Along for the Ride

by Rachel Meinke

  They nodded.

  “Then the rest of you boys can start putting out the food. And Zachary Matthews, have you been drinking some tea for that throat of yours?”

  “Zachary?” I teased.

  He cast me a disapproving look before looking back at his mom.

  “Yes, ma’am.”

  “Not enough. Mama will warm you up something good.”

  “Thanks, Mom.”

  She handed him a bowl of mashed potatoes. “Off you go.”

  “What can I help with?” I asked.

  “Nonsense,” she said, shaking her head. “You’re a guest here.”

  “No really,” I protested. “I want to help.”

  “That goes against every Southern bone in my body,” she said, swatting me.

  I was already falling in love with her. “Please?”

  “I think not.” She untied the apron from around her waist. “Your brother and Mackenzie are out back. Connor said something about a bonfire tonight in the pit, although it’s the middle of summer.

  They’re out there scoping it out.”

  I peered out of the large, sliding glass doors next to the table to see Connor gathering firewood as he chatted with Mackenzie.

  “Zachary Matthews!” Ms. Matthews called out.

  Zach came back into the kitchen. “Yes, ma’am?”

  “Show Katelyn around the house while I finish up supper.”

  “Yes, ma’am.”

  I followed him out of the kitchen and into what I guessed was the living room. It had an old, faded couch along with a small TV.

  The walls were plastered with family pictures, and in the middle hung their mom’s VIP pass to tonight’s show.

  “This is the living room,” Zach said.

  “This is so cute,” I said, studying the pictures, which showed the boys growing up, starting with only Jesse and progressing throughout the years.

  “Mortifying.”

  I leaned over, knocking my shoulder against his. “This doesn’t even compare to the highly embarrassing posters you saw in my room.”

  He led me down a hallway and opened the first door. “Jesse’s room.”

  There was a bed in the center with a dark blue bedspread loosely thrown over it. His room was decorated with posters of different bands and race cars—Formula One, NASCAR, and Indy 500. There was a desk tucked away in the corner with papers strewn across it, and a TV mounted on the wall.

  “It’s cute,” I said, as we headed to the next room.

  “You think everything’s cute,” he said. He opened the next door.

  “This is Aaron’s room.”

  The bed had a green comforter, haphazardly made. There was a desk shoved in the corner and a TV mounted up on the wall, with game controllers and games littered across the room.

  We left his room and headed to the next room in the hallway.

  “This is mine and Ross’s room.”

  The first thing I noticed was the black line of tape down the center of the room. It extended up the wall as well. There were two beds in this room, one with a blue comforter and the other plaid. It was set up much like the other two rooms, with two desks. The only noticeable difference was that there wasn’t a TV.

  “My bed’s the one with the blue bedspread,” Zach explained.

  His side of the room was neat and tidy, not a thing out of place. The other side of the room was a complete mess. Papers and clothes were strewn everywhere, posters were hung loosely up on the wall.

  “What’s with the black divider?” I asked.

  “Because Ross is horribly messy and one day I got so pissed off that I divided the room. My mom wasn’t too thrilled.”

  I stepped farther into his room to take a closer look, as it was only fair since he did the same with mine. Zach’s desk was organized chaos. Scratched-out lyrics and half-written songs were piled in the corner. There were textbooks stacked on the floor, next to the desk.

  And a couple of books rested in the middle.

  Over on his nightstand, there was a coaster with a cup of stale water sitting on top, along with some various snacks and another book, this one with a bookmark inside.

  Zach came over behind me, wrapping his arms around me.

  “Did you bring me a memento?” I asked.

  He leaned over me, reaching down onto his nightstand and wiggling his bookmark out of his book. “I’m very forgetful, so I’ll never remember what page I was on. But you can have my most prized possession.”

  It was more than a bookmark. It was a postcard for an advertisement for Skyline’s first show. The graphics were clearly made on Paint, Zach’s signature scribbled across the bottom.

  “I spent four days making that,” he said. “Thought it was a work of art.”

