Hard Rock

by Ginger Rue

  “Oh, y’all,” Kyra said. “I can’t hang with them. They have conversations about world geography and European history. I’ve never felt so dumb.”

  “So you’ve come back to your intellectual equals?” said Tig.

  “Yeah,” said Kyra. “Except for Robbie and Claire, of course.” Kyra smiled.

  “Oh, thanks!” Olivia said. “Thanks so much!”

  But at least they were laughing together again, even if it was awkward, tentative laughter.

  “Hey, we’re really sorry about your folks,” Robbie said.

  “Yeah,” said Olivia. “That stinks.”

  “We want to be here for you,” said Claire. “If you’ll let us.”

  Kyra hugged them all. “Thanks. It helps. Really. I’m so sorry we fought. I need y’all! Losing my family is hard enough. I can’t lose my friends, too.” Her voice cracked a bit and she swallowed hard. “And, Robbie, I’m sorry I was so ugly to Paris. She deserves better. She’s so nice. Really, really nice. And thoughtful!”

  Robbie grinned. “Is she? What makes you say so?”

  “Well,” said Kyra, a twinkle in her eye, “she introduced me online to someone from her school.”

  “You don’t say?” said Tig.

  “Yes,” said Kyra. “His name is Milo and he’s amazing! He’s cute and he’s supersmart.”

  “I thought you were tired of smart people?” Robbie said.

  “Not the hot ones who are into me,” Kyra replied. “Y’all, he’s the top student in his class and he plays the violin and he’s so charming!”

  “How so?” asked Tig.

  “Well, in one of our first messages, he told me I was pulchritudinous. Isn’t that sweet?”

  “Pulchri-what-i-what?” asked Tig.

  “Beautiful,” Robbie explained. But Tig didn’t think the word sounded beautiful at all. More like a skin infection or something.

  “I’m going to his strings concert on Thursday, and then I’ll get to meet him in person!” Kyra said. “And it’s all because of Paris!”

  “Paris’s pretty killer,” said Robbie.

  “I’m happy for you,” said Tig.

  “We all are,” said Claire.

  “And you guys were right to kick me out of the band,” said Kyra. “I’m a lousy bass player. And I never practiced. “You’ll be better off without me.”

  “Let’s just move forward from here,” Tig said. She knew it would take some time for things to be the same again, if they ever would. Kyra had violated her trust and had shown a pretty severe mean streak. Those weren’t things Tig would easily forget. But Kyra was dealing with a lot right now, and besides, she was family. And an awkward friendship with her cousin was better than no friendship with her at all.

  “You can still come to practice just to hang out with us if you want,” Claire said. “Right, Tig?”

  “Sure,” Tig said.

  “Oh, thanks,” said Kyra. “But I can’t make it. I’ve got Milo’s concert.”

  Kyra took her former usual seat and told the girls every detail she could think of about Milo. Meanwhile, Will came in and sat with Olivia. “Silly!” Olivia said. “Your shirt!”

  The girls looked at Will’s shirt. He’d buttoned it wrong and it hung crooked.

  Will blushed. “I was kind of running late this morning,” he said.

  “I think it’s adorable!” Olivia said. “Isn’t he adorable?”

  Robbie made a gag face, and the other girls laughed. Tig laughed too, but the problem was, she agreed with Olivia.

  It was a weird feeling. Part of Tig wanted Will to be perfectly happy with Olivia because Olivia was her friend, and Olivia was crazy about Will. But the other part of Tig hoped that Will couldn’t stop thinking about her any more than she could stop thinking about him.

  It seemed to Tig that now that they were in eighth grade, so much of life seemed to center around boys. She thought back to when they were in elementary school and thought boys had cooties. Things were so uncomplicated back then. But when she stole a quick glance at Will and he smiled at her and her stomach flipped, it wasn’t necessarily a feeling she entirely disliked. Even though it was something of a slow torture—thinking about Will all the time but not being able to do anything about it, wondering if he felt the same way—Tig wasn’t sure she wanted this strange torture to end. It was like having a beautifully wrapped box you hadn’t opened yet. The possibility, the expectation, the curiosity, the longing . . . Could what was actually inside the box ever measure up? Something about this odd, new emotion drew her. It made her feel alive.

