Beat the Band (Swim the Fly #2)(87)

But something tells me, this is a night people will be talking about a hundred years from now.





WE BUILD THE LAST FEW BARS of “Twist and Shout” to a grand crescendo, finishing on a wild rush of crashing cymbals and roaring guitar and pounding keyboards.

Right on cue, as the last note dies out, Matt saunters up to his microphone. “The Doctor has signed your release papers! You have been . . . discharged!” And with that, Matt rips the top off the tape bikini on his guitar, exposing the naked babe’s bouncers.

“Now that’s what I’m talking about!” Dean Scragliano calls out.

“Adios!” Sean shouts, Frisbeeing his sombrero into the crowd, which is caught by a pretty girl who whoops and places it on her head. “Feliz Navidad!”

We don’t get the loudest applause of the night, for sure. But we’ve definitely gained some new fans with our enthusiastic display. And I don’t hear a single “Hot Dog Helen” or “Corn Dog Coop”— not even from Andy Bennett himself, who is busy taking pictures of Matt’s guitar with his cell phone.

“Come on now!” Dean Scragliano encourages everyone, clapping his hands loudly over his head. “Give it up! These dudes have balls! Encore! Don’t put away that guitar!”

“Thank you, Arnold Murphy’s Bologna Dare,” Mr. Grossman says over the gym PA. “That was extremely . . . interesting.” He clears his throat. “Now, may I have all of the bands over to the judges’ table for the announcement of the winner?”

“How cool was that?” Sean says, a huge grin on his face as he shuts down his keyboards.

“Totally uncool-cool!” Matt cracks up, lifting the guitar over his head, sweat dripping down his face.

“That was awesome.” I give my buds a shoulder squeeze. “Talk about a ‘big junk’ performance!”

Matt and Sean laugh, pleased twinkles in their eyes.

I look over at Helen, who’s coiling up the mic cable. I want to talk to her. Make sure everything’s okay between us. But I’m suddenly feeling really shy. Unsure of myself.

I breathe deep and force my feet to move.

“Hi,” I say, when I step up beside her.

“Hi.”

“Can we . . . talk? In private?”

She nods. “Yeah. Okay.”

“Everyone,” Mr. Grossman calls out, still trying to wrangle the hordes. “Over here, please.”

I turn to Matt and Sean. “We’ll be right back to help with the breakdown.”

“Wait,” Sean says. “Don’t you want to see who wins?”

“Doesn’t matter.” I clap him on the back. “We didn’t let them get us down. We had a good time. And Helen kicked ass. That’s all I care about. See you in a few.”

I grab our coats, and Helen and I head outside. Just as we step out into the snow, I hear Mr. Grossman make an announcement but I can’t make out what he says. There’s a mix of cheers and groans which is cut off as soon as the heavy metal door snicks shut.

A lot of people are hanging around the parking lot — smoking and chatting and clearing the ice off their cars — so Helen and I make our way across the football field and up to the top of the bleachers.

I brush the snow off the benches and we take a seat. The cold soaking through my jeans.

“How’s your mom doing?” I say as we stare out across the winter landscape. “I didn’t see her in the audience.”

“She couldn’t make it. She wasn’t feeling up to it.”

“I’m sorry. She would have been mega-proud of you. I know I was. You were absolutely incredible, you know?”

“Thanks.” A shy smile on her face. “You too.”

“I don’t know about that.”

Helen looks at me. “No, Coop. You were. What you did tonight. Saying those things. In front of the whole school. Standing up for me. It was really brave. It meant a lot.”

“Yeah, well . . .” I feel my eyes starting to fill up. “I should have done it earlier, back in Health class. Except I wimped out. But there’s no way I was going to make the same mistake twice.”

Helen reaches over and wipes the tears from my cheeks with her thumb. Then she leans into me. Her body warm against mine. I put my arm around her. Nestle in close. Breathe her in.

I had all these things I thought I wanted to say. Questions I wanted to ask. Are we really okay? Can she actually forgive me for all the stupid, horrible things I’ve done? Does she even want to be with a loser like me now that everyone knows how amazing and totally hot she is? Sure, Andy Bennett and Prudence Nash might not let the name-calling drop, but I bet there are guys who would totally go for Helen after tonight’s display.

But sitting here now on the bleachers, comfortable in the silence, curled up together and watching the snow come down . . .

I have all the answers I need.

We stay there for a while. Watching people come and go. Car lights switching on in the parking lot. Just being with each other.

And it’s the only place in the entire world I’d want to be right now.

“There you guys are,” a voice calls from down below.

It’s Matt, standing at the bottom of the bleachers with Sean and Valerie. All of them in their winter coats.