The guys and I have been practicing “Better With You” for a few days and now we’re ready to record it. We’re not using anything professional, but we’re going to make it as well produced as we can. We’ll have a few cameras placed and Raven will be recording with her phone, taking different angles, zooming into our faces and the like. It’s going to be epic.
The guys haven’t arrived yet. I spend some time setting up, and Raven’s so kind to help. Even though the song is hers, she could have given it to us and walked off. But no, she’s involved in this, too. It means just as much to her as it means to the guys and me.
“By the way, I want to thank you again for what you did for Robin,” Raven tells me. “I don’t exactly know what happened, and I won’t pry because I want Robin to talk to me about it if and when she feels comfortable, but I’m glad you were there for her. I don’t know if anyone else would have gotten through to her.”
Taking a break from setting up, I face her. “She’s a good kid. I know she’s going through a hard time, but I hope my words brought her encouragement and comfort. I don’t want to tell you what to do, and I don’t want to betray her trust in me, but I would suggest you call her more often. The poor kid is really lonely, and I think it would make her feel much better if she knew her big sister was always thinking about her.”
She nods. “You’re absolutely right. Sometimes I get so caught up in my own stuff that I forget to check in on her. Maybe I’ll call her every night to see how her day went. Thanks.”
I smile, say, “No problem,” and we get back to work.
We’re placing the cameras and phones in the correct places when I hear two guys arguing down the hall. Sounds like Jasper and Leo are here.
“She didsonot use her telekinetic powers,” Leo is saying as their voices grow louder.
“Sure she did. How else was that tree uprooted? Seriously, dude. Did we even watch the same movie?” As soon as they step into the room, Jasper’s lips kick into a bright smile. “Rave!” He jets over to her, wraps his arms around her waist, and lifts her a few feet off the floor.
Laughing, she wiggles. “Why do you always do that?”
He steadies her to the floor. “Because if not for you, we’d never get famous.” He beams.
“As if we’re gonna be famous,” Leo mutters, focusing on his bass guitar.
“Of course we will,” Beck says as he enters the room, drumsticks poking out of his backpack. He sets the bag down, opens it, and pulls out his sticks and a stash of snacks. He throws different bags to each of us.
He flings a bag of ketchup potato chips to Raven, who seems surprised. I tell her that I told Beck before he went on a snack run what our favorites are.
He holds up his hands. “Not gonna judge, but that’s nasty, man.” He nods to her potato chips.
Raven shrugs, tearing the bag open and biting into a few chips. “Clearly, you don’t know quality food.”
He chortles. “Toss me the bag and let me try some again.”
She hands it to him, and he takes a handful of chips and throws them into his mouth. After chomping on them, he makes a face like he’s trying to figure out if he likes them. A second later, he shivers. “No, man. Heck no.” He passes the bag to her.
Raven laughs. “More for me, then.”
“Dude, can we stop with the snacks and focus on the song? We don’t have all day,” Leo complains.
Beck lifts a brow at him. “Dude, she’s hanging out with her boyfriend tonight, so don’t bother stalking her.”
He blanches. “I’m not stalking her! Besides, I wasn’t thinking about Lilah at all. Just reminding you guys that Harrington doesn’t want us here all night, that’s all.”
Jasper waves his hand. “How long is it going to take us to record the song? We’re pros and ready.”
“This song needs to be perfect,” I tell them. “Because the lyrics are perfect. So if it takes us a hundred tries, so be it.”
Jasper rolls his eyes. “Mr. Perfectionist.”
We finish our snacks and take a practice run of the song before we’re ready to record. Then we check all the cameras and mics to make sure everything is connected properly. Raven sits before us, her phone ready to record, too.
Looks like we’re all set.
Beck slams his sticks together, giving us the beat, and then we start performing. We all have wide smiles on our faces as we put everything we have into it.
Raven walks around the room, tilting her phone in different directions, catching us in various angles. I grin at her phone as she focuses the camera on me, belting the song as my fingers strum the guitar.
We’re all having tons of fun. It’s not the first time we’re recording ourselves, but this feels different. Probably because we have a great song. I don’t expect us to go viral or anything, but I hope we get some more subscribers. Even if this band doesn’t lead anywhere, it’s still nice to share something with my best buddies.
