Out of Tune: The Original 2015 Draft

Chapter 3

Music gives a soul to the universe, wings to the mind, flight to the imagination, and life to everything

-Plato

What I was expecting to see in the music room was not what I actually saw. I was expecting to see four people looking like they were having fun and rocking out. Instead I saw four guys in nerdy t-shirts and jeans looking miserable as hell. One was behind the keyboard and when he saw me he immediately looked down, as if unable to meet my stare. Of the three others, the one seated at the drum kit looked curious, the one holding the bass looked frustrated and maybe a little angry, and the other, holding a guitar looked shock.

I was shocked too. He was the last person I expected to see.

"Spencer?" I asked incredulously.

The angry one turned to Spencer. "You know her?"

"Yeah," he muttered, still in shock. He took a few steps over to me then stopped a couple feet away. "Aileen, what are you doing here?"

I shook my head, shaking off the shock at seeing him. "I heard that really bad chord your piano player just played and came in to tell you that if you ever use that in a song, everyone listening will walk out on you."

The angry, he was a few inches shorter than Spencer with light brown hair and brown eyes, stormed over to us. "Oh yeah? What do you know about music? I bet you listen to all those disgusting little pop bands."

"Zeke, shut up," Spencer muttered. To me, he said, "Don't worry about him. He's just pissed because his lyrics stink and he can't come up with anything."

I chuckled softly under my breath. "You know, I wasn't even going to mention the lyrics but...wow."

Zeke, a storm cloud settling across his face, turned and stormed away back to the others. He sat down by the red-headed guy on the piano who still refused to look up from the keys. The olive toned skin boy with the brown eyes who was seated at the drum kit stood and came walking over to me and Spencer. There was a large grin on his face.

"Hey," he said. "I'm Miles." He held out a hand for me to shake.

I smiled at him as I shook his hand. "Aileen." I turned to look at Spencer. "So, what are you guys doing here?"

Spencer sighed and ran a hand through his dark hair. "Rehearsal. It's not going so well, as you can probably see."

"So, you're in a band?"

He nodded. "Yeah. We're The Robot Cyborgs."

I gave him a flat look and tried to hold in a grin and failing miserably. "That's nerdy and you know it."

Spencer grinned back. "Well, we're all nerds here, so if the shoe fits."

I laughed and brushed a strand of dark red hair out of my face. "Are you guys having trouble with your lyrics and chords?"

Zeke, from his spot in the corner, shouted, "No!"

Miles and Spencer shook their heads at him and said, "Yes."

Before I knew what I was saying, I asked, "Do you mind if I take a look."

"Yes!"

Spencer raised an eyebrow at me, and, ignoring Zeke again, said, "If you want to." He went to grab the pieces of paper that were sitting on one of the music stands they had lying around but Zeke had already grabbed it and was stalking over to me angrily.

"What do you know about music? Nothing I bet," he muttered sullenly.

I sighed. "My father was a musician. I helped him write his songs, now pass me your music." I held out my hand but he still relented.