The Bad Decisions Playlist (32 page)

“I told you​—​I don't want to go to the party.”

He starts to close the door.

“Wait.”

“What.”

“Don't just sit here alone. Come hang out.”

“And do what.”

“I don't know. I've got, like, five really bad new songs we can work on.”

He considers that.

“Yeah?” he says.

“Yeah,” I say. “Come on, Todd. Let's go play some music.”

PHOTOGRAPH BY GINO DEPINTO

M
ICHAEL
R
UBENS
is a former producer for
The Daily Show
with Jon Stewart and
Last Week Tonight
with John Oliver, as well as a writer and producer for
Full Frontal with Samantha Bee
. His work has appeared in the
New Yorker
's Daily Shouts,
HuffPost Comedy
, and
Salon
, and he is the author of one previous YA novel,
Sons of the 613
. He plays the mandolin, sort of.