The Click, Chapter Two
Title: The Click
Rating: PG
Centric: High school twins.
Status: Complete.
Summary: When Joel makes the baseball team, his priorities shift from the band to the team. Can the band deal with the changes, or will they crumble and fall apart?
Benji sits in the darkness of the bedroom he and his brother share, absent-mindedly picking at the strings of his guitar. His fingers move lackadaisically around to find the chords, his mind not focused on the task. In his mind he attempts to give himself a pep talk, his frustration building at his inability to concentrate.
He can help his lack of dedication at the moment; he's too curious as to what his brother is doing. Baseball practice should have ended hours ago, three to be exact. In that time Benji had been trying to write the instrumental for the lyrics he and Joel had written a couple of days prior. For that time he had been trying, trying so hard to write something perfect.
Nothing comes however, and he takes his knuckles and brings him across the strings hard, sending a loud noise through the air that matches his feelings. As the vibration strings stop, and the noise fades into nothingness, the door creaks open. Benji shifts his eyes to the doorway, his twin standing there grinning from ear-to-ear.
"Hey" Joel beams, throwing his backpack and gym bag atop his mattress.
"Hey... where were you?" Benji asks skeptically. "...And why are you so happy?" He hasn't seen that wide a smile across Joel's face since... well, never.
"Practice. Then we all went out for pizza afterwards." Joel still grins like an idiot, his cheeks actually turning a reddish color because the skin is being manipulated that tightly.
"Wait, wait, hold up. You all went out for pizza? As in you and the jocks?" Benji tried to comprehend the words that came from his brother's mouth, the result so unfitting he wonders briefly if he had heard correctly.
"Well, yeah. The guys and me. It was really fun actually" Joel nods, peeling his t-shirt off so only his beater is exposed. Benji stares at his twin blankly. Had someone switched minds with his brother? Did he really just say he had fun hanging out with those guys? And since when are those jerks "the guys?" Was that before or after the Bengay incident? Benji shakes his head, questioning briefly if he's in an alternate universe or something.
"Fun?" he manages, his voice strained with disbelief.
"Yeah, fun" Joel says flatly, striding over and taking a seat on the side of the bed. "So, what are you doing?"
"Writing the instrumental for those lyrics" Benji mumbles, ignoring the hot breath on his neck as Joel leans over to glance at the sheet of paper lying before him.
"What you got so far?" he asks, snapping his peppermint gum.
"Not much" Benji overstates, knowing very well he has nothing.
"Sweet" Joel nods. Sweet? Since when did he talk like that? Benji figures this must have occurred somewhere around the whole hanging out with jocks and enjoying it thing.
"Uh, yeah... sweet" Benji pulls the guitar strap from his neck, shoving his guitar and amplifier into the corner.
"So when is practice?" Joel clears his throat, sensing the tension.
"Tomorrow. Seven sharp" Benji breathes, not meeting his twin's eyes.
"Seven?" Joel reiterates.
"Yeah, that's what I said. Seven o'clock. You going to be there?" Benji asks, leaning back and resting his head on his threaded fingers behind his head.
"Yeah. Count on it."
Benji's Point of View
Count on it huh? What, count on him forgetting, being late, forcing us to continue without our lead singer? Because if that's what he was planning, then he followed through one hundred percent. It's kind of like lunch, when he ignored us at lunch and sat at the jock table. Yeah... different situation, same concept.
Practice began two hours ago, and those two hours sent me here, in my dark bedroom blasting some Beastie Boys, "Sabotage", on my headphones. The rest of my band had left literally three minutes ago, according to my clock, the clock assuring that my brother had skipped out on us. Again.
Minutes later the blackness of the room is shattered. The door opens, letting in a stream of light. He is so dead. And he knows it. He sneaks over to his bed, apparently trying to avoid any contact with me whatsoever. Ha, like that's going to happen. I click the track off, plummeting the room into silence. He better have one good reason for skipping out. I'm serious, it better be one damn good reason.
I slowly turn on my side so that I am facing him through the blackness. He knows I do this, as he quits shifting in his bed and goes completely silent. I turn the light on. All whilst doing this I make sure I have a piercing, angry glare plastered across my face that burns through him. He refuses to make the eye contact.
"Well, I missed you at lunch today" I say, no emotion to my tone. "And tonight. Wait, no... I did see you at lunch. I saw you turn around and leave to sit somewhere else. That's one thing we have accounted for; now if you'd like to tell me where the hell you were three hours ago..."
