From Rockybado 4: Running Up a Hill
The next day came along like a beach ball, and David and Brody were still sleeping soundly on their futons. Toby was awake, and he was playing video games in the common area. The parents were also awake, and they were conversing in the dining room. David was sleeping comfortably on his side with his face underneath a pillow. His comforter was thrown on the floor, and he was sprawled out on his bed like a cat. Brody, however, was sleeping comfortably on his stomach with his face in a pillow. His comforter was not thrown on the floor. It was pushed to the right side of his futon while Felicia was sitting on top of it. Honeybunny was not in the room. She was probably sitting “comfortably” in the bathroom sink. Like a lot of cats do. It was 9:30 in the morning, and both boys were obviously still sleeping. The typical lives of two young men on a weekend. However, Brody slowly woke up to the sound of his phone. It must have been ringing for quite some time. He lifted his head out of the pillow, and he put it down again. Brody really did not want to wake up. But it was either his alarm going off, or someone was trying to get ahold of him. Brody slowly grabbed his phone and saw that his own girlfriend was trying to call him. He felt obligated to answer the phone since Candace was hoping to hang out with him on this beautiful day. “Hello?” Brody answered his phone sleepily. “Hey, Brody,” the voice answered on the other end. “Candace?” “Yes! Who else do you think it is?” “Candace,” Brody replied with a smile. “You’re too cute,” Candace remarked, laughing. “So, when can I come over?” “Whenever. It’s already 9:30.” “I’ll probably ride my bike over if that’s cool.” “If it works for you, then go for it.” Okay, then. Brody tried to go back to sleep for thirty minutes, but it didn’t work. At ten o’clock in the morning, he finally got out of bed and got ready for the day. When he stretched and did fifty push-ups, he noticed that David had gotten out of bed earlier than he had. Of course. David almost always gets out of bed at least thirty minutes earlier than Brody. It was probably a big brother thing. Or David just woke up to Brody’s phone going off. Nonetheless, David beat Brody to getting out of bed earlier. Brody eventually came downstairs, got himself a toasted everything bagel with plain cream cheese, and saw David sitting at the dining room table, eating some watermelon. It took a few minutes for David to fully acknowledge Brody’s presence, since he was very hungry for watermelon. Brody even took a piece of watermelon from David’s bowl, and he didn’t even notice that. However, two minutes later, David looked up and gave Brody a goofy smile. “Hey, Brody,” David said as his face returned to normal. “Hey,” Brody replied, somewhat amused. “Going over to Candace’s?” “In a bit. What are you up to?” “I’m going to practice with The Hawaiian Geeks today,” David answered. “Sounds fun. How’s Olivia?” Brody asked his older brother. “She’s doing pretty well. I’m hanging out with her tomorrow.” “Cool. When are you practicing today?” “Probably in a couple hours. Toby’s coming with.” “He likes sitting in on your rehearsals.” “Yes, he does. Toby just likes listening to The Hawaiian Geeks play.” And it is true. Toby has always liked listening to rock music, no matter which band. But, of course, he prefers the Hawaiian Geeks over any other band that he has heard of because….well, Brett is in the band. And his other bandmates are pretty chill. Especially the keyboardist, whose name is Tony Rossi. Even though the Ingram’s have some family members with the last name Rossi, Tony and the Ingram’s are not related. Tony is just the chilliest dude on the planet. His long straight brown hair, his neon blue beanie, and his relaxed demeanor are all a dead giveaway. Toby wanted to wear a beanie today, so he wore his favorite green beanie to the rehearsal. Brody just wanted to spend some time at Candace’s, so he got his bike out of the garage and started to head over to Lowell when Brett, David, and Toby eventually approached him in Brett’s car. Brett had just arrived at the Ingram’s house to pick up David and Toby. David has a car, but he has always preferred taking a ride with Brett. Makes sense because the family’s house is technically on the way to John Coolwood’s house, where Brett, David, and Toby were planning to go. “Do you want us to give you a ride?” Brett asked Brody. “Nope. I’m going to ride my bike over to Candace’s,” Brody remarked. “Okay. Suit yourself.” “Besides, where are you going?” “Coolwood’s,” Brett replied. “That’s kinda out of the way,” Brody said. “Maybe a little.” “And I like riding my bike to Lowell. There’s something relaxing about it.” “We would walk or ride our bikes, but we