"Want a beer?" Ricky asks, handing me a tall can of Pabst Blue Ribbon from the mini-fridge as Jaime slumps down beside me and pulls out a baggy of weed. "You played your ass off today, dude. If you keep going at this rate, we might be able to play Battle of the Bands in December."

"Battle of the Bands?" I ask, grabbing the beer from his hands, the cool sensation pleasant against the calluses forming on my fingers. Fucking rights I played well.

"Yeah, it's gonna be sick," Colt adds, slumping down in the tattered armchair. "We came this close to winning last year but Jaime had to go and get shitfaced the night before and fuck up his solo." He glares at our guitarist. "But this year, we're not going to shotgun before our set, right?"

"Oh fuck off, Colt, let it go man, I had one too many. Lesson fucking learned," Jaime mutters as he rolls a fat spliff. "We're going to kill it this year, don't worry."

"What happens if you win?" I ask.

"Winning band gets ten grand," Colt explains. "Plus a chance to play in front of an indie label. It's a pretty sick opportunity."

"Where's it held?" I ask, taking a sip of beer. A few thousand dollars of my own? Sign me the fuck up. "Is this a local thing?"

"Final show is upstairs," Ricky replies, kicking his feet up on the run-down coffee table littered with empties, blunt guts, and assorted fast-food wrappers. "So we have home-field advantage. Bobby, the owner of the bar is one of the sponsors."

"Really? That's cool," I say, my phone vibrating in my pocket. If he has ten grand to throw around, maybe he should spend some of it on fixing up the joint. "Well, I'm game."

"Fuck yeah you are," Colt exclaims as I read a text from Kennedy.

I open the link, grinning as I zoom into the touched-up photo from the fundraiser. If all librarians looked like Kennedy, I might actually read more books.

The blue texting bubble ebbs and flows as I stare at my phone screen. She's way too much fun to mess with.

I snort, pocketing my phone as two girls enter the basement of The Garage.

"'Sup, Tia?" Jaime says with a nod as he checks out the black-haired girl with vibrant tattoos covering her forearms. Not bad. "Long time no see. I almost thought you'd forgotten about us."

"I could never forget you boys," Tia coos, plopping down beside Colt. She glances at me, twisting her lips into aspeculative scowl. "Who's the new kid?"

"That's Oliver, our new drummer," Ricky says, passing Tia and her friend a beer. "Who's yours?"

"Oh! This is my cousin Raven. She's staying with me for a bit," Tia explains, giving me a careful once-over. "You look young, high school?"

"Senior," I mutter, chugging the Pabst.

I have a feeling where this night is going and I can't say that I'm down.

"Thought so," Tia muses, nudging Raven. "Look at that, he's your age."

"Lucky me," Raven sings, pulling a lighter out of her combat boots and sparking up a cigarette. "So you're a drummer?" She inhales, casting me a smirk. "I love drummers, they have the best hands."

I conceal a knowing grin. She's not wrong.

"I can see the family resemblance already." Jaime laughs, coughing as he puffs on the spliff. "You're a bad influence, T."

Tia rolls her eyes, kicking Jaime's thigh. "Oh fuck off, J. I never banged a drummer before."

"Woulda if you coulda," Colt teases, turning to face me. "Our old drummer was practically married; man was whipped as fuck."

"What about the new drummer?" Tia coos, lifting her pierced brow. "Got any uh- attachments?"

Fucking hell. These girls are not very subtle, are they?

"Sorry, love," I say, standing up and collecting my jacket. I grab a cigarette from my pack and light it up. "But I don't date smokers."

Raven snorts. "You smoke."

"Ironic, isn't it?" I say, nodding at the lads. "I'm heading out. I'll catch you later."

"Alright, dude, take it easy," Ricky calls out as I head to the back exit. "Oh, and try to think of a song we can cover for the finals if we make it."

"A cover?" I ask, lingering by the door, mentally flipping through all the songs I know how to play. "Does it need to fit our vibe or can it be different?"

"I think different could be cool," Ricky replies. "Shows our versatility and shit."

"'Kay, I'll think about it," I hum, ashing into an empty bottle. "Have a good one, yeah?"

"Bye, Oliver!" Tia and Raven chirp at the same time before breaking down in giggles.

I've never hated my name more than I do right now.

***

"I can't believe you're kicking me out of my own room," Cliff grumbles, collecting his jacket and bag. "What am I supposed to do?"

"You're a clever chap, I'm sure you'll be able to figure it out," I say, changing into a grey hoodie. "Go chill in the common room or something."

Cliff grimaces. "There are people there."

"And what is wrong with people?" I ask, checking the time. She ought to be here any minute. "It's good to socialize, Cliff. Get out there and charm your fellow classmates."

Cliff blinks. "I don't see you socializing. Why don't you guys go to the common room and I can stay in here, alone, by myself."

"Mate, come on, it's only for a couple of hours, I think you'll survive. Go talk to a girl or something," I say, feeling quite sympathetic for my anti-social friend. "Maybe uh- Maxine's there or something."

