The Only Girl in the Band

The Only Girl in the Band...[Part 9]

"So it's Vanessa, Caleb, Ian, Camron, and Liam? And you guys are The Velocity?" Paul L'Marc, the guy who gave us our record deal, asked.

"Yes, sir," Ian replied. He stood to the front, since he insisted that he was the one that formed the group. Paul studied us with quizzical blue eyes that were lined with thick lashes.

"She's a pretty one, isn't she?" he asked one of the guys standing next to him, pointing at me.

"Yeah, that'll be good for marketing," the guy replied. I felt color rise to my cheeks. Caleb nudged me slightly. I glanced at him and saw a small smirk on his face.

"They're actually all a good looking group of kids," Paul said, still looking at us. It annoyed me slightly that he was talking to us as if we weren't there.

"We can change up their image a bit. Make them more punk-rock. They look too casual," the guy said. Paul nodded.

"Definitely. But before we get to that, let's hear how they sound," he suggested. "What will you be singing for us?" he asked. We stood, slightly confused.

"You're not picking for us?" Ian asked.

"Do you want me to?" he asked back.

"No, we can pick," Ian replied.

"No, you pick for us," I chirruped in. Ian glared at me for speaking. Paul raised his eyebrows.

"Ah, not afraid for a challenge. I like that. Shows you're prepared," Paul said. I smiled sweetly at him and gave Ian a now-what? look. "Well, go on inside the recording studio. The instruments and equipment are already set up. I want you to sing your According to You song," he said. We walked into the studio, which was painted red with thick silver and black stripes. I got set up at the microphone, while the rest of the boys picked up their guitars and Liam situated himself at the drums.

"2, 3, 4," I said. Ian began playing. "According to you, I'm stupid, I'm useless, I can't do anything right..." I began singing. "According to you, I'm difficult, hard to please, for ever changing my mind. I'm a mess in a dress can't show up on time, even if it would save my life, according to you, according to you," I sang. On the other side of the glass, I saw Paul bobbing his head slightly. Once I got into the chorus, I got more into the song. I moved around a bit, trying to prove to Paul that I could put on a good show. I was kind of glad that he chose this song for us to perform for him; it almost mimicked the things that Ian and I were going through. According to him, I was stupid and didn't belong in the band. According to everyone else in the band, I was perfect. I had actually helped to write this song. Ian didn't like it--shocker!--but Caleb did, which is why we ended up recording it.

"According to you, I'm stupid, I'm useless, I can't do anything right," I finished. Paul pressed a button so we could hear him.

"All right. Sounds good guys. Give me a minute," he said. He took his finger off the button and turned around to consult his staff. We stood inside the studio, unable to hear them or tell what they were saying. We didn't want to say anything because we didn't know if they could still hear us, so we stood silently while they had their discussion. After what seemed like ages, Paul pushed the button again. "Ok, come on out, guys," he said. "And girl," he added, looking at me.

"He was talking about you, Ian," Liam muttered as we opened the door and walked out. Ian shoved him slightly. I stifled a laugh. We grouped inside the little room where Paul was sitting.

"All right, so, we like you. A lot. You guys are good. And Vanessa, right? You have a beautiful voice. I think you guys could get really popular, especially among the teenage girl crowd. You might even attract some males, because of Vanessa. Basically, we're looking at the same kind of fan base that bands like All Time Low and Boys Like Girls get," Paul explained to us. We were relieved that he liked us live.