A Place To Call Home

8.eight

8.

"And here we go again with all the things we did and... No, wait, I don't remember the rest of the song.". Zac shook his head in disbelief and glanced to a decisively amused Taylor, who wasn't surprised at all by Hayley forgetting her own lyrics.

"Don't worry, you've been singing this songs for only twenty years, more or less. Maybe next year you'll finally remember what you wrote." Joey Howard mocked the singer, who jokingly hit him on the arm.

"C'mon, remembering lyrics it's not easy, at all." she replied.

"Hayley, that song is in our first album." Zac told her. "Moreover, our fans know the lyrics of your own songs better than you."

"This is why we decided to make them sing Misery Business, isn't it? So I don't have to remember that song too.". They all burst out laughing, while Rachel was watching them, utterly shocked.

"Don't worry, it's normal." Brian Jones reassured her, sensing her confusion. The tour would have started in little more than two weeks and there was still a lot to do. The salon was now in the hands of professional technicians who would have started working on the electric circuit and painting the walls the day after, so they had decided to focus on rehearsal and bring Rachel with them, again.

"Okay guys, let's take a break." Zac suggested. They all went outside the rehearsal room, in a small courtyard. There was a basket on the wall and a ball, so they all started playing basketball, except for Hayley and Rachel.

"Why don't you join them?" the singer asked the girl. Hayley remembered their conversation about basketball and it was clear that she wanted to play.

"I... They're already in six, there's no place for me." Rachel said. "Moreover, I'm not so good and I'm a girl, they're all grown up men, I don't want to ruin their break.". Hayley sweetly looked at her, then at Taylor. The two glanced at each other and the man joined them, sitting next to his girlfriend.

"Ew, you're sweaty." Hayley complained, jokingly pushing him away.

"Hey Rachel, I think I'm gonna rest a bit. What do you think about you taking my place?". The girl widened her eyes, in shock.

"What? I..."

"Oh, c'mon. They can't beat Brian's team without a player and I really need to rest, my knee hurt a bit. But at the same time I can't stand the idea of Brian winning. You're my only hope, Rachel Gussow." Taylor said.

"I'm not Obi-Wan Kenobi, you know that, don't you?". The guitarist chuckled at those words and gently pushed Rachel towards the court.

"Wait!" she exclaimed. "What if... I mean..."

"Rachel." Taylor stopped her rambling. "Just have fun.". The girl slightly nodded. Just have fun. She hadn't had fun in years. Yes, she often played with her friends, but it had nothing to do with the idea of having fun. It was just a distraction, a way to forget the horrible reality she was forced to live. Having fun was something else, an unknown concept to her.

"Come on, we need you!" Zac called her. The Girl shyly joined them, her heart madly racing in her chest. What if she played badly? What if she wasn't nothing more than a burden to all those people?

"Rachel!" Zac gave her the ball. The girl swallowed. She saw Brian running toward her and she smoothly dodged him. She started running to the basket. She stopped, then stepped back. The ball went inside the net without even touching the basket.

"Great shot!" she heard Hayley cheering her. The singer smiled at her, then leaned against Taylor.

"Thank you." she mumbled. The guitarist didn't reply. He closed her in a tender embrace and kissed her forehead, softly, saying nothing, just smiling at the sight of a happy Rachel.