Capítulo 103: Chapter 2
The rest of my afternoon passed by without incident, although I was expecting Corey to make a comment while we packed up in the maintenance office at the end of the day. He didn't, though, and I wasn't sure that was any better. Now I was forever going to worry if he suspected what was going on between my sisters and me.
"Hey, Corey," I said, shouldering my backpack after changing. "Do you mind not mentioning my visit to anyone? I only just got this job, and I'm not sure what John would do or say."
"What visit?" he asked with a straight face.
"Thanks," I chuckled.
Corey gave me a nod then gathered his things before heading outside. He was gone by the time I followed him, already striding towards the staff parking lot around the rear of the building. He wasn't really one for small talk, but I already liked him more than most people I had met since coming to Australia.
I had my first rehearsal with Craig's band, The Sufferers, today. I had learned the songs that Craig had given me without too much trouble and had practiced a bunch with Emily in the garage. Emily had tried to convince Erica to jump in and give us a hand, but she refused, saying she would rather have her nipples pierced with toothpicks than playing any of their mediocre music. I thought it was a little harsh, but as usual, Erica was just being brutally honest.
Not only was the name; The Sufferers, not a great pick, the music was dull and repetitive. Sure, it was fast and had an element of brutality that I liked in my music, but each song lacked originality, even among the other pieces. Every good songwriter had a particular style, a flair to their work, and it showed through the scales and chords they utilized while writing. I already noticed it with Emily whenever she and I were rehearsing. It was just natural. But Craig seemed to have a firm grip on the songwriting--along with his brother--and it showed in the music. It wasn't terrible, but neither was it anything to write home about. Regardless of how good or bad the music was, I was quite excited to rehearse with a band.
A honk from a car horn caught my attention, and I stopped as Amanda pulled up in her beat-up, mustard-coloured Honda Civic. The eldest of my four siblings shot me a beautiful smile from the driver's seat.
"Ready to go?" Amanda asked.
"Yep, all done," I nodded, rounding the car to climb in the passenger side.
"Are you excited?' Amanda asked as she pulled out of the parking lot.
"Yeah. It should be a lot of fun," I said. "Are you hanging around for rehearsal?"
"I was thinking about it. I hope you don't mind," Amanda replied.
"Not at all. Maybe you'll take over and show us all how it's done," I chuckled.
Amanda smiled a soft, sad smile, and I immediately felt terrible for bringing it up. Emily had told me more than once that Amanda was an amazing musician, but she didn't play anymore because it always reminded her of our father. He had taught her to play, and it had been an exceptional bond between father and daughter. Being the oldest, Amanda had spent far more time around our father than any of our sisters. The twins were relatively young still when he died, and Erica had attached herself to her mother at a young age. Amanda was definitely Daddy's little girl, and it is evident that she hadn't fully healed from her loss.
"I'm sorry," I said, running a hand through my hair.
"It's okay," Amanda shook her head gently. "This is all still new to you."
An awkward silence filled the car from then on, and this time it was me who turned the music up. The CD was of Craig's band--my new band--as it was the first time I sat in Amanda's car. It sounded different now than that ride home from the airport. I had broken down each song into its components to learn it, and now I was listening to the music on a whole different level. I was also far less distracted by the beauty sitting beside me.
I let myself glance over to the goddess sitting in the driver's seat for a few seconds and allowed my eyes to drink her in and imprint her to memory. Amanda's raven hair was thick and wavy today, looking a touch wild but still a brushstroke away from perfection. She wore the same band t-shirt she had the day we met, only this time I was able to pick out the jumble of text on the front for what it said, 'The Sufferers'. It helped that the logo was stretched out across her perfect breasts. I let my eyes roam over her bare legs and imagine what her butt must look like in the tight workout shorts she wore that contrasted strongly against her pale skin. Everything about this woman was absolute perfection.
I had fallen in love with her the moment we'd met.
It turns out the rehearsal studio was just in some guy's garage, a few suburbs away from the girls' house. I didn't have any expectations as to where the band would be practising, but I was kind of expecting a proper rehearsal space. There had been a few around London I knew of and had hung out with a mate's band as they rehearsed. They were usually small and cost a bit per hour, but they were soundproofed well and usually had enough basics for any bands to show up with their gear and play.
