“I’m game. Did you mic my drums yet, Drea?”
“Yep.” We’d finally moved her drum kit over yesterday, but she’d played for only five minutes before Grandma had major issues. No drums after sunset, she said. I guess she feared they would attract vampires or something.
“Sweet! I can’t stay for long, though. My dad is taking me out to dinner tonight,” she said.
“That’s good, right?” I asked.
She shrugged. “As long as he shows up.”
I insisted on riding in the back today. The thought of being so close to Justin made me nervous. If he didn’t know how I felt before, he certainly did now. Kari sucked. And so did Naomi for teasing me so much in the locker room.
“So, did you totally shoot Kari down, or what?” Naomi asked as we turned onto Holly Street.
“She made a move on me, and I told her I wasn’t interested. Took her home.”
“Let me guess. She either gave you a shoulder rub or just leaned in and kissed you. I’m guessing the first one —she uses that on the good boys.”
I peeked at Justin in the rearview mirror, and his eyes met mine. I hadn’t told Naomi about him.
“Neither,” he said. “Anyway, she took it personally and wouldn’t let it drop. So I’ve been avoiding her.”
“Sounds like Kari.” Naomi tapped her knuckles against the window. “Be forewarned—that girl can hold quite the grudge.”
“I’m not losing sleep over it.”
I tried to hold back a smile but failed.
“You don’t think she’s hot at all?” Naomi asked. “Because everything else with a dick does.”
“Sure, but she’s not my type.”
“You prefer brainy redheads with music addictions, right?”
I kicked the back of her chair.
“Ow, hi. Base of my spine here.” Naomi shifted in her seat.
“As long as it’s
I stared out the window for the rest of the car ride.
I deconstructed Naomi’s face with my HI-8 video camera, moving from her full lips to the crinkle in her brow. The beauty and the flaws—every unique freckle. This was how I saw people.
“She smiles with grace, but no one recalls her face.” Naomi swayed in front of the microphone, shoe tapping the floor. “Invisible. Carved between the walls. She can scream your name, but you don’t hear her at all.”
I moved the frame to the right. Justin’s fingers hammered their way into the chorus. His eyelashes fluttered against his pale cheeks and his shoulders gently swayed. Black or white—he owned every key.
I loved watching them create their magic. That’s what it was to me, really. I could hear everything wrong with a mix, produce a vocal to death, and create a billion different sounds, but I couldn’t play a melody that made me shiver.
Naomi tilted her head back. Her face contorted with each word. “She knows her place in this world. She can tear down its walls, and still nobody knows her name. Yeah, she knows her place. But she’s not going down… without a fight.”
Too bad today was just practice. I was getting some great shots.
She tore the headphones off and hooted. “Okay, that rocked.”
I turned back to the computer and made sure the vocal track recorded properly. “You really nailed this take, Naomi. I think I can pretty much use the whole thing.”
“Pretty much?” Justin asked. “Use it all—in its entirety. The flaws make the emotion come through even more.”
I double clicked on the track. “Yeah, but—”
“Yeah, but nothing,” he broke in. “Put your ’verb and delay on it—just don’t chop it up.”
Naomi squealed. “I can’t wait to hear the whole thing! I like the bass line you did, Drea.” She wrapped her arms around my shoulders and kissed my cheek. “It’s groovy.”
“Thanks,” I said, wiping the wet spot she left behind.
She plopped in Justin’s lap and sighed. “You, sir, are a piano god.”
He winced as she gave him a juicy kiss on the forehead. “Are you on something again, Naomi?”
“I’m high on music. Lighten up,
“I think she’s happy about seeing her dad tonight,” I said.
“No, no,” she said. “It’s the music. Hey, we should play ‘Dawn’ for Justin. I want to record that next.”
“You up for it?” I asked him.
“I play by ear. No preparations needed.” He smiled.
