Jess watched the seconds tick by on the old walk clock in her English class. There was less than a minute left before the end of the period.
Each second felt like an eternity.
Jess had been dreading this class since last night at band practice when she’d stormed out. Grease, the Renegades’ singer and leader, was being his typical jerk self, and Jess couldn’t take it any more. She finally found the nerve to stand up to him and question his less-than-stellar authority.
Worse, when she finally did it, she found herself alone, unsupported by the other members of the band, even though she knew felt the same way she did.
Jess knew she’d have to run into Grease in English class. She didn’t think it would be a big deal, since he never really acknowledged her at school anyway, but she felt him casting angry glances at her all class. It felt awful, and she could not wait for the bell to ring.
Jess was on her feet towards the door the second the period finished. She brushed past Grease without even catching his eye.
Jess walked alone through the hallway, her books clutched to her chest. She was glad she stood up to Grease, but she would miss Thursday nights with the rest of the band. If only they’d supported her when she needed them.
She turned the corner towards her locker and saw three forlorn guys standing there, each holding a pink carnation. It was the Renegades minus Grease.
Jess approached slowly.
“What’s this?” she asked, her books held tight against herself like a shield.
“This is our apology,” said Nathan.
“Yeah, we’re really sorry,” said Liam.
Jess nodded solemnly.
“OK,” she said. “So you’re sorry. What do you want me to do about it?”
The three boys looked at one another.
“Nothing,” said Gil. “You don’t have to do anything. You have every right to be upset with us.”
“Yeah,” said Nathan. “When you need us, we abandoned you. That sucks.”
“And we’re sorry,” said Liam.
Jess nodded. She was still upset, but she had to admit, they were saying the right things.
“Which is why we would totally understand if you say no to this, but we’d like you to re-join the band,” said Nathan.
Jess shook her head. “Guys, you know I can’t–”
“But before you answer, you should know something,” interrupted Liam.
Jess cocked her head to one side.
“We kicked out Grease,” said Gil.
Jess’ eyebrows raised nearly to her hairline.
“Whoa,” she said.
“Yeah,” said Liam. “We want you to be our leader. Especially because….”
The three guys looked at each other again.
“...we still have that gig next week at Bobby’s.”
Jess blinked several times. There was silence as she looked at each of the guys, each holding a pathetic little carnation flower.
“Well,” she said finally. “We’d better get practicing.”
Bobby burst through the swinging doors into the kitchen of his cafe.
“What am I paying you guys for? The antipasti should have been served a whole three minutes ago!”
Diego rolled his eyes and continued to vigorously stir a large pot with a wooden spoon.
“Relax,” he said. “I’m already working on the primi. The bruschetta is heading out the door right now.”
Diego cocked his thumb to point across the room,where Dougie was hoisting a large tray filled with plates onto his shoulder. The tray wobbled slightly as Dougie got used to its weight and size.
“Ha,” he said with a good-natured smile as he established his posture. “Almost dumped an entire course on the floor.”
“Mio Dio,” said Bobby. “How did I get talked into this dinner? I should have listened to my head and stuck to my regular hours.”
“Because the people of Dunnock Bay deserve a nice evening out every now and again,” said Diego, wafting the earthy smells from the pot into his nose. He might have overdone it with thyme in the risotto. “You’re doing a nice thing. And it’s just one night.”
“Mio Dio,” said Bobby again, turning on his heel and heading back through the swinging door.
Diego turned his head to observe Dougie, who was looking at his own reflection in the stainless steel fridge.
“You think the tuxedo shirt works?” he said. “I feel weird.”
“It works,” said Diego. “Trust me. You look handsome as hell. Now go serve the antipasti before Bobby blows a gasket.”
“I can’t believe there’s an actual band,” said Jill at the corner table.
As soon as Bobby had announced his one-night-only supper service, Jill made a reservation for two. She didn’t even have to think about who she’d bring as a guest.
“You’d have thought Bobby might have dressed up a bit for the evening,” said Celeste Gallant, eyeing their host as he burst into the dining room. He wore his standard work attire of a clean white t-shirt tucked into white pleated pants. The one accommodation he’d made for the special evening was a tea towel draped over his shoulder.
“I think he looks nice,” said Jill. “Dougie on the other hand…”
The two friends watched Dougie emerge from the kitchen with his tray of bruschetta.
“Who told him to wear a tuxedo?” continued Jill. “He looks… weird.”
