Sam black wasn't just any popular guy at Northview University, he was also in a band called Anonymous Animals. Girls flocked to him and his friends even more when they found out he was in a band, He, of course, was the guitarist, while his friends Brandon and Lorenzo, were bassist and drummer. The trio had just one tiny problem, none of the bastards could carry a tune. Whenever any of the girls in his school gushed about the band, they'd actually never heard any of them sing, they didn't care anyway. They were three hot guys instruments, of course girls would love them.

The trio were currently practicing in Sam's basement, when Lorenzo had expressed his annoyance with the band's lack of a singer.

"Come on, man, we have to find a singer!" He exclaimed. "I'm tired of us playing songs with no lyrics."

Sam thoughtlessly strummed on his electric guitar. "We have lyrics..." he trailed off.

"I mean, yeah, but no one can sing them..." Brandon said, matter-of-factly.

"Brandon, you have the best voice out of all of us," Sam mentioned.

"Dude, he's tone deaf!" Lorenzo yelled causing Brandon to nod in understanding. Sam chuckled. "How are we supposed to get Beiber level fame with no singer in our band?" Lorenzo had a point, but the two other boys were lost in thought, thinking of how to get a good singer.

"I mean, craigslist has everything," Brandon offered. Sam and Lorenzo looked at him as if he grew two heads.

"Yeah, especially serial killers," Sam retorted.

"What about something like auditions?" Lorenzo said. The three looked at each other with wide eyes, they had found their idea.

"'Renz, you're a fucking genius!" Sam exclaimed, his hands moving wildly with each word. "Like, we can so print out a flyer, and post it in school. We could definitely get a singer by the end of tomorrow!"

The next day, the three went around school posting flyers, and handing them out to other students passing by.

"Anonymous Animals is looking for a new singer! Come to the music room to audition after school!" Sam yelled as he walked through the hall, bumping into a shorter body as he walked by.

"Could you be even louder, I'm definitely trying to go deaf." He looked over to see his ex-best friend and Lorenzo's cousin, Kennedy Payne. She had a scowl on her face, iced coffee in her hand, and sunglasses on her face. She looked like she had a rough night.

"Sorry, Ken..." Sam said, reaching out to touch her shoulder, she only pulled away from him.

"Don't call me that! You lost your chance to call me that years ago." She growled, walking away from him.

Sam rolled his eyes, she was still just as stubborn as she was when they were friends. "Don't be like that, it was only an accident." 

She ignored him, but he chose to follow. "Hey, my band is looking for a singer," He gave her a flyer, "Know any good singers?" She grabbed the paper, reading what it said, then immediately balling it up and throwing it.

"Hey! What the fuck?" He shouted, getting other's attention.

"I don't care about your little boy band, Sam." She said before walking away from him, leaving him standing there. Lorenzo walked up to him as he watched her walk away.

"Yo, is she still mad at you?" Lorenzo asked. Sam nodded. "I forgot why she's so mad at you."

They both walked down the hall to class as Sam recalled the moment he and Kennedy stopped being friends.

There was a  time when he, Kennedy, and Lorenzo grew up together. They all went to elementary and middle school together, and hung out after school together. Lorenzo was always told to look after his little cousin, Kennedy, and that meant including her with his best friend, Sam.

Since Lorenzo would always include Kennedy, Sam thought of her as a little sister...sometimes an annoying little sister.

It wasn't until middle school, when the Lorenzo and Sam wanted to branch out of just their little group into getting more friends, leaving Kennedy alone and friendless. She tried making friends on her own, but ended up looking awkward and fumbling over her words. Lorenzo felt bad leaving her out of the loop, he could hear his parents' and aunt's voice in his head telling him to look out for his little cousin.

So of course, he dragged her from her shell, and tried to get her to befriend some of the cool friends he made. She would try, and felt like she made progress. Being included, she instantly latched on to Sam and Lorenzo, like old times...it felt like old times. Until she heard some of the girls who were friends with Sam and Lorenzo gossiping about her in the bathroom.

"What's with the new girl, though? She doesn't talk much." She heard while she was in the stall.

"I think she's Renzo's cousin or something. She's def weird though." Girl 2 said to Girl 1. They both giggled, "Did you see her staring at Sammy?"

Kennedy didn't remember staring at him, she was just engaged in the funny story he had told.

"She's def in love with him! 'Oh Sammy, you're sooo cute! I wish I was pretty enough to date you!', " Girl 2 mocked, then they giggled again. "I mean, it's so obvious we're dating! He told me she was obsessed with him."

Kennedy shook her head with tears brimming her eyes. Why were they so mean? She wasn't obsessed with him, he was just her best friend, her only friend. 

She opened the stall, getting the two girls' attention, they looked on with wide eyes as she washed her hands with tears down her face. Once she went out the door, she could hear them laughing at her. She roughly wiped at her face, beating herself up for letting them see her cry. Her father told her to never let anyone see the affect they had on her. She walked past her cousin and Sam, making Lorenzo pull her back.

"Whoa, where you going, cuz?" He asked, then getting angry when he saw her face. "What happened to you? Did someone hurt you?"

She shook her head, trying to walk away, but Sam's laughter got her attention. She instantly saw red. Breaking out of Lorenzo's hold, she walked up to Sam, and punched him in the nose. "Damn!" Lorenzo exclaimed.

"What the hell, Ken!?" Sam shouted, holding his now bleeding nose. Everyone in the hall had crowded around to get a better view, whispering and laughing at Sam's pain.

"So you talk shit about me behind my back now?" She asked him with fire in her eyes. He looked confused, "You're girlfriend already cleared the air."  He then had a look of remorse on his face.