That was not the case with this place.
I left my borrowed equipment in the car while I went in to check out the space. Daniel was here already, setting up his bass rig. The small 4x10 cab looked well-loved, but the amplifier he was resting on top was anything but old and cheap. The Hartke 800-watt amplifier would be more than enough for this tiny garage and easily powerful enough for any local pub shows we might play. The five-string Warwick bass--resting in its opened case--also showed the man's appreciation of his art. The brass machine heads gleamed, and the mahogany wood was highly polished and seemed to glow. I wasn't much of a bassist, but I knew enough about the instruments to know which brands and models were fan-favourites.
"Hey, Nick," Daniel grinned, extending a hand to me.
"Hey, man," I replied, taking his hand.
Daniel seemed like a decent guy. He was shorter than me by a few inches, but what he lacked in height he more than made up for in sheer size. The man was almost as broad across the shoulders as two men, and his jet-black hair and beard gave a wild, outlaw look. He had thick, muscular arms and his large, meaty fists looked like they had broken a few noses. But I had heard nothing but nice things about him, even from Erica.
He had been respectful at the party--to both my sisters and me--and I didn't detect any animosity from him. This could have been a real issue considering I'd slept with Jen the first night we'd met. I had known that Daniel and Jen had hooked up--and that he was still interested in her--before meeting her, but I didn't know the guy and hadn't felt any guilt at having sex with her. Hell, I hardly knew her before I was balls deep inside of her while I eye-fucked Erica. Jen hadn't shown any signs of being interested in me after that, so I guessed it probably went unnoticed.
"This place is cosy," I said, glancing around the single-car garage.
"It's a piece of shit," Daniel laughed. "And not my first pick for places to jam."
"Then why are we here?" I asked.
"Because Craig's uncle is a 'sound tech,'" Daniel said, putting exaggerated emphasis on the title. "And he lets Craig practice here for free, and you'll learn rather quickly that it's easier to just let Craig get his way on things like this. Less hassle with him is better."
"You're not really selling this whole band idea," I laughed.
"Just making sure you know what you're in for before you sign on," Daniel said. "Need a hand with your stuff?"
"Yeah, that would be great," I nodded. "Thanks, man."
Amanda had already unloaded most of the gear I was using by the time Daniel and I had finished with our greetings, and we were both a little surprised to find she hadn't asked for any help when moving the heavy amplifier and cab from the back of her car.
"You on steroids or something?" I asked, sizing her up jokingly.
"You don't buy gear like this if you're going to have a guy carry it for you," Amanda winked. "I'm stronger than I look."
"Yeah, I wouldn't fuck with her," Daniel said, holding his hands up, palms outwards in surrender.
"Agreed," I chuckled. "Don't worry, we got it from here. You did the hard part for us."
I rolled the guitar amp into the garage while Daniel grabbed the guitar case and gear bag. Just then, another car pulled into the driveway behind Amanda's. The blue, tray-backed truck was blasting black metal through blown speakers, the tray piled high with equipment and hastily covered with an old, grey tarp that looked to have more holes than material. It definitely wasn't very secure.
Craig jumped out and gave Amanda a quick hug before brushing by her. My sister looked a little put-off but recovered so quickly that I wasn't sure if I imagined the dejected look on her face.
"Hey, dude," Craig said excitedly. "You keen to shred some metal."
"Yeah. I just need to get set up," I replied.
"Awesome. I'm gonna go check in with my uncle real quick," Craig said, already heading towards the house. "If you got time, help Paul with my shit."
"That's code for 'I'm gonna stay inside until I know my shit is set up,'" Daniel sighed. "He does this shit all the time."
"We could just leave it all to his brother," I laughed.
"Damn, new guy," Daniel grinned. "Pushing the boundaries already. I think we're gonna get along fine."
Amanda began helping Paul with his drums, but Daniel switched with her when he noticed Paul was staring at Amanda when she was walking away. I was about ready to chat with him myself--I didn't care If Craig was her boyfriend--but Daniel must have noticed and stepped in.
