out and destroy our band!" Virgil spoke.

"Only because you won't leave!" Patton added.

"Enough! All of you!" Logan interjected. He pushed Remy and Janus away from each other before turning to his group. "We'll play somewhere else. They got here first, they can have it."

"The fuck, Logan! We always play here!" Remy shouted.

"Calm down, dude. We'll find another place." With that, Emile, Patton, and Remy dragged themselves out of the band room. Logan turned to them, a little red from embarrassment. "I'm sorry about my fellow band members. They are a bit...extra sometimes. But, you guys sounded great, by the way."

Remus' heart skipped a few beats as the student walked out. Janus and Virgil sighed, grabbing their bags. "We should probably head out anyway. Our parents will kill us if we don't get on the next bus," Janus said.

"Alright, let's go." Virgil handed Remus his bag before they all headed out, turning off the lights and shutting the door before heading for the back exit of the school.