CHAPTER 6
A half hour later, Jenny and Melissa were standing in Bo's room, listening to Jimmy tell his big story again.
This time, Bo noticed, Jimmy added in extra information he was making up, like the old guy who showed him the song was a drummer from a famous 1960's band that Jimmy couldn't remember the name of. Finally, he finished.
"Whatever," said Jenny. "All I'm saying is, you had us worried."
'Ah, c'mon Jen," Jimmy said. "You know never to worry anything about me--I'm James Edward Martin, and I swing from a tree!"
"I feel sorry for that tree," Melissa said.
"Good one Mel," Jenny said. The girls were smiling now.
"Ah-hum, sorry to interrupt this hilarious conversation," said Bo. "But I thought since you guys are here, we'd try a little run-through. Me on guitar, Jimmy on, uh, mouse pad. Give us any feedback you want. Long as it's positive."
Bo tuned up his guitar and plugged in. It was about the cheapest electric guitar you could buy, and it came with a cheesy little amp. But it let you play.
"Don't forget now, " he said, "you're on the hi-hat keeping simple 4/4 time until I hit my hard C. Then you take over."
"What's a hi-hat, again?" Jimmy said.
Bo glared at him.
"It's those two cymbals that are pressed together," said Jenny.
"Oh," Jimmy said.
Bo counted it down: "One, two, three, four..."
He began picking the melody line of "Wipeout". It was strong and clear and lively.
It took Jimmy a few seconds to catch on, and then he started keeping time with his right hand stick on the top of Bo's desk, using it as a hi-hat. Bo finished the verse and hit the hard C, but Jimmy just kept on with the beat, not realizing he was supposed to come in for his first solo.
Bo stopped.
"Dude, that's you," he said. "Not bad up to that point, though."
"You guys, that sounds so cool!" Jenny said.
"Hold on, you gotta hear the whole thing," Bo said.
This time Jimmy came in on time, and he nailed his solo. Bo came back with the melody line, then strummed a hard F, and Jimmy took off again. Bo played the third and final verse, hit a hard G, and Jimmy banged out his final solo. Bo then finished it off with a nifty run of individual notes, followed by a couple of quick chords.
"Yes!" Bo said. He laid his guitar down and gave Jimmy a high-five.
"I can't believe I got it!" Jimmy said.
"Me neither!" said Bo.
"I know you can't, but you're not supposed to say that," Jimmy said.
"You guys have to play the spring dance!" Melissa said.
"Wow, thanks, but take it easy," Bo said. "We've got a total of one song--an instrumental--which we've now rehearsed a total of one time. And a whopping two people in the band."
"Melissa's on the dance committee though," Jenny said. "She can make it happen--right Mel?"
"I can try," Melissa said. "It'd be awesome to have a real live band for the last dance of the year, instead of a boring DJ."
"Wow, I can't believe you just called us a 'band'," Jimmy said. "But tomorrow's the last day to sign up for the talent show. We better take care of that first, before we start behaving like Los Lonely Boys."
"Anyone starved besides me?" Bo said. "Let's go in the kitchen, see what we got."
"I'm with you dude, I could eat a horse!" Jimmy said.
"Cutting school gives you a big appetite, I guess," said Jenny
Jimmy smiled and shook his head.
On the kitchen counter, held down by a coffee mug, Bo noticed, was a $20 bill.
Obviously one of his parents had left it there, to remind themselves to take care of something or other. Bo checked his wallet--he had a grand total of two dollars. Hmm...
"Actually, why don't we go to In-N-Out and grab a burger?" he said. "My treat."
He casually slipped the $20 bill off the counter and into his pocket.
