CHAPTER 22
The Z Street Band learned two new songs on Saturday afternoon and two on Sunday.
They decided they'd better not skip practice Monday, even though Jimmy had to work at Fancy Freeze again and Jenny and Melissa had another volleyball game. So they made it for seven o'clock.
When everyone arrived, there was a new set-up in the basement: three matching microphones on stands, an amplifier, a mixer, two large speakers mounted on tripod bases, and cables running all over.
"What the heck," Jimmy said.
"I figured sooner or later we'd need our own P.A. system," Bo said. "So I went down to Big Tone Music after school. The guy said this was the most reliable used system they had. Belonged to a country band that broke up. It's nice and powerful too, 500 watts per channel, whatever that means."
"So you just paid for it, out of your own pocket?" Mackie asked.
"I had half saved up. I called my dad at work, asked him if he'd loan me the other half. He put it on his credit card. They just finished delivering everything about twenty minutes ago."
"You know as I think about it, I've been over here several times now, and I've never met your parents," Adler said.
"They're not around much during the week," Bo said.
"Ah," said Adler.
"Actually, they're not around much on the weekends either."
Jenny was looking at him now, trying to figure out the right thing to say.
"It's okay," Bo said. "You learn to deal with it."
Everyone waited a moment.
"But this P.A. thing," said Jimmy. "We owe you big time. How much we talking about here?"
"You know what guys?" said Bo. "Forget about it. It's a done deal."
"No, it isn't," said Melissa. "That's not right at all."
"Plus, look at it this way," Bo said, "Remember when we were at the beach the other day and Jimmy starts talking about everyone maybe going different directions next year when we get to high school?"
"Yes, I remember him saying it," said Jenny, "but it's not going to happen."
"You think that now," Mackie said. "But things change."
"Whoa, Walter chiming in out of left field," Jimmy said. "Not that I'm disagreeing, but you're some kind expert on this all of a sudden?"
"It just...makes sense," Mackie said.
"Either way, when you guys all dump me at least I'll have a sound system," Bo said. "End of discussion."
"Jimmy, how many more work days do you have left at The Freeze, by the way?" Adler asked.
"Oh, almost I forgot!" Jimmy said. "Dudes, you should have seen Hamburg and Arrington dragging their sorry bones in there today!"
"Yeah?" said Bo
"It was beautiful! 180 degrees different from last time. They're definitely bummed out. They were talking about it."
"They were?" said Jenny.
"They didn't mention us though, right?" asked Mackie.
"Nah, nothing like that. Just said some guy at the school cancelled on them. They called him a 'double-crosser'."
"Now that I hear that," Bo said, "I'll be sleeping even better tonight."
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By Wednesday the band had learned eight of the new songs. It was hard to believe, but they were on schedule. Two more that evening, two on Thursday, the final two--'Centerfield' and 'Surf City'-- on Friday, and then they'd have a rehearsal Saturday.
Bo and Jimmy were heading to the lower field after lunch to throw the football around, and they ran into Adler and Jenny playing kick-back against the side of the gym.
"You have to admit," Bo said to them, "a few things have happened since last time you were doing this."
"THAT--is for sure," Jenny said.
"I'm a little worried, though," Adler said. "I can't pinpoint it."
"Oh no, don't be going dramatic on us now," Jimmy said. "Worried about what?"
"I don't know, the whole thing seems too easy," Adler said. "It's like, I'm waiting for it to get complicated."
"Dude, what you're doing," said Bo, "you're spending way too much time working that big brain."
"Yeah, maybe you need a little tropical vacation or something," Jimmy said. "Isn't that what business managers do after they make big deals?"
"Okay Martin, shut up."
Mackie suddenly appeared.
"Mr. Riggins just asked me to play at the assembly on Tuesday!" he said, with alarm in his voice. "What did he do that for?"
"Wow," said Jenny. "This goes back to the talent show, then?"
"What are you talking about?" asked Mackie.
"I guess you and Nick were busy trying to hack into the school computer," said Bo.
"We forgot to tell you. Old Man Riggins actually felt kind of bad that he jobbed you on signing up for the talent show. He said you could play the next assembly as a make-up."
"Wait a second--make-up for what? I wasn't even trying to sign up for myself!"
Bo and Jimmy were smiling.
"Don't lie to us now Walter," Bo said.
"What were you thinking of playing?" Jimmy asked. "Same thing you had lined up for the show, or something else?"
"What are you guys TALKING about?!" said Mackie.
Thursday at practice the band was getting ready to walk through the opening lines of 'The Joker' by Steve Miller. They had just worked out 'Rock Around the Clock' by Bill Haley and the Comets. Bo told them what Mrs. McCoy said--people considered that one the first rock and roll record. Everyone felt good about how it came out.
"I have to admit, these old songs," Melissa said, "they do still sound fresh."
"I'm thinking if you picked any one of these and added effects and what not, so the background sounded like today's stuff?" Bo said. "You'd have a hit song."
"Just shows you--good music is good music, period," said Jimmy.
"Can I write that down, professor?" Jenny said.
"Okay," said Bo. " 'The Joker', here we go."
They were in the second run-through of the chorus when Adler's phone rang.
Adler was doubling as their "tech" guy now, running the sound board. He was having trouble hearing the caller and motioned for the band to stop playing.
"That's one rule I'm gonna have to make around here," Bo said. "No phones at practice. You guys keep getting calls."
"People need to be in contact with us though," Melissa said.
"Wait a second," Bo said, "Before they invented cell phones, kids didn't go anywhere? Bands didn't practice?"
"But having your phone with you makes you feel, I don't know, connected," Jenny said.
"Remember that field trip to UCLA?" Jimmy said. "I saw like six college dudes walking together, all texting. They could have been talking to each other."
Adler's phone call ended. He was grimacing like someone who had just been punched.
"It's off," he said.
It took a second to sink in, and then everyone was pretty certain what he meant.
"They gave it back to Hamburg and Arrington."
Bo laid down his guitar. Jimmy let his drumsticks fall out of his hands.
"Turns out the principal down there is Arrington's uncle," Adler said quietly. "Must have been how they got hooked up in the first place. Guy found out today what was happening, and he overrode Mr. Lehrer. Mr. Lehrer feels lousy about it, I can tell. He could hear you guys practicing when he called... and..."
"Don't feel bad about it, man," Bo said finally. "Without you, we never would have been in this position in the first place."
No one said anything more. They unplugged the instruments, put away the microphones, shut off the power and left the basement.