"Hey, Manda," Daniel called out. "I'll unload the gear if you can set up the rig for Nick. I'm not familiar with your gear."
"No problem," Amanda said, giving Daniel a friendly smile.
A minute later, I spotted Daniel smacking Paul over the back of the head while Amanda wasn't looking. The younger man glared at Daniel but didn't do or say anything. What could he do? Daniel's arms were thicker than his legs, and the big-bearded man could have crushed his head in one hand.
True to Daniel's prediction, all of Craig's equipment was set up before the Fabio look-alike reappeared with a man that I assumed was his uncle. He was of similar build to Craig--only less muscled--with long, mostly grey hair that thinned badly on top and a silly-looking soul patch. He wore one of his nephews' band t-shirts and a pair of too-tight jeans that looked to have never been washed before.
"Uncle Rob, this is our new guitarist, Nick," Craig said, introducing me to his uncle.
"Look at the arms on this one," Rob remarked, slapping me on the bicep. "Looks like he spends more time looking at himself in the mirror than you do, Craig."
Paul let out a peal of laughter that felt forced, but no one found it amusing. Rob didn't seem to notice as he laughed at his own joke, and he only stopped to let his eyes roam over Amanda as she took a seat on a stool just inside the garage door. Was this entire family full of degenerate assholes?
"He's also Amanda's brother," Daniel said.
Rob's eyes snapped away from Amanda and back to me quickly, but he covered any signs of embarrassment or fear quickly behind a cocky grin.
"Didn't know that taco-hut had any brothers," Rob smirked.
I clenched my fist so tight a few of my knuckles popped loud enough for even Craig to hear it because he quickly and calmly stepped between his uncle and me, placing a hand on Rob's shoulder.
"We gotta practice, Uncle Rob. I'll come and chat to you about the album recording after we're done," Craig said, cool as a cucumber.
Rob looked between the assembled people as if realising he had company for the first time, then shrugged and headed back inside. There was a tense moment of silence as if everyone held their breath until the door to the house banged shut.
"Sorry about him," Craig said, turning to me. "He doesn't really have a filter."
"It's fine," I said, relaxing my hand and taking a deep breath. "Not a big deal."
But it was a big deal. Craig was already high on my shit-list because of the way he treated Amanda, and his brother's leering and sleazy looks pushed him right up there too, but their uncle just took the top spot with his apparent lack of giving a shit about anyone's feelings. If I ended up sticking with this band, I'd have to make sure none of the girls came to a rehearsal for as long as we were practicing here. I was even going to make Amanda promise me she wouldn't come.
"Let's play some metal," Craig said before pulling down the garage door.
Unlike at home, this garage had no attempts at soundproofing whatsoever. A pile of boxes in one corner and shelves of old, rusted tools along one wall, next to a rotting wooden table covered by an undistinguishable mound of metal, cloth, and plastic. There was no evidence of care and thought here like there was back home. Emily treated the garage like her own little safe haven where the world could vanish, and there was only the music. Meanwhile, we were about to rehearse in a space that could have been rented out for the Texas Chainsaw Massacre movie.
The first song was a little messy all around as the band adjusted levels. There was no PA system or sound guy to adjust levels, so it was up to each individual to make sure they were loud enough not just for themselves but also for the others. Well, that would have been the case if Craig hadn't just turned his Marshall combo amp up to ten immediately. The speaker crackled softly under strain, and I had to focus harder to hear Daniel's bass over the obnoxiously crunchy tone he favoured.
"Fuck yeah," Craig said once the song finished. "Sounding tight."
We did not sound tight at all. Paul was a decent drummer with evident experience under his belt, but he lacked consistency as he favoured speed over keeping each hit sounding hard and solid. The result made his playing sound out of time with the other jumble of sound bouncing around the horrible rehearsal space.
