Page 31 of The Art of Us

Bailey smirked. “Pick up your sticks, and let’s play. We don’t have a lot of time before we have to get to Geppetto’s,” she said, settling herself in front of her drums.

She was right. The late afternoon light coming from the back building’s windows was now so dim that it cast elongated shadows across the whole space. They plugged in and started rehearsing the songs they’d agreed to play for the night.

Asha adjusted the strap on her shoulder and struck the first few chords, her fingers dancing along the fretboard, producing an upbeat sound to set the tone for the song. Cooper on bass added depth to the melody, and Bailey smiled full on as she powered through the complex rhythm, her sticks a controlled sort of chaos. Kal was pretty sure the only time Bailey smiled with her whole face like that was when she played.

The celebratory song, “Cry Free!,” burst with positive energy. Asha had written it, and the song seemed to match her personality. Kal began to sing the lyrics, with Asha joining in after the first stanza. When they got to the chorus, Cooper joined in.

Cause we’re livin’ in the moment, lookin’ to a future so bright,

We’re dancin’ in the moonlight all through the night.

Come take my hand. We’ll make new memories.

We’re gonna shout out to the world, “I am free!”

This particular song had done well for them. The audience loved it. They loved shouting “I am free” along with the band. By the third night they’d played it, they’d gained a modest following of people who came just to hear that song. It was fun and shifted Kal’s mood as he locked into the music, lifting the energy of the back building into something light, making him feel as free as the song declared him to be.

It ended with the last beat of Bailey’s sticks on her drums, and they all burst out laughing—even Bailey. It didn’t matter how many times they played it; that song always set the tone for a good time.

Even Cooper seemed lighter. They played a couple more songs, then gathered their gear and headed to Geppetto’s.

Kal’s anxiety spiked again. Would Ireland be there already, waiting for him? Wasden had promised to not mention Kal when he handled things with Ireland.

When he walked into the restaurant, his eyes scanned through all the people, but he didn’t see her. Ireland wasn’t there yet.

“You look like you might be sick, Superman. You okay?” Asha asked.

“Me? Sure. ’Course.”

She clapped his back. “You looking for Lois Lane?”

“Lois Lane?”

“Ireland. I see the way you light up when she’s around. It’s magic, I tell you. I even started writing a song about it. I’ll let you see it when it’s done.”

“She’s just a friend.”

“Right. And I’m just an average guitarist ... See what I did there? Because youknowthere is nothing average about me, and there’s nothing as average as basic friendship with you and this girl.”

Kal grinned at her. “Nothing average at all.”

“Who’s average?” Cooper had joined them.

Asha made a tsking sound. “Well, Coop, we didn’t want to make you feel bad or anything, but yeah, we’ve been talking about your lack of practice lately ...”

Cooper’s face splotched like a crushed tomato. “You kidding me? Check these calluses and tell me I don’t practice.”

Kal and Asha both laughed. “Dude, she’s messing with you.You know you’re a rockstar. Let’s go play and show off all your practice.”

Asha checked her pink-rhinestone-bedazzled phone. “Yep. We’re up.”

As the band got into place, Kal swept his gaze over the audience once again to search for any sign of Ireland. Was she not coming? Had she ended up in a home where they didn’t let her go out with her friends? What if he’d landed her in a situation that was worse than her living alone in the woods?

That wouldn’t make sense. They had a date. Whoever she went to live with would understand that. Right? He really should’ve talked to Wasden before he’d left school. It would be good to know where Ireland was going and what her life would look like once she got there.

He took a deep breath as Asha led with the first few chords. He forced thoughts of Ireland out of his head for the moment. He had to stay present so he didn’t mess things up for the band. They had a good gig with Geppetto’s and had even booked a few extra appearances outside of the restaurant. Not that he thought they were going to be the next big-deal band, but what they did was good and fun. And he didn’t want to be the reason they broke up. He began to sing, with Asha joining in after a moment.

They were almost through the second set with only two songs left, and Ireland still hadn’t shown up. That could only mean she wasn’t going to show up at all. Kal just had to face the fact. He hated it, but what could he do? The smell of baking cheeses and meats churned his stomach for the first time ever. He didn’t want to be there anymore. He had every intention of leaving as soon as this last set was done.

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