Chapter 29

“You rocked!” Coach Hancock said after he, Zach and Coach Crisfield had moved away from the mat. Zach nodded while pulling his warmup pants on. He was more concerned with getting out the door and over to Philadelphia than he was about discussing the match.

“You’re not in a bad spot at all, Zach,” Crisfield said. “You just knocked off the third seed. Win one more and you advance. Not bad considering how your season was going.”

“Who’s up next for him?” asked Hancock as he peered at Crisfield’s clipboard.

Crisfield flipped to another page while Zach continued dressing. “You get Rennie Brandon next. He’s seeded second. That’s why it’s always better to be seeded sixth than fifth. If you catch the top kid it isn’t until the finals.”

“Brandon’s the kid from Wenonah, right?” Hancock asked. “Did he beat you?”

“Yeah,” Zach said. “He scored early and the stalled half the match. I’d like another chance at him.”

“You have it,” Crisfield said. “Tomorrow morning. You’ve really got a good shot at placing. Make sure you get your rest tonight.”

Zach tried not to laugh. Before he could answer Tim Betterton trotted over to the group. “Hey Coach,” he said. “They just called George on deck.” Zach hadn’t heard any such announcement. He knew Betterton was just trying to distract the coaches. As soon as they started looking around for George Prince, Zach melted away and headed for the door. Mark Easton was waiting near the snack bar with Zach’s gym bag and coat. “Here you go,” he said as Zach approached. “She’s right outside the door.”

