"You... Are the only... Who without saying... A single word... Makes me hate you..." Vinyl said between deep breaths. Kicker Beat gulped hard, worrying about the condition of the girl, but even more about the glare he was receiving from her; even behind the signature shades, he could feel the daggers at him. The sun was shining hard, warming up everything it touched. For bad luck of these two, they were pushing Kicker's car for the last twenty minutes under that immense heat.

Vinyl, groaning with every push, regretted offering to help Kicker bring his drum set from his house, all the way down to Lyra's house. Sweeping away the sweat off her forehead, she could see their destination, and also a Mint-haired girl watching them, with a huge grin plastered all over her face.

"Come on guys! Just a little bit more!" Lyra's laugh did not help Vinyl to shift into a good mod. Actually, she spat on the street before showing the middle finger to her friend, causing even more laughs

A few minutes passed before Vinyl and Kicker were in front of the house. Vinyl let herself drop on the floor, all covered in sweat, and so tired and thirsty to move a single muscle. She could feel the cold breeze on her skin, the tiny drops of sweat running down her body and falling on the street, her heart beats hard pushing against her chest, making her lungs burn with every breath. Being unable to move, she even thought for a moment that she died, but the hysterical laugh of a certain girl brought her back to reality.

"Fuck... Off... Lyra..." Lyra did not ceased her laughs, though she offered cold water to drink and a couch in the garage with shadow, sure more comfortable than the hot street. Dropping on the couch, Vinyl enjoyed the commodity of it, closing her eyes for a moment. "Oh yeah... That's good. Yo' Lyra, what 'bout Tavi? Did she send a message or something?" Vinyl retired the shades of her eyes, allowing herself to adapt to the shadowy garage and the bright light of the outside world that illuminated most of its front the main entrance.

"Yeah, she texted me like an hour ago. Something about finishing something before coming..." Lyra shrugged, handing a glass full of water to both her friends. "She must be done by now, so maybe she is already on her way here."

"And Bon-Bon?"

"She ain't coming." Vinyl could notice not only the change on the tone, but the fact that Lyra tried to avoid the gazes. She could tell, the fact that Bon-Bon are not able to come upset Lyra more than she wished. "She has to help her Mom with some candy problems at the store... Anyway, did you bring everything?"

Vinyl looked at the car outside, and then to Lyra. "Yeah, everything is in the car."

"What about a little warm-up session?"

Lyra smiled like a kid planning a prank, something that Vinyl soon imitated. Kicker Beat looked from his spot on the couch, not understanding the non-voiced communication the girls were having. With a nod, Vinyl and Lyra jumped into action, walking fast towards the car. Kicker, still numb of what was happening, watched the duo carried the drums from the car to the garage, assembling the pieces faster than he expected. Before he could tell, the drum set was ready, and beside it two amps were placed and energized, threatening to end the silence and quietude there was.

"Hey KB, come on, we're waiting for you!" An anxious Vinyl talked, snapping Kicker out of his confusion and making him react. With a quick nod, Kicker searched for his drumsticks inside his bag. A moment later he was in position, sitting behind the drum set, and the girls were armed and ready with their own instruments, Vinyl opting for the bass while Lyra stayed with the guitar. "Are you sure you want to play the bass?" Lyra asked, simply receiving a nod from Vinyl.

"Alright! What song are we playing first?"

Silence once again ruled in the room, everyone staring at each other with blank eyes. The birds whistle could be heard, but it was cut out when Lyra made her guitar sing with a stroke of the strings, a huge smile on her face as she started to play.

"Come on guys, you know this song, don't you?" The sound of the bass joined her soon.

But after a minute they realized that Kicked was still quiet, a sad expression on his face. The drummer shook his head, raising his hands in a shrug.

"Aw, come on! Then what about this one?" Now was Vinyl who started playing, the notes coming out rapidly with every stroke. Kicker Beat joined, setting the pace with the kick drum, but they were shut down by a troubled Lyra.

"Dude, you know I can't play well that song, the after-chorus is a nightmare..."

After a couple more of options, they recurred to search on their phones for an adequate song to play. A few minutes passed without success, but Kicker, showing the title on the screen of his phone, suggested one more song. Vinyl and Lyra looked at the title, and nodded. Everyone went ready on their respective positions, looking at each other, waiting for that inner signal to start playing. Kicker nodded and raised his hands over his head, striking the drumsticks together making the classic countdown. It was the moment they were waiting for.

