Chapter Two

     "Do you have everything, sweetie?" asked my mother for the umpteenth time. Quickly, I scanned through my organized checklist written down in an untidy scrawl on the back of a WalMart receipt. I was pretty certain that I had packed everything I needed in a small suitcase. All I really needed were clothes and toiletries. The band gear was already packed away in the trunk of our fifteen passenger van.
     "Yes, mom. I do," I replied to my mom. My dad stood behind her with his hands on his hips. He eyeballed my room. Everything was to be left the same, except there would be little to no clothes in my closet and my bathroom cabinets would be completely empty. He was sad that I was leaving for a while, but he didn't show it of course. My mom on the other hand was the complete opposite.
     "Make sure you write and tell us about every show you've done! And no hookups either, young man!"
     I sighed and said, "I said don't worry. No girls for me. I'm just living the dream, okay, mom?" My dad did his best to smile a little and help me carry my suitcase down the stairs. Kevin, Martin and John were waiting outside in my driveway with the van. The trunk doors were already open and I could see that they had already loaded their belongings. Our band name, Overdress And Underage, was printed across the back bumper. I smiled on the inside when I saw it. It was the newest addition to our van.
     "Kyle! Buddy! Damn, that's what I call heavy packing," said Kevin sarcastically. He picked up my suitcase with one hand and placed it into an empty spot next to the guitars. "And we're all set."
     I glanced over at my mom and saw tears in her eyes. I gave her a tight hug. "We're only gonna be gone for three months, Mom. I'll call you. Promise." She didn't burst into tears, surprisingly.
     I walked over to my dad, and he pulled me into a bro hug. The ones that you do with your friends. He nodded. We didn't say a word, but I knew that he was telling me to take care. "Alrighty then. See you in August."
    "Bye, Mr. and Mrs. Hanson," said Martin, giving a small wave and closing the trunk doors. He then climbed into the driver's seat with Kevin on his right. Me and John were going to be in the back. Martin stepped on the gas and I looked back. Slowly, my parents were becoming two specs in the distance. I was living the dream.