CHAPTER 1 BOTTLE ROCKETS N BIFOCALS Fabian Starr sits in his garage plucking at the strings of his red guitar He gazes up at the full moon I want to rock out beneath a giant moon like a summer werewolf wearing shorts in June He sings quietly Beside him his friend Emilio snorts Uh Fab What in the world
is a summer werewolf And since when do werewolves wear shorts Songwriting is a process my friend Fab explains Right Emilio says distractedly He picks up a wrench and tightens the bolts on an oddly shaped box Writing a song is like inventing You have to let your mind roam Surely that’s something you can relate to Mr Junior Engineer Whatever you say Mr Junior Rock Star Emilio says frowning at the contraption at his feet 5
Something’s wrong I don’t understand why it isn’t launching the bottle rockets when I step on the trigger Emilio pumps his foot over a small pedal in frustration Tell me again why you can't just light the bottle rockets like a normal person Fab asks Because that’s boring that’s why Emilio says He hunches over the box and fiddles with it some more Fab peers into the thick dark woods across the street The wind shakes the trees and branches 6
scrape toward the sky like long claws You should probably head home soon Fab says It’s getting late Not until I get this thing working Emilio says Fab pushes his shaggy brown hair out of his eyes and continues to strum his guitar He plucks a few off sounding notes You’re making my ears bleed Emilio teases him Sorry I’m having trouble seeing in the dark Fab says 7
