The Deal || Luke Hemmings

I Will, but First Let Me Gloat.

     "So the hip grandpa said that we have to prepare three songs for the fair."

"I know, Luke," I called out to him back. "I listen in class, you know!" I kept on walking towards my locker while he ran to catch up with me. Was I the only one in this school who didn't address Mr. Stanley in the way Luke just did? What a suck-up, considering our teacher was behind him and gave him a thumbs up responding, "That's right, son!" He was the only teacher who could bear to have Luke in his class--but he liked everyone so it didn't count.

"But that's not the worst part," he shuddered, snuggling some papers closer to his body.

He was kidding. There was nothing terrifying that could come out in our teacher's class announcements. "What is, then?"

"We have to write one of the songs."

After he had said this, I almost tripped on the floor, too caught up to realize a caution sign for a wet floor. "What did you say? Are you sure? When was this?" I fired those questions all at once. Why did I always miss so much in grandpa's class?

"I thought you listened," Luke raised his eyebrow.

I pounded on my lock several times before it opened while the tall boy beside me looked at me like I had lost it. "What? That's the only way I get it to open. Also, I know my priorities. We were having homeroom and it's not as important as Science or Math, so of course I'm not going to listen to everything, right?"

"I'll accept your crummy excuse now, but we better get started on that song soon," he said. "Keep in mind the hip grandpa happens to be our music teacher too."

"Right," I remembered it clearly. Mr. Stanley performed his own dance number in class once, complete with some 1940's attire he said he bought from the thrift store for two dollars.

"How about we meet up Saturday?" Luke inquired all of a sudden that the picture of my teacher dancing to "American Girls" in a striped suit and a cane in hand disappeared to my relief.

"I'll ask my mom first. I think she'll approve, but we have to accomplish something this time," I closed my locker and pointed at him seriously. "Anyway, I'll tell you and the rest of the other members what my mom will say as soon as I get a yes for an answer."

"Ok, but just make sure you're ready to write with me." Luke tugged on his backpack and shot me a wink.

"Who says I'm going to write with you?" I laughed at this. He never chose me for anything.

"You've got no other choice."

"There's Michael-

"You really don't listen, do you?" he lowered his books with an impatient air. "I said that we have to write two of the songs. By 'we' I meant only us, the singers."

"I thought by 'we' you meant the band. Not just us. And wait, the other members don't have to write the lyrics? That's...unfair."

"Not really. They'll help with the beat and everything."

I started to panic. No wonder Calum said he was totally stress free. He might as well take a trip to the Bahamas. "But won't we have an idea of how the melody of the song will sound like while writing the lyrics? It's basically like we're making the song, not just writing the lyrics only."

"Just do what the teacher says, alright?" I could tell that he was beginning to get a bit antsy. He didn't want to fret about the whole thing as much as I did. "Also, if you don't want to write with me, then just back down from being a vocalist. It'll make your life easier--and mine."

I wanted to grab him by the collar and burst out that besides singing, I was pretty useless to the band. But he didn't have to know that, so I just stubbornly went with his way.