Page 8 of Rock Out Together
"Is this what you want?" Cody yells back, playing louder, harder, trying to drown me out.
"It's a start," I say, giving him a smile he probably wants to knock off my face.
We keep playing, despite the friction, and for a moment it almost feels right. Then Cody’s fingers hesitate, faltering on a chord. I hear the slip and look right at him, my expression daring him to keep up. He sees me watching, and his jaw tightens even more, if that's possible.
He doesn’t stop, though, he just shifts to a different chord, one that fits better. I nod, not even sure if he catches it, because he doesn’t look up. He doesn’t want my approval. The tension's still there, always, but now there's a flicker ofsomething else, something alive and promising. Norrie was right. We’re stronger together than apart.
We finish the song, the last note ringing out into the momentary stillness.
I give Cody another look and watch the strain on his face finally fading away as he realizes just what we have together.
"See?" I respond. "No bloodshed."
"Not yet," he mutters rolling his eyes at me. "If you’re staying, don’t screw this up," he warns, voice low and threatening.
I know he’s offering me a fragile truce rather than an end to hostilities, but I’ll take that as a win.
"If I'm staying?” It’s posed as a question, but I already know I’m in. I’ve been in since the moment I first walked through the door.
I set my guitar down with a gentle thud, looking around at the four misfits in front of me. We’ve all tried to make it separately but never together. The brutal truth is we're a mess. There are still so many issues that need resolving, but for the first time, it feels like we might actually come together as a band. Maybe even the one I've been searching for, for so long. Now I need to make sure my brother and I can become close, like we once were.
Nodding, I confirm, “I’m in.”
five
. . .
Ruby
It’s been a long day.Every note I play feels cramped in my head at the moment, crowded out by Cody and Sebastian and the fight they keep having over and over. Otis hides behind his drum set while Norrie growls with frustration.
"Let’s rework your riff right here," Sebastian suggests.
"That’s not how I wrote it. You don’t get it," Cody snorts back, threatening to erupt in an explosion of annoyance. He slams his fists onto the top of his amp.
Sebastian doesn’t flinch. "Just give it a chance," he pleads.
Otis’ sticks tap faster and faster behind me, it’s as if he’s counting down to the inevitable eruption between the brothers.
"I like it." Otis clicks his tongue against his cheek. "Seb’s idea,” he clarifies. “We should, uh. We should try it."
He’s half-standing now, craning over his kit to see if hecan make eye contact with Norrie, but Norrie’s still watching and not jumping in. Not stopping this, yet. Maybe he’s letting the brothers hash it out this time, except Cody and Sebastian don’t hash things out. They snide at each other and bicker constantly and have been doing it all day, leading to the pounding in my head.
"You don’t have to be here," Cody’s still looking at Sebastian.
"I am here," Sebastian sighs. "And I hear potential."
Cody isn’t yelling, but he’s intense enough that I keep bracing for it. For him to really snap, for the amps to blow, for the room to catch on fire.
"I wrote it that way for a reason." Cody’s getting closer now to the inevitable explosion.
There’s no room between him and Sebastian, and no room for us to breathe as we watch on. I can’t handle the tension. It reminds me so much of all that is wrong in my life.
"So, rework it," Sebastian says, like it’s the easiest thing to do. Then again, Sebastian believes everything is easy.
"Together," Norrie finally speaks.
"This isn’t working." Cody refuses to back down, but he doesn’t drop his guitar or walk out. He just stands there.
