Blackmailed Into The Band

Decisions

Aidan's POV

As soon as the little feminist stomped off, I turned to face Josh. He looked upset.

" Are we still practicing at your place?" I asked.

" Seriously? You're just gonna discuss band practice after this?" Phillip asked, motioning towards the door as the girl walked out.

" Did you have something better planned?" I asked.

" No. Let's just go," Josh said as he and Carter walked ahead.

I got in line with Phillip, who was still dumbfounded by the annoying girl.

" What's your problem?" I asked him.

" I don't know," he sighed, moving his hair into his face." I just feel like... We should recruit her?"

" Why would you say that?"

" Because she's really talented. We could at least check her out on YouTube or something," He said as we got in Josh's car.

As soon as we pulled out of the parking lot, he tried convincing them that we needed to check her videos out. To my absolute dismay, the traitors agreed.

When we got to Josh's house, we went inside and pulled YouTube up on his laptop. She had a small channel dedicated to uploading heavy covers. Josh clicked on the top video, Not The American Average by Asking Alexandria and we watched her hit every high and low scream with precision.

I wondered if someone taught her how to scream like that and suddenly I felt threatened by the fact that I may be replaced in my own band.

" Holy fucking shit," Carter said as the guys laughed. " Her voice is amazing, you have to agree, Aidan."

I nodded.

" So should we recruit her or what?" Phillip asked.

" I think a band with a guy and girl screamer would be awesome," Josh said.

" I'm not being replaced?" I asked.

They laughed.

" You shit," Carter said, " Why would we replace you?"

" Maybe because you're so obsessed with her all of a sudden."

" Whatever, pal. We're not replacing you. If we wanna recruit this girl, we have to contact her as soon as possible. What was her name? Alexa?"

" It's Alexia. With an I, like dyslexia." Josh said.

We broke out into a discussion about Alexa and Alexia being the same thing.

" Enough!" I yelled, before Carter and Josh got into a fistfight.

" Let's go finish some songs," I said, pulling Josh with me. We sat down at his desk and I watched him pull out a stack of papers.

" We should pick a genre and stick to one sound," He said.

Our band didn't even have a name. All we knew was that I could scream, Josh could play guitar and sing, Carter is teaching himself how to play bass, and Phillip can drum.

After our first meet up, Josh showed us a huge stack of lyrics he'd written throughout the years and we decided we wanted this kind of sound; something relatable and angry.

We couldn't find the right genre though.

" Heavy metal?" Josh asked as the other two snickered.

" Too much," Carter said.

" Post-Hardcore," I said.

" Too whiny," Carter said as Phillip attempted to hit a Kellin Quinn note.

" Punk?" Phillip suggested.

" I hate punk music," Josh frowned.

" How about something like All Time Low?" Carter asked.

" No," I said. I hated All Time Low.

" How about boyband?" Phillip laughed. " Like One Direction and Five Seconds of Summer."

Carter gasped and started lecturing Phillip about showing some respect and un-calling Five Seconds of Summer a boyband.

" We have to focus!" I yelled as Phillip refused to apologize.

" Whatever. They're not a boyband!" Carter yelled.

" Keep convincing yourself," Phillip mumbled before going back to his laptop.

Before the room fell silent again, I turned to Josh.

" Let's finish at least one song today."

" 'Kay," Josh said, handing me a pen and an unfinished lyric.

We watch as the hero kills himself.
Putting the bullet to his own head
instead of towards the villain,
He falls to the ground and waits for the sadness to end.
Water was never so clear
And blood was never so thick-

" What the hell, Josh," I said before crumpling it up and holding back a comment about making him apologize for letting me read something so stupid.

He shrugged. " Some of these are old and cheesy," He said, smiling at the page he held.

I could tell he was reading an unfinished love song.

" You and your worthless emotions," I mumbled, trying to come up with something to write. I felt like I was working on an essay, sinking under the pressure of getting a good grade.

Soon it was dark outside and Josh's parents came home from work. He told them he was going to take us home before we piled into his car and scolded each other for not getting anything done.

Despite the lack of initiative, we agreed that by tomorrow, we would have a new member in our nameless band.