~Dan~
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"One! Two! Three!" Hunter hit his drumsticks together and started playing the song that we were rehearsing for our next gig. Hunter's older brother had a party this weekend and he was paying us a hundred bucks to be the entertainment. So it was safe to say that we needed our practice.

I allowed myself to become lost in the music as I sang and played the guitar. I loved the feeling that music gave me. It allowed me to escape from reality from just a little while. And sometimes, that's all I needed. Sometimes I would get stressed out by the amount of homework that I would have or I would be nervous about an upcoming test and just playing my guitar and singing songs that I so dearly loved helped me relax. And this time is no different. I will always get the same happy feeling inside whenever I did anything related to music (including listening to it.)

*****

"And that's a wrap!" I told the guys after we had practiced a song a few times. "We don't want to destroy our voices like we did that one time."
"Oh yeah, my throat was sore for days!" Grayson, the bass guitarist for our band, agreed. "I don't want to go back to that dark time."
"I agree with Grayson." Hunter nodded. "It would be terrible for Death Kiss' well-being."
Yes, Death Kiss really is the name of our band. Hunter, Grayson, and I formed the band when we were in middle school (That's what the Americans called it) during our emo phase. And it's much too late to change our name now because no one would know who we were. That, and none of us have any better ideas.

"I'll see you guys tomorrow!" I waved as they walked home. Grayson had his guitar on his back and was helping Hunter with his drum set. I was surprised that Hunter didn't get annoyed with moving that thing from place to place honestly.
Nonetheless, I headed back inside where my parents were standing near the stove and my younger brother was sitting at the table waiting for dinner to be ready.
"Oh good!" Mom smiled as I joined my brother Adrian at the table. "I was just getting ready to go out and call you in for dinner."
"But don't you think Dan being on time for dinner is a little strange?" Adrian asked, smirking at me. "I mean, he's always late for everything after all."
I rolled my eyes and decided to also have some fun with him. "It's quite surprising that Adrian remembered that I have a problem with being late since he always seems to be forgetting stuff."
"That's quite enough boys." Mom laughed. "Come up and get yourselves some dinner."
Although he was skinny like me, Adrian loved to eat a lot. I swear, almost every single time I see him, he's eating something. It's nearly impossible to feed the kid until he's full.

"Got enough there?" I teased seeing Adrian's plate piled with food.
"Yes. Thanks for asking."
I smiled at him as Mom and Dad joined us at the dinner table.
"So Dan, how are things going with the band?" Mom asked with a big smile on her face. Both her and Dad, her especially, were huge supporters of my band. That made me really happy because when the band was first formed, I was really worried that my parents were going to disapprove and tell me to go for something "more practical". But, much to my surprise, there were overjoyed when I told them. Mom even cried during our first gig.
"Wonderful." I smiled. "We're the entertainment at Hunter's older brother's party this weekend."
"Oh honey, that's wonderful!"
"Yeah, Dan's so great." Adrian mumbled sarcastically, stabbing his food with his fork.
"How are things going with you Adrian?" Dad asked him.
"Oh, just great." He replied, still not looking up from his food.
"Wonderful." Mom beamed. "I'm so glad that you're finally adjusting."
"Yeah yeah." Adrian rolled his eyes. "America's okay I guess. I kinda miss causing antics in London though."
Adrian was the very reason that my parents had decided to pack up our bags and move all the way to Ohio. Cincinnati Ohio to be exact. We moved here right before I was supposed to be going into Year Seven (Yes, I still use those terms. I really am a Londoner.) and I met Hunter and Grayson about two or three months after I moved here. On the other hand, Adrian's managed to himself expelled from his sixth school and we had to move from Columbus (Which is where we started out) to Cincinnati because of it. He's always doing stupid shit in order to get attention and it's really fucking annoying. He really needs to learn to grow up.

*****

Later that night when I had finished my homework, I laid down in my bed and put on some Muse. As I listened to them, I thought about just how much I wanted to go to one of their concerts. Maybe I could meet them and the band and I could play a song or two for them.
Or maybe they could autograph my guitar.
No, stop it Dan. That's probably not going to happen so just get it out of your head right now.

When we graduate, we're gonna be big! Some label's gonna find us and the next we know, we'll be going on tour!
Hunter, relax. We're only freshman! Let's worry about actually getting our high school diplomas before we worry about the band!
Grayson's right dude. If we've got school holding us back, we won't be making it very far.

Would my dream of becoming a musician really come true? Or is it way too impossible for some dorky British boy like me to achieve?