Hanging out and a discovery

I grab my bike, a rusty piece of trash that I found somewhere, and drive off. It is faster than walking and nobody would ever try to steal it. Just as I get to Ernie's house, his mother backs out of the driveway, waving at me. She has worked her ass off since her husband passed away. Not having to go through the trouble to lock it, I just let my bike drop onto the front lawn. I walk to the front door and knock. From inside I can hear Ernie playing. As always he won't hear me and I will have the pleasure of chatting with Sam. It takes about another thirty seconds until a very pissed off Sam stand in front of me. Over the years I found out, that the best course of action is just to smile and nod.

That's exactly what I do and to my surprise she smiles back. I don't want to say she never smiles, but it's definitely a rare occasion.

“You know the way.” she says and goes back to her room.

I walk down the hall and look around. Due to their financial situation everybody has to sacrifice a little bit. The kitchen remodeling had to wait, Ernie has to work fir a year to be able to go to college and you wouldn't believe the shopping sprees Sam went on.

For the next few our we listen to each others material. Since we started the band we have both come up with some pretty good songs. Our main problem was lyrics. If it's lack of imagination or talent is hard to say. In the end we sit down with Morris and patch together a few verses.

When I look at the clock the next time it's already 11 pm.

“I have to get going.” I tell Ernie and leave. As I step into the hallway I'm surprised by the humid air and I smell limes. On my way to the front door I hear “Hard to concentrate” by the Chili Peppers. Trying to make out where it comes from I walk further down the hallway. Light comes from the bathroom door, that isn't fully closed and a lovely voice joins in with the song. I take another step and look through the gap.

Sam is standing in front of the mirror dressed in just a towel. My jaw drops to the floor and I can't help myself but stare at her gorgeous body. The towel barely covers her ass and it seems like her breasts can pop out any second. Her hair is wrapped in another towel and her skin is still wet. The mirror is covered in fog from the hot shower Sam just took, but I can see her emerald green eyes. After I recover from the initial shock I listen closely.

Immediately I'm amazed by her voice. The feeling she puts into it is just amazing. Ernie once told me, that she is in the school choir, but I had no idea how good she was. An idea pops into my mind. At first it seems ridiculous, but with every second I listen to her, I become more convinced. I think I just found our new vocalist. Now the question is how to convince her and the others.

Just before the song ends, I get going again and close the front door behind me, just as I hear Sam's voice cease. This turned out to be a great night. This is the first time I'm sure of the future of our band since we kicked out Jason. The whole ride home a goofy smile covers my face.

When I roll onto our driveway I throw my bike in its usual space and go inside. I quickly bring Stella back into my room and walk into the kitchen, hoping to find something to eat. The sound of the TV is coming from the living room.

After I raid the fridge and slug down a ham sandwich I go back to my room. When I walk in I immediately see that Stella is gone. After a second of panic I see my little brother Danny sitting on my bed. He's just six years old but is already taking guitar lessons. I guess it's some sort of homage to me. It was way past his bedtime and his pajamas suggest he tiptoed out of his room. Sometimes, when I had a really shitty day, fooling around with him lifts my spirits. Several times I caught him playing Stella, when he thinks I'm not around. It's no big deal, because he knows how valuable she is to me.

He has no idea I'm in the room, so I stay still and listen. His fingers are still a little short, but he does a pretty good job on “Stairway to heaven”. He stops playing after a few minutes and turns around to put Stella back. His eyes widen when he sees me.

“Not bad.” I say and smile at him. He just grins like a Cheshire cat. Carefully he puts her back and leaves my room.

“Good night John.” I hear him whisper from the hallway. I walk over to my laptop, start one of my playlists and jump into bed. After half an hour I drift off to sleep to “Freak me out” by Weezer.