She gave me a look, then listed a few examples. The way he could get obsessive about reaching me was one of them. How he’d call me, and I’d drop everything to meet up with him. And sometimes he’d go through my phone, saying he was searching for something online, but I suspected it was to make sure I wasn’t texting with anyone else.
But Seth would drop everything for me too, and I liked the extra attention he gave to me. It was proof he was into me, and if he was worried about me texting other guys, it meant I was desirable.
And it wasn’t as if I’d lost my personality completely. There were plenty of times I pushed back. It was one of the things Seth liked about me—my snotty, sarcastic side.
“You should hang out with us sometime,” I told her. Marching band was finishing up, so she’d have more free time. My family, Sabrina, and Seth…the three spheres of my life hardly overlapped, which meant that at times, I felt like three entirely different people.
“I think that’s a good idea,” Sabrina said.
Later on, I suggested it to Seth, and he seemed agreeable. “Let us meet this best friend of yours,” he said and waved his arm grandly, “who is not a freshman, but a sophomore.” He remembered the first impression he’d made with Sabrina. I hoped that meant he was going to try a little harder this time.
We made plans for all of us to hang out later in the week at Seth’s garage. Sabrina lived close enough that Mitchell could give her a ride home afterward. Seth and Mitchell were working on a complete set of songs. They’d decided that this time they were going to find a drummer who fit with their style rather than the other way around.
On the appointed day, we all piled into Mitchell’s Malibu and headed for Seth’s house. Seth kept up the conversation with Sabrina, asking about marching band and how the two of us met—it was in day camp when we were in elementary school. We bonded over arts ‘n’ crafts and color war and kept up our friendship throughout the school year with a shared love of comic books, manga and horror movies.
Something I hadn’t factored was Sabrina’s passion for rock and roll. She and Seth spent, like, an hour fanboying over their favorite bands and musicians with Mitchell piping in from time to time. In Seth’s garage they played her their most obscure tracks, most of which Sabrina had already heard or knew about. Her knowledge of the greats nearly outpaced Seth and Mitchell’s. After some deliberation, they played her a song they’d been working on, one where I’d helped with the lyrics. Sabrina was pretty enthusiastic about it. Seth said they were looking for a drummer and asked her if she wanted to audition.
“For your band?” Sabrina asked with disbelief.
It had never occurred to me to have Sabrina join their band, but when Seth said it, it made total sense. She’d get to know Seth a little better—realize that his intentions were good—and we’d be able to spend more time together without me feeling bad about ditching one of them.
“You’d kill it,” I told her. I talked her up to Seth and Mitchell. “She can play, like, any song you give her. And she only has to hear it once.”
Sabrina glanced around the garage. “I don’t have a drum set. I usually use the school’s.”
“One will be provided for you,” Seth said gallantly.
We made plans to come back the next day, but when we got there, it wasn’t just Seth and Mitchell in his garage, but Caleb, Sasha and Jeannie too. I think Seth wanted to pack the house to see if it would intimidate her, but it only fed Sabrina’s competitive spirit. She’d been playing percussion in a male-dominated field since middle school. She ate that pissing-contest shit up like Mario ate magic mushrooms.
Besides that, Sabrina had an iron core, something I’d always admired about her. She knew exactly who she was, and she wasn’t about to cowed back by anyone. In that regard, she was Seth’s match in every way.
And her talent was undeniable.
The drum kit looked like a Frankenstein’s monster of a few different used drum sets, likely cobbled together last-minute by Mitchell and Seth. Seth, having grown up poor, was really resourceful when it came to getting ahold of things secondhand.
They gave Sabrina Metallica, Led Zeppelin, Stone Temple Pilots, Black Keys, White Stripes, Band of Skulls, and Kill It Kid. She’d listen to the song once, then play along, more or less perfectly, sometimes adding her own spin. Cool and confident and loud. She really was a marvel.
As if that wasn’t enough to prove her talent, Seth wanted to try out a couple of his and Mitchell’s tunes. To Mitchell’s credit, the bass line had evolved a bit. Seth sang the melody like a tomcat on the prowl; it was sexual, powerful, and lusting. Sabrina sat for a moment nodding her head with the beat and then joined in. Where their song seemed a little listless and wandering before, Sabrina’s drumming made it purposeful and tight.
After a couple more covers, the band took a break. Seth offered Sabrina a drink from the fridge in his garage. The seniors all drank beer. Sabrina and I got sodas.
“So?” Sabrina asked, bright-eyed and eager. Her curly red hair was pulled back in a ponytail with a few tendrils loosened and damp with sweat. Her shirtsleeves were rolled up to show off her biceps. She had great arms, all cut and beastly. I’ll admit, I was a little jealous. Basketball just didn’t provide the same results as beating drums.
“The band will have to discuss it,” Seth said cagily, which bothered me a little.
“Isn’t Rico starting a band too?” I said to let Seth know that Sabrina was in demand. I didn’t mention that his was a school-sanctioned jazz band.
Seth shot me a look. “Why don’t you and Sabrina get some fresh air while the adults talk it over?”
I glared at him. I hated it when he drew that line between us.
Outside their garage, Sabrina’s face was still glowing with small beads of perspiration on her forehead and upper lip. “That was really awesome,” she said, still pumped from the experience.
“Youwere awesome,” I told her.
“Do you and Seth always act like that?”
“Like what?”
