Opening his door, he was greeted jovially by three ASO musicians. Stuart was his usual goofy self, wearing a tuxedo T-shirt and flip-flops. His tall, lanky figure and hilarious ability to reverse his double-jointed fingers at will were but a few of his many eccentricities. Next was Seth Ivy, the second chair trombonist. Similar in personality to Stuart, though a bit more down to earth, many who knew him were surprised to learn of his Mormon upbringing. He typically responded with a line about how Mormons have a fantastic sense of humor, though it's not always seen publicly due to the church's introverted nature. Behind the two guys came Darcy. Greeting Mike with a smile and a hug, he couldn't help but notice that she seemed somewhat less cheaper than she had last Friday.
"Ok, let's get down to business," Stuart said, clapping his hands together excitedly. "Braxton, you've done fire drills before. You know the rules?"
Fire drills were a preparation method for auditions, taking place at a time completely unknown to the candidate, which forced them to be prepared at all times. Typically, the candidate would play through an entire mock audition as if it were actually happening right then and there. Meanwhile, the candidate's friends would attempt to distract them in any way they could conceive of, with the caveat of being unable to touch, blow on, get close to, or physically interfere with the player or their music and equipment in any way. Additionally, distractors were usually not allowed any sudden outbursts or actions meant to scare or startle the player, though this was still not unheard of. The premise behind this preparation method was the idea that, if a musician could perform a high quality audition under such conditions, then they would have no problem with nerves and intimidation in the controlled environment of the audition room. Having friends willing to do this for each other was considered a mark of strong camaraderie amongst professional musicians.
"Oh, I'm very familiar with what you guys are capable of," came his reply. Stuart, Seth, and Mike had worked together to help Darcy prepare for her principal audition last year.
Stepping into his studio, Mike suddenly remembered his wish from Monday to soundproof it. Melody, I need you to temporarily disable any and all magical qualities of my practice studio.
Tingle. Flash. Done.
Beginning his mock audition, Mike started down the list of orchestral excerpts to be performed. As he placed his music on the wooden stand, his friends stood just outside the small sunroom, ready to test his concentration. Starting with the first excerpt, Stuart pulled out the latest issue of Penthouse from his book bag, beginning to describe the Penthouse Pet of the month in all her sexual glory. Mike, however, was unfazed, even as Stuart turned the magazine to show the pictures as if he was reading a book to children.
"Not good enough," Darcy mused. "We gotta up our game."
Taking the magazine from Stuart, she flipped to the back pages and began reading the letters to the editor aloud. The steamier the stories became, the sexier she made her voice. Although this began having more of an effect on Mike, he maintained his ironclad concentration, pushing through the second and third excerpts.
As Mike began the Pines of Rome solo he had played for Melody two days before, the trio again changed up their tactics. With Mike absorbed completely in the music, Seth and Darcy began pantomiming a mock marriage proposal, complete with goofy faces and jumping for joy. Before she could take the invisible ring from Seth's hand, Stuart stepped between them in feigned protest, extending his hand not to Darcy, but to Seth, as the two guys began to slow dance around Mike's living room while Darcy sobbed on the floor. Despite their antics, Mike again refused to pay them any mind.
Arriving at the final excerpt, Mike knew full well this one would put him to the test in every way possible. Stravinsky's Petrushka was easily one of the most challenging pieces in the orchestral repertoire, and the Ballerina's solo, played by the trumpet, was especially so. An acrobatic segment, the melody jumped from high to low many times throughout while also dramatically varying in volume, requiring extreme skill and control to perform well. As Mike made his mental preparations for the solo, Stuart and Seth lined up shoulder to shoulder on either side of Darcy, clearly plotting something.
Beginning the extended solo, Mike was unable to ignore his friends locking their arms around each other's shoulders, dancing the can-can around his living room and cracking up as they danced. Though impressed with their fervor, Mike was far too busy with the technical runs he was playing to really pay them any attention. Nearing the end of the excerpt, Stuart and Seth turned their backs to him while Darcy got an evil look in her eye. As Mike played the final couple of measures of the solo, the guys dropped their shorts, mooning him with their bare asses. Darcy, on the other hand, pulled her T-shirt up over her face, jiggling her perky B-cup breasts as she flashed Mike. Yet, even with all the nudity in front of his face, Mike still managed to finish the solo with poise, even taking a modest bow after finishing the final notes.
"Nice tits, by the way," he deadpanned as he placed his trumpet back in its case.
As the trio re-clothed themselves, Darcy shot back, "Not nice enough apparently. I'd say you're more than ready if you can handle all of that."
"No shit," Stuart agreed. "We threw everything we had at you. Believe it or not, that last move was Seth's idea."
Laughing, Seth continued, "Yeah, but I can't take all the credit. Darcy was the one who decided to flash her tits at ya."
"Hey," she said, "If showing my boobs to my best friend is what gets him the big promotion he's worked for, then let 'er rip!"
As Mike thanked his friends for taking time to help him prepare for Friday, the group started discussing their plans for the evening. Seth and Stuart invited Mike and Darcy to join them for a drink later that night, but both declined.
"Appreciate the invite, but no alcohol for me 'til after the audition," Mike said. "I'm not taking any chances."
"Me either," Darcy agreed. "I have… plans tonight." Her excuse sounded like just that: an excuse.
"Well alright then, suit yourself. Seth, you rode with Darcy here, right? Need a ride home?" Stuart asked.
"Sure. Thanks man."
Saying their goodbyes, the two goofballs departed, still proud of their distraction attempts. Now alone, Mike turned to Darcy.
"Ok, you've never been huge on drinking, but that's gotta be the lamest excuse you've ever given for anything, at least that I've heard. You ok?"
Nodding hesitantly, Darcy replied, "Yeah, it's just… Stephen and I are meeting up tonight. We started trying to patch things up this weekend."
Mike sighed, shaking his head. He had been afraid of this. Stephen was a total asshole with serious anger issues, but also had this unique ability to charm his way back into any situation after all hope seemed lost. In the few times Mike had hung out with the two of them, he had always gotten the impression that Stephen viewed Darcy, and every other woman for that matter, as pieces of meat. Outside of being seen with her, it seemed he really didn't care about her.
In one instance, Darcy's father had been rushed to the hospital. She was an emotional wreck in the restaurant as she got the news, and in no shape to drive. Stephen, however, showed no emotional reaction and refused to drive her home unless they took his car, not wanting to leave him here for any amount of time. Even with Mike offering to drive him back to get his car, he still said no, resulting in Mike taking her home and returning the next day for his car. Another time, a passing waitress at the same restaurant accidentally spilled a glass of water on Stephen's lap. The poor girl was clearly new, and very apologetic for the accident, but that did nothing to temper the tirade Stephen launched into. He even started calling her nasty names, making fun of her being slightly overweight, and when Darcy attempted to get him to stop, he snapped at her, advising her that she should sit down if she knew what was best for her. Since then, Mike had never trusted him even for a second.
"Are you sure about this? You know how I feel about him," Mike asked seriously.
"We're just meeting for coffee, and that's it. I just want to be sure I'm not acting too hastily," she replied.
Realizing he couldn't change her mind, he acquiesced. "Ok. Just text me when you're home please. And if you need anything, anything at all, call me. Don't care what time it is. Promise?"
"Promise."
After they had said their goodbyes, confirming they were still on for hanging out after the audition, Darcy headed for her car. Locking the door, Mike asked, "You hear all of that."
"Sure did," Melody replied, appearing behind him. "You have some really awesome friends. I can't wait to meet them!"
"Can't argue with you there," he agreed. "Now, what about Darcy?"