"Probably after the next band," he says, not looking away from his phone. He's preoccupied with whoever he's talking to so I turn to Anthony. "What do you think of Derrick and Jared?" Anthony angles his body towards me. "I think they're pretty good. They mostly cover other songs that I don't really listen to, but yeah. They're cool." "What do they play?" "Rock, classic rock, and some alternative." He leans in closer. "The alternative sucks, but Derrick is my cousin so I have to support the shit he likes." I let out a laugh. "And Jared?" "Yeah, I guess I support him too," he chuckles. "A record label looked at them about a month ago, but they haven't heard anything back." "That's amazing." They must be great for someone from a record label to come see them. My interest is peaked and I'm growing more and more excited to see them perform. "Hey, boys," an unfamiliar voice says. We all whip our heads to see who's talking. Standing behind Dylan is the girl who picked him up on Friday. Her long hair is pin-straight and her makeup is flawless. She places her hand on Dylan's shoulder and smiles down at him. "Guys, you remember Kay, right?" Dylan asks them, and seems to avoid looking at me. None of them really respond, just a couple of nods. It's almost like they don't want to acknowledge her at all. Reece and Carlos immediately strike up their own conversation and Anthony zeroes in on his phone. Kay noticeably looks me up and down. "And you are?" Her tone doesn't sit well with me, but I understand where she's coming from. Dylan speaks up before I can say anything. "This is my friend Lacey." She doesn't look impressed, but I smile at her anyway. "It's nice to meet you." "You too," she smiles back. There's something about her that's sweet, but a sickly kind of sweet. Like when you eat candy after candy and get a stomach ache afterwards. She plops down on Dylan's lap and puts her arm around him. "I missed you," she says to him. He gently pushes her off his lap and stands up. "Let's get out of here," he says, trying to keep his voice low. "Leaving so soon?" Anthony asks him. "I'll be right back," he says then turns his attention to me. "Don't wait up for me if it gets late." "Wasn't going to," I say. It comes out a bit harsh, but I don't care. How is he going to invite me then just leave with her? And miss his brothers performance? I mean, if she's his girlfriend then it makes sense. But it still irks me. They walk out of Raven's and Carlos whistles. "Does Dylan not fucking think sometimes?" What does he mean by consequences? Anthony pats his hands on the table. "It's Dylan we're talking about. Does he ever?" "What's wrong with her?" I ask, wanting in on the gossip. They all give each other weird looks before Anthony says, "Kay just isn't the best person for Dylan to get mixed up with." I want to ask why, but I figure I'll only get another vague answer. "You're not going to leave now that Dylan is gone, are you?" Anthony asks me. Dylan doesn't dictate how I spend my time. His friends have accepted me, at least I think they have, so there's no harm in hanging out with them. "No, I'll stay to watch Derrick and Jared." "Atta girl," Carlos grins. We watch the next band play and they're pretty good. They get everyone to sing along and singing idiotically with the rest of the guys is more fun than I thought it would be. Max gets up on stage and introduces Derrick and Jared and we all cheer for them, the guys whooping and hollering more for them than the other bands. Derrick sits on a stool with his guitar and Jared stands in front of the microphone. He adjusts it before smiling and speaking. "I hope everyone is in the mood for some Black Keys tonight." Everyone cheers and they start to sing and play. Jared's voice is so nice it surprises me, and Derrick's voice pops in at the right moments to sound beautiful. They're clearly more rehearsed than the other bands, which to me shows their maturity and seriousness. They finish their set, which is about five songs long, and jump off stage excitedly. They say hi to a few people then walk over to our table. "Great show, guys," Anthony tells them. I can tell that he's a lot more supportive of them than he let on. Derrick gives them all high fives before looking at me. "Hey, Lacey, right?" "That's me." "No Dylan? Did you get rid of him?" he laughs as he sits down. Jared pulls up a chair next to him. "Fuck him. He missed a hell of a show," Anthony says. Jared downs a water bottle before putting the cap back on and setting it down in front of him. "I think that's been my favorite set we've played. It's pretty alive in here for being a Monday." When he says Monday I look down at my phone and see that it's nearing eight o'clock. I'll have to head home. "I should be going soon," I say to Anthony. Reece hears me and perks up. "You're leaving, Lacey?" I nod. "I gotta get home." "Thanks for staying to watch us," Derrick says. "I know Dylan disappeared on you, but we're glad you're here."