Page 9 of Rock Out Together
I get why he’s frustrated.
I also I get why he’s not giving up.
Norrie steps back and rubs his eyes in frustration. I can’t blame him. I feel the same way—impatient, exasperated, and mostly helpless.
"We’re here to play," Norrie says finally. "We’re here to work together."
Cody shakes his head. "No," he says. "I’m here to play the way I know I can.”
"This isn’t just you," Sebastian pleads. His voice cracking, and I see for the first time how much he’s trying to reason with his brother.
"It’s not just you, either," Cody retorts.
His arms drop to his sides for a second, like he’s giving up, like he’s about to walk away. But then he closes in and grabs the neck of his brother’s guitar. Sebastian doesn’t flinch. Not at first.
I can tell it’s going to get ugly. I brace myself for the moment the guitars get smashed, for everything to crash to the floor, for fists, for…
This time, they’re not stopping.
This time, it’s going to be worse.
Otis sets his sticks down in anticipation of the fight to come.
I can’t do this. I get ready to run, to not stop and never look back.
Suddenly, Norrie’s between them. "We’re here to play the damn music," he shouts, louder than I’ve ever heard him. "Not to tear each other apart."
The room falls silent.
"We can’t do it unless we all work together,” Norrie continues with a shake of his head.
For the moment, there’s no more shouting.
For the moment, nobody is leaving.
"We’re not kids anymore," Sebastian addresses his brother. I expect him to end on a derogatory comment. But there isn’t one.
"You’re both acting like it," Norrie retorts.
And then it’s silent again.
I can feel the tears pricking at the corner of my eyes. This situation brings back memories that are painful and unforgiving.
My hands tremor on the keyboard, producing an unearthly sound. All eyes in the room turn to me. They see me, the real me for the first time, not the girl I hide behind with the bright red hair. They see the one who was broken in high school and needs this band to put her back together again.
"Let’s see if we can make this work." Norrie comes to me and places his hand over mine on the keyboard, changing the eerie notes to a melody of calm.
Sebastian grabs his pick. "Together.”
Begrudgingly, Cody nods at his brother before adjusting his guitar strap and standing next to him.
The tension in the room shifts to something I haven’t felt in a long time—a frisson of excitement.
Norrie steps back to his mic, center stage, and Otis launches into the first bar of the song.
Cody and Sebastian wait, watching each other to see who’s going to start first.
"It’s your call," Sebastian offers. "We’ll play it your way."
