Mixtape for the End of the World Page 13

  They were able to get all their equipment moved over to the warehouse behind the auto parts store in two trips and set everything up to get ready for their next practice. The talent show was coming in just a few weeks, and they wanted to get a few more rehearsals in before it happened. Then, Christmas break would be on them and they’d spend every day possible recording their demo tape.

  Derrick wondered if this thing—this band, the music, all of it—was something more than just a project for them to perform at a school talent show. That they had something special here, something that could take them out of their small town. Something that could turn them famous, like the bands on VH1 and playing big sold-out shows in front of thousands of people.

  In the back of his mind, though, he thought about Ben. Though grateful that he was around and able to help him with the amplifier and get it back to working, Derrick couldn’t help but wonder where it had gone wrong for him, why his band didn’t go any further than Mount Vernon. Surely they’d had the same aspirations, to play somewhere other than garages and school talent shows.

  Or maybe, it doesn’t go wrong.

  Maybe, Derrick thought, it’s more like getting lucky. When someone catches a lightning bolt and rides up into the sky, do the people around him go as well? Or are they simply left behind, singed and burned?

  20

  ♪Vertical Horizon – You’re A God♪

  DERRICK FOUND REBECCA heading toward English class on Monday morning, making their way through the halls of the school, the lockers adorned with paper Christmas decorations. Along with the talent show at the end of the semester, there was also a contest for the best-decorated locker.

  So far, Derrick’s was completely bare. He was too busy with the band and tightening up the songs they planned to play for the talent show to focus on the locker competition. AJ’s locker, in contrast, was adorned with a paper Christmas tree, the trunk made to look like a guitar neck, with tiny glittering guitars hung from the branches. It was excessive, gaudy, and one hundred percent AJ.

  Derrick walked a little faster through the hallway, catching up to Rebecca.

  “Hey,” he said, coming up beside her.

  She turned, though barely acknowledged him.

  “I just wanted to apologize for yesterday,” he said. “I didn’t know that my stepdad, um.”

  “It’s fine,” she said. “I didn’t know that your stepdad is Officer Reynolds.”

  “What was that about?” he asked. “Why doesn’t Doug like you?”

  “I don’t want to talk about it, okay?” she sighed.

  They walked into their shared classroom just as the tardy bell rang and she sank into her seat, slouching against the plastic back. Derrick wanted to talk to her, to explain that he wanted to be her friend, despite Doug’s words. However, she turned away from him and he took his seat next to AJ’s.

  “What’s wrong, bro?” AJ asked, though Derrick waved him off.

  Before he could ask another question, Mrs. Rogers began handing out paper packets. “Today we will be studying the balcony scene in Romeo and Juliet. You’ll be working in pairs.”

  Derrick turned to Rebecca as if to invite her to be his partner, but she immediately turned to the girl next to her. He then looked at AJ, who was already scooting his desk close to Derrick's.

  “You get to be Juliet,” AJ said with a facetious grin.

  “Yeah, whatever,” Derrick replied as he read over the instructions printed on the pages.

  “Dude, what’s bothering you?”

  Derrick leaned in, glancing quickly toward Rebecca, who was already in mid-conversation with her partner, a nerdy girl named Lyla. In a near-whisper, he said, “It’s Rebecca. Doug doesn’t like her for some reason, and I don’t know why. When he showed up yesterday, she looked like she was in serious trouble, and he told me she’s not welcome at our house. I just don’t get it.”

  “Well, it’s probably not her that he has something against,” AJ said. “It’s probably her mom.”

  “What’s her mom have to do with it?”

  “I’ll explain at lunch,” AJ said. Then, with a hint of hesitation, “Her mom has a bit of a reputation.”

  It clicked into place for Derrick. Doug had probably arrested her mother in the past. Small towns have a way of making things stick through generations. Working through the Romeo and Juliet assignment, Derrick thought a lot about those Montagues and Capulets and their children, how they got caught in the crossfire of their families.

