Face It - Chapter 3: Emotion
The first thing Summer saw when she got into the back room was a beautiful mahogany acoustic lying against the bed. She stared at it longingly for a few moments then leaned back against the door, pressing her ear to it. She could still hear all the voices of the band members, they were still arguing, and she heard her name. However, she never heard the voices get closer, so she knew they weren't coming towards the bunk room. She was alone for now.
Summer bit into her full, lower lip for just a moment before walking over to the bed and picking up the guitar. She sat it in her lap, running a hand along the neck lovingly. She strummed her nails across the strings. It was well tuned, a deep, warm sound filling the room. She muted the stings, listening. Still the distant sounds of their arguments.
The fingers of her right hand formed some chords and she finger picked with her left, playing a familiar tune. She softly sang along to it, only bothering with the first verse and chorus, then pausing again. They were still talking, but it was softer. She also heard a hearty laugh; Matt. Maybe they were making up. Good.
She laid back on the bed, picking another song, strumming out the chords and singing along again. Summer became lost in the music, relaxing. This calmed her down so much, she wasn't worried about the boys out there and if some were mad at her or not, she had actually forgotten about them.
"So, dude, what did you say to make him mad?" Matt asked Joe. They weren't mad anymore, but they were guys, they could have beaten the crap out of each other, and they'd still make up afterwards.
"I told him to stand downwind," he said. "He smelled like shit."
"Understandable," Ryan said.
"Hey, how's your ass, Ryan?" Matt asked.
"Why?"
"Cause you landed on it when you were done with your table dance," he laughed.
"Oh, right, its fine," Ryan sighed. "I sure made an ass of myself in front of Summer, huh?"
"Oh, who cares," Joe said, sour again at the mention of her name.
"Someone is a little defensive," Matt teased.
"She's a bitch!" he snapped.
"No, she's responsible," Quinn said. "And we are pretty much exactly the opposite. She needs to loosen up, and we need to shake up. Give her a break, it was her first day on the job."
"What do you think she's up to?" Ryan asked.
"I don't know," Quinn shrugged, then it was silent, except for the faint sound of guitar and a beautiful voice drifting from the bunk room.
Summer had barely burned through a fraction of all the songs in her repertoire, but she just couldn't stop playing. It was like she was in a daze, everything flowing perfectly, and she wished that she could do this well in front of people.
"That's really good," came a voice and she froze, her voice cutting off and the song ringing in the air until it faded away. "Don't stop…" he told her.
Summer turned her face slightly, looking through a curtain of hair to see Quinn. She carefully removed the guitar from her lap and placed it leaning against the bed where it'd been before. Quinn was a bit unnerved by the silence and cleared his throat and continued. "I didn't know you could play. Or sing for that matter," he said, "when did you start?" Still no answer from her. "Uh, what is wrong?"
Her voice was soft as she answered, "I didn't know you could hear."
"Well, we could her a little from out there, but not much, so I came back to check and-"
"Well you could have knocked," she snapped. He was shocked by this and a bit indignant. He'd just complimented her and she was mad?
"What is your problem?" he asked. She flipped her red hair over her shoulder to look at him finally.
"I-" she started, angry and wanting to yell at him, but she just couldn't. It was stupid of her to get angry, she was just so embarrassed. That seemed to be the first time he noticed her blush, and it only deepened as he stared at her, waiting for an answer. "I'm sorry. Its just that I can't play in front of people."
"That's stupid, why not?" he asked, his anger not evaporated yet, however it did the next second when he saw how sad she looked.
"I don't know, I just freeze up, I can't do it," she said. Quinn felt a bit uncomfortable now, not having much experience with girls who looked as if they were about to cry. He had lots of experience with slutty girls and drunk girls, but none like Summer was now.
"Sure you can," he started nervously, but slowly gained a bit of courage. He went to sit by her, picking up his guitar and returning it to her lap. "Will you try again?" It seemed like she was going to say no, so he quickly added, "Please?" She bit her lip, but took the guitar. Her hands were already trembling the tiniest bit. She found the right strings, played the riff, but when it came time to switch to a different chord, her fingers seemed much more clumsy than before. She made the transition, though not exactly smooth, and soon it came time for the voice to enter. She had to stop. No sound would come, just like always. Her cheeks were bright red again, her eyes were stinging.
Quinn didn't know what to say or how to cure her of whatever this was. She passed the guitar back then spoke softly.
"Can you leave me alone?"
Quinn didn't know what to do, so he just put the guitar down and left her be.
"So did she have the radio on or what?" Matt asked once Quinn returned. The guitarist shook his head.
"It was her, all her," he told them. For a second it was quiet.
"Cool," Ryan said with a smile. "Sounded good."
"Not exactly cool," Quinn said. "The second she knew I was there, she was a wreck. She got embarrassed and a little mad at me."
"Why?" Ryan asked, the others seemed too shocked to speak. Emotional girls weren't their thing. Sure, they could handle screaming girls, but not real, deep emotion like the fear it sounded like she had.
"I don't know. I tried to calm her down a bit, and I told her to try again, but her hands were shaking so bad she could barely do the chords, and it was like she went mute. I feel bad."
Matt cleared his throat. "Well, I'm sure she'll be fine in an hour or so," he said.
"That’s not the point. Imagine if Joe was so nervous on stage that he literally couldn't sing," Quinn said.
"Well, that would pretty much a crime," Joe said with a laugh, sure he was cocky, but in a way it was true.