  “Zach, this is something special. I can’t take this.”

  He slid the postcard into my back pocket, sending a shiver down my spine as he did. “I insist. It’s a part of my hometown, a part of my story. And I want to share it with you.”

  He wrapped his arms around me once again. “I can think of a better bookmark.”

  “And what’s that?”

  “A picture of my beautiful girlfriend.”

  I leaned my head back, and he bent down to give me a kiss.

  “Let’s make out a bit,” Zach whispered.

  “No! I’m here to meet your mom for the first time. I can’t make out with you in your bedroom. That’s like, the number one rule.”

  He threw his head back in laughter. “The number one rule? No making out with your boyfriend while his mom cooks dinner?”

  “Yes, absolutely. That and I don’t have time to be sick, so keep your germs to yourself.”

  Zach’s door opened, Ross peeking his head inside.

  “I was sent to make sure you guys weren’t doing anything inappropriate,” Ross said.

  I pulled away from Zach’s arms. “We’re just looking around.”

  “Clearly,” Ross said, with a smirk. “Mom said that there are condoms in—”

  “Good-bye!” Zach called out.

  “In the basket underneath the bathroom sink! ” Ross shouted, before closing the door.

  Zach let out a groan, reaching up and burying his face in his hands. “Dammit, Ross.”

  At the rate my cheeks were burning, I knew they had to be bright red.

  “Maybe we should go back and see if they need any help?” I suggested.

  Zach let his hands fall back down to his sides. “Yeah.”

  My mouth watered at the sight of all the food laid out on the table. There was fried chicken, mashed potatoes with gravy, corn-bread, and green beans.

  “Would you like some sweet tea?” Ms. Matthews asked me. “Or something else?”

  “Sweet tea sounds great,” I said. “But I can get—”

  “Nonsense,” she said, waving me away. “Take a seat.”

  I did as I was told, feeling guilty that she was waiting on me.

  Zach took a sip of the tea his mom had made him, remaining silent.

  “Did you give her a nice tour?” Ms. Matthews asked, coming back and handing me a glass of sweet tea.

  “I guess,” Zach answered, with a shrug.

  “Did you see the boys’ rooms?” Ms. Matthews asked. “I should’ve made them pick up.”

  “Never,” Ross grumbled, stuffing some mashed potatoes in his mouth.

  I loaded up on food, much to Ms. Matthews’s delight, and began to chow down on the mashed potatoes.

  “Ross was absolutely right,” Mackenzie said. “These are amazing.”

  “Oh, stop it,” Ms. Matthews said, as Ross enthusiastically nodded.

  “You’re coming to the show tomorrow night, right?” Jesse asked.

  “I wouldn’t miss it for the world,” she said, with a smile.

  “Does work know?” Zach asked.

  “I handled work,” his mom said, waving Zach off. “I’ve had it on my calendar for months.”

  “Mom, can you make a whole bu
nch of mashed potatoes and let us take it with us?” Ross asked, his mouth full of potatoes.

  “You boys, I swear.” She turned to look at me. “So, Katelyn, have my boys been minding their manners around you?”

  “Yes, ma’am,” I answered, with a smile.

  “Feel free to whip them into shape if they need it,” she said, with a nod. “I have no doubt Mackenzie already does so.”

  Mackenzie nodded. “Just whenever they’re late.”

  “We can hear you,” Aaron pointed out.

  “That was the point, dear,” Ms. Matthews said.

  As dinner progressed, the table broke off into different side conversations, and I found myself in a conversation with Ms. Matthews and Zach.

  “What do you do during the day?” Ms. Matthews asked me.

  “I usually hang out around the arena,” I answered.

  “She bums around in our dressing room,” Zach teased.

  “There isn’t much for me to do. I’m not in rehearsals or meet and greets, so I kind of hang around.”

  “And she plays soccer,” Zach said. “Really well too.”

  I reached up to tug on my shirt sleeves, feeling my muscles coil.

