Ryder got home after she was done earning extra credits by helping Mr Warner cleaning up the labs. There was a senior class blew up some shit today and Ryder, being the eldest student in the school had to grit her teeth and endure the nightmare.

She was being nagged countless times by the teachers just because she couldn’t finish her semester last year. It wasn’t her fault, well, not technically. Unless if you count her dad left home and her mom tried to commit suicide as her fault then, yes. She couldn’t concentrate on her study at all last year.

She threw her backpack and lied on the bed, staring at the pale ceiling. Her arm then rose up high, fingers moving in the air as if she was playing a piano. It had been a year since she last pressed the keys on her upright piano. Ever since her mom was diagnosed with severe depression, she just gave up on her music. The piano was forever collecting dust under a white sheet.

Remembering that, she got up from the bed and walked towards it, staring long at the instrument before she yanked away the sheet, revealing an old but sturdy Steinway underneath. Right when she pressed the keys lightly, a voice yelled from outside, calling her name.

“Hey! Ryder! Hey!! Yoo hoo!!”

She startled and peeked out of her window after covering the piano back. Then she rolled her eyes when she saw Jimmy, her next door neighbor was poking his head out of his bedroom window with a pair of drumsticks in his hands.

“What do you want, Jimmy?”

“You’re home late! Hey, I’ve got new beats, you wanna hear me play it?”

She rolled her eyes again. “No! You’re too loud! And all over the place!”

“Oh, you’re underestimating me? You don’t know what you’re in for, Ry.”

“I’m not in for anything, Jimbo.”

Jimmy laughed and stood up straight but his head bumped hard on the window frame, making Ryder laughed too.

“Oohh, that’s gotta hurt!”

“Ouchh.. hey, what are you doing tonight?”

She stopped laughing. “Nothing. Why?”

“Aw, don’t you have a man to take you out and see the stars and then fuck you hard later?”

“Ha-ha. Very funny Jimmy! What do you want?”

“Sometimes I pity you, Ryder. You’re too anti-social, you know that? I’ve seen you locked yourself in that room for hours and doing what? Playing games?” he blurted out calmly while spinning his drumsticks, without even considering that those words might have hurt her.

“Shut the fuck up. Straight to your point please.”

“Um, can you watch my sister for tonight? My mom and dad will be out till late and I have a thing-”

“What thing?”

“Some gig.”

“Some gig? And you never ask me to come with you? You know I love gigs!”

“Aahh..not tonight, Ry.” Then he whispered to himself; “Probably not ever.”

“What did you say?”

“Nothing!” he chuckled nervously then coughed a little. “So can you or can you not?”

Ryder crossed both of her arms on her chest and pushed away her curly crimson locks out of her shoulders. She bit her lip and thought hard.

“On one condition.”

Jimmy groaned. “Since when you have so many rules for babysitting my sister?”

“Since you never ask me to tag along to your so called gigs.”

“I really do have gigs you know. Me and my buddy, Matt and oh yeah this childhood friend of mine, we always play gigs-”

“Yeah and you never invite me!”

Jimmy scratched his head. “You said my drums are messy.”

“Yes they are. But that doesn’t mean you’re not good.”

He raised his eyebrows. He never heard a word of compliment from Ryder. It was always ‘shut up, Jimmy!’ or ‘don’t make me go there and smash your fucking drums, Jimmy!’ He’d always thought that she hated his drumming.

“You’re getting there. So, the condition.”

“Finee. What is it?”

“Find me a guy there. I desperately need a boyfriend. So I can get out of here and move away from you and your smelly hair and your loud as fuck drum-”

“God, Ryder!! Can’t you be serious for one fucking time?!”

Ryder laughed aloud and stuck her tongue out to Jimmy before she shut down her window frame and walked away from there leaving Jimmy groaned all by himself.

---

Matt blinked hard a couple of times at Jimmy, who was still in his boxers and t-shirt while holding on to a little girl in his arms. He told him to be ready by 7 and but he’s still in his boxers?

“You’re going..like this?”

“Actually,” Jimmy pushed the rim of his glasses and smiled sheepishly. “I’m not going. You have to go with Brian.”

“What? But you’re the one insisting – who the fuck is Brian?”

“Hey, watch it…Katie’s listening! She can pick up words now, you know.”

Matt glanced at the little girl and rolled his eyes. “Fine. Who’s Brian?”

“He’s my childhood buddy. Just got back from his music camp or something in LA. You’ll love him. His dad is the real Guitar Guy! You know-”

“Why aren’t you going?”

Jimmy hung opened his mouth from being cut off by Matt. Then he motioned his eyes towards Katie, his little sister who was sucking her thumb and stared at them mindlessly. Matt groaned, took off his cap and ruffled his hair in a mess.

“I might as well not going too. Let’s just play some Nintendo and put your sister to sleep or something.”

“No! You have to go! Actually, I kinda promise the guitarist in MPA that I would see his band play.”

“What? And who’s this guy? You never told me anything about him.”

“He just moved here. I heard him play once and he said he’s in a band so I promised I’d come see him.”

“Does he even go to our school?”

“Oh yeah, he’s in our chemistry class.”

“Which one? Oh the short guy with black hair and weird eyebrows?”

