Page 117 of Old Habits
Chapter 29
Jovie
I’m pretty sure I’ve spent more time in this gymnasium over the last two weeks than I did in all four years of high school but it’ll all be worth it in the end.
Just two more days and this will all be over. Forty-eight hours until the fruits of my labor are complete and I’ll, hopefully, be able to wake up on Wednesday morning to a few bright, smiling faces rather than the usual judgmental glances. Even if I change just one person’s mind about me. Just one pebble can create a ripple that reaches to the far edges of the pond. That’s all I need.
The warm weather gave us a break and Coach Rogers has taken PE classes outside, allowing us to set up the stage and hang up the decorations a few days early. Music at these things usually blares over an old speaker from a scratchy CD but not this year.
This year, it’s live. Thanks to me.
Natalie, Claudia, and I stand in front of the stage, watching the third and final swing band play their audition set. The others sway with the music, shimmying and shaking their hips while I keep still and watch the musicians as they play.
I hate dancing. But I like music. More than listening, I like watching it. Music, especially live, creates an invisible wave, like a pulsing gust of wind. You can feel it on your skin, seeping into the depth of you to shake and rattle your bones — but only if the musician really cares. Anyone can play a few notes. It takes an artist to play a song.
Out of the three we’ve seen today, this band has convinced me the most. The sound is a little sloppier than the first band — far better than the second — but the musicians here are having the most fun out of all of them.
Fun is kind of the point, after all.
Natalie nudges my ribs, pulling me out of my muted trance and I smile to signal my enjoyment. The song ends and the instruments lower while the three of us break out in applause.
The band leader stands up from his keyboard and wipes the sweat beneath the brow of his hat. “So, whaddya think?” he asks.
Natalie and Claudia look at me, their eyes slightly twitching with nerves, as if their opinions aren’t valid until I give mine. It’s strange, to say the least. I’ve never been that girl before; the one everyone looks at first to set the trend.
“That was excellent,” I say.
Natalie nods with enthusiasm. “Ahh! It was awesome!”
“So great!” Claudia adds.
The band sighs with relief and a few of them exchange high-fives with each other. They must be new to the world of professional gigs but that just makes them a little more endearing.
“In fact,” I say, “I think you’ve got the job.”
His jaw drops. “Really?”
I glance to the girls and they instantly fall in line, bobbing on their toes and smiling wide.
“Yes!” Natalie says, stepping forward. “So, you’re available on Tuesday, right?”
I ease away, letting her take care of the details with them as my insides rumble a little more in my chest. The rhythm lingers for several moments as I stand over the corner table with long ribbons that still need to be sliced for the streamers. For a second, I catch a phantom whiff of cigarette smoke and gin.
One blink and it’s gone.
Natalie’s squeal beside me brings me out of it. “Getting a band was such a good idea!” she says, staring at them across the gym as they pack away their instruments.
I pick up a pair of nearby scissors. “Well, with a theme like this, you need live jazz.”
“I can’t wait to see the look on Sara’s face when she realizes how right you were.”
I chuckle. “You and me both.”
“Okay…” She picks up the clipboard sitting on the table. “What else do we need to get done?”
I glance around the gym. “Tonight, we needed to book the band…”
“Check!”she says, scratching it off the list.