“Mom, I can’t make dinner for you guys to night, I have a concert!” I yelled at my mom from the front steps of my parents’ house. I wouldn’t even have been there if I hadn’t needed to get the rest of my stuff.

“Page you get back in here this instant!” My mom yelled back, I could tell by her voice that she had been drinking for the last couple hours.

“I can’t mom, I have to go!” I turned around, ready to run to the car that was waiting in the driveway, Hayden in the driver’s seat, but coming face to face with my drunk, angry father. I could see Hayden getting ready to open the door of the car and come to my rescue from where I stood.

“Get you’re butt back inside that house! Now!” my father yelled in my face. I could smell the beer he had been drink.

“No,” I answered, levelly.

“What did you say?” my father asked.

“I said no,” I answered, moving to step around him. My father brought his arm back ready to hit me. I closed my eyes waiting for the pain, knowing that when it did Hayden would be there to stop him from doing anything else.

Sure enough, as soon as my father’s fist glanced off the side of my cheekbone, Hayden was there pulling my father away from me. What I hadn’t expected was to see another boy, about Hayden’s age, to be there. The other boy slung his muscular arm around my shoulder and led me toward the car.

I was sitting in the back seat when Hayden got into the car.

“How bad is it?” I asked, softly, looking up at Hayden through my long eyelashes.

“Let’s not deal with that right now, Page,” Hayden answered as he started the car.

“It’s that bad?” I wailed. “How am I supposed to perform to night? What will everyone think?”

“Aidan, meet Miss Daisy May Camerson,” Hayden said dramatically. I glared up at Hayden, mad that he had changed the subject.

Ten minutes later we pulled into the driveway in front of the huge white house that I liked to call home. Hayden jumped out of the car, determined to get into the house and make it so I couldn’t get to any of the mirrors.

“Hayden, how am I supposed to figure out a way to hide the bruise if I don’t know how big it is?” I questioned as I walked into the house.

“I never said there was a bruise,” Hayden said defensively as Eli, our other roommate, walked into the room.

“Wow, Page, what happened to you’re eye?” Eli asked.

“Hayden, let me in to see the mirror,” I pleaded, “I have to go over the songs before the concert.”

“Fine,” Hayden gave in, stepping away from the bathroom door he had been holding closed. “Thanks a lot Eli.” Hayden started toward the kitchen. “I’m going to call the make up team and tell them to get over here now.”

“Who are you?” Eli asked the boy that had followed me into the house.

“Aidan, I’m Hayden’s cousin,” the boy answered. I listened to them talking as I examined the purple and blue bruise that was forming around my left eye.

“Oh, so you’re the one that can’t hold a job,” Eli remarked as I pulled out my foundation and cover up and started to apply it to my face.

“Yeah, I guess so,” Aidan said.

“Eli, be nice,” I called as I put foundation on over the cover up, make the bruise several shades lighter. I turned around and walked out of the bathroom. Seeing the guitar in Aidan’s hand I asked, “You play?” nodding at the guitar.

“Yeah,” Aidan answered.

“How long have you been playing?” I questioned.

“About ten years,” Aidan answered. “Why?”

“Come on,” I said as I started toward the family room. “Are you better at chords or picking?” I asked as I picked up my acoustic guitar.

“Either one,” Aidan answered. “Why?”

“I need another guitarist tonight. My drummer quit on me so Eli has to take his place and Hayden is already playing base guitar so I was wondering if… you’d like to… take Eli’s spot for the night?” I asked.

“Yeah, sure,” Aidan accepted.

“Okay good, I’ll go get the music,” I said starting toward the kitchen.

“So she convinced you to join?” Hayden asked Aidan as he followed me into the kitchen.

“Here’s the sheet music,” I handed him a copy as I flipped through my copy and picked my guitar pick up off the counter.

I started to pick out the melody in time as Aidan looked over the guitar chords.

“So, it goes something like this right?” Aidan asked as he started to play out the chords to the opening song. I watched as his fingers flew over the stinks hitting the chords exactly when they were supposed to be hit. He played the rhythm perfectly. I glanced up at Aidan’s face, my mouth open slightly in awe. I closed my mouth swiftly when Aidan looked up from the strings.

“Yeah that’s exactly it. Come on, let’s go get Eli and Hayden and we’ll put it all together.” Aidan followed me as I started toward the family room, where the drum set was. “Eli, Hayden, come here,” I called up the stairs.

“Coming!” Eli and Hayden came rolling down the stairs minutes later.

Eli sat down behind the drum set as Hayden picked up the guitar and I took the mike in my hand. Eli tapped out the tempo on the rim of one of the drums and the rehearsal began.