  ♪ ♪ ♪

  “So that’s why she lives with her grandma now.” AJ finished the story, taking a bite from his sandwich and washing it down with a swig from the can of Surge.

  “That sucks,” was all Derrick could get out.

  “Yeah. I mean, she’s been kind of standoffish ever since the seventh grade. I do think she likes you, though.”

  “Really?” Derrick asked.

  “I mean, I think so. She did come to watch you play yesterday.”

  “She came to hear the band,” Derrick countered.

  “No way, man,” AJ said. “She was watching you and that’s it. Me and Dustin could've been mannequins.”

  Derrick felt that, too, despite feigning ignorance. Across the cafeteria, he spotted Rebecca sitting alone, writing in a notebook. “I’m gonna go talk to her,” he said.

  “Good luck,” AJ shrugged.

  Derrick stood up from the bench and walked to the table at the end of the large cafeteria where Rebecca sat.

  “Hey, can I sit with you?” he asked.

  She sighed, closing her spiral notebook. “Sure,” she capitulated.

  He sat on the bench next to her, straddling it. She instinctively leaned away from him.

  “Look, I don’t know what’s gone on in the past with your family, and your mom or whatever. And, really, I don’t care. You’re cool to me, and I want to be friends with you.”

  She sat in silence for a moment, and finally said, “That’s really sweet, but I don’t know if I can hang out with you. I mean, it would just be too awkward.”

  “It’s not awkward at all,” he said. “I mean, it wasn’t awkward before. Like I said, I don’t care what’s happened. It’s like Romeo and Juliet. Just because our parents don’t get along or whatever, doesn’t mean that we have to stay away from each other.”

  “Oh, so we’re going to fall in love and then kill ourselves?” she asked.

  “What? No, I,” Derrick stammered, and then he noticed a slight grin creep across her face. “You’re a smartass, you know that?”

  All his worries melted. “We have a new practice space for the band,” he said. “If you’re interested in coming to hear us again.”

  “That’s cool,” she said. “Did you guys get shut down for good?”

  “Well, we just decided it would be best to find somewhere that we could practice without fear of having the cops called if we got loud. Plus, I’d like for you to hear us again, you know, before the talent show.”

  “I’d like that,” she said.

  As they talked, AJ eventually made his way over, inviting himself to sit with them after seeing that the coast was clear. The three of them spent the entire lunch period talking about music and the upcoming talent show.

  As they talked, the cafeteria doors opened and Haley walked in. Derrick saw her immediately, her radiant beauty undeniable though his heart sank as he took in the rest of the scene. She was with a group of jocks, and Ty was in the middle of them, right next to her.

  And they were holding hands.

  21

  ♪ Silverchair – Ana’s Song (Open Fire) ♪

  THE WAREHOUSE WAS uninsulated and therefore almost uncomfortably cold. Despite the space heater that they’d set up close to the corner that they practiced in, Derrick’s hands ached playing his guitar. The music echoed through and bounced off the metal building’s walls, causing their songs to sound muddied. Nonetheless, Rebecca was there, her jacket pulled tight around her body, sitting on a stool, watc
hing and listening to the band practice. She and Derrick had spent nearly every afternoon together after school, parting ways before Doug got home. The rumors around the school had quickly began to spread and whether they made it official or not, they were an item.

  Outside of this practice session, Derrick hadn’t even spoken to AJ or Dustin, having spent his lunch periods and after school with Rebecca. Even now, Derrick felt a sort of tension that he didn’t acknowledge. It was there, however.

  After they finished the song, she spoke loudly over the hum of the amplifiers, “That was really good, but I feel like the bass part overpowered the guitar solo in the bridge,” she said.

  AJ put his hands on his hips. “That’s how we wrote it,” he said.

  “Well, it could sound better,” she quipped.

  “Nobody asked you, Rebecca,” AJ said defensively.

  “Guys, let’s just play through the list. We need to make sure these are solid before next weekend,” Dustin said.