  Chapter Thirty-Two

  Thursday afternoon practice went incredibly well once again with Kyra out and Paris in. The progress the girls made was steady and came much faster than ever before. They were all feeling pretty good about the class reunion they’d be playing at the end of next month. There was very little anxiety that they’d be able to pull it off; rather, they all felt confident that the gig would be a huge success.

  Tig reveled in the way the band was thriving. It was the first time since she’d started Pandora’s Box that everything finally seemed to be coming together. She was able to relax and really enjoy playing the drums and having a band. Now that Tig no longer had to ride Kyra about practicing or make excuses for her to Robbie and the other girls, it was as though a huge weight had been taken off her shoulders. Finally Tig could enjoy the whole rock band experience.

  While the girls were taking a quick break, Tig remembered something she’d wanted to show them. “Take a look at this,” she said, passing her phone to Olivia. It was a text from BD with a photo of the reunion invitation.

  The invitation was cute and colorful, and Tig was excited to point out the line that said, Special performance by Pandora’s Box.

  “See how they put our band name on there?” Tig said. “Pretty cool, huh? I don’t know. . . . Something about seeing it in print makes it seem more real.” Olivia admired the photo, then passed Tig’s phone around so the other girls could look. Claire and Paris oohed and ahhed just like Olivia had. Only Robbie noticed.

  “Um, you guys,” Robbie said. “Did you notice the asterisk next to the words ‘Pandora’s Box’?”

  “Oh yeah,” Tig said. “They put all of our names in small print at the bottom of the invite.”

  “Not exactly all of our names,” said Robbie. She passed the phone back to Tig, the invitation photo enlarged, and scrolled over the bottom.

  “Oh no,” said Tig.

  “Oh no what?” asked Olivia. “What’s the matter?”

  Tig groaned. “I’m so sorry, y’all. I totally forgot to tell BD.”

  “Tell him what?” asked Claire. Tig passed her the phone. “Oh,” Claire said. “Yikes.”

  “What is it?” asked Paris. Claire passed her the phone. “Oh, is that all?” Paris said. “Not a big deal.”

  “Yes, it is,” said Robbie. “They put Kyra’s name instead of yours.”

  “It’s not like any of those old folks will know the difference,” Paris said. “Don’t make a muffin out of a molehole.”

  “It’s ‘a mountain out of a molehill,’” said Olivia.

  “I know. I just like mine better,” said Paris. “There’s no broadband out in the country. We make things up to amuse ourselves.”

  “Can you call your grandfather and have him make the correction?” Robbie said. “Paris’s laid-back, but I still want her to get proper credit. She’s working really hard as our bass player.”

  “Agreed,” said Tig. “I’ll call BD right now. They’ve already mailed the invitations, but maybe they can send out a correction or at least have it corrected at the reunion.” Tig walked outside the studio and called her grandfather. She explained how the girls had replaced Kyra with Paris. “So, if you could send out a correction or whatever . . .”

  “I’m afraid it’s not going to be that easy,” said BD.

  “Why not?” said Tig. “Is it the postage cost? You don’t really have to mail anything else. .
. . Just change the names on the signs or whatever at the reunion.”

  “It’s not postage,” BD said. “It’s Kyra. I don’t know if this show will work without her.”

  “Why wouldn’t it?” Tig asked. Sure, BD had always been nice to Kyra, but she was on Tig’s mom’s side of the family, and BD was Tig’s father’s dad. It wasn’t like Kyra was BD’s granddaughter or anything. So why would he push for Kyra to perform at his reunion?

  “It’s complicated,” BD said. “Mimi and I are out running errands. We’ll swing by your house on the way home in a bit, and I’ll explain it to you in person.”

  When Tig went back inside the studio, Robbie asked, “Did you get everything straightened out?”

  “Not exactly,” Tig replied. “I don’t know what the big deal is, but BD’s coming by in a while to explain it to me in person.”

  “What’s to explain?” Robbie asked.

  “I have no idea.”

  Olivia’s mom pulled into the driveway. “Gotta run,” Olivia said. “Let us know what’s up when you know.”

