“Whatever are you talking about?” Vanessa said innocently.
Harrison let out a hearty laugh, and I smirked, knowing he knew how Vanessa played her mind games. “I don’t think anyone is fooled by you bringing up Robby, Vanessa. Admit it. You want to know why she was out last night with Robby instead of Warren.”
Mandy looked up over her laptop at me. “Are you and Warren dating again? Mr. Drake will want to know because he doesn’t appreciate surprise meltdowns with Harper Music’s singers.”
I might as well have tried to swallow a mouthful of cotton balls at the mention of Mr. Drake.
“Oh, calm down. It’s not like Eloise is Monica Best,” Vanessa said, batting her hand gracefully in the air.
“What about Monica?” I asked, hoping talk would take on a different direction than focusing on me.
Vanessa dropped her hand from the back of Harrison’s neck, were she’d been lightly running her nails and scooted to the edge of the couch. I could already tell it was going to be good. “Don’t you remember seeing it in the news? That she’d had a breakdown after her boyfriend broke up with her for cheating?”
“Actually,” Harrison corrected, “she had broken up with him because she started dating Troy, her backup guitarist. There wasn’t any cheating involved.”
Vanessa shrugged. “Semantics.”
“Wait,” I said, pinching my eyes shut as I tried to connect all the dots. “I thought Troy was Ruby Hawkin’s backup guitarist.”
“Same Troy,” Mandy pointed out. “Good riddance, as far as I’m concerned. That guy had an insatiable wandering eye that was a nightmare to try to keep in check. Nobody was sad to see him go.”
Shaking my head, I repeated, “Okay, so Monica was dating Troy and broke up with her boyfriend to be with him? I’m not seeing why that’s a problem.”
Vanessa’s deep brown eyes brightened. “Because, Troy ended up being a loser, which made Monica realize what she’d had with her previous boyfriend. When she went back home and tried to apologize and get back together with him, she accidentally set fire to his 1972 Ford Mustang that his father had given him on his sixteen birthday. He didn’t take her back after that.”
“I don’t suppose,” I said with a grin. “I’m still failing to see what that bit of gossip has to do with me.”
“Dating someone in any work situation isn’t always ideal because if it doesn’t work out, you still have to be around each other, like it or not,” Mandy said with such seriousness I couldn’t help but gulp again. “Warren lost his spot on America’s Next Pop Star because he was so heartbroken when you two called it quits that he couldn’t even carry a tune without tearing up. That won’t fly again, especially when touring.”
“I know. I promise Warren and I aren’t dating. Mr. Drake has nothing to worry about. No more teary-eyed Warren on my part. Promise.”
Mandy seemed satisfied and returned to the work on her computer, but Vanessa continued to press the issue.
“You should be, though.”
Pinching the bridge of my nose to relieve the tension building behind my eyeballs, threatening to force them clean of their sockets, I asked, “Should be what?”
“Should be dating Warren,” she said simply. “There’s zero chemistry between you and Robby. It was like watching two bricks sit next to each other at dinner last night.”
“You’re so mean. I had plenty of fun with Robby, though I wouldn’t argue with you about the lack of chemistry. That’s why we broke up in the first place—we were always good friends, but we just kind of grew apart. I saw last night more as a chance to walk down memory lane and catch up, not rekindling anything.”
“Good. So you’re available for Warren,” Vanessa said with finality. I hated how she tilted her chin up haughtily when she thought she was right.
Glowering at her, I shot back, “Why are you so concerned whether or not I’m dating Warren? I gave him a chance, and it didn’t work out. I’m ready to move on to the possibility that there’s someone else out there for me.”
“You don’t need to look for someone else. You need to give Warren a second chance,” Vanessa insisted. Harrison took a back seat to the conversation, his eyes darting back and forth as Vanessa became more intense.
“Why?”
“Because you two are right for each other.”
Annoyance bubbled in my gut, and I could feel a tense knot growing in my shoulders. “Is that what you think? That just because you’ve made up your mind that I should go crawling to Warren and beg him to take me back?”
