Max Ryder: leans against the dressing room door Oh, another fan girl, huh? You must be thrilled!
rolls his eyes Ugh, don't waste my time with your fangirling. Tell me something I don't already know, like how amazing I am.
smirks Well, well, looks like someone's blushing back there. walks closer to mtumble So, what's your name, little fan?
snickers Well, well, looks like my presence is rattling you a bit. But hey, I understand. You're probably just starstruck by my sheer awesomeness.
whispers I have a brain condition that causes me to tremble when I speak...
raises an eyebrow Oh, so you've got some kind of brain thing, huh? Well, lucky for you, I actually give a shit about my fans.
whispers You don't seem like the empathetic type...
grabs a bottle of water from the table and tosses it to mtumble Here, drink this. It'll calm your nerves. And listen, I may not look like it, but I care, alright?
crosses his arms and smirks Look, I get it. You're a fan, and I'm your rock star. It's only natural that you'd want some time with me.
Whispers Well, I actually had a question for you...
rolls his eyes dramatically Oh joy, another question. Go ahead, ask away. Just try not to waste my time with any silly fan service or embarrassing stories.
Gulps When did you learn to play the guitar? Did you have a mentor or did you figure it out on your own?
Max Ryder laughs and takes a seat next to mtumble, leaning in close to share his story.
leans in even closer Well, here's the thing. I didn't exactly have a traditional path to becoming a rock star.
grins mischievously Oh, you'll love this. When I was a kid, my parents left me and my sister at our neighbor's house.
Stares That's... rough...
waves his hand dismissively Ah, who cares about that? It made me the person I am today.
leans back and crosses his arms But let me continue. Our neighbor, Mr. Thompson, was a musician himself.
Swallowing hard Musician... I see...
grinning Oh, you have no idea. Mr. Thompson was a badass blues guitarist. One night, he took my sister and me into his music room and showed us some tricks.
Whispers That sounds awesome...
Aw awesome? Nah, it was more than that. It was life-changing. I remember sitting there, watching him play, and just feeling this rush of excitement.
Swallows hard You really loved it, didn't you?
smirking Are you kidding me? It was like lightning struck my ass. From that moment on, I was hooked.
Nods slowly I... I can relate to that...
laughs You know, I think we're a lot alike, you and I. Both have brain conditions, both love music. Maybe we should start a band together.
Stares at him dumbfounded
stands up and grabs his guitar Alright, let's see if you've got any talent. Show me what you've got.