  “I’m sure it’s nothing that can’t be worked out,” Tig said.

  After all the girls were gone and Tig was inside doing her homework, BD and Mimi arrived. Tig was relieved. The suspense was killing her, and she couldn’t focus on her work; she’d read the same passage on her English worksheet three times already.

  Once BD and Mimi had gotten all the hugs and hellos out of the way with Tig’s younger sister and brother, Tig and her grandparents sat down on the sofa together while her mom continued cooking supper.

  “So, what’s the deal with the reunion performance?” Tig asked. “Why is Kyra even an issue?”

  BD cleared his throat. “You remember my former high-school classmate Norman Allen, don’t you?”

  Tig had to think for a moment. “That weird-looking guy with the teeth?” She made her hand into a claw and held it in front of her mouth.

  BD smiled. “That’s the one.”

  “His teeth weren’t that bad,” said Mimi.

  “You may have forgotten that he’s Kyra’s great-uncle’s first cousin,” said BD.

  Of course Tig had forgotten that. Why should such a random fact take up valuable real estate in her brain? It wasn’t like the man and Kyra were even close; Kyra barely knew him. Tig vaguely recalled seeing him around town here and there over the years as she was growing up and remembered her family exchanging pleasantries with him, but that was about it.

  “Okay,” Tig said. “But what’s that got to do with anything?”

  “Norman and I have never exactly been close friends,” BD said. “He’s had a grudge against me ever since I stole your Mimi away from him when we were young.”

  “You dated the teeth guy?” Tig said, scrunching up her face in horror. The question of whether they’d ever kissed briefly sped through Tig’s mind, but she pushed it out immediately. The thought of her own grandmother kissing anyone, especially the teeth guy, was enough to activate her gag reflex.

  “Not really,” said Mimi. “It was never serious.”

  “He asked you to marry him!” BD said.

  “Just that one time, sugar,” Mimi replied. BD made a face. “I said no, didn’t I?”

  “Gross! You almost married the teeth guy?” Tig’s mind then went to her own DNA and how she had come so close to inheriting those same teeth. She’d really dodged a bullet there.

  “I certainly did not,” said Mimi. “I told him he ought to go out with Angela Payton, and he did, and they got married and had a real nice family and I believe now they have seven grandchildren. Angela is real nice. Always was. You know, I knew her mama and daddy, and they were always real nice too. All of them. Her daddy worked at the pharmacy downtown, and—”

  “Well, he may have married Angela, but he always carried a torch for Mimi,” said BD.

  “Oh, he did not,” Mimi said, waving her hand.

  “Did too!”

  “This is all very interesting,” Tig said. And it kind of was. It was like an old people soap opera. “But what does any of this have to do with the gig?”

  “I was getting to that,” said BD. “Norman was on the planning committee, and when I brought up your band playing, he said absolutely not. A middle-school band was too inexperienced, he said, and we ought to have some real musicians. Of course, he was only saying that because it was my idea and my granddaughter. But when I reminded him that his great-niece-cousin or whatever she is was in the band with you, well, then, of course, he got all puffed up about wanting to show her off, so he agreed to it.”

  “Oh,” said Tig. “Now I get it.” At least, she thought she did.

  “As you can see,” said BD, “if Kyra doesn’t play with the band, we may have a problem.”

  “What if we don’t say a word about it and just show up and play?” Tig said. “It will be too late for him to do anything about it then.”

  “Well, it would be,” said BD, “except that this morning I got a call from Norman. He’d called your aunt Laurie to tell her how excited he was about Kyra playing his reunion, and your aunt Laurie informed him that Kyra had been kicked out of the band.”

  “That makes sense,” Tig said. She knew Aunt Laurie would find some way to punish her for kicking Kyra out, even if Kyra was over it.

  “So now Norman says if Kyra isn’t playing with the band anymore, the deal is off,” said BD.

  “Does he have that kind of power?” Tig asked.

  “I’m afraid so,” said BD. “Two of the other men on the committee played on the football team with Norman, and one of the women is his wife’s best friend. He has connections. I have some influence with the other committee members, but it could be close if we had to vote again.”

  “I see,” said Tig. Who knew senior citizens had such power struggles?

