Tell Your Friends!

May 1991

Reggie looked at the crane he finished making, having just written the question he has been so nervous to actually write out, "hey princess, what do you say about being mine?" You see Reggie has had a crush on Lara for a while, and he thinks she likes him back but really doesn't want to lose her as a friend, that and Luke would never allow him to actually give her this note, but he needed to write it out as he knew one day he might actually get to use it. He sighed and put it into his pocket, standing up and grabbing his bass, heading over to Luke and Lara's house since he thought he and Lara were just going to work on learning their guitar's a bit more. When he finally arrived at their house on his bike, he walked into the house. Their friend group is notorious for just walking into each other's houses without knocking, especially Reggie and Lara.

"Oh, Reggie, did you just get here?" Emily asked with a kind smile on her face.

Reggie smiled at her, "Yes ma'am. Is Lara in her room or Luke's?"

"They are in the backyard I believe," she nodded her head to the back of the house where he could see a little bit of a guitar leg. He grinned, thanked her, and took off. He opened the door and saw Luke and Lara sitting on a step, Luke with a notebook in his hand and Lara with a guitar in her's.

Lara looked up and laughed, "Reggie!"

"Lara!" Reggie laughed as well, joining the two sitting.

"So Lara and I started to work on an original song, and we were also thinking..." Luke looked at his sister to finish.

She looked at the two boys in front of her, "We should start a band!"

"Wait. A band? Seriously?" With a classic confused Reggie look on his face he looked between the two. Who both just nodded their heads in unison. "I mean, yeah. Let's do it!"

"Alex and Bobby are both supposed to be coming over soon too, we were thinking Alex could do drums and Bobby could be our rhythm guitarist? I would be lead singer," Luke pulled his notebook closer hoping Reggie would agree with Lara and his idea.

"I think that is a rocking idea!" The twins cheered. A few minutes later Alex and Bobby both walked outside.

"What's up?" Alex asked sitting next to Lara who grinned at him.

Bobby just nodded his head and sat next to Luke as sitting on the other side of Lara was Reggie.

Lara looked to the two latecomers, "Ok, so we had an idea...."

"We both think that it would be really cool..." Luke also looked from Alex to Bobby.

"...if we started a band!"

Alex grinned and immediately agreed.

"Being a rockstar definitely sounds cool. I'm in," Bobby laughed.

"But what happened to the band just you two wanted to be in? Hasn't that been both of your dreams since you were like 7? From when your mom bought you both that guitar and you've been obsessed ever since?" Alex looked at Lara.
"A two-person band wouldn't be more successful than a band of five, who just so happen to be best friends," Lara looked to Alex, who in turn gave her a side hug.

Luke held up his notebook, "Ya, and besides we all love music, right? And we are about to start high school so now is the perfect time to start practicing and writing music."

"That way we can start getting gigs, and a manager, and fans, and then we are living the dream," Lara laughed and leaned against Reggie.

Bobby laughed and shook his head at the dramatic girl, "Lara, we have to actually play together before we can think that far ahead."

"Bobby, you know I am an optimist and your negativity is rude. I have full confidence that we will become legends."

The group, now band, laughed.

"Ok, what's our band name then?" Alex looked at the twins, who both froze.

The two looked at each other, "A band name? A band name."

"Ya, we didn't think that far ahead," Luke said.

They laughed, and Reggie spoke up, "Well I think we should come up with ideas and vote on the best one."

"Good idea Reg, but I think we should play together first before we settle on a band name, just so we know what we want as a group. You know?" Lara interjected. The others nodded their heads and grinned at each other, each of them itching to play as an official band.

"Mom, we are heading to Alex's house. We started a band! And his drums are kinda heavy so we can't carry those on our bikes," Luke gave his mom a kiss on the cheek and ran out of the house with a giant grin on his face, and his guitar strapped to his back.

"Luke, Reggie, Alex, Bobby, and I Mom! It's going to be so much fun. Oh, tell Dad the good news when he gets home! We're going to go practice now. Bye, Mom!" Lara ran inside, Reggie still by her side as she rambled, she turned and grinned at her mother who gave her a gentle smile back. Lara squealed, she and Reggie ran outside, both with their guitars on their backs, after the others who were already starting to bike to Alex's house. 

Emily gently shook her head and shouted after her daughter, "Be back by dark!" She thought nothing of the newly formed band and just figured it was something normal thirteen-year-olds did with their friends, hoping both her children would grow out of that silly dream when they get older, but for now they could have their fun.