𝔯𝔬𝔠𝔨𝔰𝔱𝔞𝔯𝔰 𝔫𝔢𝔳𝔢𝔯 𝔡𝔦𝔢 [𝔥𝔲𝔫𝔱𝔢𝔯 𝔰𝔶𝔩𝔳𝔢𝔰𝔱𝔢𝔯]

𝔴𝔥𝔞𝔱 𝔴𝔬𝔲𝔩𝔡 𝔰𝔞𝔱𝔞𝔫 𝔡𝔬?

★★★

𝔗he time read two-forty-three. In just two minutes, the bell would ring, and we'd be let out for the day. I shut my notebook and dropped it into my bag. Others in the class followed suit, standing up, pushing chairs in, and taking phones out. 

I exited the room with all the other excited people, ready to go home and play video games or head to downtown to hang out with their friends. I stopped by my locker to grab my lunch box. There was a flyer taped to it. There were flyers taped to almost all of the lockers, actually.

What would Satan do?

He'd come to bass tryouts after school today in G343

Hunters handwriting. I could recognize it from a mile away. I pulled it off of my locker and crumpled it up. Kids swarmed around me, talking excitedly and shoving their phones around, sending stupid snaps and messages to their friends. I waited for the crowd to die down before I wandered off to room G343.

The door was shut, and it was surprisingly quiet. I knocked on the door, keeping my head down. Hunter hurriedly opened the door. His mouth formed a thin line; I was an unexpected visitor. I was about to turn away and leave, but he grabbed my arm.

"Why did you come?" he asked. I looked around him to see Kevin. His earbuds were in, and he was absorbed in his phone. A quiet sigh.

"I just wanted to, uh, see you. I know you're mad, but I still want to hang out," I murmured. His gaze softened as he pulled me through the doorway. I set my stuff down and leaned against the wall. Kevin looked up from his phone and waved.

"I, uhm, heard you quit," he said, putting his phone in his pocket. I shifted my feet, trying to play to cool.

"Yeah, sorry."

"No, we get it," he assured me. I'd always admired how calm Kevin was. His demeanor put me at ease. I observed Hunter's movements as he plugged in the amps and picked up his guitar. They were fast and sharp. He went out to greet potential band members but was unsuccessful. He threw his arms up in defeat.

The two of them played for a brief amount of time, tweaking a piece or two. I sat on the floor and watched. My phone was charging next to me. Still, no one came. I began to grow bored. For a fraction of a second, I regretted my decision.

Kevin and Hunter took a break. Kevin got up and stretched, exiting the room to go use the restroom. I asked Hunter if he would help me with my homework. He set his guitar down and sat next to me on the floor, leaning over to look at my paper. I hated math.

"This goes here," he corrected, taking my pencil and drawing a light arrow to show me my mistake. I nodded, erasing what I had done and fixing my work. He leaned over and kissed my temple. And still, nobody showed up.

Kevin came back into the room. He sighed, sitting back down at his drum set.

"Was there even alone out there?" Hunter questioned, getting up off the floor. Kevin shook his head. I pursed my lips. Hunter kicked a water bottle in frustration.

★

I lifted my head up from Hunter's shoulder. The door opened. Some guy walked in. I had seen him a few times before but didn't know what his name was. Kevin sat up, shifting his legs.

"Hey guys, sorry I'm so late. Glad you guys are still here," the dude said.

"No... no problem," Kevin replied, him and Hunter scrambling to get up.

"Yeah, uh, don't worry about it," Hunter backed. I did nothing. The guy looked at me, running a hand through his blonde hair.

"Who are you?" he asked, pointing at me. Hunter and I exchanged a glance.

"My girlfriend," he replied smoothly. The guy nodded before turning to face the others. Kevin looked around on the floor for his drumsticks. Nobody spoke.

Hunter finally spoke up; "What do you know?" I thought it was funny how hard he was trying to make it seem like we weren't just sleeping in the room. Like he wasn't suffering from "I just woke up and I don't want to do this" syndrome.

"How about you guys start playing and I'll just work my way in?" The guy asked. He didn't even tell us his name. That was a sure giveaway. 

"Cool," Hunter commented, turning to talk to Kevin. I couldn't hear what they were saying from over here, but it looked like they were having a bit of a serious encounter. The bassist paced in a small circle, keeping an eye on them.

"Okay, okay. Let's try 'For Whom the Bell Tolls.' Okay? You got that, Kev?" Hunter asked, nodding in the direction of the other guitar player. Kevin nodded, putting on his glasses and readying himself. Why was the atmosphere so tense? I checked my phone. A few messages from my parents.

I apologized since I didn't tell them I was staying after school. I let them know I'd get a ride. They were fine with it, and they understood.

Kevin started them off, in which him and Hunter did very well. The bassist began. He played strongly at first, but after just thirty seconds or so of the song, he grew very awkward. His movements were strange, and he wasn't in time. Both of them stopped playing, leaving the other guy to play alone. He was picking at the strings way too hard.

"Yeah, okay, cool, man," Hunter said. He was clearly a little uncomfortable. I felt as if I should step in, but he kept talking. "Let's try playing the song, hm? And then we can see how we vibe together as a band, and then we can work on show stuff later."

Hunter looked at me. I averted my eyes, attempting to hide my secondhand embarrassment.

They tried to play again, but their attempt at working things out failed greatly. The new guy kicked a stand with music on it (mine, mind you, I let Hunter use it because it was already written) and a nearby chair. Kevin looked around to each of us, confused. In the end, the dude stepped on the cord and unplugged his guitar. Unknowingly, he kept playing. Hunter stopped him.

"Look, dude. You gotta go. I'm sure you're a fine player, but not for this."

The guy looked highly offended. Dare I say I needed to stifle a laugh. He stomped out of the room, swinging his guitar over his shoulder. I heard him hit a locker or two on the way out.

I felt guilty. I shouldn't have left. But maybe it was just for the better. Hunter picked up the stand and all the sheet music, aggressively putting everything back. I stood up and grabbed my bag. Kevin got ready to leave as well, leaving Hunter by his lonesome. He continued to play, aggravated.

"Y/n, I can drive you home. He doesn't seem like he's in a very good mood," Kevin said, holding out his keys. I glanced at Hunter. He was mindlessly picking away at his guitar, playing who knows what.

"Yeah, thanks."

Kevin's car was parked close to the entrance, which made sense given that he had to pack up all his drums and bring them everywhere. I asked him about it, and he said he was coming early tomorrow to do that.

"How are you and Hunter?" He asked me, pulling off onto the road.

"We're fine. I think he's just a little mad that I left. He said he understood, but I think he was just saying that."

He hummed in response. I looked out the window. Skip passed, walking quickly down the sidewalk. I hoped he didn't see either of us. That would just be a disaster waiting to happen.

Both of my parents were home, so Kevin parked on the street. The porch light was on, giving us a little bit of light. I fished my house key out of my backpack while I got out of the car. He walked me to the door.

My mom greeted us, saying hello. Kevin hadn't been over in a long time.

"Thanks, Kev. See you tomorrow," I said calmly, waving as he walked back to the car. He flashed his lights before driving off.

★★★