  “She made a team that gets to travel the world and play for the U.S. Women’s National Team’s coach,” Zach continued. “And when we went and watched her play, she was the best one out there.”

  “You’re totally biased.”

  “Even so, it’s true.”

  “That’s amazing,” Ms. Matthews interrupted. “You have quite some talent.”

  “Thank you.”

  She turned her attention over to Jesse. “Now about this manager business, what’s the name of the lady you’re going to hire?”

  “Marlene Sanders,” Jesse said, before stuffing green beans into his mouth.

  “You guys decided on a new manager?” I asked.

  “Jesse and I met with her yesterday when Zach was out. She’s going to fly in for the Charleston show tomorrow night,” Aaron answered.

  “You boys better introduce her to me,” Ms. Matthews said.

  “Yes, ma’am,” they all chimed in unison.

  After dinner I helped clean up, despite Ms. Matthew’s protests.

  I felt a tug on my arm, and I turned to see Zach. He nodded toward the sliding glass doors. “Your brother is all about this midsummer bonfire.”

  Of course he is. There was an assortment of chairs surrounding the bonfire pit, and I took a seat in the folding camping chair while Zach took a beach chair.

  Connor finished stacking the wood, and then glanced over toward Jesse. “How are we starting this thing?”

  Jesse produced a lighter from underneath his seat. “We use a lighter, unless you’re a master of kindling firewood.”

  “Hell no.”

  I watched as Jesse lit different ends of the woodpile, until the fire engulfed the pit.

  “Well?” Mackenzie asked, glancing toward Connor.

  He took a seat on the bar stool next to me. “What?”

  “You wanted this bonfire so bad. What’s the plan?” She looked around at all of us. “Is there anything more cliché than a group of singers sitting around a bonfire?” Connor pulled out a guitar from behind his stool. Mackenzie laughed. “Of course. I can’t deal with you guys.”

  “I’m not a singer,” I pointed out. “But it is very cliché.”

  Connor strummed the guitar a few times. “Okay, give me something.”

  “What do you know?” Mackenzie questioned.

  Connor spent endless hours watching YouTube tutorials and learning songs on his guitar. I doubt there’s a song he doesn’t know.

  “I’ll start with a classic,” Connor said.

  We started off with “Sweet Caroline,” which quickly turned into Ross and I seeing who could sing louder than one another.

  “That’s not considered singing at this point,” Jesse said, with a shake of his head.

  I interlaced my fingers with Zach’s, our hands swinging between the chairs as Connor started up on “Yellow Submarine . ”

  “You better not be singing!” Jesse called over toward Zach.

  “Drink your green tea.”

  Zach flipped him off. But he reached down and grabbed his drink, taking a sip in silence.

  “It’s okay,” I said, flashing him a smile. “I’ll sing loud enough for the both of us.”

  Zach laughed. “Oh how lucky we are.”

  The next evening, I met Ms. Matthews by the VIP entrance. The boys had finished sound check, and they’d asked me to bring their mom back to them.

  “Hi, Ms. Matthews.”

  She reached over, giving me a tight hug. “Hi, sugar.”

  Security checked her pass as she followed me inside.

  “How are my boys today?” she asked.

  “I saw them only briefly, but they seemed to be doing pretty well.

  Zach’s on vocal rest.”

  Her lips pulled into a frown. “I knew he should’ve gone to the doctor. He’s going to give himself a throat infection if he doesn’t take care of himself.”

  That was the most mom thing I’d heard in a while. “He’s very stubborn.”

  “That, darlin’, I know.”

  “This is Connor’s dressing room,” I said, jabbing my thumb toward his door. “And this is Skyline’s. And that down there is Mackenzie’s.”

  I knocked twice and then opened the door to Skyline’s dressing room. Ross and Jesse were watching Netflix, and Zach was asleep on the couch.

  “Hey, Mom!” Jesse said, cheerfully. “And Katelyn.”

  “Hey, honeybee,” Ms. Matthews said, with a smile.

  I waved at them. “What did the doctor say about Zach?”

  Jesse’s eyes flickered over to Zach, who was still asleep.