“Thanks,” Zach said without breaking stride. He took the bag and left the building.

~~~

“Hi Honey!” Jeanine said after Zach got into the car. “Better put that coat on.”

“Yes, dear,” Zach said sarcastically, but he did as he was told.

“We have forty-five minutes,” she said. “It shouldn’t be a problem. Are you wearing that on stage?”

“I was planning on changing into some jeans, at least,” Zach said.

“Cool,” she answered. “I won’t peek.”

Zach climbed over the seat and stretched out on his back. He was still sweating and breathing hard. It was the first chance he had to collect his thoughts after beating Collier. He would face the top two seeds the next day. Beating either of them wouldn’t be easy but Zach knew he could do it. It was something he looked forward to but he forced himself to think about what he still needed to do that night instead of looking ahead to the next morning.

“Are you awake back there, Honey?” Jeanine called back. “You’re on stage in about a half hour.”

“Yeah,” Zach said, sitting up quickly. “I was just resting.” He pulled the jeans and sleeveless t-shirt out of the gym bag and put them on after wriggling out of his singlet. The well-lit skyscrapers of center city were just coming into view. He grabbed his boots and a clean pair of socks and flopped into the front seat.

“That’s a new look,” Jeanine said after glancing at Zach. “I like it,” she added. By then they were across the Ben Franklin Bridge and in the city. Jeanine eased the car off the expressway and onto a crowded street in Jeweler’s Row. Zach wasn’t exactly sure where the hotel was but he knew it couldn’t be too much further.

“Jeanine?” he said suddenly. “Why is everybody doing all this for me?”

She veered into the left lane to avoid a string of double-parked cars and then back to the right just in time to turn onto Walnut Street. “Joe told me to,” she said blandly. “He said if you weren’t coming there was no use entering at all.” Zach hoped she would say more but she didn’t.

They drove past Love Park, where the famous L.O.V.E. sculpture was surrounded by an expanse of concrete and dotted with gardens. Zach watched a group of skateboarders who had braved the cold and were practicing twists and half pipes. Jeanine barreled across two lanes of oncoming traffic and pulled under an extravagant archway. Three bellhops with brass carts eyed each other before one started moving towards the car.

“You better go in while I park,” Jeanine said. “It’s in the Liberty Ballroom. You have to go up one floor. Go. You only have a few minutes.”

“Okay,” Zach said. “See you in there.” He hopped out of the car and walked into the hotel lobby through a revolving glass door. There were people everywhere, yet the lobby was hushed. He walked towards a carpeted stairway, remembering that Jeanine had said he would need to go up. Halfway up the steps he heard the unmistakable sound of live rock music. Worried that his band had started without him, he ran up the last few steps. When he reached the top step he was relieved to see Toby Dumphries run towards him.

“Zach!” Dumphries said. “We’re on in fifteen minutes! Come on!”

As he followed Dumphries into a makeshift dressing room he remembered that he’d left his singlet and everything else in the back seat of Jeanine’s car. Just one more thing to worry about, he thought. “Hey!” he said loudly when they came across the rest of the band.

“Glad you could make it,” Fauquier said.

“Oh yeah!” Herndon whooped. He reached over and high-fived Zach. “What’s with the muscle shirt?”

“Geez, I didn’t know it would be such a big deal,” Zach said.

“We’re just glad you’re here,” Dumphries said.

There was one face that Zach didn’t know. “Are you Max?” Zach asked, extending an upright hand.

“Yeah,” Richmond said, returning the soul handshake. “How’s it going?”

“Okay,” Zach said. “Good thing you’re here,” he said, holding up his injured wrist. “I don’t think I could play.”

“Here’s the play list,” Fauquier said after stepping between them. “Five songs, and we go all out, right? If we’re good enough we’ll be asked back for tomorrow.”

Zach grabbed the paper and took a look. “Wow, Joe,” he said. “This is a lot different than what we practiced. You’ve got everything covered here, that’s for sure.”

“That’s the name of the game,” Fauquier said. “Show them everything we can do. Does it look okay?”

“Yeah,” Zach said. “I’m always nervous about the slow ones, that’s all.”

“You’ll be fine,” he said. “At least you’re voice is well-rested. You look pretty beat up, though.”

“I just got off the mat about a half hour ago,” Zach said. “Sorry.”

Before Fauquier could answer Herndon rushed over. “We’re on,” he said. “Show time.”

Dumphries and Richmond walked over from different directions when they heard Herndon. “This is it, guys,” Fauquier said. “Everybody put a hand in.” Each member dutifully reached over and put a hand on top of Fauquier’s. “I’m feeling it right now,” Fauquier said. “All the right people are sitting out there waiting for us. If we do it the way I know we can, it’ll be a whole new world for us. Leave everything you have on that stage, gents. Let’s go.”

“Is our stuff already set up?” Zach asked Dumphries as they walked out of the room and down a corridor.

“Yeah,” Dumphries said. “We did it all before the show started. That was about four hours ago. I hope we’re still in tune.”

“How do you like Joe’s play list?” Herndon asked from behind. “Just so happens it’s all the songs he thinks he sounds best on. I’m jumping from guitar to synthesizer every two seconds, but what does he care?”

“I’ve got the same problem,” Zach said. “AC DC, Pink Floyd and Metallica? That’s hard on the vocal chords.”

“Relax,” Dumphries said. “We’ll kick ass. Joe knows what he’s doing when it comes to this stuff.”

“Yeah,” Herndon said. “If he’s auditioning himself out. What about the rest of us? We’re just trying to survive the show without getting hurt.”

It looked like there were a few hundred people in the ballroom. Zach had expected ten or twelve guys wearing suits and holding clipboards so he was pleasantly surprised. He couldn’t see much because of the colored stage lights that were aimed at his face but he noticed that Jeanine had found her way into the first row.

Once they started to play it was clear to Zach that it would be one of the best shows they ever gave. The music was crisp and alive. Aided by the stage monitors, Zach felt like he was hitting every note, with plenty of volume. They ripped through near flawless performances of ‘You Shook Me All Night Long,’ ‘Comfortably Numb’, U2’s ‘New Years Day’ and Metallica’s ‘Enter Sandman.’ Zach was covered with sweat and knew he wasn’t going to have any problem making weight the next morning.

His raw throat worried him as they quickly set up for the final song, the Aerosmith ballad that Fauquier always wanted. He watched Herndon slip behind his keyboard consoles and flip a few switches. When he was ready he nodded at Fauquier, who pointed back at him immediately. Seconds later the clean sound of Herndon’s synthesized piano filled the ballroom. So far that night Zach had won two matches and nailed four rock standards, but this would be his stiffest challenge.

When he saw Beth Ellicott appear in the aisle looking frantically around for a place to sit he wondered why he was so surprised to see her. After all, she had been more involved than anybody else in salvaging the day, the week, and maybe even his life. It was no surprise that she knew where the showcase was being held because she had quietly coordinated everything he’d done that entire week. When she looked at him he smiled. She probably didn’t realize yet that they were about to perform the song that she’d heard him sing in the gym so many weeks ago.

Just before it was time to sing Zach caught Beth’s eye again as she searched desperately for a place to go. Zach pointed to the floor in front. She scrambled forward and slid into a seated position on the floor, gritting her teeth in apparent embarrassment. Ironically, she was directly in front of Jeanine.

Zach’s voice sounded hoarse as he heard it fed back in his direction over the monitors. That upset him until he looked over at Fauquier, who nodded confidently. For the rest of the song Zach couldn’t help looking at Beth. He felt connected to her. Maybe it was because she had been there when he sang that song for the first time, he reasoned. He thought he saw her wipe away a tear as she watched him sing. Zach felt like he was singing to her and it looked like she was feeling that too. After the way things had fallen into place all week, mostly because Beth had made it all work, emotions welled up inside him. By the time the song ended and the crowd was cheering he struggled to stop himself from breaking down. Just before they took a bow and left the stage he smiled at Beth. Before she could respond but Jeanine smiled and waved, thinking that Zach was looking at her.