Lyra began to play, stroking the first chords. The strings vibrated producing a nice, soft melody that resonated all over the garage. With a final chord came a pause, a pause that was broken by the attack of the three instruments. In perfect harmony, Kicker sets the rhythm with the kick drum and the hit-hat, playing hard with every strike. While Vinyl made the base, with deep notes, balancing perfectly with the drums, Lyra made herself notice with more high notes, sticking out of the rest just before the first verse came in, indicated by a fast double-paced drum.

"Please take me by the hand
It's so cold out tonight
I'll put blankets on the bed
I won't turn out the light"

Vinyl took the lead with the lyrics, knowing that her mint-haired friend won't do it, and even if the song was originally sung by a man, she knows that Kicker would never do it. Lyra's final chord was sustained, fading slowly under Vinyl's bass. Kicker changed the drum line, now focusing more on keeping the pace with the flat-hat, while the kick and the drum made a nice combination.

"Just don't forget to think about me
And I won't forget you
"I'll write you once a week", she said"

With a small silence gap, a huge sound explosion came, Lyra takes once again the lead with the guitar. Again with the pre-Verse, The guitar faded against the bass.

"Why does it feel the same
To fall in love or break it off
And if young love is just a game
Then I must have missed the kick off
Don't depend on me to ever follow through on anything
But I'd go through hell for you and..."

"I haven't been this scared in a long time
And I'm so unprepared, so here's your valentine
Bouquet of clumsy words, a simple melody
This world's an ugly place
But you're so beautiful to me"

The band smiled, proud of their performance so far. Being the first time they played together they could only count a few mistakes to check later. Letting the last notes fade in the air, they took large breath, recovering stamina.

"Guys, that was awesome!" Lyra jumped in excitement, making her hair even more messy. Vinyl beamed at her. The Blue-haired girl was really happy at the moment, bug the sound of claps coming from her side made her smile even wider.

"It was really good indeed!" Octavia congratulations were received with smiles of the garage band. She advanced nervous, almost waiting for an invitation to join them, but noticing that Lyra did not appear upset, she finally entered into the garage, placing herself near the entrance for any possible trouble. "Sorry for being late. I had to do some things before I could come."

"No biggies... Ready for some action?" Octavia hesitated before giving up on Vinyl's smirk and the security it transmitted. Vinyl handed the bass to the Cellist, and grabbed her own guitar. Vinyl, after sweeping her sweat, readjusted her wristbands and stood right in front of Octavia.

Octavia was more nervous than she looked. She could play the Cello without errors, so naturally, it was like an instinct for her, but this new instrument felt alien to her. It was way smaller in comparison to her classical instrument, and the fact that she needed a band to help her grab it made her feel uncomfortable, especially on her chest, shifting it a couple the times before getting used to the weight and pressure of it. She took a closer look at it, trying to be more familiar with the instrument; it was shaped similar to a guitar, but with a larger neck. It was totally white, with the exception of three blue stripes that crossed the body of the bass, and the neck, that conserved its natural wood color.

"Ok, now let me show you the basics." Vinyl approached to her, signaling the strings of the instrument. "This is the stroke area. If you stroke closer to the back end, it will cause a gummy-like sound on your notes. If you stroke in the center, it will sound more solid, get it?" Octavia nodded, watching Vinyl grabbing something off her wristband. "Cool! There is two ways I know to play the bass, with a Pick" -Vinyl showed the object to Octavia- "or with your fingers. Is more common to play rock songs with a pick, but feel free to choose how to play."

Octavia gave a few test strokes with her fingers. The familiar feeling of the strings vibrating under her fingers made her feel more confident. She tested again, this time more aware of the sound and tune of the instrument. Just like Vinyl had said, Octavia could notice the different sounds product of stroking the strings on different areas. Octavia found herself smiling, thinking of the first time she played the cello, how she did the same tests, and how it made her feel.

"I think I got it, let me do a quick warm-up..." Vinyl nodded, watching curiously at Octavia. The cellist began to stretch her left hand fingers, doing a series of meticulous movements, separating and clasping together the fingers in many forms. Octavia grabbed the pick Vinyl offered earlier, and did a few quick strokes, though, thanks to her inexperience with the object, the pick flew off her hand, falling to the floor.

"It is nothing like a bow, isn't it?" Lyra lifted up the pick from the ground, handing it to a shy Octavia. "Grab it firmly, don't be scared!"

Octavia nodded again, following the hint of the mint-haired guitarist. Now with a firm grab on the pick, she played the strings without difficulties. Her left hand showed a high level performance of grace and skill, running through the neck of the bass with masterful expertise. Her fingers danced, pressing the strings on every bar, producing every note with precision. Almost by instinct, she went through the scales in incredible speed, never losing focus, never missing a note, never slowing down. Some minutes passed when she stopped, sweeping away a few sweat drops from her forehead, now with enough control over the instrument to feel good with herself. Octavia lifted her face from the bass, and was surprised to see the blank expressions of her friends staring at her. Even Kicker Beat whistled to the performance.

