“I like Kafka. I like how nothing much happens.”
“Hm. It rings true.”
“If I had a band it would be called The Castle. And we'd never get anything done.”
“No.” My remark had been flippant but he didn't smile. “You can do better than that.”
“Can I?” I tried to look at his face, but I could only focus on one part at a time.
His solemn eyebrows. “Which bands do you like?”
“Uh. Animal Collective.”
“Everyone likes Animal Collective. What else?”
Slight overbite. “I like the Velvet Underground.”
“So does my Dad. What else?”
Dense stubble. “God I don't know. I usually just say that the Fall are my favourite band.”
“I guess you can't really question that.”
Full lips. “They're kind of infallible.”
Again my weak joke didn't register. I had to think of something good or he'd get bored.
“That Whey Parlour record from last year. With the stag on the cover.”
“Lights From a Japanese Squid Fleet?” Eyes wide now. Was it a faux pas?
He leaned in confidentially and whispered for emphasis: “It changed my life!”
I couldn't hold back a triumphant half-smile. And this time he smiled back.

Excerpt from Hipster High