  Derrick just shook his head. “Let’s take a little break.” He motioned for AJ to follow him outside.

  Once outside of the warehouse, under a security light, their breath visible and illuminated in the glow, Derrick said, “Do you not want her here?”

  “Not really.”

  “She doesn’t mean to come off as bossy or anything,” Derrick said. “She just wants us to sound good for the talent show.”

  “Well, maybe you should listen to the guys who are actually playing in it with you instead of some girl,” AJ said.

  “She’s not just some girl, man,” Derrick countered. “She really cares about the music and our band.”

  “If she cared so much about the band, she wouldn’t try to take so much of your time so that we could actually practice when we’re supposed to,” AJ said.

  “It wasn’t her fault I was late, man,” Derrick said. It was a lie, though. He didn’t want his parents to see him with her, so he had walked to her house first before they’d gone to the warehouse together.

  “Look, whatever, Derrick. I thought it would be cool to have her around at first. I thought you guys would be cool. But it’s pretty clear you’d rather spend time with her than with us. We’re trying to make this band happen, and you’ve got your head shoved up her ass.”

  “That’s not fair,” Derrick said. “For once in my life, a girl shows some interest in me. Just let me enjoy this.”

  “It’s cold out here,” AJ said. “Let’s go back in and finish the setlist.” He turned to head back in the door, but Derrick stopped him with a hand on his shoulder.

  “You were my first friend in this town. You’re my best friend. I promise, I’m not letting anything get in the way of this band.”

  AJ didn’t say anything, but held his hand to the door. Finally, he said, “You’re my best friend too. I just don’t want to lose what we have with this band. We have something special. I really think this could take us somewhere.”

  “I know,” Derrick said. They went back inside to get ready to practice.

  Dustin got a message on his beeper and he looked at his waistband. “Guys, gonna have to call it a night after this song. My dad needs me back at home.”

  “Alright,” AJ said. “Let’s go through that new one that AJ wrote.”

  “Are you guys going to play that at the talent show?” Rebecca asked.

  “Yeah,” AJ said.

  “I don’t know if that’s a good idea. People are going to want to hear songs they know,” she said.

  “It’s a talent show, Rebecca,” AJ said. “We want to show off our talent.”

  “Right, but I think maybe you’ll get more of a response if you—”

  She was cut off by Dustin. “We can either argue or we can play. Either way, I’m going to have to go soon.”

  Derrick nodded and, as Dustin counted off the beat, he played the opening riff to the song. They played it almost flawlessly, getting better each time. Once they finished the song, they quickly put away their gear and rolled up the instrument cords, placing everything tidily into a corner of the warehouse behind the drumkit.

  Dustin led them out of the warehouse and back into the cold night air. Though only 8pm, the sun had set nearly two hours prior, allowing the cold to set in. The air felt humid, like snow could be expected to start falling at any moment. Dustin and AJ left together in Dustin’s pickup and Derrick followed Rebecca to her car.

  Once they were in and she got it started—the engine groaned in protest until it finally turned over—she turned on the heater.

  “I know you mean well, but AJ takes a lot of pride in what we’re doing,” he said, hoping to smooth over any tension.

  “Well, he may take a lot of pride in it, but it’s pretty clear that you have the majority of the talent in this band. I mean, he’s a decent bassist, but your guitar playing is amazing. I just don’t want to see you held back.”

  “I don’t think I’m held back,” he said. “AJ is an amazing guitarist. In fact, he’s been playing longer than me, but chose to play bass for the band. He opened it up so that I could play guitar because that’s my strong suit.”

  “Well, I just think that you shouldn’t let yourself stay tied to this when you could really go places on your own. Like, after we graduate, you could move to Austin or Nashville and really make it,” she said.

  “I don’t know,” he said, but he trailed off. Maybe she was right. Maybe his ticket out of this small town life was moving somewhere that was meant for musicians. He thought about Ben and how his life had stalled here in Mount Vernon. Perhaps this town was meant just as a stepping stone to something bigger, if was able to take the chance.

