She's Got the Rhythm

Chapter Two: Drum Lessons & Parties

            “I’m home!” I yelled and shut the door behind me.

            “Good!” My brother, John, shouted back. “Come upstairs, will you?”

            “Yeah, I’m coming,” I told him as I slipped off my purple Vans.

            Adjusting my backpack’s strap on my shoulders, I jogged up the stairs.

            I found John sitting behind the drum set and a girl I assumed by her looks was about thirteen or so standing next to him.

            “There you are. Mandy, this is Jamie. Jamie, this is Mandy,” he introduced us.

            “Hi, how are you?” I grinned.

            “Good,” was all she said.

            “Is dad home yet?” I whispered in John’s ear.

            “No, he’s working overtime, he said you could give Jamie a lesson,” he explained.

            “Oh, yeah, sure,” I gave Jamie a reassuring smile. I wasn’t really in the mood to give a lesson, but at least dad paid me for the times he wasn’t here. We run a small drum lessons business; it’s nothing big, just a side project my dad came up with before he got a new job. Now, he’s barely got the time for it, and John and I find ourselves running the entire thing.

            “Thanks,” John reached over and ruffled my hair which I had straightened this morning.

            “Stop it, you turd!” I told him as he walked out.

            I turned back to Jamie. She’s wearing skinny jeans, a beat up pair of converse and the infamous Pink Floyd ‘Dark Side of the Moon’ t-shirt.

            “Alright, so, let’s get started,” I clapped my hands together, trying to get her excited, but I knew she wasn’t buying it.

            I take out my pair of sticks and hand her a spare that’s sitting on the table. Taking a seat on the drum set I have set up next to her, I asked, “So, have you had a lesson before?”

            “Yeah, I have; a bunch, actually,” she doesn’t seem very interested.

            “Oh, okay. Well, I’m just gonna start playing a beat and you jump in when you think you’ve got it, ‘kay?” I inquired.

            “Sure,” she said, and waited for me to start playing.

            I grabbed my sticks and checked to make sure everything was set in place the way I liked it. I moved the high-hat stand a little bit closer towards me and then starting pounding. I began with a simple rhythm, getting Jamie to play with me. I added a few things here and there, until I felt like she was getting it.

            “Alright, let’s stop there. Good job, by the way,” I took a sip of my water.

            “Can I play a real song?” she asked me.

            “Um, of course. What do you want to play?” I questioned her.

            “Paramore,” was all she said.

            She jumped right in, almost instantly.

            I smiled back at her, and continued to play going into the pre-chorus.