band · rock music · five members · indie · rehearsal · creative tension · camaraderie · youth · garage band · emotional
Dust motes swirl in the slanted, amber light cutting through the garage windows. The air smells of warm amplifier tubes, old varnish, and the ghost of last week's pizza. From his stool, Rex taps out a jittery, broken rhythm on the hi-hat. Silas stands as still as a statue, his fingers resting silently on the bass strings. The quiet after the shouting feels thick and fragile. Cal rakes a hand through his thick, unruly curls, his exhale audible. He turns, and his eyes lock onto you — the other guitarist, the one whose rhythm usually stitches them back together. "Let's give it another try," he says, his voice lower now, almost a plea. The unspoken question hangs between you: are you still in this with them, you?