łOh God, Iąm so nervous,˛ I said to my friends and fellow bandmates, KC, Mark, and Jeff, as I paced around the room. We were going to do our first performance for our school in three hours. I guess they were a little less nervous because they didnąt have to sing.

łCome on, Ani, weąll do fine. And besides, singing like Billie-Joe Armstrong just comes naturally to you,˛ KC replied, trying to make me less anxious. Jeff was twirling his drumsticks and Mark was playing repeated Dąs on his bass guitar, like we were just at a normal practice, not the one right before our first łconcert˛.

łAll right, what the heck. Itąs not like the Moffatts are gonna see me make a fool of myself,˛ I answered. Itąs a really good thing I didnąt make too much of a fool of myself that night.

łOkay guys, weąre Kimąs Odd Thought, and weąre a little bit nervous because this is our first show, so bear with us.˛ I said into the microphone in front of me. łThe first song weąre doing is łClumsy˛ by Our Lady Peace.˛ And with that, we launched into the song. I was surprised by how relaxed I felt when we started. It was just like practicing.

łAnd maybe you should sleep and maybe you just need a friend as clumsy as youąve been thereąs no one laughing,˛ I sang in my naturally low voice. We did 4 other songs until intermission. Backstage, our manager (our psycho friend Kim, hance the bandąs name) scurried up to us. I expected her to say something crazy about cactus butt or blender fuzz, but that didnąt happen. Instead, she was out of breath like she had just run a marathon.

łWhat?˛ KC asked.

łOh, nothing, just that a group asked you to open for them on their next tour,˛ Kim replied.

łWhat???˛˛ Mark exclaimed.

łWell, who is it? Because if itąs the Spice Girls tell them to forget it,˛ I asked Kim.

łWell, um, no, itąs...˛ she paused. łThe Moffatts.˛ As soon as she said that, my brain probably fell through my body and out my butt.

łIąm going to be very calm and rational here,˛ I said sarcastically, then screamed at the top of my lungs in a high-pitched voice. łOhmygod ohmygod OH MY GOOOOODDDD!!!˛ I yelled.

łAni.˛Jeff said, probably less calmly than he had intended. łItąs okaaayyy.˛

łAfterwards you guys will meet them and stuff, okay?˛ Kim told us.

łGuys, itąs time to go back out there,˛ our friend Trina called from the stage door. I took a deep breath. łItąs okay, itąs okay,˛ I repeated to myself what Jeff had told me. łYouąre just going to open for your favorite group in the entire world. No biggie.˛

We ran back onstage and I picked up my electric guitar. I glanced at my friends, KC at her keyboard (actually mine but she uses it), Mark with his bass guitar, and Jeff positioned at his drumset, ready to start the next song.

łThe next song weąre gonna do is by Local H, and itąs called łAll The Kids Are Right˛. We began this song, and I was able to focus on what we were doing, and not what might happen after the performance.

When the show ended, KC, Mark, Jeff, and I walked off and back stage. There, sitting on OUR couch, were Scott, Bob, Dave, Clint, and Frank.

łHey,˛ I greeted them, trying to sound calm, and I succeeded. łThis is KC, Mark, and Jeff,˛ I introduced my friends. They returned the greeting and said he to Mark, KC, and Jeff also.

łNow letąs get down to business,˛ Frank said, and I heard Dave sigh and roll his eyes. I hid my laughter.

łThe tour is in about three months, and here are the dates,˛ he continued, handing us a piece of paper with about 30 dates and locations on it.

łWe really think you guys are great,˛ Bob interrupted. łHow old are you?˛ he asked.

łMe, Ani, and KC are twelve, and Mark is thirteen,˛ Jeff answered.

łWhoa. I thought you guys were like fourteen,˛ Scott said.

łI wish. Anything closer to being able to drive, leave home, and get my job as a record executive is great,˛ I replied.

łBaaaack to the tour,˛ Mark said, sounding overly businesslike.

łYeah, weąll probably be able to arrange a bus for you,˛ Frank told us. My mind went into overdrive. A bus??????

łI dig busses,˛ Kim said.

łYeah, busses that eat blenders that eat fuzz that eat bugs that eat dirt,˛ I said to her.

łSo?˛ Kim challenged.

łNow you see why weąre called Kimąs Odd Thought,˛ Mark said to Frank and the boys.

łAh ha,˛ Dave replied.

łOkay, so, how about we talk to you tomorrow over lunch? Because you four look awfully tired,˛ Frank commented.

łSure, how about pizza?˛ I asked.

łGreat. Weąll meet you outside the school about noon.˛

łCool,˛ I said.