Celeste reached across the table and patted her friend’s hand.
“I think he looks awfully handsome,” she said. “Feels like a different era.”
Jill observed him for a while. He set his tray down on a side-table and began serving diners. Bobby had dimmed the lights of the cafe and put out candles. It was a nice atmosphere.
“You’re right,” said Jill. “It’s nice to dress up, even if I’m not used to seeing him out of a bad polo shirt. When do you think the band is going to start?”
“Heaven knows,” said Celeste.
Jess finished tuning her banjo and handed the electronic tuner back to Gil.
“Thanks,” she said.
Gil took it and tucked it back in his case.
“I think I’m going to barf,” he said.
“If you’re going to barf, at least barf in tune this time.”
The bass player laughed.
“Aren’t you nervous?” he said.
Jess smirked.
“Incredibly,” she said. “But I trust my boys.”
“Hell yeah,” said Nathan, who had just settled in behind his drum set.
“When are we going to start?” asked Liam at the electric piano.
Jess sat up straight on her stool and looked around the cafe.
“I’m just waiting for our cue from Bobby,” she said.
She spotted the little man behind his coffee bar. He was glaring at her with eyes as big as saucers.
“I think that’s the cue,” she said.
Jess turned back to the band.
“You guys ready?”
“Ready,” they said in unison.
“Awesome,” she said. “Love you, guys. Let’s do this.”
Jess turned to face the diners and turned on her microphone.
“Hi there,” she said, her voice breaking through the low hum of conversation. “Don’t mind us. We’re just going to play a little music while you eat. We’re Jesse and the Renegades. Enjoy your meal.”
Nathan softly counted them into their first song with his drumsticks.
“Damn,” said Jackson, swivelled in his seat at a table near the back so he could watch the band. “They’re, like, good.”
“Yeah,” said Aiden, cleaning the crumbs of bruschetta from his plate. “You think they’re going to have more of that bread stuff, or is that it?”
Grace rolled her eyes.
“It’s just the first course, moron,” she said.
Aiden pointed towards the last bite of antipasti on Grace’s plate with a nod of his chin.
“You gonna fish that?” he asked.
She looked him in the eye.
“Yes,” she said flatly.
Jackson’s eyes were locked on the band.
“They’re, like, seriously good,” he said.
Aiden snuck a piece of bruschetta from Jackson’s plate while his attention was diverted.
“Yeah,” he said, taking a bite. “Not worth skipping D&D night tho.”
Mindy felt tears well up in her eyes. She couldn’t help it. She couldn’t keep her eyes off Jess and her band.
“I didn’t even know these kids before January, and I’m just so damn proud of them right now,” she said.
When she’d heard the teens would be playing at Bobby’s special dinner, she wasn’t sure what to expect. She certainly didn’t expect them to be like this.
Jess and her friends seemed to perfectly understand what was asked of them: play a nice set of music to set the atmosphere during supper. It wasn’t too loud. People could still have a conversation if they wanted. Few actually did, however. These teenage musicians were really something special, and everyone could see and hear it.
“Gosh, she can really sing,” said Mindy.
Lars sat across the table from her. He’d barely touched his food. He’d been around the world, dined in the finest restaurants. He’d mingled with celebrities and been feted by the uber rich. There was just something about being in this little town with these people that was really special. He gazed across the table at his date, her eyes glistening with tears as she watched the band.
She turned to him.
“Aren’t they great?” she said.
Lars smiled.
“Beautiful,” he said.
Jess sang the final chorus to their opening song. The band finished with an instrumental outro where she could show a little flourish with her banjo. She and Liam played a bit with a bit of call and answer between banjo and piano before they ended the song.
“Thank you,” she said quietly into the microphone.
The whole cafe burst into thunderous applause.
“OK, wow,” she said with a coy smile. “Don’t forget about your bruschetta. Gosh.”
Nathan counted them in again for their next number: another of Jess’ poems the boys had helped her set to music.
Jess closed her eyes as she sang, letting the music surround and wash over her. This evening was going better than she had expected. The guys sounded great. She felt like they were learning to really listen to each other. Trust each other.
She opened her eyes and looked around the room. So many smiling faces beamed back at her as she sang. It was a special feeling.
A soft bell tinkled as the front door opened. She saw someone step into the cafe. Her next lyrics got caught in her throat.
It was Grease.
Thanks for hanging out in Dunnock Bay with me this week.
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Have a great week. <3 Davy