"Maxine?" Cliff's face reddens. "Why would I care if Maxine is there?"

I scoff, cocking my head. "We share four classes together, you think I haven't noticed the way you stare at her. Maybe it's time for you to actually talk to the girl, yeah? Use your words. Start with hi. That always works for me."

"Hi? Just say hi?" Cliff mutters, taking several shallow breaths. "I can do that. I can say hi." He clears his throat. "Hi, I'm Cliff."

"Mate, she knows who you are, you don't need to introduce yourself," I say, narrowing my eyes. Bloody hell, he's hopeless. "Just ask her what's up, how are classes, shit like that."

"Okay, okay, I can do that. I can say what's up." Cliff nods. "Easy peasy."

"Yes, easy peasy indeed," I say, suppressing a smile. I almost want to go and watch that disaster unfold. "You've got this, mate. I believe in you."

"Hello?" Kennedy's melodic voice calls out as the door creaks open. "Can I come in?"

"You sure can," I say, grinning as Kennedy enters our dorm room. "What a surprise, you're early."

"It's a gift," she says, adjusting her white cardigan. She smiles at my flatmate. "Hey, Cliff, how's it going?"

"It's going, it's going," Cliff says, grabbing his phone off the desk. "Is uh- is Maxine in the common room?"

"Yeah, she's there for the movie," Kenny says, striding towards my bed. "She's a big Star Wars fan. I think she brought her lightsaber down and everything."

Cliff blinks. "Really? Oh, okay, cool cool." He nods at me. "Well, have fun and uh- I'll be back later I guess." He exits the room, closing the door behind him.

Kennedy eyes the door for a second, a contemplative glimmer in her amber eyes. "So," she says, choosing to keep the door shut. Interesting. "What's on the docket?" She kicks off her shoes before hopping on my bed and leaning against the wall. "What're we watching?"

"Please make yourself at home," I smirk, grabbing a bag of popcorn from my desk as I get my laptop and settle down beside her. "Here, your favorite."

"You're too kind." She rolls her eyes, nudging me with her shoulder as she opens the bag. "But seriously, what are we watching? Is it action? I don't really like action movies."

"You're not a fan of explosions and gunfights? How shocking," I tease, opening the computer. "Well, it took a lot of deliberation and thought but I narrowed it down to two options." I pull up the recently downloaded file. "We've got Almost Famous and This Is Spinal Tap."

"I've seen This Is Spinal Tap before, I didn't really like it," she admits, shifting beside me and pulling the corner of my blanket over her legs. "What's Almost Famous?"

"Ah, I was hoping you hadn't seen it," I say, her sweet perfume coating my tongue as I glance at her. "It's about this teenage journalist who has to write a Rolling Stones article on this band he's touring with." I open Safari. "Want the synopsis?"

"Sure," Kenny says, squinting at the screen as I do a quick Google search. "Is that Kate Hudson?"

"Yes, the iconic Penny Lane," I say, tilting the screen towards her. "She's a groupie in the movie. Follows the band on tour."

"A groupie, hey?" Kenny muses, a hint of amusement sparkling in her eyes. "Do you have any groupies?"

I grin. "Well you did say you liked our songs, so I mean..."

"Sorry to break it to you, love, but I won't be chasing you around on tour anytime soon," she teases, brushing her hair behind her ear. "You'll have to find a new superfan."

"That's a shame," I smirk, queueing up the movie. "You'll regret that when I'm all rich and famous."

"You're already rich," Kenny notes with a chuckle.

"But I am not famous," I state, quickly standing up and turning off the lights. "However, if we win battle of the bands, I might be."

"Battle of the bands?" she asks.

"Yeah, the winners get ten thousand dollars and a chance to audition for a label," I explain. "If we make it to the finals, you should come and watch us win. It's at The Garage."

"The bar?" Kenny asks, biting her lip.

"Don't worry, I can put you on the guest list," I say. "I take it you don't have a fake?"

"I could have a fake," she frowns. "I could have two."

"Do you?" I ask, raising a brow.

She turns away from me. "No but-"

"I'll put you on the list," I say, letting out a low laugh. "They won't ID you."

"When is it?" she asks.

"It's after exams so you have no excuse not to come," I say. I've covered all the bases. She's trapped. "You'll be there, yeah?"

"I mean as your groupie, I kind of have to be there, don't I?" she grins, relaxing against the headboard. "Okay, shh, stop talking now, I don't want to miss anything."

"You're not one of those girls that talks during movies, are you?" I whisper.

"If you don't stop talking, I might be," she murmurs, a tiny smile spreading on her face.

Almost Famous is one of my favourite films, and yet, as Kennedy leans closer to me as the minutes pass by, her hand so fucking close to mine, I find it nearly impossible to pay attention.

"Any questions so far?" I ask, well aware of the fact her hand is brushing against mine.

For fuck's sake. What is she doing?

"No," she whispers, taking a shallow breath. "No questions."

