Chapter 36

**Megan**

I sit with Logan and have my head on his shoulder. I'm bored because we have been playing Scrabble for two hours. He and Carl were winning me. When I asked him if we could do something, I thought something more exciting. However, when I hugged him, I wanted to kiss him. He gives me a sense of safety. He has strong, muscular arms that I feel so safe in.

He is dressed now, and I was able to shower and change into something more me.

"Megan," Logan says, getting my attention. I take my head off his shoulder. "It’s your go," he says.

I groan. "Can we play something else? I'm bored...I didn't think you were boring.”

"Ok, I'm a little bored too," he agrees. "What do you want to do?" he asks, looking at me.

"Urm," I smile. "Last time I was here you gave the impression you’re in a band," I state. He leans back, obviously seeing what I'm about to say. "Fancy showing me what you can do," I say.

"I guess we could," Carl says, sitting up. "You'll have to come into this room, though," he says, getting up. "What sort of music do you like?" he asks. I look at Logan and stand up with him.

"Urm depends. I just sort of go with the flow. If I like a song, I like it, but I'm not into the whole screaming down the microphone stuff, so please don't play any of that to me," I say, following. Logan follows me, and my eyes widen.

This room is a lot bigger than Logan's bedroom. The walls are soundproofed. There is a piano in the top left corner, a set of drums in the opposite corner and about four different-looking electric guitars, two acoustic guitars. A keyboard and amps against the wall with the door I just walked through and what seems like a sound system near the window. There are hundreds of wires on the floor, some taped down near the door and then set free where all the instruments are.

"Wow," I say as I take it all in. I then notice a filing cabinet. "What's in there?" I ask.

"Just paperwork and stuff," Carl says as he walks to the filing cabinet and opens the top drawer. "Name a band then," he says.

"Urm...with me having a best friend who is into all the rock/metal/screamo stuff, I know a few," I say. "I don't like them with the mask. They're a bit too much for me, although I think I like one of their songs," I state.

"So Slipknot's out of the question," Carl says. I nod with a small smile.

"What about Green Day?" Logan asks me. I look at him and nod slowly. He smiles and walks over to where Carl is. "She likes the softer rock compared to Slipknot," he says. "Try," he searches through the large metal-filling cabinet drawer.

"Can you play all the songs that are in there?" I ask.

"Yes, if Scott and James are with us," Carl states. "Because Scott has the softer voice, we can play things like Paramore and-" I cut in.

"I love Paramore," I say excitedly. They both look at me and then chuckle. I smile and look down, feeling myself blush.

"Paramore it is," Logan says, taking a memory stick out of the filing cabinet and walking over to where the sound system is. I smile and sit down on the floor.

"Can you put on Misguided Ghosts?" I ask. They both turn to look at me. "Melanie has their album, plus I have it on my Spotify," I state. They nod.

"Well, I guess you're playing, dude," Carl pats Logan on the shoulder before walking out of the room, "I'm off to get a drink," he says, shutting the door. I smile slightly and watch Logan walk over to the guitars and pick up an acoustic one.

"I won't be singing," he says, looking at me. I smile and watch as he walks back to the sound system. "I'll just have to make it so I can only hear the singing," he says more to himself and starts to do things with the high-tech sound system.

After he is done, he sits in front of me on a stool. "You can use a stool if you like," he says, pointing to the stack beside the drums. I nod and get up. I sit in front of him on a stool. He picks up the very small remote off the floor and presses what I guess is play as the song starts.

He counts with the song, his knee moving up and down as he says '1-2-3-4' I smile slightly and watch him as he starts to strum the right cords. Then Carl comes in and sits at the drums.

I move my knee up to my chin and rest my head on it, looking out the window, just listening quietly.

No One's Point of View

Megan slowly starts to sing. Carl slowly looks towards her, and so does Logan.

"See, I'm trying to find my place, but it might not be here where I feel safe. We all learn to make mistakes..."

Once finished, Megan turns to look at them to see them both looking at her. "What?" she asks, confused. "You're good," she says to Logan.

"Him! What about you? You're amazing," Carl exclaims. She looks at him her eyes widen slightly.

"What do you mean? I wasn't even doing anything," she asks.

"You were singing," Logan says, still looking at her.

