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Chrissy spun on her heel, stomped her feet, and clapped a rhythm. Eddie nodded slowly, then swung the guitar around and started strumming Dirty Deeds Done Dirt Cheap by AC/DC, and it was clean and quiet without being plugged in, and he was playing it a little faster than the original, but a huge smile spread across Chrissy’s face.
“Let me get you a drummer,”Â
She vanished back into the changing room, and seconds later Eddie was nearly trampled by a stream of cheerleaders rushing out like a white, orange and green cavalry.
Moments later, he was shoved into the corner of the gym next to someone’s bewildered, trucker-cap-wearing uncle on drums. A crackly amp was hauled out from the music department, smelling faintly of mildew and bad decisions, and Eddie threw himself into the intro. The whole of the room snapped their heads to him as the intro guitar riff rang out through the shitty amplifier, they’d found in the music department. The head nodding started in the crowd, then people were on their feet, but all of that was lost in the vignette edge of when Chrissy would turn and smile at him. It felt like Cupid had hit him with a rocket launcher full of rainbows and glitter. After the competition was over, which they naturally won, she caught up with him in the hallway, as he was attempting to kick a free soda out of the vending machine.
“You know,” she said, swaying and smiling up at him sweetly, “people pay real money for backup musicians. Like... actual money.”
And from that moment on, he’d been her guy. Cut his hair, traded his band t-shirts for Henleys and button-downs, his wash-and-go lifestyle had become a twice-a-day skin care routine. His wake-and-bake Sunday mornings became front-pew church attendance with Chrissy by his side, wearing matching chastity promise rings, singing out hymns and trying not to gaze at one another too much. He still played metal and rock, but also learned more mainstream songs. She had opened his eyes to a world of possibilities. Chrissy had plans. Mothra-sized ones, and they were drawn out to the letter.
