[A/N] Song for this chapter is Social Casuality by 5SOS  :)

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This week and the one after flew by. Between the heavy loads of homework each night and the billions of club meetings held after school, my days have been completely and utterly crazy.

But the craziest thing of all is that Luke toned down his bullying... big time. Although my thumb is still in an annoying metal cast, he hasn't even muttered an insult to me about it or anything else. I'm praying that this change is permanent and isn't the calm before the storm.

"Who's excited for the band auditions tomorrow?" Al asks as he takes a seat at our table.

"Me!" Charlie and I yell in-sync, laughing as we say jinx at the same time, too. 

"Yeah, me too. Let's hope we get a good turn out," Al replies, shoving a sandwich into his mouth. 

We continue to chit-chat about the auditions tonight with hopes that the band can find a good drummer.

* * * * *

The rest of the day goes by pretty quickly, and I feel a desperate need to talk to Shay. We haven't been hanging out recently, and I feel an empty void in my life without her.

"Hey, Shay, wait up!" I yell, running to catch up with her. The cool, fall wind sends my hair flying behind me as my sneakers clomp against the sidewalk. I leap around people to catch up to my best friend.

"Hey, slow down," I yell again. I'm completely out of breath when I catch her by the shoulder. 

Shay looks at me, glaring, and shakes me off. She walks ahead of me, wrapping her coat around her body tighter as her hazel eyes focus on the road ahead.

I catch up with her once more, tripping over a drop in the sidewalk in the process. "Shay, seriously, what's wrong?"

"You didn't tell me!" she angrily yells.

"About what?" I ask, confused.

She groans. "You didn't tell me about your kiss with Aaron. You realize Karissa was the one told me before my own best friend did."

...Oh. I sort of forgot about that after all this time has passed.

She raises her eyebrow as a silence falls over us. "Yup, that's what I thought," she indignantly says, crossing her arms.

"Look," I explain. "I really didn't want to tell you because I'm ashamed of it. It was in the moment and--"

"Ashamed!?" Shay cries out. "Why? He seems like such a nice boy."

I scoff, rolling my eyes. "He's cousins with Luke... and didn't even tell me!"

"That's even more of a reason to tell me that you kissed him."

I shake my head at her oblivion. "And you don't see anything wrong with that picture? Of both of them being freaking cousins?"

"Ever hear of the saying 'you can pick your friends but not your family'?" she remarks.

I don't say anything.

"Hmm, that's what I thought."

She turns around to walk away, but I grab her arm to stop her. "So are we good or...?" I cautiously ask.

 She searches my eyes for a couple of long seconds before sighing, her shoulders sagging. "Fiiine," she drags out, "but next time, just tell me. I won't judge, I promise."

"Okay, deal," I agree. "Thanks for understanding."

"Sure, sure. Now, can we please head home? I'm starting to get cold."

I laugh as we continue to walk side-by-side for a couple of minutes. Right as I'm about to turn down my street, Shay catches me by my arm. "Was the kiss good, at least?"

I fumble to come up with a coherent answer. Was it good? Heck yes! Do I want to admit that? Heck no!

She lets out a giggle, letting go of my arm, as she says, "I'll take that as a yes."

* * * * *

Audition day is today, and I really hope that Charlie and Al can find another great addition to the band. I really, REALLY want them to with the competition this year, too. Out of the 20 drummers that signed up, I'm sure we can find one that will fit into the band perfectly.

"Okay, let's get this thing started!" Charlie yells, clapping his hands together to get everyone's attention. 

A silence falls over the large group as Charlie begins to talk, "I want each person to come one at a time downstairs to perform an audition piece of your choice. We already have a set of drums set up down there, so everything's ready to go. Whoever is the best is in the band!"

All of the guys nod and smile, some even clapping and hooting. After they quiet down, Charlie points to a random kid sitting cross-legged on the ground. "Dude, you're up first."

The four of us head out of the living room and downstairs to Al's basement. A shiny, red drum set is arranged in front of a table with three folding chairs. We all take a seat at our respective places, and allow the drummer to do his thing.

This happens again and again and again until we finally get through all of the contenders. Although most of the performers were good, many of them lack the passion that I was personally looking for. I'd give most of them a seven out of ten.

"Well, that was okay, I guess," Al grumbles, "but no one really stuck out to me."

"None of them were even that hot, either" I comment, groaning and rubbing my eyes.

Charlie rises from his seat and paces around to stretch out his legs. "I don't even remember who just drummed for us. My brain is shot, and I can't think straight anymore."

A loud commotion rumbles throughout Al's large house. It sounds like everyone upstairs is either cheering or booing. I look at my friends, and they are just as puzzled as I am. Right as I'm about to go upstairs to investigate, two sets of heavy footsteps pound on the stairs, as if they're rushing to reach us.

"Wait for us!" a southern-accented voice yells. Aaron descends the stairs and reaches us, tripping over his own two feet. "We want to audition, too!" he pants, wiping sweat off his brow.

"We?" Charlie questions.

"Yeah, we," a voice yells, clomping down the stairs.

I cannot believe that I'm about to say this, but Luke and Aaron, both clad in band t-shirts and ripped-up skinny jeans, smile at us. They wait patiently for an answers, seeing nothing wrong with the situation.

"No," I mutter in disbelief, getting up from my chair and turning to Charlie. "No no no no no. Please, don't let them audition."

Charlie lets out a shaky breathe of air, stressfully running his hands through his hair. "I know where you're coming from, Charlie, but we have to give them a fair chance."

"What? No, please," I practically beg, panicking at the mere thought of Charlie becoming bandmates with the two meanest, craziest people on this planet.

"Alright, look," Charlie says. "If you both want to audition, by all means, knock yourselves out. Just be prepared that you may receive feedback that isn't so pleasant to the ears."

I angrily sit back down onto the uncomfortable folding chair, crossing my arms as I glare at both Aaron and Luke from across the room. Aaron's hazel eyes lock with mine , and he freezes. Our staring contest lasts for what feelings like the longest minute of my life before he bravely decides to mouth the words "I'm sorry."

I look away, suddenly finding my shoes to be incredibly interesting. 

"Alright, we're ready," Luke announces.

Charlie and Al settle in their seats, waiting for the show to start. Luke coughs once to clear his throat and places his hands on his shiny, black guitar. Aaron bangs his drumsticks together four times before banging on his drums with a unexpected sense of mastery.

"When it feels like you're on top of the world, you're really in the valley," Luke sings, his voice sounding shockingly beautiful.

He sings the entire first verse, his fingers expertly strumming his sleek guitar. "The highs are the lows, and the lows are unforgiving. How am I supposed to climb when you're holding me back?"

I am shocked by the scenario playing out before my eyes. First off, I didn't know that Luke has an amazing voice. Secondly, I had no idea that Aaron could play the drums with such ease and finesse. Though I don't want to admit it, it is undeniable that they are both fantastic.

When the song ends, Charlie and Al rise to their feet, giving them a standing ovation. Even I find myself clapping.

"That was amazing!" Al laughs, bouncing around the basement.

Luke nods politely, taking off his guitar and propping it up against the drum set. Aaron adjusts his bandanna with his calloused hands, glancing at me. My heart beat involuntarily quickens and resumes its normal pattern once his eyes flash to Charlie and Al.

"I think we have ourselves some clear winners here," Charlie says, playfully punching Aaron in the shoulder and shaking Luke's hand. "Welcome to the band, you two!"

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[A/N] Here's a long chapter for you all to make up for my pathetic one last week. Remember to vote and comment. Please note that this will be entered in the Wattys 2014 :) -Jamie