Out of Tune: The Original 2015 Draft

chapter 13

Music is the strongest form of magic

-Marilyn Manson

"Three...Two...One...Happy New Year!"

All around me cheers erupted. Streamers and noisemakers went off in a cacophony of sound and lights. Everyone in the Mathews' household was slightly tipsy and the buzz from the alcohol made everything slightly more pleasant. Most people were smiling and laughing as they, along with the crowds in New York City, cheered for the start of the New Year signified with the iconic ball drop in Times Square.

I stood beside Spencer, a glass of champagne in my hand, watching the events unfold. We were standing back a little ways from the party, our eyes straying across the various people in the room. Some laughed. Some cheered. Some drank. Others shared a New Year's kiss.

Like Miles and Taylor.

Spencer and I watched them for a moment, grinning to each other, as our friends finally stopped being stubborn and actually had the guts to go for what they wanted. In this case, each other.

"Hey!" Spencer said to me, though it was more like a yell overtop of the noise. "You want to go outside?"

I nodded. "Sure!"

Once we entered Spencer's backyard, the noise diminished to a soft thrum in the background. We gave ourselves a moment to let our eardrums adjust to the drastic change. Spencer grabbed my hand and towed me towards the grassy part of his backyard and then gestured for me to sit. He followed suit and for a minute we just sat there in silence, staring up at the starry sky. I toyed with the little pendant that hung around my neck.

Spencer had gotten it for me for Christmas. It was the colour of a soft pink pearl and had the logo of our band, a cloud with a lightning bolt running through it and the initials I.R. on either side of the bolt, engraved upon it. I hadn't taken it off since he'd given it to me.

I'd gotten him his own song writing book. We'd begun working with some fledgling compositions and I had all of mine tucked away inside my own book, or books, I should say. Spencer though had resorted to writing all of his ideas down on any spare pieces of paper he could find.

From my brother, I'd received a nice hand drawing and handmade coupons good for three free hugs, two home movie nights where I got to pick the movie, which thankfully meant I could avoid Power Rangers and Pokémon on two occasions, and one coupon that would give me the power to veto playing with Tyler.

Out of all of the coupons, I knew that there were only five that I would use.

From Brad I'd gotten a pair of socks. When I'd opened the package I couldn't help but whisper "Master has given Dobby a sock," under my breath. Brad hadn't looked too impressed but my mother had suppressed laughter which made me smile.

And from my mother I got the thing I was least expecting. My father's guitar. Brad had taken it away months ago, hiding it in places unknown, and now my mother had gotten it back for me. Our relationship was still strained and we fought at least three times a week, but I was starting to realize that maybe, just maybe, I'd finally begun to get my mom back. And I was super pleased about that.

Taylor had been telling all of us that she had a very special present for us but couldn't give it to us until the entire band was together after Christmas break. The most she'd told us was that we were going to go ballistic once we got it.

"So," Spencer began from beside me, "Miles and Taylor."

"I know," I said. "Took them long enough. All that sexual tension in the air was beginning to suffocate me."