have some heavy equipment that we have to bring with us.” “Well….” The three boys drove off, and Brody watched the car take a left at 93rd Place from Garfield Court. He took a couple puffs on his inhaler, and then pushed his feet on the bike’s pedals. He then took off toward Candace’s house on Willowbrook Drive in Lowell. He knew that it was going to take about forty-five minutes to get to her house by bike. But he didn’t care. It was too nice of a day not to do something productive. Brody rode his bike through downtown Crown Point, a very liberating place for him. He could feel the breeze in his face. He could feel his heart pounding in his chest. And he could breathe in and out peacefully. The ride to Candace’s was just what he needed today. The bike ride, of course, only seemed like a minute to him when it was really about an hour when he had finally reached Candace’s house. Brody might have been a little sweaty from the bike ride from his own house, but he didn’t think he sweated too much. He got off his bike and walked it to Candace’s front door. Brody rang the doorbell, and Candace came out to greet him within seconds. “Hey, Candace,” Brody greeted his girlfriend. “Hey, Brody,” Candace answered. “How long did it take you to ride your bike here?” “Forty-five minutes. Not too bad.” “That’s good, actually.” “I brought some video games,” Brody remarked, not quite sure what else to say next. “We could play video games, but we also just set up our built-in pool,” Candace said, sounding very excited. “Anything works for me.” “So, what would you like to do?” “I’m the wrong person to ask. What would you like to do?” “We could play your video games!” Of course, Candace and Brody played video games for about an hour and thirty minutes. Her dad was engaged in a deep conversation with his fiancée, Lora, who has been living with them for a year. Candace has one brother and one sister, Ryan and Trisha, who are fifteen and twelve respectively. They were currently in St. John, visiting their biological mother and her new husband of five months. Candace and Brody were soon a little sick and tired of playing video games, and Candace was now starting to wonder about Brody’s older brother’s garage band. “How are The Hawaiian Geeks?” Candace asked. “I think they’re doing pretty well,” Brody replied. “In fact, David is actually practicing with them today.” “Why doesn’t he perform in any gigs with them?” “I really don’t know. He thinks that time is a huge factor.” “He’s good at the guitar,” Candace remarked. “I’ll tell him you said that,” Brody said. “Any upcoming gigs anytime soon?” “They had a gig a couple days ago. Don’t know for sure when the next one will be.” “Keep me posted.” “I will.” Candace and Brody then decided to take a walk around the neighborhood. It was a really nice day, so why not? Brody rode his bike from Crown Point to Lowell, and he felt enlightened by doing that. The two young adults walked around Candace’s neighborhood for about thirty minutes until someone trying calling Brody on his phone. Brody, of course, felt compelled to answer his phone and find out who was trying to get ahold of him. “Hey,” Brody answered on his end. “Hey,” David repeated. “What’s up?” “Brett was wondering if you and Candace wanted to sit in on our rehearsal. I have no idea when they’re calling it quits for the day.” “Maybe. I’ll check and see if anyone else wants to go,” Brody remarked as he looked at Candace and smiled. He then put his phone on speaker. “Do you want to come and listen to us rehearse? Toby and Sav are having the absolute times of their lives,” David offered. Candace smiled and nodded quickly. “I’ll take that as a yes,” Brody remarked. “Cool beans. See you in twenty minutes.” “Later, bro.” Twenty minutes passed very quickly, and then Brett’s car, driven by David, appeared in the driveway. However, David was not the only one in the car. John Garfield, David’s best friend from Valparaiso, was also in the car with him. David and John helped Brody put his bike in the trunk of the car, and then they were off to John Coolwood’s house, which is right on the corner of McKinley Street and 95th Avenue, so very close to the Ingram’s house. Once everyone got in the car, David and John conversed amongst themselves, and Candace and Brody conversed amongst themselves. “I can’t believe it!” Candace nearly exclaimed. “This is really exciting,” Brody remarked, smiling at Candace. “I’ve never actually sat in on an actual rehearsal.” “You said one word twice.” “What word did I say twice?” Candace asked, slightly confused. “Actual and actually,” Brody answered. He was quite amused. “When did I say that word twice?” “Forget it. You’re cute.” “Thanks, Brody.” “Any time.”
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