page 18

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Mikey takes the bus home. Lots of kids are on it, riding home from school, and there's only one seat available by the time Mikey gets on. He sits next to a kid with a lot of hair, who's looking through a guitar magazine.

“You play?” Mikey asks, looking over his shoulder.

“What?” the guy says, like he's surprised someone is talking to him. “Oh, guitar. Yeah, I play.”

“Cool,” Mikey says. “Do you have a band?”

The guy nods. “Yeah, we're called Sixth Circle,” he says.

Mikey tries hard to think of what the sixth circle of Dante's hell was reserved for. “Lust?”

The guy laughs, but he blushes a little too. It's attractive, really, and Mikey suddenly really wants to know the guy's name.

“Heresy,” the guy says.

“I'm Mikey.”

The guy smiles. “Ray.”

“So is Sixth Circle playing anywhere soon?”

Ray nods, his face lit up. “We're playing at Sin on Friday night.”

“I've never seen you before,” Mikey says.

“It's our first real gig,” Ray explains.

“Cool,” Mikey says. “I'll be there.” He's always at Sin on Friday nights.

Ray grins. It's nice, and Mikey has a hard time looking away.

“We'd appreciate the support,” Ray is saying, and Mikey's smiling a real smile back at him.

The bus stops and it's time for Mikey to get off. He gives Ray one more smile and grabs his bag.


page 23 – Friday night at Sin