"Two and a half" he murmurs.
"That's not the point Joel" I cry.
"I was out, alright?" he groans, leaning back. "I'm sorry, okay?"
"Out where?" I inquire.
Out helping homeless people would be excusable, as would curing world hunger or saving a life...
"At the burger joint with the team" he mutters.
But that isn't.
"Look, I'm sorry. I'm really sorry alright? I forgot and completely lost track of time, and-" he begins.
"...And you're an ass?" I finish his thought to a glare from him.
"I'm trying to apologize Benj. I'm sorry. It won't happen again" he sighs.
"It sure as hell better not" I grumble.
"Whatever Benj, look, I already said I'm sorry. I forgot. Now I need to sleep, so if you could just turn the light off..."
"Fine, yeah, I'm sure you're real sorry Joel" I snap sarcastically, by hand going up and clicking off the light immediately. As I settle beneath my sheets, my eyes still narrowed I hear a sigh. Then the lights click on.
"You know, I really could use your support right now" he mumbles.
"I'm sure you could" I cover my eyes with my forearm.
"So... are you going to give me any?" he questions.
"Depends. Are you going to stop lying to me and do what you say you're going to do?" I inquire coolly.
"C'mon, once, I forgot once. It isn't lying if it's an accident" he groans.
"Sure it's not" I snap off the light again. After a couple seconds it clicks on again.
"Look, I'm sorry. I already apologized, twice even. I won't skip out on practice again, I promise" he exhales. "So... are we alright?" I swallow, the sincerity in his tone getting to me.
"Fine," I sigh. "But if you skip out on us again I'm going to start looking for a replacement." I roll my head on my pillow to look him in the eye. He purses his lips, nodding.
"Okay, okay... I get it, I'll come" he yawns. I reach and click off the light for the umpteenth time and settle into the bed, attempting to drift off to sleep.
"Benj?" Joel's voice sounds, the light nearly blinding me as he turns it on yet again.
"What?" I snap, immediately throwing my arm over my face to shield my eyes.
"Love you" he whispers, just as we've done nearly every night since we were little kids. The light fades into the darkness for the final time tonight.
"Love you too" I smile slightly as I yawn, drifting to sleep.
Rating: PG
Centric: High school twins.
Status: Complete.
Summary: When Joel makes the baseball team, his priorities shift from the band to the team. Can the band deal with the changes, or will they crumble and fall apart?
Benji sits in the darkness of the bedroom he and his brother share, absent-mindedly picking at the strings of his guitar. His fingers move lackadaisically around to find the chords, his mind not focused on the task. In his mind he attempts to give himself a pep talk, his frustration building at his inability to concentrate.
He can help his lack of dedication at the moment; he's too curious as to what his brother is doing. Baseball practice should have ended hours ago, three to be exact. In that time Benji had been trying to write the instrumental for the lyrics he and Joel had written a couple of days prior. For that time he had been trying, trying so hard to write something perfect.
Nothing comes however, and he takes his knuckles and brings him across the strings hard, sending a loud noise through the air that matches his feelings. As the vibration strings stop, and the noise fades into nothingness, the door creaks open. Benji shifts his eyes to the doorway, his twin standing there grinning from ear-to-ear.
"Hey" Joel beams, throwing his backpack and gym bag atop his mattress.
"Hey... where were you?" Benji asks skeptically. "...And why are you so happy?" He hasn't seen that wide a smile across Joel's face since... well, never.
"Practice. Then we all went out for pizza afterwards." Joel still grins like an idiot, his cheeks actually turning a reddish color because the skin is being manipulated that tightly.
"Wait, wait, hold up. You all went out for pizza? As in you and the jocks?" Benji tried to comprehend the words that came from his brother's mouth, the result so unfitting he wonders briefly if he had heard correctly.
"Well, yeah. The guys and me. It was really fun actually" Joel nods, peeling his t-shirt off so only his beater is exposed. Benji stares at his twin blankly. Had someone switched minds with his brother? Did he really just say he had fun hanging out with those guys? And since when are those jerks "the guys?" Was that before or after the Bengay incident? Benji shakes his head, questioning briefly if he's in an alternate universe or something.
"Fun?" he manages, his voice strained with disbelief.
"Yeah, fun" Joel says flatly, striding over and taking a seat on the side of the bed. "So, what are you doing?"