Craig's guitar parts weren't challenging at all. We essentially played the same thing, with my parts occasionally changing for a short lead or the very occasional solo--which I had re-written. Even with the simple guitarist, Craig seemed to focus more on his vocals to the point where he should just put the guitar down altogether. I knew that wasn't going to happen, so I had to think of a way to fix these issues without sounding like I was coming in and bossing them around. Especially the brothers.
"Craig, you need to turn down, or you'll blow your amp," Daniel said before I could speak up. "That's how you lost the last one."
"Sorry, man. I just get carried away," Craig grinned, then lowered the volume on his amp a touch. It wasn't much, but maybe it would be enough for now.
"And Paul, stop speeding up so much," Daniel complained to the drummer.
"Why don't you speed up?" Paul shot back. "Not my fault you're too slow."
"Your shitty rhythm is proof enough that you can't play that fast either," Daniel laughed.
Craig let out a laugh at his brother too, but Paul just scowled at the both of them before directing it to me and grinning.
"I guess I can play slower for the new guy," he said.
"I think you need to play slower for yourself rather than anyone else," I chuckled, causing Craig and Daniel to laugh as Paul scowled again. "Now, let's quit fucking around and play some metal."
We were rehearsing the songs in the order the others had planned to play them at the gig in three weeks, which meant the first three were rather dull and uneventful--in my opinion--while leaving the last two for their best. With each song we played, we were tighter and tighter as a band, so much that I was genuinely enjoying playing this thrashy, mediocre black metal. Then the final song started, and I couldn't wait to show off the changes I had made.
Out of all of the songs I had learned, the final piece on the list left more room for creativity on my part. It was written with a clear second guitar in mind, and while Craig could play well, he was a definite one-trick pony when it came to writing metal. Instead of the fast, speed-matching tempo along with the chorus that Craig had written, I slowed my part down to half-speed. The melody rang clearer through this section when I played it at half-speed, and it sounded great alongside Daniel's bassline. The change drew an odd look from Craig, but we kept on playing.
I found myself having to play a guessing game of who would speed up or slow down during the following few sections of the song. Paul would get excited and begin a new section way too fast, or Craig would just drop out of timing altogether and not even notice, relying on the rest of us to match him. But for the most part, we sounded like we knew what we were doing.
My solo came up finally, and I was fighting a grin as the previous riff was coming to an end, the signally changes wringing loudly in my ears. Then I glanced over to Amanda, sitting on the stool as she studied the band intently. Studied me intently. Our eyes met, and she quickly glanced away.
My hands reacted before my brain could register, and my solo kicked off. The first few notes sounded a bit flat, but I took control of myself and focused on one thing and one thing alone.
Showing the fuck off for my gorgeous sister.
There was no greater motivator for any metalhead playing in a band than the ability to show off how cool he is and how well he can play for a pretty girl. It was a primary reason most guys played in a band, to begin with. Heads filled with stories from the '80s and the '90s about bands playing to sold-out shows. Girls throwing themselves at the band members and partying all night until you woke up with no memory of what you'd done and two naked women in your bed. That was until you got so shitfaced you tried to snort a line of ants.
I knew there wouldn't be any groupie lining up for me at my first show, nor would there be free booze or drugs--not that I was interested in drugs--but I already had the love and affection of three gorgeous women that I would definitely perform for. And if that performance was appealing to the fourth of my household.
Well...that was just a bonus.
"Why did you change the song?" Craig asked as soon as the song ended. "I gave you the music and tabs to learn."
"I just wanted to add my own flare to it," I shrugged, not wanting to outright tell Craig that I thought his writing sucked.
"Well...that's not how the song goes," Craig replied, placing his guitar down.
"I liked it," Daniel said, taking a swig from a bottle of water.
"Well, good thing you're just the bass player," Paul scoffed.
"How about we trial it during rehearsal and see how we feel about it next week," Daniel said, ignoring Paul's comment.
"Come on, Craig. Just give it a chance," Amanda said, taking Craig's hand but glancing towards me before lowering her eyes.
"Yeah, alright, we'll keep it in the song until next rehearsal and vote on it," Craig said as if it was his idea all along. "Let's run through it again."