  “I’m sorry, Tigger,” said BD. “I just don’t know what to do.”

  Tig had a thought. “Maybe Mimi could call him and sweet-talk him?”

  “I will do no such thing!” Mimi said. “I do not sweet-talk other women’s husbands!”

  “I’m just saying, I’m your granddaughter too,” Tig said. Then she grinned and added, “Really, Mimi, this is all your fault for not marrying him fifty years ago.” Tig and BD started giggling.

  “Oh, hush up, you two,” Mimi said, but she was giggling too.

  “I was thinking that if you could let Kyra stay on as bass player just until this one performance is over, maybe Norman wouldn’t raise a stink,” said BD.

  “I don’t know,” Tig said. After all the trouble she’d had with kicking Kyra out of the band, inviting her back in, even for just a short time . . . well, that might really be opening a Pandora’s box. It seemed a shame to stir things back up now that the dust had just settled. Besides, even though she’d technically forgiven Kyra, Tig wasn’t fully over the betrayal. Something like that would take a while to move past, if she ever could. The truth was, even though things were cool again with Tig and Kyra, Tig was glad to have her out of the band. If she let Kyra back in, even temporarily, there was a chance that Kyra might try to wheedle her way in again permanently. What if Tig had to kick her out twice? “I’ll talk to the other girls in the band. I’ll see what we can come up with.”

  When Mimi and BD left, Tig thought about earlier that afternoon when she’d felt all that weight taken off her shoulders.

  Well, it had been nice while it had lasted.

  Chapter Thirty-Three

  Tig would have preferred to talk with Robbie, Paris, Olivia, and Claire face-to-face about all this, but there was no way she could sit on it overnight. She was bursting to get it off her chest. She hoped Robbie or one of the other girls would have some idea about what to do.

  Tig set up a group video chat with her bandmates. Claire’s hair was in a towel; Olivia’s was held back from her face with a cloth band, and she had zit cream dotting spots along her forehead and nose. Robbie was wearing a ponytail, something she almost never did. Paris, howev
er, was the most interesting of all: she was holding a baby goat.

  “Is this the cutest critter you’ve ever seen or what?” Paris asked.

  The girls squealed over the baby goat’s cuteness for a few minutes, and then Tig got down to business. “No offense to your critter, P, but we’ve got a problem,” she said.

  “What’s wrong?” asked Claire.

  “It’s the gig,” Tig replied.

  “They changed the date?” asked Robbie. “The pay? Are they going to try to pay us in tapioca pudding?”

  “This isn’t a joke,” Tig said. “My grandparents told me tonight that one of the old men on the reunion committee is Kyra’s great-uncle’s first cousin. The only reason he voted to have us play is because of Kyra. Now he’s found out she’s no longer in the band and he wants to cancel us.”

  “Wow, get a life,” Robbie said. “Old people have way too much time on their hands, obvs.”

  “My sentiments exactly,” said Tig.

  “I don’t see what the big deal is,” said Olivia. “They don’t sound like very close relatives, so why does he care so much?”

  “Apparently, this whole saga goes back several decades to when he was spurned by my grandma,” said Tig. “He just wants to cause trouble for my granddad.”

  “That’s strangely romantic,” said Olivia. “He still hasn’t gotten over your grandma? What is she, like, Cleopatra or somebody?”

  “Who knew Mimi was such a hot ticket back in the day?” said Tig.

  “I just had this weird thought,” said Claire. “Someday we’ll be old like they are, and then people who are the age we are now will have a hard time imagining us as young. Isn’t that kind of sad to think about?”

  “Yeah,” said Olivia. “Someday the guys we think are so cute will be old men, and we’ll be old ladies, and it will be like, what was the big deal about them?”

  Tig took that in for a moment. She had a flash of herself and her friends as old women. What if Will and Olivia got married and had children and grandchildren, and they all still lived in the same town, and every time Tig saw Will, she felt that same pang of regret mixed with jealousy that he belonged to Olivia? Could feelings really last that many years? Apparently, they could, given the Mimi/BD/Norman Allen triangle. But Tig could barely imagine herself in high school, let alone as a grandmother. She shook off the thought—it was something to ponder later, when the aspects of her current life were less pressing.