“It’s obvious to anyone who’s around you. Your attraction is off the charts, and he makes you happy. That’s all I want for you, Eloise. I want you to be happy.”
With a mind of their own, my legs shot me out of my seat, and I shouted, “He also knows exactly how to break my heart! Do you know what I caught him doing when I was trying on dresses the day you took me shopping? He was on the phone with my sister, planning a date with her. He called her beautiful and said he loved her. My sister, Vanessa! It doesn’t get much worse than that!”
For once, Vanessa couldn’t think of anything to say that would make her right. Finally, she spoke softly. “I’m so sorry. I had no idea.”
All the strength I had in me had been sucked dry by my outburst, and I sank back into my chair. “It’s alright,” I said weakly. “I hadn’t told anyone yet. It’s horribly embarrassing that I couldn’t keep Warren’s attention on me long enough to actually rekindle anything, even if I wanted to. Plus, he’s two-timing me with none other than my naïve, sweet, baby sister. There’s no winning in a situation like that.”
“No, I don’t suppose there is,” Vanessa agreed.
“So you don’t have to wonder anymore why I’m not giving Warren another shot. He’s already shattered my heart once, and I’m not about to give him the power to do it again.”
Meekly, Vanessa nodded, making me feel understood and giving me the peace I craved.
The rest of the bus ride was uneventful. After fixing myself a sandwich out of the stockpile of food in the kitchenette, I tried to read but kept finding myself staring out the window at the passing landscape, willing myself not to wonder what Warren was doing on the bus trailing behind mine. I wanted nothing more than to let go of him and find happiness in my career, and if someone happened to come along in the future, I hoped I wouldn’t be too jaded to give them a chance.
When the bus finally pulled up to the venue in Utah, its brakes hissing as it stopped, I gathered up my things into a new brown leather purse I’d picked up when I was shopping with Vanessa and followed everyone outside. Before I’d even stepped off, a wall of heat and unusually high humidity for Utah about knocked me on my butt.
Fluttering my hand in front of my face to try and get some airflow, I asked, “Is it just me, or is anyone else about to melt out here?”
Tilting her face up toward the sun, Vanessa remarked, “It’s not so bad. Definitely good swimming weather.”
Pulling up the weather on her phone, Mandy frowned and said, “Actually, it’s pushing into the triple digits here.”
“If the pool is boiling, then even wearing a swimming suit would be too much,” I said with an unenthusiastic laugh.
“Wanting to go skinny dipping after the show?”
I spun around and found myself face-to-face with Warren, who had a very amused smirk glued on his face. While I was at a loss for words, he waggled his eyebrows, making me all the more aghast. It was a good thing I was already sweating and red-in-the-face, or my embarrassment would’ve been painfully obvious.
“I didn’t say that,” I answered, pushing the hair off my face, though it wanted to cling in place from the perspiration that was popping out uncomfortably through every single pore on my body.
Warren folded his arms across his chest, his grin holding. “Too hot to swim with your swimsuit means no swimsuit. Where I’m from, that’s called skinny dipping.”
Rolling my eyes, I stalked away, muttering under my breath how
impossible he was. I used to be able to handle the most annoying people in the world, from my roommate Bridget to nightmarish divas like Candy, but for some reason, Warren knocked down all my inhibitions and made me lose all control. It was too hot to think straight. I just wished my mind and heart would get on the same page and that I wouldn’t feel myself torn between two different outcomes whenever Warren looked in my direction.
The stage had already been set up, so we all took turns performing a very crude run through of our show, like we did with every stop. By now, the steps had been memorized down to the last pinkie toe placement, and I knew exactly how long to hold my smile for the audience until music for the next song came on.
When it was time to get dressed, I writhed into the dress I’d been wearing for each and every show, wishing it was made out of something a little more breathable. I knew Harrison had to balance durability with aesthetic, but tugging at the collar, I felt like I was being strangled by my clothing.