We rehearsed the set-list another four times before Craig started losing focus and started playing with his phone more, although Daniel was the one to call it quits as if he needed to be somewhere. Craig acted like he wanted to keep playing, but he disappeared inside almost as soon as his guitar was in its case.
"He does this all the time," Daniel said as I helped him load his gear into the grey station he drove. "I think he likes the idea of being in a band more than actually doing anything with the band. He loses interest quickly and usually leaves his shit to be packed up last."
"Why do you play with him then?" I asked, picking up the case for his spare instrument. Daniel brought a backup where he went.
"Not many bands around looking for a bassist," he shrugged.
"I find that hard to believe. A decent bassist back home would play for three or four bands," I said. "And you're more than just decent."
"Thanks," Daniel chuckled. "Unfortunately, it isn't like that here. You see, everyone's friend plays guitar, and with so many guitarists, a lot of them switch to bass just to get a spot in a band. Just ask your sister. Emily is one of the most talented bassists I know, and she struggles to find people to play with. Most guys just offer her a spot so they can try to get in her pants."
"I do remember her mentioning something about this," I said softly.
"I feel sorry for her. She is a good kid and deserves a real shot at what she loves. Unfortunately, most of the guys in the band scene are just assholes with instruments," Daniel said, then nodded over his shoulder to Paul, who was struggling to loosen a piece of his kit. "Case in point."
We laughed softly but cut it off when Amanda came over. Paul was a dick, but he was also Craig's brother, and as unhappy as she seemed to be with the Fabio clone, he was her boyfriend.
"I'll give you a hand packing up, and then we gotta go," Amanda said.
"No problem. You all good, man?" I asked Daniel.
"I got this," Daniel nodded. "It was a pleasure jamming with you, man. You sounded great."
"Thanks," I said, giving Daniel a bro-like fist bump.
"You two seemed to be getting along," Amanda said when I wheeled the heavy cab over to her car.
"Yeah. But something doesn't sit right with me," I said.
"What's that?" Amanda asked with a concerned look.
"How the hell did you end up with Craig with Daniel around," I laughed. "He is such a nice guy and actually looks whoever he is speaking to."
"Don't you start too," Amanda sighed. "I get enough shit from the others at home. I don't need it from you too."
"I was only playing," I grinned. "Consider me officially on your side when it comes to this topic, and I'll even tell the others to back off."
"I guess you'd have a better chance of making them listen to you than I would these days," Amanda smirked, lifting the guitar case to slide into the back of her car.
"I can be very persuasive," I said, resting my hand on the small of her back softly as she straightened. Amanda's body stiffened, but then I felt her lean into my touch.
"What are you doing," Amanda asked, her voice so soft I almost didn't hear her.
"Nothing at all," I said, sliding my thumb back and forth just a touch. Her butt was right there. All I needed to do was lower my hand a few inches, and I would finally get to feel the glory that was Amanda's ass. But I held my ground. I had a feeling Amanda had the same idea when her hips gyrated just a touch.
The door to the house slammed shut, and I quickly stepped away from Amanda to grab the rest of my gear. I glanced towards the house to see Craig walking back to the garage. With the attention he was paying his phone, it wasn't likely he saw anything suspicious. He was so oblivious most of the time, I could be making out with Amanda right in front of him, and he would still be caught up in his own reflection.
"I gotta head out," Craig said to his brother. "Pack up my shit for me. Rob is gonna give you a lift home."
"Wait for me, and I'll come," Paul said, hurriedly stuffing a drum into its bag.
"Not this time," Craig said, then strode over to Amanda. "I gotta run, babe. See you tomorrow."
The two shared a long kiss before parting, and Craig turned back to his phone almost immediately before heading towards his car. The kiss made me feel a little uncomfortable, but it was the lack of empathy Craig showed towards Amanda after it ended that made my blood boil. Who the fuck did this guy think he was? Why couldn't he see and appreciate just how amazing this woman was.
"It's okay," Amanda said, placing a hand on my arm. "He isn't always like this."
"You deserve so much better," I said through gritted teeth.
"What about being on my side," Amanda asked with a soft smile, clearly attempting to calm me down.
"Starting now," I sighed. "I'm...starting now."
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