In The Band (girlxgirl)

Thirteen 🎸

Deciding that dealing with Drake Richards was definitely not on the list of things I wanted to do on my Thursday afternoon, I began to make my way back towards my flat. The day had sort of got away from me, but I supposed that I had kept myself busy with plenty of tasks. I wondered, if only for a moment, how the other girls were getting on. I created a group chat so that I could keep them all updated on what was going to happen tomorrow. 

Sooner than I had expected, the sun began to set and bathed the surroundings in a pleasant pink glow. I supposed that this was just what I was going to have to get used to, now. The days went by much quicker in the autumn, after all. The campus was already beginning to get decorated in pumpkins and skeletons. At least there would still be a couple more hours of sunlight before the sun had set entirely, though that may have just been optimistic thinking on my part. 

Either way, I knew that it was important to keep my mind positive and free from worries. We had to impress tomorrow! Now was certainly not the time for self doubts, though Chase Richard had exhibited plenty of those. He seemed like a nice enough boy, though, nothing like his dickhead older brother Drake. 

I groaned in frustration, as I flopped down upon my bed, as soon as I got through the front door of my room. 

I was going to have to absolutely obliterate him in the competition the following day. There was no question about that. I wondered, for a second, who the other members of his band were. Who on Earth was his girlfriend? More to the point, who on Earth would date Drake of all people? He was a narcissistic idiot, though perhaps I was going a little too harsh on him. Then again, I wouldn't soon forget the way that he had treated me in class earlier. What had he been thinking? 

While I thought that I would be able to get a couple of hours of napping in, there was soon a quick knock upon the door of my room, and I went to answer it. 

"Chase?" I asked. 

I hadn't been expecting to see him here. 

"Did you run here?" I added. 

"I told you-" he said, as he took a breath, "-I'm not exactly athletically inclined." 

I smirked at that. 

"I've noticed," I said. 

"I'm truly exhausted. Bummed out. What the hell am I going to do tomorrow, Roxy?" he asked me. 

My gaze became one of sympathy, then, and I established that Chase must really have not known who to share his problems with if he was currently talking to me. 

"I don't have these dreams of winning this contest like my brother does, you know?" Chase asked then, "I'm just Chase. That's the way that it's always been. I wanted to come here to let you know that whatever happens tomorrow...I'm not a part of," he said. 

"You're his brother. You're a part of his band. Why are you even telling me all of this? Do you think that Drake is going to do something tomorrow?" I asked him, as I crossed my arms in front of my chest. 

Chase sighed, then, in a mix of tiredness and concern. 

"I don't know. I wouldn't put it past him. I'm just warning you. You really didn't need to let me sit with you guys earlier today but you did and...thank you," he said. 

I felt myself smile at that. 

"Unlike you, I truly intend to win this competition, Chase. I'm going to completely knock your band out of the metaphorical park but...in response to your prior thankfulness, you're welcome. It's nice to know that not all of the Richards family are moronic," I said, with a gentle laugh. 

Chase chuckled, too, despite himself. 

"Yeah! Yeah," he said, a little awkwardly. 

I still could hardly believe that Gabbie actually wanted to help this bundle of nerves but that was her decision, and who was I to argue with it? 

Soon enough, a new voice was heard as someone began to rush towards Chase and I. 

"Chase!" Gabbie called out. 

Chase turned to her, then, with an expression of surprise. 

"Gabbie?" he asked. 

"Here you go, you klutz. You forgot your pen in the library earlier. I must have picked it up by mistake," she said. 

"Who's the klutz now?" Chase asked, with an amused smile, as he took the pen from Gabbie. 

Gabbie rolled her eyes at Chase's quick-witted response. 

"Touché," she said. "Are you going to be okay tomorrow? If Drake is a dick, let us know," Gabbie said compassionately. 

I gave her a look. She met me with an equally confused one. 

"I'll be just fine. I hope," Chase said, with a slightly pessimistic tone. "Anyway, I really ought to get to my university house, now. I'll see you two later on." 

"Yeah! Goodbye," Gabbie said, with a kind smile. 

"Adios," I said. 

Once Chase was out of earshot, I turned to Gabbie with an expression of curiosity. 

"You seem dead-set on helping out Chase," I said. 

"I just...I feel like it's the right thing to do," she told me honestly. "Plus, I'm anxious about tomorrow and I saw the idiot's pen and I thought that I could use the distraction and..." 

I put my hands up to pause her ramblings. 

"It's okay, Gabbie. You don't have to explain yourself to me," I said. 

Contrary to popular belief, I wasn't always quite so demanding. 

"We just need to keep calm, right? We can do this. Our first practice went well. We just need to show them what we're made of," she said. 

"Indeed. And hopefully what we're made of won't be a bundle of nerves," I said teasingly, as I met Gabbie's warm gaze, then. 

"Exactly," Gabbie said, as she took a deep breath.