Battle of the Bands Read Free Page B

but it’s a short drive, and a couple of us can lie down in the backseat or something. It’ll be okay.”
    And it is okay, at first. Don says no problem, he’ll take us. Next day we go in his car, and we’re at the other school in time for the first band’s opening number. We spread out, try to act like we belong. A couple of kids give us sideways looks, but nobody asks us what we’re doing there.
    Me, I don’t even pay attention to the other bands. They’re bad. What I do is try to catch sight of Rowan. What is it about that girl? I should be cold toward her because she’s like the enemy, but for some reason I just wish I could talk to her. I think I see her once. There’s this flash of silky black hair on the far side of the gymand I crane my neck. But no. Suddenly I get a strange prickle down the back of my neck and I turn, and there she is.
    Rowan is looking at me with that same little half smile she wore in the music store and there’s this jolt in my gut. She knows who I am, I can tell. This time I try to smile back. I feel like a little kid who’s been caught doing some dumbass thing like passing a note in class. A note that says, “You’re cute,” or something really lame like that.
    She tilts her head to one side and I think she’s going to say something, but then the crowd starts this chant, “Raynor! Indigo! Raynor!” Rowan looks startled, but then she’s gone, slipping away like water through fingers.
    Raynor? What does that mean? And why does it sound so familiar? I don’t have time to figure it out, not totally, because there she is on stage. Her guitar is hugged close to her body and, damn, I’m jealous of a guitar! The crowd is still chanting, “Raynor! Indigo! Raynor!” When Rowanputs up her hand and everyone cheers, I get it. They’re calling her Raynor. Duh. That’s her last name. So she’s Rowan Raynor. Something else about that still bugs me, but when she lays into her guitar, a Gibson Firebird, and the sound comes alive, I forget about that. I just listen.
    That girl can play. Her fingers dance over the strings so swift and easy I’m hit with an image of leaves in the wind. It looks so natural, so right. And then she starts to sing and her voice is like a comet flying, burning its way across the galaxy. Burning its way into me. I’m so into her color that I barely catch the words. Color? Yeah, the sound is like gold and purple, intense. She’s singing about loss and goodbye and I feel sad, so sad I might start crying. How can she do that to me? I swallow and look around and everyone is caught in her fire. Some girls, guys too, have tears on their cheeks.
    When the song ends I think it’s time to get out of there. This was too much, too disturbing on every level. But then Rowanis singing again and there’s no way I’m leaving. I barely notice when Cia and Kel come up and start pulling me away. I’m outside, blinking in the sunshine, before I come back to the present.
    â€œHurry up, Jay! We’re going to be late!”
    â€œHuh?”
    â€œMan, what’s the matter with you? You look like you’re high. You haven’t been smoking up, have you?”
    â€œWhat? No. What are you talking about?”
    â€œForget it. Let’s just get in the car.”
    So we get in the car and we’re almost back to our school when we get pulled over by a cop.

Chapter Six
    The cop is wearing one of those rock-hard faces as he asks for Don’s driver’s license. Don is shaking and stuttering. We forgot about hiding in the backseat.
    â€œYou are aware that your novice license allows only
one
non-family passenger, are you not?” The cop’s tone is nasty.
    â€œYessir. I am. I guess I forgot. It was just a short drive, doing a favor for my friends here...”
    â€œToo bad your friends aren’t doing you any favors.” The cop shakes his head