"Umm, e-everything is okay?"

"Dude... that was awesome! What was that!?" Lyra was the first to break the silence, her characteristic emotion showing up with every word.

"That's your first time playing the bass?" Vinyl finally reacted, still distracted by the fresh memory of the showcase. It was rare to see Vinyl speechless, but that was the best she could say. "That was like... wow."

"Well, I did some research this past days. I didn't want to be so out of place, and studied the notes, scales, tunes and some basic rhythms... That was just the warm-up I always do with my cello."

"Heh, and here I thought you would be a lose cause..." Lyra said almost in a whisper. "Anyway, wanna give it a try with the full band?"

"Let's go with something easy to start with." Vinyl adjusted the band of her guitar, shifting the weight of it on her shoulder. Beaming, she approached Octavia, putting her shades off her eyes. "Any song in particular that you want to play?"

"Hey, I don't wanna be bad or something like that, but seriously, I doubt she knows good songs to play."

"Actually..." Octavia intervene before someone, or better said Vinyl, could respond. She searched for her phone in her bag, being extremely cautious with the bass hanging from her. Once she got the phone, Octavia tapped the device a few times before showing the title of a song on the screen. "I heard this song yesterday, and I think it would be a good piece for me to start."

"Ok, from now on I would speak no more..." Lyra took a few steps back, raising her hands and lowering her head in defeat.

"Are you sure?" Octavia nodded to Vinyl. The blue-haired girl put on her shades, her smirk growing bigger. "Well, you asked for it... Do you know the song K.B.?"

The drummer approached to look at the name projected on the screen of Octavia's phone. He could not hide his surprise at the song, but nodded to both girls. In just mere seconds everyone has been ready in their positions, waiting patients for the signal to start." Everyone is ready, ok, then lets-"

"WAIT!" Lyra scream made the rest jump a little in surprise. The girl placed her phone in a nearby table, making sure the camera was pointing at them. "I wanna record it so I can show it to Bon-Bon later! Aaaaand, done!" She hurried to her place, nodding to the rest of the band.

"Well, Everyone is ready? Then let's Rock!"

The last notes faded, letting the long breath be heard instead. The garage, now a music studio, was filled with energy, so pure and intense it could be almost visible. The members of the band were tired, sweat dripping from every pore, but what was more noticeable was the satisfaction, joy and proud expressions on their faces. It was the first time they played as a band, the first performance, their first song. Maybe it was inside of a garage, with no one else listening to them, but it was a great moment for the new band.

Octavia combed her hair with her hand, ajusting with a band the few bangs of hair that were falling on her face. She let out a gasp of air and looked nervously to her band mates. "Well, how was I?"

"You we-"

"You were good, but you have to work more on your style." Lyra hurried to speak, blowing up some bangs of hair covering her eye. "I mean, you barely sweated! No head-bangs, no loose hair, no jumping? You need to feel it, miss Melody!"

Octavia shielded her face with her hands, almost scared by the sudden attack of the mint-haired girl. She was not used to move that much during a presentation. Octavia did not noticed Vinyl until she felt her hand on her shoulder. "What my noisy and totally not tactful friend here is trying to say is what I told you before: this is more about style!"

"What do you mean with that?"

"Well, you must have some personality, some presence on the scenery..." Vinyl, looking at the confuse expression of Octavia, continued her explanation. "All you need is to let the music flow inside you, but letting in out at the same time... let it control you? Is hard to explain it, you know?"

"Then show her..." Lyra interfered from behind, not losing her focus on her phone. Both Octavia and Vinyl looked at her, the latter with a small tint of pink on her cheeks. Knowing that she would not receive any more from her friend, Vinyl let out a tired sigh, running a hand through her messy hair.

"Okay... well, where to start with?" Vinyl scratched her neck, thinking of something. "Oh! Yeah, I got it! I saw this in a movie, but is a very common thing, almost a cliche, that looks pretty cool!" Vinyl proceeded to grab her guitar and opened her so the instrument would be situated in the middle of them. "This is called the power pose, go on, give it a try!"

Octavia let out a nervous laugh, almost a pray to escape from the situation she was in. Her cheeks were totally red, and she looked everywhere, trying to find a way out. "D-Do I have to do... T-That?"

"Yep, otherwise I would be the only one here looking as an idiot."

"B-But it is somehow..."

