Page 39 of Falling Faster
Ty stands beside Zander, but his smile is all for me.
One hand on the mic stand, Cody turns to me. "What song should we do?"
"Better Days Ahead?" The song, the last one we recorded back in December, is the first that comes to mind. I play the opening chord.
Patrick joins in, then Devon, and it's like no time has passed at all. Cody's voice caresses the lyrics, and I can't stop the smile from overtaking my face. This is perfect.
To my left, Brendan and Landry stand with Ty, Zander, and Luke. Having The Fury watch us play gives me a rush, a twisting mix of nerves and pride. My best friends are here with me and no matter what happens or what anyone thinks of our sound, nothing can take away sharing this experience.
Beside me, Cody sways as he sings and gives me a thumb's up when I add my voice to the chorus. Devon, at home behind the drum kit, nods his head along with the beat he taps out. Keeping in sync with Devon, Patrick wanders closer to him, and the two grin at each other.
The song flows seamlessly, as if we just performed it yesterday instead of months ago. Between Cody's confident command of the words, and Devon, Patrick, and I nailing the notes and rhythm, no one misses a beat.
We come to the song's end, with Cody's voice hanging in the air for the final note, unadorned with instruments. He dips his head in a dramatic pose, holding the mic stand like he would a lover. Then he pops back up, and grins.
The Fury and Ty break into applause, and Landry whistles. Ty beams at us. "That. Was. Awesome."
"Great sound, Cody." Brendan salutes him with a mini-pack of gummy bears, his trademark treat. "Nice job on bass, Patrick. Devon, you killed it, too. Let's hear it for the rhythm section."
"Thanks, Bren." Patrick reaches over the drum kit to high-five Devon.
"You're as good as always, man." Brendan tosses me one of his mini-packs. I set it beside my guitar case.
When I turn back, he is on the opposite side of the room, joining his bandmates in a huddle. My throat thickening, I glance from Patrick to Cody to Devon. "This really was something."
Cody sets the mic on the stand. "It was everything. Damn, I've missed us."
Devon catches my gaze. Taking a deep breath, he brushes his hand through his hair. "I have, too. Craig and I were talking last night. I'd like us, as a band, to do more, if we can."
Patrick's eyes narrow in concern and he wanders close to the drum kit again before throwing a questioning look my way. "Sure, Dev, whatever you need."
Off to the side, Luke, Zander, Brendan, and Landry are still huddled together in a whispered conversation, one that's causing Ty's eyes to grow wide. His gaze flicks to mine and he mouths,Wow.
The quad separates then joins us. Luke claims the space close to the mic, his natural place. "Honestly, you blew us away."
Pride puffs me up. The guys and I exchange grins. "Thanks, bud."
Zander stands shoulder to shoulder with him. "So much that we'd like to sign your band to our label."
Surprise keeps me frozen in place. I'm sure my expression mirrors the shock on my friends' faces. Cody gasps. "You want to sign us?"
Luke and Brendan nod, while Zander and Landry both open their mouths and start talking at the same time.They stop, laugh, and Zander gestures for Landry to go ahead.
"We enjoyed the hell out of spending time with you guys last night, watching you all interact then and today. Listening to you play together, we know you have something special," Landry says.
"Devon and I talked last night about music and performing and what went down when he and Cody left LA." With a gentle squeeze to Cody's shoulder, Luke sends him then Devon a sympathetic smile. "It was a good talk."
Devon glances at me. Guilt stamps his features and his shoulders curl him inward. "I wasn't trying to go over anyone. Luke's a good listener."
I wave away his worry as I set my guitar in its case. "I'm not angry. We were going to talk to Cody and Patrick this weekend anyway."
"You were? About what?" Hugging himself, Cody inches toward Patrick, and Patrick shifts his bass aside and wraps a protective arm around Cody's shoulders.
"About what I said a minute ago, how I want us to do more. I need it." Color staining his cheeks, Devon stammers and steps out from behind the drum kit. "I'd love for the four of us to have a real shot at making something. But I was afraid it was too late, that we blew our chance."
Luke flicks a guitar pick between his fingers in a move that I’ve seen him do often enough to know half the time he doesn’t realize he’s doing it. "I don't believe in too late, or only having one chance. Do you know how many chances we've had?" He gestures to his bandmates. "Hell, these guys alone have given me several. If you have supportive people by your side, you can do anything."
Zander's hand comes down on Luke's shoulder. Their friendship has made headlines. Through thick and thin,they've been there for each other. "With us behind you, you'd have all the support and resources you'd need."