“Am I going to have to pack you in ice to get you to stop sweating?” Wanda asked as I was sitting in her chair, letting her blot the moisture off my forehead for the dozenth time.
“Sorry,” I said miserably. “If I could force myself not to sweat like a pig, I would, but I’ve always been a sweater. I sweat when I’m nervous or sick or when it’s hotter than Hades outside.”
“It is hot, I’ll give you that,” Wanda murmured in her low, soothing voice. She carefully traced a dark line of eyeliner above my lashes. “But seriously, if you don’t cool yourself down, all this makeup I’m putting on you is going to slough off on stage worse than a leper with eczema.”
I laughed weakly. “I’d hate to find out firsthand. At least Casey’s finally allowing fans backstage.”
“He’s compensating by using triple the amount of hairspray,” Wanda pointed out. “Speaking of fans, you go stand in front of one until Casey calls you over. Then, you go right back to that fan. I’m not kidding. Your eyeshadow will be on your cheeks before you walk out on stage.”
I obediently walked straight over to the fan and waited for Casey to gruffly call me over. He was grumpy that everyone’s hair was a nightmare to work with in the heat and humidity. I kept my mouth shut and did my best not to wince when his comb got stuck in my sweat-soaked hair.
When all was said and done, I ran like a lunatic over to the closest fan and closed my eyes, hoping no damage from the heat had been done. Until the stage manager told me otherwise, I wasn’t going to budge from the one spot backstage that didn’t feel like an inferno. Praying the sun would be down behind the mountains so there might be some break from the heat by the time I went on, I listened to Anora starting the show, mentally preparing myself to take the stage again.
At the sound of Warren cheering for Anora, I cracked open one eye to spy on him. He was at the very edge of backstage, whistling shrilly and clapping as Anora sang for the exuberant audience. How could a guy who was so upstanding and supportive be such a backstabber? I pinched my eyes shut and took a calming breath. No more thinking of Warren. That could wait for the still quiet of night, when I was alone, and it didn’t matter if the tears fell.
After Salt Lake City, we were headed to our last stop in Los Angeles, where we’d have an epic finale to our tour, with Tad, Ruby, Kiki, and Monica joining us for an all-around performance with some of Harper Music’s greatest. If all went as planned, I’d be signing a contract with the record label and opening for Tad in a few more weeks during his late summer concert tour, and Warren would be on his way home. Out of sight, out of mind, and I could finally move on.
“Scoot over, featherweight.”
I opened my eyes right as Warren put his hands on my hips, lifted me up and moved me over so he could stand in front of the blowing fan.
“Hey!” I growled. “I’m hot!”
Warren smirked. “No arguments here.”
The heat from the summer evening was nothing compared to the scorching blush running rampant through my entire body. I stuttered for a moment before blurting, “This is my fan.”
“Good thing my mama always taught me to share.”
Reaching around me, he pulled me in close and tucked me in under his arm. My heart started racing, and I froze. When I finally came to my wits, I pushed his arm off of me.
“You’re going to mess up my curls,” I said, shaking my hair out behind me.
“Wouldn’t want that.”
Warren closed his eyes and enjoyed the breeze. The silence that fell between us made me squirm uncomfortably. There was so much I wanted to confront Warren with, but I was at a loss for where to start.
Warren spoke, breaking through the warzone of thoughts whizzing through my head. “Couldn’t you see yourself doing this forever?”
Quirking an eyebrow, I looked up at Warren. “You aren’t going home when we’re done in L.A.?”
“Not anytime soon. I had an offer from Harper Music that I couldn’t refuse.”
My voice quivered. “You…you…Harper Music…and you?”
Warren looked tickled as he pieced together my words. “Yeah. Harper Music is offering me a contract. I’m going to be opening for Tad when this is all over with. Mandy told me it was kind of like a trial run.”
Disbelief blindsided me, and when it sunk in, I stormed away from the fan into the unadulterated heat. I needed to find Mandy.
She was sitting on a stool with her jacket off, holding an ice pack on the back of her neck and looking as miserable as the rest of us.
