I was laughing too hard to really process the words well. I couldn’t believe someone would do this on a message board. Every drummer on the planet would recognize the take-off of the Peter Criss ad.
“What’s funny?” Mel asked, looking up from his chemistry book.
“Just a drummer joke,” I said.
“I thought you were studying for the final?”
Leave it to Mel to kill my joy. Iwassupposed to be studying for the final. But I had been studying for it for three days. My brain was mush and I needed a break. The musicians’ boards were always good for that.
“I also thought you gave up on the drum thing?”
“Mel, for the love of God,” I said, pinching the bridge of my nose. “I’ve been studying the molar reactions of sulfur for three days and I could probably apply this to the shit growing in the shower that you refuse to wipe down. If I want to indulge in a glance at a message board, kindly fuck off.”
He sniffed. “Fine. Fail for all I care.”
“Dude. It’s May. I walk in two weeks, and get that combo bachelor-masters degree and I’m done. I made it this far, just relax.”
“And which of us doesn’t have a job.”
I gave him the middle finger.
Mel and I had been boarding at Cornell for the past three years and it had only been in the past two months that we were sick of each other. He was right—I didn’t have a job. Yet. I didn’t know what I really wanted to do with a degree in research chemistry. I could keep going, get my PhD in Analytical Chemistry and work for big pharma or teach or both, or I could get a nice lucrative job in research in just about any field I wanted that involved chemistry.
I looked at the screen again with the advertisement on it and pulled up my email.
To:Doxxsings321
From:DrumReaction
Doxx—hope I’m not too late on this. I’d love to audition with you. I’ve been playing since I was six and have a degree in musicology and musiconomy from the school of Hard Knocks and Cornell. Haven’t done much with it, but I love a good rock beat and I can fake just about anything I hear.
I’m attaching a sample of a track I did in the style of the Birdman soundtrack, as well as samples of Pearl Jam, Led Zepplin, and of course, KISS.
Email me if you want to talk in person or hear me.
Rock on,
Aaron Donner
Who even knew if the guy was going to get back to me. I did have a final to study for.
I leaned back. I needed a damn break, though.
“Mel, I’m going down to the bar.”
He turned around and looked shocked. “It’s three in the afternoon.”
“I’m about to turn into a valence electron and pull a quantum maneuver into my own asshole if I don’t get away from these books.” I grabbed my jacket and headed for the door. “Stay, go, I don’t care. I’ll be back later.”
“Are you going to the show tonight?” he asked.
Turning slowly, I looked back at him. “That’swhy you’re studying now. You want to see David tonight.”
He went red, instantly. I smiled. “Yes, I’m going to the show. Drew and Alexei are coming with me, and I’ll crash at Drew’s tonight.”
“You don’t have to—”
“Oh, sister, I do…” I said. “You’re finally gonna get David here, tonight, and you two need to be alone. We have all been dying for you two to just get naked and fuck each other senseless. I will be at Drew’s.”