~~~

“Are you alright, man?” Dumphries asked Zach when they were back in the dressing room. “You look bummed.”

“Yeah, I’m cool,” Zach said. “I had a busy day, that’s all.”

“You rocked!” Herndon said, shaking Zach’s shoulders from behind. “I never heard you sound so good.”

“You think so?” Zach asked. “My voice sounded funny.”

“Heck yeah,” Herndon said. “We’re in. No doubt about it.”

“We won’t know until later,” Fauquier said. He had entered the room in time to overhear Herndon’s prediction. “I’d bet the house on it though.”

“What time tomorrow?” Zach asked.

“Hey Joe,” Dumphries asked. “What are we playing if we make it? They don’t want to hear the same stuff again, right?”

“I’ll come up with another play list,” Fauquier said. “We should all go home and rest. I’ll call you guys as soon as I hear anything for sure. I’m going back out there to see what I can find out.” He rushed out as suddenly as he came in.

Just then Jeanine strolled in. “You guys were great!” she gushed. “I was so proud of you!”

Zach walked over and gently took the gym bag from her hand. “Thanks,” he told her. “For everything.”

“Zach, are you riding home with us?” Dumphries asked.

Zach would have liked to go out and look for Beth but there didn’t seem to be any time for that. “I’ll take him,” Jeanine said. “He has to get up early.”

“Okay, Mom,” Herndon said.

Thirty minutes later they were parked in front of his house. Worried about what Jeanine might do, he pushed the door open quickly. She leaned over and kissed him anyway. “See you tomorrow, Honey,” she said. “I can’t wait.”

~~~

Zach was surprised that his mother’s car was parked outside. Friday was usually a late night at work for her. He rushed inside to tell her everything that had happened. The house was dark except for a light above the kitchen sink. That meant that she had already gone to bed. Disappointed, he dropped the gym bag and plopped down at the table. Then he saw the note, next to the phone. “Zach -- Joe called. Next session showcase at twelve noon. Great Job! You made the finals! Love Mom.”

Now he had a new problem, and a very serious one. The district semifinals were scheduled to start at ten o’clock, and now the showcase finals were at twelve. He had been assured that they would play at night if they advanced, not during the day. Now what?