Jake picked up his guitar and began playing Stairway to Heaven. He was pissed, and playing was the only way he knew to calm his nerves. Marcus had been pulling stunts like this since he was five. He would invite everyone over to his house for football, and then not be there. Why had he let Diana talk him into letting him sing vocals for the band. Purple Monkey was his dream. And now the rest of the band was inside getting cookies and milk from his mother. They had the talent to make it, they just needed to stay on track.

His mood was coming through in his music. Stairway should be cold and mellow, but it sounded hot and hard right now.

He sighed, and Diana came into the garage carrying a huge plate of cookies and two glasses of milk.

'Your mom sure is something else, Jay,' she said as she set the milk down on the chest freezer. 'Come on, have a cookie, you'll feel better. We'll practice for a while, and when Marcus gets here, he'll have to catch up.'

Of course she was right, and Jake knew that she was, but it still eat him up that Marcus was still so irresponsible, and was able to get away with it. Jake put down the guitar and went over to Diana. He put his left arm around her waist, and took a cookie with his right. 'I hate it when you are right.'

'Maybe you should stop hanging out with me then,' she responded, 'My dad's out of town on business this week, you could come over.'