  “Vocal rest,” Jesse said to his mom. “I gave him some cough medicine and he was knocked out in about twenty minutes.”

  “He shouldn’t be singing,” Ms. Matthews said.

  “Don’t start, Mom,” Jesse warned.

  “You know I won’t ever interfere in your band business,” she said, waving him off. “Just giving my nursing advice.”

  My eyes flickered around the room. “Where’s Aaron?”

  Ross shrugged. “Haven’t seen him.”

  “Katelyn Jackson to stage!” Connor’s voice called.

  Ms. Matthews glanced around. “Now who was that?”

  “My brother,” I said, with a laugh. “I’ll go find out what’s going on.”

  “I’ll walk you,” Jesse said, following me out.

  He ushered me out of the door, closing it behind us.

  “What are you doing?” I asked.

  “I need to talk to you, I don’t want to upset my mom. So walk with me for a sec.”

  That didn’t sound good. We walked a bit down the hallway before Jesse stopped me.

  “You’re spending a lot of time with Zach,” Jesse said, his lips pulled into a slight frown.

  “Don’t tell me you’re here to give me the talk too!”

  He took a step back, his eyebrows furrowing together in confusion. “No.”

  “Oh.”

  “No, I’m more referring to Zach’s health.”

  This time it was my turn to be confused. “His throat?”

  “Kind of. When Zach’s immune system is down, he’s more prone to seizures. He’s been seizure-free for over a month now, but I just want to make sure that you’re prepared for the worst.”

  I felt a tight squeeze in my chest. “I . . . I don’t think I am.”

  “No one ever is. I want to make sure you remember the training?”

  “I took notes that day; I’m pretty sure they’re still in my phone.”

  “Do you have my number?”

  I pulled my phone out, checking my contacts. “Saved it during the epilepsy training.”

  “If you even think something’s off, never hesitate to call me.

  Shoot me a text right now so I know I have
your number.”

  I did as he asked, my name popping up on his screen.

  “I figured I already had it, wanted to be sure.”

  Connor’s voice came back over the PA system. “Katelyn Jackson!

  Meet me at the stage.”

  “You’d better get going,” Jesse said.

  My nerves felt frayed as I took a step back. “I’ve never really been in an emergency medical situation before.”

  “I understand,” Jesse said. “Call me anytime you need to. Now go to the stage.”

  “Thanks, Jesse.”

  I made my way to the stage, surprised to see Connor sitting in the middle with food spread out around him.

  “What’s this?” I asked, as he handed me a prepackaged Olive Garden salad.

  “A preshow dinner,” he answered, with a smile. “Let’s catch up.”

  I took a seat, grabbing a breadstick. “I’m more interested in hearing the latest with you. You and Mackenzie seemed awfully close at the campfire.”

  “You of all people know that’s not a thing.”

  “Do I?”

  He didn’t answer, picking up a breadstick. “Lana and I are over. I don’t know what comes next.”

  “Let’s not focus on next. Let’s focus on now.”

  He picked up his water, taking a sip. “Let’s toast to that.”

  I picked up my water too. “To the now.”

  “To the now.”

  It was the first time I’d been to a show in over a week. I was sitting in the VIP section with Ms. Matthews, half watching Mackenzie’s set in anticipation for Skyline.

  “My boys are on next?” Ms. Matthews asked, once Mackenzie exited the stage.

  I nodded.

  The lights dimmed, and the arena went crazy. The spotlights came on, four lights for the four members of Skyline.

  “I’m Jesse.”

  “I’m Ross.”

  “I’m Aaron.”

  “And I’m Zach,” Zach finished, his voice hoarse. “And we’re Skyline.”

  The crowd went crazy, stomping their feet.

  “For those of you who don’t know, this is our home state!” Aaron called out.

  Screams came up around the arena.

  “And tonight we’d like to welcome a very special guest,” Ross said. “Our mom’s out there in the audience tonight. Love ya!”

  More screaming ensued, and Ms. Matthews waved.