slide away. (izzy stradlin).

Chapter Three: Guitar Lessons and Last Minute Panic

The next morning, I was seated on the couch facing the television, mentally preparing myself for what was to come in just a few hours.

"Stupid, stupid, stupid," I mumbled to myself, my head in my hands as I realized what I'd done.

"What are you mentally beating yourself up about this time?" Jules asked as she entered the room, drying her hair with a towel.

"Remember Izzy?" I asked, and she nodded. "Yeah, well, I hung out with Slash and Steven yesterday, and Izzy dropped me off afterward. And then I did something completely stupid."

"And what's that got to do with Izzy?" she questioned, not understanding.

"He's coming here to teach me how to play guitar." I groaned, burying my head in my hands again.

"And the problem is...?" she asked, still not seeing the issue.

"That is the problem. He's coming here. To teach me how to play the guitar." I told her. "And to top it off, I can't remember what time he said he'd be here."

"You dumbass," she sighed.

"I know," I whined.

"Right, it's—" Jules paused and glanced at her watch, "—quarter past twelve now, so go and get changed quickly, and I'll try to make it look like we don't live in a pigsty."

"Okay." I sighed and went to my room. I didn't know what to wear, so I grabbed the first thing I saw: a pair of blue denim shorts and a black Ramones shirt that I messily tucked into my shorts.

When I returned to the living area, it looked cleaner than it had five minutes ago. Juliette shot me a disapproving look at my choice of outfit.

"I know, I look so sexy," I joked.

"Very," she replied sarcastically, picking up her towel and heading to her room.

I sat down on the maroon couch, watching TV while I waited for Izzy to show up (which I hoped would never happen). A few minutes later, Juliette came back into the room, wearing her jacket and slipping on her shoes.

"Um, where are you going?" I asked worriedly.

"To meet Gavin," she replied, referring to her intimidating boyfriend.

"No, you're not. You're staying here. I can't face him alone; I'll die," I rambled.

"You won't die," she rolled her eyes.

"I will. It's gonna be so awkward. You can't leave me," I insisted.

"Calm down, everything's gonna be fine," she promised.

"I swear, if you leave me, I will hate you forever. I will disown you. I'll—"

"Oh my God, stop," she cut me off. "You'll be fine."

"But—" I started, but she gave me a pointed look. "Fine."

"Have fun," Jules said in a sing-song voice as she exited our apartment.

I sighed heavily and got up from the couch to make a sandwich since I felt like I hadn't eaten in weeks—though that wasn't true, as there's rarely a time I'm not eating. After sloppily making a peanut butter sandwich, I sat down on the couch and ate it while watching TV.

I was nearly asleep when there was a knock on the door. I groaned to myself and slowly made my way to answer it. I took a deep breath before opening the door.

"Hi," I greeted, trying to put a smile on my face.

"Hey," he chuckled, his left hand holding a guitar case.

"Uh—come in." I opened the door wider. He placed his guitar case near the couch and quickly surveyed the room. "You want a drink? I think there's some beer."

"Yeah, sure, beer's good," he nodded with a crooked smile as he sat down on the couch.

I fetched a couple of beers from the fridge, handing one to Izzy before taking a seat beside him on the couch. The awkwardness between us was palpable as we both sipped our drinks in silence.

"So," Izzy began, breaking the ice, "ready to get started?"

"Uh, yeah," I replied, trying to muster some enthusiasm. "I haven't played in years, so I'm probably pretty rusty."

"That's okay," he assured me with a reassuring smile. "We'll take it slow. Let's start with the basics."

He opened his guitar case and pulled out the instrument, gently strumming a few chords to demonstrate. I watched, trying to absorb everything.

"Alright," he said, handing me the guitar. "First, let's get you comfortable with holding it. Your posture is important."

I awkwardly adjusted, attempting to mimic the way he was holding the guitar. He guided me through a few basic chords, patiently correcting my fingers as I stumbled through them.

"You're doing great," he encouraged. "Just keep practicing, and it'll start feeling more natural."

As the lesson went on, I began to feel more relaxed. Izzy's easygoing demeanor helped ease my nerves, and I started enjoying the process despite my initial anxiety.

"Thanks for doing this," I said, finally feeling like I was getting the hang of things. "I know I was a bit of a wreck before you got here."

"No problem," Izzy replied with a warm smile. "I'm glad to help. And honestly, I'm having fun."

Just then, Juliette burst through the door, looking a bit frazzled. "How's it going?" she asked, eyeing the guitar with interest.

"It's going pretty well," I answered, looking at Izzy for confirmation.

"Seems like you're getting the hang of it," Izzy said. "You should keep at it. Practice makes perfect, after all."

Jules plopped down on the couch next to us, glancing between me and Izzy. "I see you two are getting along. Good to know."

"Yeah," I said, feeling a bit more confident. "Izzy's been a great teacher."

"I'm glad," Jules said, giving me a reassuring smile. "Well, I'm off to run some more errands. Have fun, you two!"

As she left, I turned back to Izzy, who had already started packing up his guitar. "Thanks again for coming over. I really appreciate it."

"Anytime," he said, slinging the guitar case over his shoulder. "Just let me know if you want to practice more."

"I definitely will," I said with a genuine smile. "And, hey, you should stick around for a bit if you're not too busy."

Izzy chuckled. "I'd love to, but I've got some things to take care of. Let's plan another session soon, though."

"Sounds good," I agreed, walking him to the door.

As he left, I felt a wave of relief and satisfaction. Despite the initial panic, the day had turned out better than I'd hoped. Maybe this guitar thing wouldn't be so bad after all.