I followed JD back to his place that he referred to as the 'band house.' It looked like it was held together by strings and tape, but it was exactly what I expected for a group of guys our age. I wasn't expecting a mansion or a five-star resort.

I had seen a lot worse.

JD led me through the kitchen and over to the basement door. Liquor bottles were lining the counters. Almost every inch was covered with some different kind of bottle that was about half full. They were drinkers, but I was hoping that was their only vice. Drinking I could handle, it was the one thing I hadn't given up yet. I would have to come up with a good excuse to leave if they pulled out anything harder. I was not at a point where I could be in the same room with anyone else using.

I could hear the muted sound of someone fumbling with cymbals below our feet. JD opened the door and led the way down to the basement to meet the other guys in the band.

The first person he introduced me to was the lead singer, Aiden. He had dark auburn hair spiked strategically on top of his head. He was a pretty boy and looked like he belonged on stage fronting a boy band.

The other guy behind the drum set was named Mark. He was overly sweaty with long brown hair that hung down past his shoulders. I got the distinct feeling that standing next to him would make me pass out. He was a little rough, but he smiled and greeted me like he had known me for years.

JD walked over and picked up the bass from the corner of the room. He looked like a bass player. It's not that I didn't respect bass players; they were usually the glue that held the band together. In my experience, a lot of them reminded me of cave dwellers with fat sausage fingers. They would pluck a string or two and give this surprised expression when they found the right note to play.

JD thumped a string with his meaty stubs, releasing a deep note that bounced off the cement walls. He made a face and jumped excitedly. He fit the bill perfectly. It was hard not to laugh at his enthusiasm.

The prissy-looking guy, Aiden, walked over and lifted a guitar strap over his neck. I guess he played guitar too, but he looked awkward and uncomfortable holding it. He made playing the guitar look like a punishment.

With Mark leading them in with the bass drum, they began playing a rhythmic rock-inspired song. It was very cliché, but it was mildly passable, which surprised me. They were at least aware of maintaining tempo, which was a good start.

I was always overly critical of music. I could hear imperfections in almost everything I listened to, even music that was professionally produced and playing on the radio. I had studied music on my own for a long time. Besides drugs and alcohol, it was the only thing in life that ever held my attention for more than ten seconds.

Girls were lucky to get five.

Aiden began singing and he wasn't half bad, a little undisciplined, but he had a lot of natural talent. He was looking down at his hands as he played a rhythm that was a little too fast for his skill level. He looked distracted by the chord fingerings as he played. He was a much better singer than a guitar player. He was slightly better than a standard rhythm guitarist at a middle school talent show. He should really just stick with singing.

These guys needed someone stronger to carry them.

When the song was finished, JD looked at me for approval. I wanted to lie and tell him it was great since he was going to be my new boss, but I had never been that person. I was brutally honest when it came to music.

"It's missing something," I laid it out there without hesitating for one second.

"Like what?" Aiden asked like he was annoyed. Out of the three of them, he looked like the one who had the biggest stick up his ass.

"Here, try this instead," I said, waving for Aiden to hand over the guitar. He walked over and handed it to me. He actually looked relieved that he wasn't holding it any longer. It was like he was fucking allergic to it or something.

I swung the guitar strap over my shoulder and adjusted it for my much taller frame. I went to his amp and tweaked the settings to fit the song style better. I plucked at the strings a second and realized the guitar was slightly out of tune. It wasn't just Aiden's skill level that sucked; it was his tuning abilities too.

I couldn't deal with it, even if it was just for a minute. I tuned the guitar by ear and then strummed down with one long, loud chord to make sure everything was perfect.

It was.

I had perfect pitch. I didn't need an electronic tuner to know it was right. I reached into my pocket and pulled out a guitar pick from my wallet. I carried them around with me next to the condoms I always had. You never knew when you would need one. Better safe than sorry.

"You are missing a change in the hook," I said, starting to pick a more complicated version of the melody from the verse. "When the song bottoms out in the chorus, you should try something like this." I began hearing the progression in my head and my fingers just followed my brain. The song was pretty simplistic, so it was easy to mimic, even if I only heard it once. That was another skill I had; I could play almost anything I heard just from memory.

I plucked through the chorus, switching up a few notes and strum patterns in it. It was still the same song, but the changes added a fullness that was missing before. The tone fit the rasp in Aiden's voice and would make him sound like singing was effortless. It played to his strengths as a vocalist.

"That was actually good," JD said with his mouth hanging open when I stopped. "How about you play with us? We have been looking for a real guitarist for a long time. Ours quit a few months back and Aiden sucks."

"Shut up. You know I don't get to practice much." Aiden frowned.

"Yeah, your too busy blow-drying your hair to play." Mark picked at him.

"I do not blow dry my hair." Aiden pouted like a little girl.

"Oh, my bad, dude. It must be your vibrator that I hear through the walls then." Mark was rolling around on the floor behind the drums.

"Yeah, I was using it on your mom last night." Aiden snapped back angrily.

"Oh, tell her to do my laundry the next time she's here. I haven't had any clean underwear in three weeks. I've had to resort to borrowing yours. Don't worry. I put them back in the drawer after I wear them." Mark smirked.

"You're disgusting." Aiden looked like he was going to puke.

I was biting my cheek, trying to hold back the laughter. These guys were something else. I didn't fit in with them at all, but they didn't seem to notice.

"So, Ezra, are you in?" JD smiled eagerly, waiting for my answer.

I thought it over for a minute; I could at least fill in until I found something that fit my style more. It couldn't hurt to keep my skills sharpened.

"I could start once I find a place in town. I just moved from Indiana today and have some things to do to get settled in." I said, fiddling around while pressing the strings over the frets a little bit longer. I had a song brewing in my head and I was mapping it out.

"You should just stay here," Mark called from behind the drum set. "We have an extra room upstairs. The only people who ever use it are the ones who pass out at our parties or the occasional little sister infestation. We can just kick Aiden out of his room if we need one."

Aiden flipped Mark off and glared at him.

"That's a great idea," JD said, practically jumping around as he clutched his bass tightly.

"Are you sure?" I asked.

I mean, I had just met these guys. They seemed pretty laid back and normal. It was like watching what I thought real friends would look like if I actually had any. I hoped I wasn't secretly signing myself up for a weird ritualistic cult or something. The idea of not being alone in a new town sounded kind of appealing. Especially since I wasn't using right now and my head was my biggest enemy.

The musical distraction would be good for me. Plus, it was a little less shady bringing girls back to a house than a motel.

"Why not? It will make rent cheaper. Mark doesn't like to pay his share. Now we can at least split it three ways." Aiden shrugged, giving in too.

It was official. I had a job, a new band, and a place to stay. This couldn't have gone any better if I planned it. I knew this was right where I was supposed to be.

I debated about opening up and telling the guys about my sobriety, but they didn't seem like they were the kind of people who would understand. They were the wholesome kind that I needed to surround myself with to stay clean. If they found out that I used to use, they would probably kick me out on the spot and I would lose the job I hadn't even started yet. Instead of starting out fresh, I would be right back where I was in Indiana.

I couldn't risk losing this opportunity.

Even if they couldn't relate to me in that way, I had finally found what I was looking for—a fresh start in a drug-free environment without the pressure.

Now I just needed to call that girl I met today to keep me entertained.