  “You’re an amazing musician, and I just don’t want to see you get stuck here in a small town,” Rebecca said, as if she could read his mind.

  “What about you?” he asked. “What do you want to do, after graduation?”

  “I don’t know. I want to get out of Mount Vernon, that much is for sure. I’ve thought Seattle, or Portland, or just somewhere where I can pursue my art.”

  “What about an art school?” he asked.

  “Art schools are for wannabes,” Rebecca scoffed. “I want to be in it. On the streets, with the real artists. Like in Seattle, there’s this huge art scene. All these punk rock zines come out of there, and I just want to be a part of that.”

  “Have you ever been to Seattle?”

  “No,” she said. “But it’s all there, just waiting for me.” Then, she turned to him. “We should go together.”

  He stammered, but she reached out and took his hand.

  “I’m serious,” she said. “Let’s get out of this town together. We can move to Seattle. You can pursue your music, and I can be an artist. It would be perfect.”

  He didn’t know how to answer. It was a ludicrous idea, but it spoke to him. In a way, he’d been waiting for someone like Rebecca to come along, to encourage him in this pursuit. Sure, it sounded crazy, but most great ideas do. They could find the music scene in Seattle, and make art and music, leaving everything holding them back behind.

  AJ wanted to play a school talent show and make a demo tape. It seemed small in comparison to these plans, this idea.

  As the thoughts swirled through his mind, he noticed Rebecca inching closer to him in the seat. Her face was inches from his own and he could smell a hint of nicotine on her breath.

  He was about to say yes, to start planning their getaway. As she leaned in to him, painfully slow, her lips making their way toward his, Derrick cocked his head to accept her kiss, but it never came.

  Flashing lights illuminated the car and she jumped back. The whoop of a police siren echoed through the empty parking lot, and Derrick saw the police SUV behind him. His hands went cold and clammy. He knew he was in trouble.

  There was a rap on the driver’s window and Rebecca rolled it down. Doug stood outside the car and leaned into the open vehicle, the rush of warmth spilling out.

  “Time to go home, Ms. Winters,” h
e said curtly. “Derrick, get out of the car and come with me.”

  Rebecca said, “Yes, sir,” and gave Derrick an apologetic look.

  He was not apologetic. He was angry. He got out of the car and stomped to Doug’s SUV and got in the passenger seat.

  Doug got in and they watched as Rebecca pulled out of the parking lot. The silence between them was palpable.

  Finally, as Doug put the vehicle in drive, he said, “What did I tell you about her?”

  “You said she wasn’t welcome at our home,” Derrick said, staring out the window.

  “Well, you definitely understand the letter of the law,” Doug said sarcastically. “There are some people in this town that I don’t want you associating with.”

  “Why? Why Rebecca? Because she dresses different? Because she’s not a cookie-cutter goodie-two-shoes girl like Haley next door? She understands me. She gets what I’m trying to do with my life.”

  “You’re fifteen years old. You don’t know what you want to do with your life,” Doug said.

  “Oh, but you do?”

  Doug pulled into the empty parking lot of a gas station and hit the brakes. “Look at me,” he said, turning to face Derrick. “I may not be your father, but that doesn't mean I don’t care about you. I’ve seen dozens of guys just like you fail at life because they chose to associate with the wrong people. But, I’ve also seen guys with a ton of talent who have made it far in life. I get that you’re young, but the people you choose to put in your life now affect you for the rest of your life.”

  “But Rebecca’s not a bad person, Doug,” he said.

  “Son, Rebecca Winters comes from a bad family. I don’t have enough fingers to count how many times I’ve been called out to her mom’s place. Drugs, alcohol, you name it. Rebecca may grow and leave that environment, but for now, she’s not someone I want you hanging around.” He paused, and Derrick could actually see the man’s chin trembling. “Your mother and you kids are the only family I’ve ever had. I don’t want to see you go down a bad path.”