"Come on, Tavi! You play the cello, you are way used to have an instrument between your legs!" Vinyl had to retain a laugh. Her mind making inner jokes, most of them inappropriate for anyone, including herself. "We all have done this, and now you have to do it!"

Octavia hesitated, but once she noticed that she had no other way out, she nodded in defeat. The cellist, feeling more embarrassed than ever, grabbed the bass and slowly started to open her legs, letting her own weight drift them apart as wide as Vinyl's. Once in position, she let out a defeated sigh and looked up to met Vinyl's eyes.

"There you go! It wasn't that bad, eh?"

"I-I do not feel comfortable in this position, not even a little..."Octavia looked down, avoiding visual contact at all cost. "I-I fail to see how this show my personality

"Yeah, I know, I just wanted to see you doing it." The blue-haired girl laughed, making Octavia blush intensely, throwing her the cushions from the sofa. "Hey! But you learned something, you have to create your own style, that's some- Pfft." She was silenced by a cushion hitting her directly on the face, with enough force to make her tumble, almost falling backwards.

"Hey guys, I hate to interrupt you two, but I think Kicker wants to sa-Show us something." Lyra called for the other two, reuniting around the drummer. He was showing a video on his phone, one that cough the attention of the entire group.

"Those are we, the song we just played, how is that is already so popular around the school?" Octavia asked confused. Lyra checked her phone, and came up with the solution to the mystery.

"It was Bonsie's job! I send her the video and she published it on her school page!"

"How are you so sure?"

"She just texted me!" Lyra raised her phone, as showing it to the group. "Guess she wants to make us famous, isn't that great?" Nods in agreement came from the rest of the band.

Octavia detailed for a moment her surroundings. Sitting from that old sofa, she saw her classmates, each one smiling, full of emotion, passionate about music, and he could see that she was not very different from them. Octavia was also excited about this new project, she liked being part of something, if necessary. Maybe it wasn't the style she was used to, but a change of pace wouldn't hurt. Octavia was still thinking when the sound of her phone knocks her out of her mind. Looking at the screen of the device, she let out a sigh in defeat.

"I hope you'll forgive me, but I have to go..." The rest of the band looked at the cellist confused, who began to collect her things. "I'm too busy today, but I promise to make time for the other rehearsals... just be sure to let me know beforehand!"

"Yeah, well, I think the practice was going to end soon anyway. Mom told me I should help clean up the house, so I must clean up before she gets here or she'll kill me. Lyra looked lazily at her front door, then at her friends, focusing on the drummer. "Hey, do you need a ride home K.B.?" Kicker shook his head, showing a roadside aid number on his phone, and a big smile on his face.

"What about you Tavi? You need a ride or something?" Vinyl asked Octavia while helping her with the bass.

"No, I already have a way to go, but thank you very much. I must admit that I had a lot of fun today, and forgive me for being late again."

"Nah, no problem!" Lyra yelled from the doorway, bringing a broom with her. "Hey Scratch, don't think you're going to run away, you have to help me, it's your duty as the band leader!"

"I think you still have a lot of work... Thank you very much for lending me your bass, Vinyl, and for including me in this, I really appreciate it!" Octavia smiled, leaving Vinyl speechless. "See you Monday at school!" Saying this, Octavia started walking. Vinyl couldn't say anything, watching her leave, disappearing from her field of vision after a while

Vinyl could feel the heat in her cheeks, a strong blush forming on them. Blinking a couple of times, she smiled to herself. She could see the potential of this project, how everything started well. She had her music, she had her friends, she had fun, excitement, a challenge. Vinyl remembered then what Lyra had called her. "... Band leader." She liked how that sounded. She shook her head, still smiling, and met her friend at the entrance to the house.

"Damn, what did she say to you so you're smiling like that?" Lyra said mockingly, handing the broom over to a still smiling Vinyl.

"Come on, we have a lot to do..."

Author's Note

Heeey! Hello everyone! another day, another chapter, and this time in much less time ... I guess it's a good thing, right? Anyway, let's get this over with and talk about the chapter.

Well, the truth is that it was especially difficult for me, since I can't play any instrument, and expressing music in words is complicated, (I should have thought about that before starting this) But, despite everything, I came to this result, that in my humble opinion, it is a good thing!

Well, leaving the problems aside, I always appreciate the support, and I hope your comments commenting if you like or dislike something, or if you just want to say hello, remember that in this way I will know how to improve to give you the best I can offer you!

With nothing else to say, I hope you are well, and that you will see them in the next chapter! Until next time!

PS: The song they played is Blink-182's "Going away to College". My favorite band!