“Yep. His name is Zach. He lives just a couple of streets from me. Go see him play! He might even become our – oh here comes Brian.”

Matt swirled around to see a black 1964 Ford Mustang stopped gradually in front of Jimmy’s porch. Came out from it, a guy with short brown hair, wearing a black Rancid t-shirt greeted Jimmy with a palm.

“It’s been long, bro. Hi little one.” he hugged Jimmy briefly and tousled Katie’s hair.

“Yeah. Welcome back. How’s the camp?”

The guy shrugged, running his fingers through his messy hair. “Meh. Jazz stuff. Amazing but you know, sausage fest.”

Jimmy laughed and started to introduce them. “Hey, Brian. This is Matt, my buddy from school. Matt, this is Brian. He’s the son of the Guitar Guy.”

“Don’t sell that old man’s name for fuck’s sake.”

“Hey, hey. I have a 2 year old over here!”

Brian ignored him and proceeded to shake Matt’s hand.

“What’s up?”

“I’m good, good.” He answered and Matt whistled at the sight of his car.

“Nice car, man.” He pointed at the Mustang.

“Yeah, my dad’s. So, all set? You’re ready?”

“Sure.”

After saying goodbye to both Jimmy and his little sister, Matt and Brian walked away from the porch and sped off in that Mustang. Jimmy sighed heavily and glared at Ryder’s house. Her bedroom light was still on as he cursed quietly at her.

---

“Welcome! Help yourselves to some beer, wait, who are you again?”

Matt fiddled with his cap and smiled at the girl in fishnet with spiky black hair and heavy dark eyeliners on both eyes.

“I’m Matt, and this is Brian. We’re here to see MPA.”

“Yeah of course. 5 bucks per entry.”

Matt exchanged looks with Brian. “Shit, Jimmy didn’t tell me about the entrance fee.” He whispered but Brian smiled at him, patted his back while digging for the wallet from his pocket.

“If you’re here for the music, don’t fucking hesitate to spend your money.” Brian said, and paid to the girl with a flirty wink. She blushed and took 10 bucks from Brian before handing out two empty cups for them to fill with beer later.

“Enjoy. Call me.” she mouthed to Brian and he just smiled, raising his eyebrows. Matt frowned at them and wondered, how the hell guys like Jimmy and Brian get so many chicks and he doesn’t?

“Wow, gave me her number.” Brian chuckled, looking at his cup while they were both walking to the stage which was now filled with a few people in front of it.

“Yeah, how do you do that?”

“Do what?”

“Getting chicks to like you.”

Brian blinked at him and laughed seconds after. Actually he didn’t exactly know how or why. It just happened.

“Must be my dad’s charm stuck on me.”

Matt narrowed his eyes at him. “Yeah, must be. So you’ll be attending our school?”

“Hm, I dunno. Dad said I should go to music school or some shit. But I’m still thinking about it.”
Matt nodded and then silence took over. He browsed around for the sign of any beer keg until he spotted one.

“I’m gonna go get some beer. Want me to get yours?”

“Awesome. Thanks, man.”

Matt took his cup and shook his head at the sight of the number and the heart sign on it. He caught a glimpse of Emmet Leighton hanging out with his popular jocks friends and he immediately felt raged. But he ignored them and filled the cups with beer from the keg stand.

“Wow, Sanders! Never thought that you’re a party freak! Who invited you anyways?”

“This is a free country, dumbass.”

Emmet drew closer to him trying to match their muscular bodies together when he knew Matt’s was way bigger.

“I’m your captain, Sanders. How dare you speak rude to me?”

Matt finished filling his cups so he raised them both together with two of his middle fingers, flipping Emmet off and walked away from there calmly.

When he reached the spot where he had left Brian earlier, he saw that Brian was staring at something. His gaze was fixed on a blonde girl who had her back entirely on them. She was wearing a red blouse with hot denim pants and a pair of Sketchers.

“Found yourself anything interesting?”

Brian turned around and smiled at him. “Nah, just checkin’ out. You know who that is?” he pointed to the blonde girl.

Matt was trying to recall where he had seen that slim figure and blonde wavy hair because she definitely looked familiar. When she spun her body around with a laugh and a cup of beer in her hand, Matt’s jaw dropped open.

“That’s…Valary.”

“Yeah? She goes to your school?”

Matt pursed his lips and sighed. “Yeah.” Damn it. He cursed inside his head. At this rate if Brian made a move on her, he will never have a chance.

“Oh, they’re on now.” Brian straightened his posture and gave a round of applause, following the emerging crowd from nowhere. The light went off for a moment then it went on again with a band already on the stage, and the guitarist was pulling off a sweet riff.

Nodding his head to the music, Matt’s eyes were glued to the guitarist of this band. Their sound was loud as fuck, but the guitar made it so melodically readable. He can enjoy the sound although the drums were all over the place. He’d rather listen to Jimmy’s pounding beats right now.

“Wow, awesome guitarist.” Brian stated as he too, stared at the green eyed guy on the stage.

“Yeah.” Matt huffed, shoving an empty cup to Brian.

“Hey, where’s my beer?”

“I fucking drank it.”

Notes

A/N: well obviously they saw the weirdly perfect eyebrow guy on stage! :P hahaha