"Ken...I-I'm sorry," he told her. "But what do you expect, you're always around! You're with me and Renz 24/7, can we get some space from you sometimes?!" 

'Oooh's' could be heard throughout the hall. "Alright, break it up, and get to class!" They heard a teacher yell, clearing out the hallway.

"Don't worry, you won't have to worry about me anymore." She said to Sam, then looked to Lorenzo, "I expected you to at least stick up for me, but I see how you feel now."

Lorenzo tried to reach out to her, but she pushed him away. 

She never talked to the two of them after that, they were only 7th graders then, they're seniors now. Sam watched her from time to time, seeing that the girl had no friends, not even a boyfriend. It shocked him that she was still shaken up from that argument they had, and never gotten close with anyone. 

"I can't believe you don't remember that...you laughed at me after she broke my nose!" Sam said. Lorenzo chuckled, as he remembered his little cousin punching the fuck out of his best friend.

"I mean, if I were you, I'd hope people forgot that. For real though, that was years ago. I love my cousin, but she needs to get over it." Lorenzo told him as they walked into their first class. Usually, the two would sit in the back with the other kids that were in their group of friends. They would goof off, and talk shit in the back of the classroom, not giving a fuck what the professor said. As the bell rang, the door to the classroom opens, revealing Kennedy. How did she come to class to late?

"Miss Payne, you're late again..." the professor, Mr. Powell told her. She shrugged, sipping her iced coffee, and walking to the back of the classroom to sit in the only open seat by Sam.

This was incredibly awkward for him, and Lorenzo couldn't help but to voice it. "...Awkward..." he squeaked, then chuckled, holding his hands up in mock surrender once all eyes were on him.

Sam shook his head, looking over to Kennedy as she ignored both of them. He tried to talk to her throughout class, but was met with a cold shoulder from her. How long was she going to ignore him and Lorenzo. Five years? Ten? It was ridiculous.

Once school was over, Sam, Lorenzo, and Brandon were hyped up to see how many people would audition for their band. They had set up a table in the music room, and sat down with paper and pen to write down who they thought would be a good fit for their band.

The first person walked in, and it was Amber Conner, a girl who's friends with benefits with Sam. "Uh...Amber? What are you doing here?" Sam asked.

She smirked, mistaking his confusion for excitement. "I thought I could audition and be in a band with my boyfrie-,"

"Friend! Just friend!" He clarified, causing Brandon and Lorenzo to laugh.

"Is she serious?" Lorenzo asked, still laughing. Sam shook his head.

"Whatever, show us what you got, Amber." Sam told her.

She got in a popstar-like stance, lifting her hand up as if she was trying to reach out and find a note. "yOu ArE bEaUtIfUl! No MaTtEr WhAt ThEy sAy! wOrDs CaN-"

"OKAY! Amber! Amber! Uhh...That was...something..." Sam started, and she smiled. Not realizing that her voice was like nails on chalkboard. Lorenzo looked down to hide that he was laughing his ass off. Brandon had a pained expression on his face.

"Once again, is she serious?" Lorenzo asked again.

"How about we'll call you...don't call us." Brandon said.

Amber grimaced, "Really? Sammy are you going to let them talk to me like that?" 

He was torn, put her in their band and keep his FWB arrangement, or tell her she sucks and find a new FWB. "Well...You kinda sound like a dying cat." He was not prepared for the slap that she gave him, but he took it like a champ. His best friends had to laugh at that.

"You never learn, always tell girls what they wanna hear, bro." Lorenzo told him. 

The next few people that came in were horrible to decent, and they weren't looking for decent, they were looking for amazing.

"Well, who do you guys think are good enough?" Brandon asked, looking down at his pitiful notes. "Greg was okay, but a little pitchy here and there."

"Rob was good, I guess." Sam said.

They heard the door to the music room open, in walks Kennedy, strutting with confidence and standing in front of the trio. "You guys know there's no one else out there?" she said. She walked up to the table, tossing a balled up piece of paper at Sam's head. 

"Did you come in here just to gloat?" He asked, annoyed at her behavior.

She sat on the table and shrugged, "Nah, I decided you need some talent in this band."

The three guys looked at each other and snorted. "We have talent, sweetheart. I mean, what are you gonna sing? Let me guess, Beyonce?" Sam told her.

She smirked, standing up and taking her leather jacket off, tossing it on the floor.

Just like the white winged dove

Sings a song
Sounds like she's singing
Ooh Ooh Ooh
Just like the white winged dove
Sings a song
Sounds like she's singing
Oh baby oh said ohAnd the days go by
Like a strand in the wind
In the web that is my own
I begin again
Said to my friend, baby
Nothin' else matteredHe was no more than a baby then
Well he seemed broken hearted
Something within him
But the moment that I first laid
Eyes on him all alone
On the edge of seventeen

Sam didn't want to admit, but she was good, beyond good. "You're good, I guess." He said begrudgingly.

"For real though, I didn't know she could sing." Lorenzo said. "I gotta go with my cuz."

"I'm just gonna say it, she's the best one that's walked in. Let's give her a shot." Brandon said. 

They were two to one, waiting for Sam to say she was in, Kennedy waited with a knowing smirk. She knew he was going to say she was in. "Fine, she's in." He stood up, grabbing his bag, then walking up to her. He had to look down just to talk to her, still not used to the height difference. "Practice is at my house, at 4:30. Need a ride?"

"I'll walk." She simply said.

"Come on, Ken, ride with us. My dad'll beat my ass if he knew I let you walk." Lorenzo pleaded. She obliged reluctantly.

"Okay, okay, let's go." She said with a roll of her eyes as she followed them out of the room.