“Mandy!” I hissed, trying desperately to keep my voice low, coming to a stop with my hands balled in fists. “Could we speak?”
Too distracted by the heat or entirely too used to the antics of all the divas she had to put up with, she barely seemed to notice how perturbed I was.
“What is it?”
“Why didn’t you tell me that Harper Music had made the same offer to Warren as you had to me?”
Mandy opened her eyes and focused on me, like she was seeing me for the first time. “That we’d offered him a contract? Why would we have said anything to you about that? It was between Warren and the record label.”
My eyes started swimming with tears of frustration. “You couldn’t have mentioned it? As a friend?”
Surprise flickered on Mandy’s face, and her lips parted. “I’m sorry. I guess it didn’t cross my mind.”
“Well, next time you’re the one forced to work closely with one of your ex-boyfriends, know that I won’t have the slightest hint of sympathy for you,” I snapped.
I knew I was getting out of hand and overreacting, but everything was bothering me. Sweat was seeping from me in droves, and the stress of keeping Harper Music happy was enough to make my hair fall out. Throw in Warren and all the strong emotions he caused, and it felt like it was going to tear me apart from the inside out.
Marching with determination toward the stage entrance, I set my jaw. I could feel Warren’s attention on me as I passed him, but I didn’t slow down to let him explain. If he wanted to say anything else to me, he’d have to chase me to try and deliver it.
“Is something the matter?” Warren asked, falling into step with me. For the first time, I wished his legs weren’t so long.
Picking up the pace as much as I could in the sparkling heels Harrison had chosen, I was sorely tempted to take them off and swing them at Warren. They were pointy enough that they’d do some damage.
“Whatever would give you that impression?” I asked through tight lips.
Warren looked at me with a playful grin, which I returned with a scowl. “I’m no lady whisperer, but I think I can tell when a woman is ticked. As a peace offering, I grabbed you a water. It’s hot out here, and everyone needs to stay hydrated. It’s partially frozen, even. Nice and refreshing.”
Ignoring the water that was so tempting, I sneered, “Well aren’t you a regular mind reader? Maybe that should be your backup plan if it doesn’t work out with the music business.”
Warren’s eyebro
ws scrunched together, and he stepped in front of me, stopping me in my tracks. Stooping his face down close to mine, it felt like his brown eyes were boring holes straight into my soul.
“Is this about the contract with Harper Music?”
“Maybe,” I said, folding my arms tightly around me.
“Are you upset about my success? Or angry that you aren’t able to get rid of me as easily as you’d hoped?”
I narrowed my eyes. “You knew that I had the same offer from Mr. Drake?”
“Well, yeah. It came up in conversation. Vanessa told me.”
I covered my forehead with my hand, my skin feeling clammy to the touch. “Do I really not have any friends?” I muttered under my breath.
“I’m your friend, aren’t I?” Warren asked, looking at me with big, brown eyes. “I mean, I want to be if you’d let me.”
I snapped. “Warren! I’m not pushing you away for arbitrary reasons. First of all, you broke my heart, although we can’t seem to agree who did what first because I know you’re going to throw it back in my face that I broke your heart. Secondly, I think you should know that I’ve caught on to your little charade. I know about you and Stella, and find it absolutely repugnant that you’d go behind my back.”
The world seemed askew, and my stomach begged me to right myself so I didn’t lose the measly chicken salad I’d picked at for dinner all over Warren’s shoes. I was seeing double of Warren’s face, and both of them looked utterly confused.
“Stella?” he asked. “What’s any of this got to do with her?”
I wanted to rip my hair out in demonstration of my frustration but restrained myself. “She’s my sister, Warren! You were supposed to finish this tour and go home so I could forget about you and move on with my life, but now, I find out you’re staying, and I’m not sure I can cope with that.”
My resolve to refuse the water he was offering was overtaken by the realization that I was overheating, and if I didn’t get some fluids in me, I very well might pass out again. Right as I bent down to yank the bottle from him, he lifted it, smashing it directly into my nose.
Written in the Stars Page 14