Failure

Having been swiveling in the chair with his eyes on the floor, Alec listened, even if his body language said he was bored. At Misty's invitation though, his gaze snaps up, his eyebrows raised. Whether he realized it or not, the look in his eye was one of total surprise. It was one thing to hang out with Eli and Ryan... that was a given. But to be invited to someone else's place for dinner - Misty, no less - that was something he hadn't expected. Sure, she'd said sometime do a couple thing or whatever, but this... this was different.

"You kidding me?" he asks outright as a small laugh accompanies his question. "I mean, it's pretty common knowledge that your husband doesn't like me very well. Not that I can blame him, but you can't tell me he'd be in agreement with me coming over and not only being in his house, but being in his house with his wife... alone."

He leans a little closer, his eyes roving Misty's face. To anyone paying attention, it would show in his eyes that he really wanted to say yes, but simply didn't know how. So instead, it was an almost-flirtatious glint that shows itself amidst the confusion. "I mean, I might be crazy but I'm certainly not stupid. I'm all for food but I don't wanna die by Carson's hand either - he can be one brutal guy."

Still swiveling a little, he straightens, his hands gripping the back of the chair. "If you can get him to say yes though, then... I'd be more tempted." Grabbing the phone, he hands it to her as if in a challenge. Surely if she actually called, Carson would say no. Then Alec wouldn't have to decide if he'd say yes or not.


Having Beth quote him, Justin grins a little but doesn't draw attention to it, once he sees she's embarrassed. Just continuing to listen, he enjoys the rest of his meal, making it obvious that he does like her cooking.

Cocking his head at her, he nods a little. "Yeah... I guess I did see your job as a little peculiar but... we don't always do things that make perfect sense, do we?" He finishes his food by mopping up the rest of the spaghetti sauce with his bread. "I guess sometimes what does make sense can be a little too much to face at times too." His hint remains a subtle suggestion that perhaps there were other opportunities Beth could take advantage of if fear didn't hold her back.

Taking a final sip of his water, Justin sets his glass down and heaves a sigh of content. "That... was good. Thank you, Beth. You're a good cook."


Quinn laughs and just looks across at Anastasia, feeling ridiculously silly and happy at the same time. Even when the food comes, he just ignores it for a few minutes, letting the scene just soak in. Finally though after a short prayer is prayed, he starts the meal with Anastasia.

"Okay, so saying I thought I should stick around a while and..." He shrugs. "I don't know... just see what happens, I guess. You think I should just stick it out in the hotel a while? Or are there any short-term apartments around or...?"

Chewing his food, he looks up at her again and shakes his head. "I can't believe I'm asking that." A few days prior, all he'd wanted was to get out of this town.


The living room was awkwardly quiet. It wasn't normally like that with the band, but after Kip had left to run down to the corner store for a pop, silence had taken over the room.

The band was gathered at Erik and Theo's new apartment, hanging out for the afternoon, after they'd had practice that morning. Their recording was finished for the next couple weeks, so schedules were more flexible now. Russ had found his own place too, so with the girls staying with Alice, Kip was the only one left still at Kyle's grandparents.

Now, gazes were exchanged with unspoken thoughts. Practice had been bad, and it wasn't a fault that was spread out. Unfortunately, it had been Kip who had had the most trouble and had held things up. He'd had a hard time just finishing the recordings, and now he was showing difficulty in getting his act together. Everyone else had stepped things up a notch after landing the music deal, but Kip was lagging. He'd done fine in the band prior to Kyle's entrance, but they'd only performed small gigs and had not worked so hard at being more precise and professional. While with Kyle, though they maintained their personality and functions within the band, it was necessary to step up to the plate, buckle down and do things better than their previous best. It wasn't a hard-nosed pressure, but it was a natural one, forcing the band to evolve and improve. However, it was becoming more and more obvious that Kip was struggling. Did he know it? It was hard to tell.

Erik lets out a long, slow sigh as he glances around the room. His eyes land on Karla. It was rare that Kip went anywhere without her now, which just proved he didn't leave to just go and grab a pop - most likely he'd needed to stretch his legs and get out of the small room for a while. He'd admittedly had too much caffeine and sugar that morning so it wouldn't be too far-fetched to assume he just needed to burn off a bit of that energy, hence, going alone. Erik wondered if Karla knew where the band's thoughts were, and what she might think.

It was Kyle who was brave enough to break the silence. They had a few minutes before Kip returned. "Erik, you know Kip the best of anyone here. What's your take on this morning?"

Erik shrugs lamely and looks down at his hands, his mind at work. "Just one of those days."

"There have been... a lot of those days lately."

"I know." Erik finally looks up at Kyle as one of the times where Kyle was indeed the leader. "What's your take on it?"

Kyle shifts on the couch, his arm having fallen asleep around Alice's shoulders, but he doesn't move it. "I've been watching him and... from what I can tell, he's having a hard time stepping up a notch. He's not failing - he hasn't digressed. But while the rest of us have upped our game, he... hasn't. Or he's tried but hasn't gotten there yet."

Erik nods his agreement. That's what he felt as well. "He just... needs a little more time than the rest of us."

