Chapter 18.1: Walking out of my comfort zone

After opening up with Jason last night, she was a little shy to face him. Besides, it was the weekend and she was too lazy to get up on a free Saturday from extra curricular which she had already fulfilled the quota of hours for the month. Lucky was still in bed accompanying her as she stayed cuddling with Lucky in bed while reading a new crime novel.

Her cozy session was cut short when her stomach grumbled as she checked the time to be past twelve. She forced herself to get up to prepare brunch while she blasted her list of emotional songs which she turned to when her mood was down. She remembered Jason's band competition was today and set an alarm at four in the afternoon to remind her to prepare in case she forgot time again.

She stepped into an empty house and was grateful for it while her mind wandered to her nightmares. The squeal brought a familiar sense which she had encountered before but her mind couldn't recall it. As she boiled a pot of water for her noodles, she stood by the kitchen's window looking out at the mini garden while indulging in her thoughts fighting with each other on whether to confront the truth behind these nightmares through a psychologist.

The sudden vibration of her phone from an incoming call startled her. "Tsk, who is this? So annoying!" Ivy mumbled as she unplugged her ear pieces to answer her vibrating phone.

"Yes?" She asked with an annoyed tone, knowing the caller ID wrote "Ten pound twig" indicating it was Jason. She was too lazy to change his caller identification at first but grew to like the unique name she named him.

"Oh wow! Chilling?" Jason, who was caught by surprise at her annoyed tone, was asking awkwardly.

"Kind of, till you call. So, yes, what is it? I will see you later anyway..." She said while adding noodles into the boiling water.

"Hmm, yes... About that... We have a situation here. Would you be able to come earlier?" Jason asked while trying his luck as he knew he was threading on a thin line.

"Why? Change of schedule? Performing earlier?" She asked while walking to the counter top to fetch a glass of water.

"Well… not really… Just my drummer had severe food poisoning and he is hospitalised. So… I need a replacement..." He paused with fingers crossed.

"So?" She still didn't understand his point as she took a sip from the glass of water while waiting for her noodles to cook.

Jason took a deep breath before explaining in one shot. "I need you to replace him. Just that one song. The one you always accompanied me when I practiced?" He explained calmly and ensured every word was spoken clearly.

"Just one song." Jason pleaded while she was in the midst of finishing her glass of water.

She was still trying to register his point when she finally understood in the midst of swallowing the water she drank but couldn't help but choke. In mind, she wanted to up front reject the offer as she knew she wasn't skilled enough for a competition and besides, she wanted to stay low profile about her hobby but the thought of the story behind the song which was still a mystery, made her curiosity grow and eager to accept his offer in the midst of clearing her throat.

"Are you alright, Ivy? Ivy!" Jason panicked a little at the sound of her choke but the urgency of his situation pestered him to dive into desperate measures. "Look, you need to come down now to join in the rehearsal." Jason instructed as he began to fidget more with a feeling she would reject.

"No! This is absurd. I don't let anyone know I play the drums other than Andrew and Sandra. Besides, I am not as skilled as your drummer to be able to join in a competition." Ivy explained while she poured in the sauce packet for her noodles before stirring and off the stove. She walked over to the cupboard to get a bowl to serve her lunch while she placed him on the phone's loudspeaker.

He knew it was tough to convince her but he had to make her agree as it was the only way to solve his band's crisis and perhaps make her realise her own potential. He knew she was talented and if only she realised it herself. Hence, leaving him with no choice but back to his old habits.

"Why are you doubting yourself? Look, we could dress you in a guy's cloth and wear a cap. Matter solved. So, let's make this easy, I helped you with your studies, you owed me the favor. Return it here and now." Jason knew he had to pester her to a corner to force her inner self who loved being challenged to shine.

"Jerk!" Ivy yelled in her mind as she rolled her eyes. She knew he was challenging her and she thought about agreeing and screwing the entire competition all the better for being such a jerk.

"Fine, ten pound twig! I will get there!" She hung up as she quickly gobbled down her lunch. She pondered on how drastically Jason could change overnight from a person whom she started to trust to a total jerk she first hated him for. As she grabbed her keys while leaving her dishes in the dishwasher, she dragged herself on a short fifteen minutes drive to the field in town where Jason texted her the address and which entrance to enter earlier.

Jason knew he pressed on her furious button and he would need to calm her down later to ensure she didn't screw the whole performance. He was getting nervous as he paced up and down under the tree backstage which faced the entrance of the car park.

"Dude, rehearsal is starting in the next fifteen minutes for us! Where is the replacement?" Will, the electric guitarist and also the leader of the band asked as anxiety kicked in.

"Chill, chill am getting her on the way." Jason said as he got even more nervous while trying to buy time. He paced up and down even quicker.

"A lass? You're sure she can do it?" Will folded his arm in disbelief while asking in sarcasm.

"Yes! Yes, she can. I practiced with her many times before this though she was just playing the accompanying beats to my bass but she can fill in Nick's place. Besides, Nancy is the one who needs to keep it together." Said Jason while trying to affirm himself and Will as they eyed Nancy, the lead singer and also the drummer, Nick's girlfriend, who was sobbing occasionally while being comforted by the other band members.

"She better make it on time and get to the rehearsal!" Will said before running over to check on Nancy. The other bands were one by one taking their turn to rehearse and although the occasional music eases Jason's anxiety a little but he couldn't keep his cool thinking of ways to manage Ivy when she arrived.

Ivy could hear the sound checks from the car park. She had a hard time navigating her way from the jam as the crowd began to grow while she honked on them to move quickly. Soon, she found the backstage entrance as the car park she was told to park in was meant for band members only. She instantly spotted a worried Jason who was all dressed up like a rocker at the entrance. The cool sight of him somehow eased her annoyance a little so she decided to give him a cool greeting.

"There you are! Hurry, come with me!" Jason pulled her straight to the back stage as he grabbed some leather jackets for her to try on while changing caps on her messy hair bun. He let her listen to the practice demo version of their song cover while she was dressed.

"Listen over and over to the beats and familiarise. We are playing in that order." Jason explained quickly before he disappeared to the dressing room leaving her with his mobile and ear piece. There wasn't any chance to retaliate in the whole chaos as she listened closely to the beats and tried to plan her fill-ins on the drum beats while he dressed her up and gave her Nick's drumsticks when he was done.

"Remember just play like it was in the practices with me." Jason said hastily while looking right into her eyes before he ran up on stage with the other band members taking their position as she nodded.