"'Kay," I hum as she shifts beside me, her body heat radiating onto me but I don't want to move. Not yet. "Are you- are you comfortable?"

"Mhmm," she hums as her chest rises just a little. "Are you?"

"Yea-" I clear my throat. Fucking hell. "Yeah, I'm good."

"Good," she whispers, pausing for a second before adding, "You uh- you don't smell like cigarettes today."

"Didn't smoke," I reply, my throat suddenly drying despite the fact I've been chugging a Gatorade.

"You should quit," she says, her voice so fucking faint but loud at the same time. It's all I hear. "You'll live longer."

"Afraid I'll die?" I ask, peering down at her, the movie lighting up her face. "Worried you'll miss me?"

Kennedy turns her head slowly, her big eyes looking up at me. "Do you-" She stops mid-sentence as her phone rings. She flips the screen. "Oh my God!" She hits the space bar before hopping out of the bed. I frown, watching her hesitate before answering the call. "Hi, daddy!"

Her father? I thought he never called.

"School's going well, I'm just planning homecoming right now with-" She stops, pacing back and forth in front of me. "Yeah, I know that but I'm also working as the Student Liaison Offi-" She pauses, her face falling. "No sir, I haven't yet, I was going to start this weekend." She closes her eyes. "They just opened applications like a couple of days ago, I-" Her jaw clenches as she turns away from me. "Three? Daddy, I don't have time for-" A beat. "Yes, I understand sir but-" Her voice cracks. "I'm sorry, please don't yell at me, daddy, I'm-" What the fuck is going on? "No, it's fine. I can um, I'll make time, I'll just uh- rearrange a few things." Another pause. "Okay, yes. How-" She clears her throat. "How are you-" She takes a shaky breath. "Oh, that's fine, I'll just um...talk to you later then. I love yo-" She stops, ending the call.

"Hey," I whisper, standing up. "Is everything okay?"

"Everything's great," she says, turning around as she wipes under her eyes. "It's nothing really, I'm fine."

"Why do you always say you're fine when clearly you're not fine?" I swallow, my gut clenching as she tries to catch the falling tears. "What happened?"

"My dad he uh-" She sniffles, taking a seat on the edge of the bed. "He's mad that I haven't started on my college applications yet. He wants me to send him three essays this week so he can proofread them. He hired an editor or something, I don't know. Fuck..." She buries her face into her hands, her shoulder bouncing with every quiet sob. "I don't have time to write three essays, Ollie, I don't. I have to finish planning homecoming with Max and I have homework and-"

"It's okay," I whisper, sitting down beside her. I hesitate for a brief moment before placing my hand on her back, rubbing up and down, unsure of how to console her. "It's okay."

"I'm sorry," she whimpers, shaking her head. "It's just-" She sighs, expelling a deep breath. "You know, it's fine, I'll be fine. I'll just uh- I'll make it work." She sits up straight, wiping her nose on her sleeve. "Who needs sleep, right?"

"Umm...humans?" I say, meeting her glossy gaze. "I think it's unfair for your father to expect you to operate on a robotic level. Just tell him that you can't write three essays. Start with one. It's only October, you have plenty of time."

"I'll figure it out, I'll just-" She closes her eyes. "I should probably go and start now, I uh- I'm sorry-"

"But we haven't finished the movie," I say, dragging my thumb across her cheek, wiping off her running mascara. "It's almost over."

"Okay..." She swallows, her eyelids fluttering open. She nibbles on her pink bottom lip before saying, "But if I stay, you have to take me to homecoming."

"Are you bartering with me?" I cock my head to the side, a grin on my face.

"Quid pro quo," she whispers. "Deal?"

"I don't dance," I say. She drives a hard bargain. "And I don't dress up."

"But it's Halloween Homecoming, everyone's dressing up," she pouts, batting her damp lashes. "Please? It can be something simple. You can go as like uh- a greaser or um, James Dean or something."

"James Dean?" I muse with a sly grin. "So you think I resemble a sex god, yeah?"

She rolls her eyes. "Or you just own a leather jacket."

"Nah, definitely sex god," I smirk, wiggling my brows. "What are you going as? Are you going to be my Marilyn?"

Kennedy narrows her eyes at me. "You sure know a lot about of these people."

"I have an older sister," I state with a shrug. "So?" What do you say?"

"Well, I was going to go as Audrey Hepburn," Kenny says, twisting her lips up in thought. "But I guess Marilyn works too."

"Fantastic, you've got yourself a deal, Carmichael," I say, nodding at the computer. "Now, let's finish the movie, yeah?"

"What are you getting out of this?" she asks as we settle back against the headboard.

"I don't like watching movies alone."

She smiles, her eyes softening. "Me neither," she says, pressing play. "I'm glad we're friends now, Ollie."

"Yeah," I whisper as she leans her head against my shoulder. "Me too."

____________________

I think Raven's gonna have to try a little harder to woo our boy....

THOUGHTS??

Cliff vibes tho: