Suzie’s House 390 : To Get a Question in Sideways

Justin waited until Kate jammed her drum sticks into her back pocket before he quit messing with the shakeree. There was something he wanted to talk to her about. When she left the band’s practice room, he was right behind her.

“Hey, come with me for a bit.” He grabbed her elbow to keep her from falling in step right along with Tracy, Gene, Bruce, and Emma – all of whom lived in the same direction.

For a minute he thought Bruce might try to horn in. Instead, he gave Justin a smarmy smile and put his arm around Emma like that might get to him. Emma shoved him off right away. Justin didn’t really care anyway. He didn’t want to go out with Emma. He just felt sorry for her.

“So? What’s up?” Kate didn’t look amicable so much as inquisitive.

He thought about broaching the main topic straight off, but didn’t want her to treat the question lightly. He’d better take a roundabout approach.

“What do you think about that song?”

“The one everyone else in the band wrote? It’s… it’s really good.” She didn’t look all that happy about it.

“Does it make you feel kind of left out?” He wasn’t serious as he tossed out the question. It simply crossed his mind.

“Oh, no. I’m not…” She forced a laugh, then stopped herself with a surprised expression. “Yeah. Actually. I kind of do. Don’t you?”

“Not rea….”

“Because they all did it together when we weren’t around.” She interrupted him. Her eyes stared at the street in front of them with luminous intensity. “And that’s been happening a lot lately. Don’t you think?”

“Well….”

“Would it kill them to call us and let us know when they are going to just hang out? We ARE a band, right?”

“That doesn’t mean we have to spend all our time together,” Justin said with no real expectation that she would hear him.

“Obviously there’s been a lot going on that we didn’t know about. I mean, were you there when they wrote the song?”

“No.” He gave his head a quick shake.

“I don’t even know when they did it. Obviously Emma’s been spending more time with Tracy and them than with me, and she’s MY best friend.” Kate’s lips turned down petulantly.

“But the song…”

“Has great rhythm, doesn’t it? Gene’s just a lead guitar player. I’m surprised he came up with something so good.” Spoken like a drummer.

“Yeah, but sappy. Or maybe melodramatic.” He rushed the words so he could get them out before she wrestled the conversation off in some other direction.

“No! Not at all. I mean, I thought so at first, too. But then I realized something. You probably already noticed.” She bumped into his side and smiled as though they were in on a secret together. “Everything they put in that song was real. I mean, it really, honestly happened to them.”

She frowned a little. He could practically see the wheels of her mind turning. That was what he liked about her. All her emotions lay bare for anyone to see, even when she thought she had them covered. He wanted her shining eyes to turn his way. He wanted to share her excitement. Instead, she had clearly fixated on the dramatic lives of her comrades in the band.

“You’re jealous of them.” He resented every other member of the band simply because they had her attention in a way that he did not.

“No! No, of course not. I’m not….” Her words dribbled into a frown. “Maybe I am. I mean, I have all these feelings. You know?”

“Yes.”

“But I don’t have any good reasons for them. When nothing really bad ever happens to me, it’s like this intensity is…”

“Frivolous?”

“Yeah. I thought the song was melodramatic at first because if I had written it, it would be. There’s no… substance.” She waved her hands in frustration. “I almost wish I would get cancer or something just to make it all real for once.”

“But I’m glad you don’t.”

“Yeah. I know I should be. I know when things get real it isn’t fun at all. But all my friends are living such dramatic lives. All I ever do is feel dramatic.”

Justin nodded. Although he didn’t share her need for the dramatic, he understood her feelings. Like now, for instance. There was something he desperately wanted from her. It wasn’t of any great significance in the grand scheme of things, but meant a great deal to him.

“So… um…” This was going to be hard no matter what he did. He might as well simply ask after all. “I like you. A lot. Do you want to go out? I mean, be my girlfriend?”

It was worth it just to see Kate’s jaw drop. Even if she thought he was an unrefined idiot and wanted nothing more to do with him, this moment was worth it. Still, it was a relief when her face turned red and she grinned

“Yes! Yes, let’s go out!”

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