"We're all friends here, and we all love Kip, right?" Kyle looks around the room, including Karla in his gaze. "This isn't about bashing him or complaining about him - we all know that. I just wish there was a way we could help him. I'm in no way, shape or form even remotely close to asking him to leave the band, and I don't want anyone to think that either. But if someone has any ideas, speak up." His eyes go back to Erik. "I know he's hyperactive. Even I get that way, so I can relate to that aspect. But has he had any other problems? I mean like..." He hesitates, unsure how to word what he was trying to say.

"Like is he slow in the head?" Erik finishes for him. He smiles a little and shakes his head. "Naw, I don't think so. He's always had a hard time concentrating. Got held back in school, had a crappy home life - it all adds up. His self-esteem is lower than dirt and I think it's just all more pronounced now that we're moving on to a new level."

"You think he knows he's slowing us down?" Russ questions with concern.

"Probably."

Twila purses her lips. "Well I hope he doesn't feel badly. I mean... it's not his fault. So he has a hard time concentrating... maybe we can just find new ways to do things that won't be so hard for him. Personally, I think he's got a stroke of genius he hasn't tapped into yet."

"I agree," Erik states flatly. "I've caught him a time or two singing or playing his bass when he thought no one was around, and let me tell you... I think he's got more talent than me. I think if he could channel that energy of his, you'd be right - I think he'd be a musical genius."

Kyle quirks an eyebrow in thought. Come to think of it, that's kind of what it did seem like. Often times those with the most talent in one particular area ended up lacking in other areas, such as social skills or even confidence. "He's got a lot to compensate for, doesn't he?" he muses.

The others nod. "Yeah," Erik replies. "I think sometimes he's got a whole lot more going on inside of him than he lets other people know. Or at least... most other people." He looks to Karla and grins a little, giving her a wink. He knew that she got to see a side of Kip the others didn't often get to. "He was labeled with ADHD in gradeschool - I think he was one of the few cases where that really was accurate. I mean, lots of times if you take a kid and just give them something to work off their energy or feed them right, it'll take care of the problem. But I think Kip's brain really is wired differently than the rest of us. He's twenty and still can't sit still."

Twila chuckles. She loved Kip dearly, like a little brother. "Maybe we can hire somebody to come sit on him during practice?"

The others laugh - not making fun of Kip in the least, but able to find humor within the sensitive subject. Kyle nods to Karla. "Maybe she can do that."

"I think that might distract him even more," Twila teases. "I'm not sure having such a pretty girl on his lap would help matters."

Kyle grins. "It certainly wouldn't help me." He throws Alice a sidelong glance, his eyes twinkling. "Okay, maybe not. But we really do need to put our thinking caps on. I don't want to change the band and I don't ever want us to get wrapped up in glitz and fame. But we do need to improve and we do need to continue to step our performance up a notch - probably more than one notch as we go along. It's obvious that Kip's struggling. Recording took a week longer, and none of us wanted to admit that it was mainly because he was having a tough time." He pauses, looking around the room again. "Whether we want him in the band or not, Jackie and Wayne may think differently if this keeps up. Neither have said anything to me so far, but I can tell some days they weren't too happy. And fortunately, or unfortunately, we depend on them. And if Kip hinders the band's performance... well, we just have to be prepared for that."

Kip's hand slides from the doorknob and he takes a step back in the apartment hall. Staring at the closed door, his eyes slowly lower to the floor. It's obvious that Kip's struggling... mainly because he was having a tough time... if Kip hinders the band's performance...

A lump rises in Kip's throat. He'd known all along this might happen. As soon as they'd landed a deal, he knew that if anyone failed, it would be him, and it was starting. Apparently he was doing a poor enough job that the others needed to talk about it while he was out of the room. It didn't make him angry... he knew he wasn't as good as the others and they deserved better. It was only natural that they'd need to discuss it.

Swallowing hard, Kip turns and walks back down the hall and outside. Passing a trashcan, he tosses in the bottle of pop he'd just purchased. Trudging along the sidewalk, he turns right. It would take a while, but he'd manage to make it to Gram and Gramp's on foot. Right now, he needed the walk. If anyone missed him, they'd call his cell phone before worrying. He'd just tell them that he got tired and decided to head back - and if it was Karla, he'd tell her he'd hook up with her later, reassuring her that nothing was wrong.

"Well, I think we just need to find a creative way to do things," Twila concludes. "Maybe the rest of us all think the same way and our brains just naturally go the same direction. Kip's not any lesser just because he thinks differently, so maybe we should find some way to change things up a bit." She shrugs. "Couldn't hurt. And right now we do have a breather for a short while."

"Wayne and Jackie can stick it if they don't like Kip," Russ adds flatly.

Erik quirks an eyebrow. "Why don't you tell us how you really feel?" he teases.

Russ smirks. "Well, it's true. I like Wayne and Jackie and I don't think they'd be mean on purpose, but I, for one, would rather keep Kip and have to go find another job than tell him to leave and stay in the band." He looks to Kyle. "No offense."

Kyle grins. "None taken. I feel the same way as I think the rest of you do, too."

Theo glances at his watch. "Speaking of that hyperactive friend of ours, do you think he decided to run around the block a few times, or what?"

Erik laughs. "Maybe he did."