7: the grotesque leering

As much as Edward was regretting joining Jarex's band, when Jarex told him that they had an upcoming band meeting, Edward went. He couldn't have told you why, but at five o' clock that day, he went downstairs and down the hall to Jarex's dorm room. Jarex, Kalie, and the African-American looking girl who he had seen yesterday were already standing around, looking bored.

"Hello...?" Edward asked cautiously, as he walked slowly through the doorway.

"Hey, Edward," Jarex mumbled, without raising his head to look. Edward noticed Kalie whisper something in Jarex's ear.

"What's he doing here?"

she said, loud enough for Edward to just barely hear it.

"He says he's a good keyboard player," Jarex whispered back. More audibly, he added to Edward, "Uh... sit down somewhere. We're just waiting for Leffa to get here, and then we'll be good." Surprised at Jarex's kindness, Edward sat down on a large armchair that Jarex had in his room. CD cases were strewn over the chair, which Edward politely moved aside. They sat in silence.

Several awkward minutes later, Leffa rushed in, her blond hair askew over her face. "Sorry I'm late, guys," she panted. Jarex flicked his hair at her and smiled. "No problem. Alright, everybody take a seat." Leffa and Kalie sat down on the large bed in the center of the room, and the others sat down in seats arranged around the messy dormitory.

Jarex was the first to talk. "Alright, everyone," he spoke up, as he rose from his chair. "First, before we'd begin, I'd just like to say one thing." His eyes traveled around the room, and Edward felt slightly uncomfortable when the dark orbs rested on him.

"If you're not serious about this, you can get the fuck out, because I sure as hell am," he began, sternly looking at the inhabitants of the room. "We're not here to (here he made quotation mark gestures with his fingers) play around. We're here to make music, and it is going to be good music. If you're not serious about this, if you're not ready to commit to playing your instrument, if you're not ready to go up on stage and play for crowds, if you're not ready to make this your life, your life, then please, get the fuck out of here. Now."

No one got up.

What are you THINKING!? Edward questioned of himself. He wasn't at all ready to take being in a band seriously, especially not a band with Jarex as the frontman! Glancing at the posters adorning the walls of Jarex's dorm, Edward assumed that they would be playing some sort of terrible, loud, noisy music that he hated. The only good thing about the situation was Leffa, who really was very nice. Still, one friendly person alone was not enough to make up for a group of a bully and two people wrapped around his little finger.

Still, deep inside, Edward knew the reason that he was joining the band. It was because he still, after over a month, had no friends or companions in this school. At all. And he needed some, or he would go insane. Maybe it was his quiet personality that made people not want to be with him. Maybe it was his dorky outward appearance. Although he didn't want to admit it, it was something he desperately needed to fix, and maybe this was his chance.

"Alright, if you all are going to be in the band, there are a couple rules that we all need to follow," Jarex addressed the group, cutting off Edward's thoughts. "First rule is, I am the boss. I am the only one that knows what he's doing, except for maybe Mea." Mea, Edward assumed, was the third girl in the room, the one that Jarex wanted to be the drummer. "I have the final decision. I tell you all what to do. No questions asked."

Edward was going to protest the unfairness of this, but thought better of it. By the looks of it, Leffa and the girl he now knew as Mea were struggling against voicing the same thing.

"Alright. The second rule is, you all have to practice your instrument at least half an hour a day. Or else you're going to flat-out suck."

"What!?" Mea burst out from a seat across from Edward. "Half an hour a day!? Are you crazy!?" she yelled. Privately, Edward felt that half an hour wasn't all that much, and that he could easily accomplish that every day. Mea, however, was in a frenzy and did not at all feel the same way.

"Remember rule number one!" Jarex barked, swivleing around towards her. "If you don't like it, go join some other loser's band. But I can guarantee you, they're going to get nowhere. They're going to suck. We're going to be the greatest fucking band in the Quadraterracel, and I mean it. But if you don't practice, you don't belong here."

Mea sighed in resignation.

"Those are the rules," Jarex finished. "Any questions?"

Nobody dared raise a hand.

"Alright," said Jarex, obviously pleased at the reactions of the rest of the newly formed band. "Now," he resumed, "I think that the first thing we should do is decide on a name for our band. We need something to, you know, call ourselves. I was thinking 'the Bleak Winter"."

"It's kind of poetic," spoke up Leffa for the first time, "but it's a little too... I don't know, it just doesn't roll of the tongue." Edward noticed Jarex give a coy smile in Leffa's direction and felt a sudden surge of jealousy. "I think we should go with something else," finished Leffa.

Inspired by her entry into the discussion, Edward decided to say something too. "I think we should name the band simple, such as 'The Five Musicians', or possibly 'The Feet' or 'The Windows' or 'The Clocks' or something similar."