"Joe's got a great voice, and if he couldn't share it with anyone, that would suck, right?" he was trying to make the guys understand, but it just wasn't clicking for them. They hadn't seen her face or the look in her eyes.
Summer bit into her full, lower lip for just a moment before walking over to the bed and picking up the guitar. She sat it in her lap, running a hand along the neck lovingly. She strummed her nails across the strings. It was well tuned, a deep, warm sound filling the room. She muted the stings, listening. Still the distant sounds of their arguments.
The fingers of her right hand formed some chords and she finger picked with her left, playing a familiar tune. She softly sang along to it, only bothering with the first verse and chorus, then pausing again. They were still talking, but it was softer. She also heard a hearty laugh; Matt. Maybe they were making up. Good.
She laid back on the bed, picking another song, strumming out the chords and singing along again. Summer became lost in the music, relaxing. This calmed her down so much, she wasn't worried about the boys out there and if some were mad at her or not, she had actually forgotten about them.
"So, dude, what did you say to make him mad?" Matt asked Joe. They weren't mad anymore, but they were guys, they could have beaten the crap out of each other, and they'd still make up afterwards.
"I told him to stand downwind," he said. "He smelled like shit."
"Understandable," Ryan said.
"Hey, how's your ass, Ryan?" Matt asked.
"Why?"
"Cause you landed on it when you were done with your table dance," he laughed.
"Oh, right, its fine," Ryan sighed. "I sure made an ass of myself in front of Summer, huh?"
"Oh, who cares," Joe said, sour again at the mention of her name.
"Someone is a little defensive," Matt teased.
"She's a bitch!" he snapped.
"No, she's responsible," Quinn said. "And we are pretty much exactly the opposite. She needs to loosen up, and we need to shake up. Give her a break, it was her first day on the job."
"What do you think she's up to?" Ryan asked.
"I don't know," Quinn shrugged, then it was silent, except for the faint sound of guitar and a beautiful voice drifting from the bunk room.
Summer had barely burned through a fraction of all the songs in her repertoire, but she just couldn't stop playing. It was like she was in a daze, everything flowing perfectly, and she wished that she could do this well in front of people.
"That's really good," came a voice and she froze, her voice cutting off and the song ringing in the air until it faded away. "Don't stop…" he told her.
Summer turned her face slightly, looking through a curtain of hair to see Quinn. She carefully removed the guitar from her lap and placed it leaning against the bed where it'd been before. Quinn was a bit unnerved by the silence and cleared his throat and continued. "I didn't know you could play. Or sing for that matter," he said, "when did you start?" Still no answer from her. "Uh, what is wrong?"
Her voice was soft as she answered, "I didn't know you could hear."
"Well, we could her a little from out there, but not much, so I came back to check and-"
"Well you could have knocked," she snapped. He was shocked by this and a bit indignant. He'd just complimented her and she was mad?
"What is your problem?" he asked. She flipped her red hair over her shoulder to look at him finally.
"I-" she started, angry and wanting to yell at him, but she just couldn't. It was stupid of her to get angry, she was just so embarrassed. That seemed to be the first time he noticed her blush, and it only deepened as he stared at her, waiting for an answer. "I'm sorry. Its just that I can't play in front of people."
"That's stupid, why not?" he asked, his anger not evaporated yet, however it did the next second when he saw how sad she looked.
"I don't know, I just freeze up, I can't do it," she said. Quinn felt a bit uncomfortable now, not having much experience with girls who looked as if they were about to cry. He had lots of experience with slutty girls and drunk girls, but none like Summer was now.
"Sure you can," he started nervously, but slowly gained a bit of courage. He went to sit by her, picking up his guitar and returning it to her lap. "Will you try again?" It seemed like she was going to say no, so he quickly added, "Please?" She bit her lip, but took the guitar. Her hands were already trembling the tiniest bit. She found the right strings, played the riff, but when it came time to switch to a different chord, her fingers seemed much more clumsy than before. She made the transition, though not exactly smooth, and soon it came time for the voice to enter. She had to stop. No sound would come, just like always. Her cheeks were bright red again, her eyes were stinging.
Quinn didn't know what to say or how to cure her of whatever this was. She passed the guitar back then spoke softly.
"Can you leave me alone?"
Quinn didn't know what to do, so he just put the guitar down and left her be.
"So did she have the radio on or what?" Matt asked once Quinn returned. The guitarist shook his head.
"It was her, all her," he told them. For a second it was quiet.
"Cool," Ryan said with a smile. "Sounded good."
"Not exactly cool," Quinn said. "The second she knew I was there, she was a wreck. She got embarrassed and a little mad at me."
"Why?" Ryan asked, the others seemed too shocked to speak. Emotional girls weren't their thing. Sure, they could handle screaming girls, but not real, deep emotion like the fear it sounded like she had.
"I don't know. I tried to calm her down a bit, and I told her to try again, but her hands were shaking so bad she could barely do the chords, and it was like she went mute. I feel bad."
Matt cleared his throat. "Well, I'm sure she'll be fine in an hour or so," he said.
"That’s not the point. Imagine if Joe was so nervous on stage that he literally couldn't sing," Quinn said.
"Well, that would pretty much a crime," Joe said with a laugh, sure he was cocky, but in a way it was true.
"Joe's got a great voice, and if he couldn't share it with anyone, that would suck, right?" he was trying to make the guys understand, but it just wasn't clicking for them. They hadn't seen her face or the look in her eyes.
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