"The first thing we need to do is go to"— Alexis checked the flier—"Miss Jarves's room." They made their way down the hall, looking for Miss Jarves's name on the door placard. She didn't know that teacher because she'd never taken a music class because she only liked heavy metal. Maybe rock, too, but definitely not the wimpy stuff they'd be playing in there. When they found the right room, Alexis opened the door and went in, with Isaac at her heels. At first she thought the room was empty. All the desks and music stands had been pushed off to the side, leaving a clearing in the center of the room with just one desk in the middle by itself. On top of the desk was a plastic red basket, stylized to look like a wicker basket. The afternoon sun, coming in through the four big windows along the far, wall painted the whole room an orangeish pink that immediately made Alexis want to lay down and read a comic book about cooking and youthful romance.
Before she could say, "I guess no one's here," she heard the unmistakable ping of a stringed instrument, having been pulled taut and released. There was a boy in the back, hunched over an electric guitar. He was really cute! He cradled his guitar with affection, one knee raised to keep it still between his thigh and his stomach. He had one hand way up at the head-stock, very slowly twisting a tuning dial. The other hand was down near the guitar's waist, finger delicately plucking a string. He was thin, with a thick head of blond hair. His shirt hung off of his frame, making him look relaxed, as much a part of the room as a little cactus, snug inside a ceramic pot, on the window seat beside him, basking in the sun. Striking amber eyes, focused on his guitar strings, were hooded by half-closed lids, and they stayed that way when he looked up.
Alexis's heart fluttered. What should she do? What should she do? So much for mingling with real metal-heads. She'd been stricken mute!
He glanced at the crumpled flier still held in her hand. "You here to audition?"
She wanted to shout "No!" and flee. What did she know about anything? Look at him! "I'm surprised there's a girl drummer in this school," the boy added carelessly when the silence was going on and on.
Confusion replaced panic. "Aren't tryouts next month?" Alexis pitifully half-lifted the flier. It crinkled with sadness.
"Sure, but that doesn't mean you can't try out now. Why wait if you're what we're looking for? The more practice we can get with our new drummer before the festival, the better."
Festival? What was she getting herself into? "Well, I can't. . . ." Her voice trailed. She couldn't admit that she'd never before even touched a drumstick, at least not one she hadn't eaten immediately afterward. Not now, she couldn't, not when she was here specifically to be a drummer. "I mean," she amended, "I can't drum yet." Wait, that was also too close to the truth. "I don't have a kit," she hedged.
"Then how do you practice?"
She tried a new plan: Avoid the question altogether. "I'm gonna get one soon."
"O.K." The boy transferred his hooded gaze to Isaac, probably looking for some kind of relief from her bumbling idiocy. Although she didn't see it, she sensed Isaac shrug beside her. The guitarist turned his lazy, careless expression back on her. "See you in a month, then?" His tone couldn't have been more disinterested. Alexis was failing and she didn't even know what she was failing at!
"D-don't I have to sign up or something?"
"Nope." He went back to tuning his guitar. "Cassette's in the basket."
He then completely ignored them.
"Excuse me?" Alexis asked, but just as she said it, he plucked a string rather loudly and he must not have heard her. At this point she wasn't going to bother anymore with this jerk no matter how hot he was. Turning, she went to the basket and took a cassette. It was a simple transparent cartridge with a white label on the front that had "Audition for Metal Club Drummer" scrawled on it with the distinct ink of a ballpoint pen. Oh, no! she thought. They have cassettes. These guys are professionals. I'm gonna make a complete fool of myself!
Outside the music room, Alexis exhaled dramatically, glad to be away from that boy's judgmental eyes. She jumped and fumbled the cassette when Isaac started speaking. "How could you audition now if you didn't even have time to practice the song?" There was not a hint of accusation or malice in his voice, because that was just the way Isaac was. He could question things without thinking poorly of someone. Alexis was not like that.
"Don't sneak up on me like that and embarrass me!" She cried, following up with a volley of clawed swipes at his vulnerable shoulder.
"Ow, ow! Think about the cassette!"