Jarex turned toward Edward. "First of all, stop talking like that, it's fucking annoying. Second of all, that fad died out in the seventies, and it was stupid in the first place. No. Just no."

Edward looked down at his feet and decided not to attempt to participate again.

"Anyway, we're looking for words like 'Bleak', 'Bloody', 'Deadly', 'Murder', 'Hollow', 'Skeletal', etc."

"That song you played me the other night didn't sound very 'skeletal'," crooned Kalie, who was obviously flirting with Jarex. Edward didn't see the point, since they were already a couple, but that was Kalie for you. Her entire life, it seemed, was based around flirting.

"Why do all the words have to sound so mean?" asked Leffa. "Can't we have something more... like... not exactly happy, but nice sounding? Like something more poetic?" After a moment's pause, she excitedly burst out with "I know! The Rainy Afternoon!"

Jarex looked surprised. "That's pretty good, I guess," he said plaintively. "But I think we can do better."

The other members of the band (minus Edward) all put in their input of names for Jarex to consider, and he rejected all of them. After about fifteen minute's worth of suggestions, Jarex suddenly exclaimed, "I've got it!" and the room fell silent.

"The Grotesque Leering!" he said, with a huge grin on his face.

"What!?" both Mea and Leffa screamed simultaneously.

"That was terrible!" exclaimed Mea, and Leffa nodded her head in agreement. Edward silently agreed, but he knew better than to voice his opinions. Jarex looked crestfallen.

"I don't think it's that bad," whimpered Kalie.

"Are you kidding me?" shouted Jarex. "This is the best band name ever! We are going to use it. Rule number one, remember?"

Mea slowly shook her head. "Dude, this is terrible. We can't use 'The Grotesque Leering'. It's just stupid."

Despite his better judgment, Edward decided to voice his opinion. "It doesn't sound very appea... uh, I mean good, and it doesn't make any sense."

"Who asked you?" Jarex shot out.

"Stop insulting Edward and the rest of us!" Leffa said indignantly. This finally got Jarex's attention, and he looked toward her. "Just... maybe I don't want to be the singer of a band where you're so mean to everyone!"

Edward's heart glowed. Someone was defending him, and even better, that person was Leffa! He was glad he had challenged Jarex, the new surge of pride he now felt was worth it.

"Alright, I'm sorry," said Jarex, and then quickly changed the subject. "Anyway, we need a place to practice."

"What's wrong with this place?" asked Leffa.

"Well, you know," said Jarex with a flick of his hair, "It's not like we can shred on electric guitars and stuff while people are sleeping. It would be, you know, what do they call it? A disturbance of peace or some shit. We need to find somewhere else."

"Where else is there to practice?" inquired Edward, anticipating Jarex's angry retort.

"Oh, right, you're new," Jarex said, as if it was terrible that he would have to put up with these questions. "There's a shitload of secret places throughout the school that they don't tell you about, They're actually, really, really awesome. Most kids just go with their girlfriends, to, um... (he glanced at Kalie)... be alone with them. But I think we can put it to some use." It was surprisingly nice. For Jarex, anyway.

"You have an electric guitar?" squealed Kalie.

"Yeah," Jarex casually replied, doing his trademark movement of his hair.

"But how'd you get it?"

"Well," he laughed. "It kind of helps to have a rich uncle who gives you a bunch of stuff whenever you want it."

"Lucky," laughed Mea back. "I had to pay for my drum set myself."

"Well, he's an asshole," Jarex casually told her. "He just does it 'cause he feels guilty. Anyway, can we get back on subject, now? We need a place to practice. If it's one of the secret rooms that's next to the hallway, then... that's not going to work, 'cause everyone will be able to hear us. It's just as bad as the dorm room. We need either a soundproof place, or a place that can take us far away, like underground or something. One of us needs to find a place like this." He paused a moment. "Any volunteers?"

No one stood up or raised their hand.

"Alright then," Jarex said. "I vote Edward."

Edward was about to protest, but Jarex shot at him: "It's not like you have anything to do. Just go looking around the school for somewhere we can practice, or we won't be able to have this band. And that's not what you want, is it?"

Edward said no.

"Great," said Jarex, clapping his hands together. "You can all go away now, and I'll see you a week from now, okay?" They all got up from their chairs and started to file away, except for Kalie who stayed behind.

"Edward!" Jarex said, giving him a stern look.

"What?" Edward asked, as he was exiting the room.

"Find the place to practice, or you'll be sorry."

Edward nodded and left to go back to the confines of his own room.

* * * * *

Of course, Edward had told Jarex that he wanted to be in the band, but he wasn't really sure what he actually thought inside. He was going to commit to be in a band. With Jarex. Could anything good come out of this?

What Edward didn't know is that joining the band would change his life.


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