The pre-jamming session has to be one of my highlights of rehearsal. What we do before actually practicing the songs is gather up on a circle and let our nerves/wild thoughts into our instruments.
Luke prevented us from moving. "Look, we add the echoes during the chorus, then when Julie come in with the melody, it's, it's gonna sound perfect."
Alex, Reggie, and I shared a look between us. I'm surprised Julie hasn't asked about him because damn, it's unlike anything like I've seen before. They're in loooove in capital letters.
A curious head by the window with his brunette locks interrupted our conversation. When Willie noticed we had spotted him, he backed away. "Again? What's that all about?" Reggie groaned.
"I don't know." My brother poofed outside. When he came back a minute later, his sad face only seemed to be worse.
I stood up from the couch to talk to him in secret. "Hey, did he tell you why he came?"
It took a moment for him to answer. "...He says he doesn't wanna see me anymore," he sighed.
My smile rapidly faded. "Oh, Alex. I'm so sorry. Is there anything I can do to make you feel better?"
He shook my hand off that was on his shoulder. "It's fine. I'm fine, Liz. Let's just get rehearsing."
And we rehearsed all right. We were practicing 'Great' as Luke suggested we would do. He had gone to her high school and asked Julie about her opinion. She had agreed, of course. We were sure nothing else would occur.
We decided to take it slow, given the main vocals was not present and we had to preserve energy for the real perfomance later in the day. For example, instead of doing actual singing, I hummed the harmonies of the song.
Suddenly, the rhythm transformed into a musical mess. Alex was banging the drums, but not like the usual, organized banging you expect in a drummer. Even his mouth was drawn as a thin line. We stopped playing our instruments.
"Alex, you all right?" Luke cautiously wondered.
He grabbed the cymbals to stop them from clashing, but he pretended like everything was okay. "Yeah, yeah, why?"
"I know it's tough, man. People say you never forget your first ghost. Maybe that's true," Reggie shrugged.
I hung my tambourine on the microphone pedestal. "But.... I'm sure there will be others."
"Yeah, thanks guys," he muttered.
I suck at giving crush/love related advice, so I glanced at Luke to continue cheering my brother. Sometimes I feel he know him better than I do. "And, Alex, you're a great drummer and a great guy, okay? I wouldn't let all that stuff get in between you and what you love."
The bassist smirked."I don't know, man. Sometimes a little fire can make things better on stage."
"Does it, now?" I teased, slightly leaning into Reg.
His face got all red while he avoided all possible eye contact. I didn't need my head on his chest to know his heartbeat rapidly increased. He fixed the collar of his t-shirt. "L-l-like you and Julie," the guy covered up. Very smooth, Reginald.
"Wh-what that's supposed to mean?" Luke fumbled. From one nervous lover boy to another.
"Come on. Everyone can see they way you look at her when you sing. You guys ooze chemistry."
"You should never say 'ooze' again, but, yeah, I agree." Alex stood up from his seat.
I raised my arm in excitement. "Me three!"
YOU ARE READING
Dancing Queen (Julie and The Phantoms)
Fanfiction"Oh, please. Without me, you guys would not be the life of the party." "I don't think that's how it works. We're dead, remember?" . . . Liz, Alex's sister, is the only girl out of five members of his band. She's estatic to sing and play at The Orphe...
