Battle of the Bands Read Online Free PDF Page B

head-tilting, hair-sliding thing again. Then she nods. “I’ve thought about that too. It must be harsh.”
    â€œFor sure.” I want to say more, but my mind is totally blank.
    She sighs. “Well, I’ve got to get going. I guess I’ll see you at the battle next week?”
    â€œYeah. We’ll be there.”
    â€œGood.” She gets this wicked gleam in her eye and says, “We could use a little competition.” Then she turns and saunters off. She doesn’t look like she’s in any hurry.
    A hundred things I want to say flash through my mind, but none of them makes it out of my mouth. I just stand there and watch her go. And then I know exactly what I want to write a song about. Desire.
    I don’t get too far with this. I sit down to put my shoes back on. When I stand up to go home, there’s Amy on the other side of the street, smirking. All the dizzy fizzy feelings I wanted to hold on to and try to put into words just vanish. That girl really creeps me out.

Chapter Nine
    Our final practice before the battle doesn’t go well. We can’t get in sync. Every time we start a number, one of us blows it. Cia screws up the fill or Kel loses the bass line or I mess up the lyrics. All three of us are getting edgy, and when we go down for about the tenth time, I’ve had enough.
    â€œThis is useless. Let’s just forget it.”
    Cia fires one of her sticks across the room and says, “What the hell’s your problem, Jay?”
    â€œMy problem? Since when is it my problem?”
    â€œSince you want to just quit. What’s up with that?”
    â€œYeah,” says Kel. “That sucks.”
    I look at them glaring at me and I get a very bad feeling. Something about the chemistry in The Lunar Ticks has changed. I set my guitar down and narrow my eyes. “What’s going on here?”
    They flash each other guilty looks and then Cia says, “What do you mean?”
    â€œI mean something’s different. I want to know what it is.”
    â€œHey, man,” Kel stutters. “Everything’s cool. We’re just having a bad day. No need to get all worked up.”
    â€œYeah,” Cia says brightly. “I heard it’s supposed to be good luck when things go wrong in the dress rehearsal.”
    I snort. “Good luck? If we play like this on Saturday night we’re going to get booed right off the stage.”
    â€œSo we keep practicing. Or we have another practice tomorrow night.”
    â€œI already told you, I can’t practice tomorrow.” I don’t tell them the reason I can’t practice. The full moon.
    â€œBut Jay, this is important!” Cia looks like she wants to hit me with the other stick.
    â€œTell me something I don’t know. Like what else is going on?” I say.
    â€œMan,” Kel moans. “It’s like this...”
    â€œKel!” Cia snarls.
    â€œWe gotta tell him, Cia.”
    â€œTell me what?” I ask. But I think I already know.
    â€œWell, me and Cia...we’re sort of hooked up.”
    â€œHooked up?” I ask.
    Cia echoes me. “Hooked up?”
    Kel’s long face is flushing. “Yeah. Like we’re going out or something.” He looks sideways at Cia. “Right?”
    Cia rolls her eyes.
    Suddenly I’m enjoying this. “Is that right?” I drawl. “Since when?”
    â€œSince a couple of days ago,” Kel says. He swallows and his Adam’s apple bobsup and down. “We were going to tell you after the show.”
    â€œWhy the secret?” I ask.
    Kel swallows again, looks at Cia again. “It wasn’t exactly a secret. It’s just that we haven’t made it official or anything. And we thought we’d see how it goes. You know. Like that.”
    â€œLike that, eh?” I say. I cross my arms, crunch down my eyebrows. “I don’t know if this is such a good idea. It seems like it might