"Was I? Sorry," she says quietly. "I'm not that good; honestly, I don't even realise I'm doing it sometimes," she says.

"Not that good!" Carl exclaims again, "You're amazing, best I've heard," she gives him a small smile and then looks away.

"Got any other songs?" she asks.

"I'll tell you what," Carl says, walking over to her. She stands and looks at him. "We'll play a proper song that you will know if you sing it," he says.

"No," she says automatically, "I don't like singing."

"Liar," he states. She sighs and folds her arms. "If you don't have fun, then I won't ask you to sing again," he says. She sighs, looking a little closed in.

"Fine," she says, defeated and glares at Logan. He looks confused and then puts the acoustic back where he got it. Carl holds his hand out, and she hesitantly takes it.

"It's a deal then," he says and walks out. "I just need to go phone someone," he says, leaving the room.

"Who's he off to call?" she asks Logan.

"Probably James and Scott," he states. "James lives in this building, and Scott got kicked out of his house a few days ago, so he's been staying there," he states.

"So where did you get all the money to pay for all this?" she asks out of curiosity.

"When I was born, there was a trust fund put in place for me, and then with my parents' death, I got quite a bit of money when I turned 18 and 21," he states. "Hence why I have a Porsche and why we can pay for all this and the apartment," he states, picking up the blue electric guitar with a lightning bolt design. "How come you don't like to sing?"

"Because I'm not good," she says, scratching her neck.

"Who told you that?" he asks.

"People," she says and looks down, muttering something to herself. He watches her and then takes one of the microphones from the stand. "I'm not singing with that," she says.

"Don't worry. We play on a low sound so no one will hear you that much, and well, it's the middle of the day no one will be in."

"Carl, James and Scott are in," she says.

"They're all bums, that's why," he says, smirking slightly. She sighs and looks at him. "Honestly, they'll be too busy to hear you," he says.

"Fine," she says, looking down.

Then Carl walks in."They'll be a minute. Also, do you know why Scott has been kicked out?" he asks Logan. Logan shakes his head. "Neither do I. They won't tell me."

"That's cos it'll be something stupid or embarrassing," Logan says, "or something we will disapprove of," he states with a slight smirk. Carl chuckles and starts to set himself up at the drums.

After about ten minutes, Carl, Logan, and Scott were all set up. James is leaning against a wall, watching.

"What song is it then?" Megan asks Carl.

"One minute," he says, looking at the laptop. "Seen as you've heard of ‘Misguided Ghosts’, I'm guessing you've heard Ignorance?" he asks her. She sighs and nods. "Do you not like that one?" he asks.

"Well, yeah, I do. I just prefer Misery Business," she states.

"Ok, how about we do Misery business, and afterwards Ignorance?” he asks.

"Carl bums that song," James says.

"Well I'm sorry if I like the video to it. Hayley looks hot in the video," he says.

"She looks hot in misery business," Scott says.

"Can we get back to the proper subject, please?" Megan says.

"Oooo, someone's touchy," James mocks.

"I'm not. I just don't want to be in a room where four men are going to start making comments about how a woman looks when I can't join in, you know, when I'm straight," she says with a small smile "Unless you want

me to start saying what band member of some bands I think are hot and then describing what I think is hot about them," Megan says.

"No, it's fine," Logan says. "She's right anyway. Hurry up, Carl," he states. Carl nods and then takes a sheet out and hands it to Megan.

"I know the words," she says, "and I know where to sing," she says. He smiles gleefully and sits at the drums.

"1-2-3-4," Carl counts, and they all start.

Logan stands on the left, Megan in the middle, Carl behind her and Scott at her right side. Megan puts her hand on the microphone and starts singing.

“I'm in the business of misery…”

As Megan sings, Logan watches how much she enjoys it. It is obviously a lie what she told Carl when she said she hates it because the smile on her face tells them all otherwise. When Megan reaches the chorus, she seems to break out of her shell and become more confident. She walks around as she sings, as if she is on a stage singing the song or as if she has gone through what she would do if she ever sang that song.

"She's a real natural, don't you think?" Carl says in his ear. Logan shrugs and then looks over at her to see she has gone back into her shell and is now looking down at her feet denying she is a good singer as James compliments her. He watches as she takes a deep breath and leaves the room.