"Writing the instrumental for those lyrics" Benji mumbles, ignoring the hot breath on his neck as Joel leans over to glance at the sheet of paper lying before him.
"What you got so far?" he asks, snapping his peppermint gum.
"Not much" Benji overstates, knowing very well he has nothing.
"Sweet" Joel nods. Sweet? Since when did he talk like that? Benji figures this must have occurred somewhere around the whole hanging out with jocks and enjoying it thing.
"Uh, yeah... sweet" Benji pulls the guitar strap from his neck, shoving his guitar and amplifier into the corner.
"So when is practice?" Joel clears his throat, sensing the tension.
"Tomorrow. Seven sharp" Benji breathes, not meeting his twin's eyes.
"Seven?" Joel reiterates.
"Yeah, that's what I said. Seven o'clock. You going to be there?" Benji asks, leaning back and resting his head on his threaded fingers behind his head.
"Yeah. Count on it."
Benji's Point of View
Count on it huh? What, count on him forgetting, being late, forcing us to continue without our lead singer? Because if that's what he was planning, then he followed through one hundred percent. It's kind of like lunch, when he ignored us at lunch and sat at the jock table. Yeah... different situation, same concept.
Practice began two hours ago, and those two hours sent me here, in my dark bedroom blasting some Beastie Boys, "Sabotage", on my headphones. The rest of my band had left literally three minutes ago, according to my clock, the clock assuring that my brother had skipped out on us. Again.
Minutes later the blackness of the room is shattered. The door opens, letting in a stream of light. He is so dead. And he knows it. He sneaks over to his bed, apparently trying to avoid any contact with me whatsoever. Ha, like that's going to happen. I click the track off, plummeting the room into silence. He better have one good reason for skipping out. I'm serious, it better be one damn good reason.
I slowly turn on my side so that I am facing him through the blackness. He knows I do this, as he quits shifting in his bed and goes completely silent. I turn the light on. All whilst doing this I make sure I have a piercing, angry glare plastered across my face that burns through him. He refuses to make the eye contact.
"Well, I missed you at lunch today" I say, no emotion to my tone. "And tonight. Wait, no... I did see you at lunch. I saw you turn around and leave to sit somewhere else. That's one thing we have accounted for; now if you'd like to tell me where the hell you were three hours ago..."
"Two and a half" he murmurs.
"That's not the point Joel" I cry.
"I was out, alright?" he groans, leaning back. "I'm sorry, okay?"
"Out where?" I inquire.
Out helping homeless people would be excusable, as would curing world hunger or saving a life...
"At the burger joint with the team" he mutters.
But that isn't.
"Look, I'm sorry. I'm really sorry alright? I forgot and completely lost track of time, and-" he begins.
"...And you're an ass?" I finish his thought to a glare from him.
"I'm trying to apologize Benj. I'm sorry. It won't happen again" he sighs.
"It sure as hell better not" I grumble.
"Whatever Benj, look, I already said I'm sorry. I forgot. Now I need to sleep, so if you could just turn the light off..."
"Fine, yeah, I'm sure you're real sorry Joel" I snap sarcastically, by hand going up and clicking off the light immediately. As I settle beneath my sheets, my eyes still narrowed I hear a sigh. Then the lights click on.
"You know, I really could use your support right now" he mumbles.
"I'm sure you could" I cover my eyes with my forearm.
"So... are you going to give me any?" he questions.
"Depends. Are you going to stop lying to me and do what you say you're going to do?" I inquire coolly.
"C'mon, once, I forgot once. It isn't lying if it's an accident" he groans.
"Sure it's not" I snap off the light again. After a couple seconds it clicks on again.
"Look, I'm sorry. I already apologized, twice even. I won't skip out on practice again, I promise" he exhales. "So... are we alright?" I swallow, the sincerity in his tone getting to me.
"Fine," I sigh. "But if you skip out on us again I'm going to start looking for a replacement." I roll my head on my pillow to look him in the eye. He purses his lips, nodding.
"Okay, okay... I get it, I'll come" he yawns. I reach and click off the light for the umpteenth time and settle into the bed, attempting to drift off to sleep.
"Benj?" Joel's voice sounds, the light nearly blinding me as he turns it on yet again.
"What?" I snap, immediately throwing my arm over my face to shield my eyes.
"Love you" he whispers, just as we've done nearly every night since we were little kids. The light fades into the darkness for the final time tonight.
"Love you too" I smile slightly as I yawn, drifting to sleep.