“More like undressing you–I don’t think they’d gotten as far as she did,” I reply, and Danny turns bright red. “And it has nothing to do with you being in a band.”
“What’s that mean?”
“Look in the mirror,” I say as we go to stand in line at the coffee shop.
“Are you saying you think I’m hot, Sky?” Danny asks, looking down at me from the corner of his eyes.
I roll my eyes in response.
He elbows me. “You do!”
“Your ego is almost as big as Zack’s,” I shoot back.
He wraps his arms around me. “Just admit you love me.”
“I do love you,” I reply before I think about the words leaving my mouth. Danny’s arms stay around me as something equivalent to giant mutated butterflies attempt to get out of my stomach and spread their frantic moving up to my heart as I rest my chin on his arms.
He pulls me into his chest, and his lips are next to my ear when he asks, “Like a brother?”
“Like my best friend,” I somehow manage to say back despite I can barely hear the words against the pounding of my heart in my ears.
The line moves and my chest tightens when his arms lift as he goes to stand next to me instead of holding me.
“Should we get the other guys something too?” Danny’s eyes are on the menu and unreadable. It’s not like the night before when it seemed so apparent he felt the same way about me as I do him.
“Zack’s probably solicited like six free ones already,” I reply, now concentrating on the menu so I don’t have to look at Danny and wonder what he’s thinking.
He laughs into his hand as he nods, and I can’t keep my eyes off him.
“What about Aaron?” he asks.
“Do they have protein shakes here?”
“True, I don’t think I’ve ever seen him drink coffee,” Danny replies as he steps forward to place his portion of the order. “One large non-fat hazelnut latte and two large vanilla lattes.”
“How did you know that’s what I wanted?” I ask as he takes some bills out of his wallet.
He raises an eyebrow. “That’s the only thing you drink that’s coffee.”
“Maybe I’ve changed,” I shoot back. “It has been awhile.”
Danny bites his lower lip as we go to stand and wait. “I feel like we kind of picked up where we left off.”
I look up at him, breath catching in my throat. “Not exactly.”
He steps forward, and our faces are inches apart. “Maybe we should talk about that.”
That? The kiss. The damn mutated butterflies seem to grow in size, and I find myself nodding because I’m afraid of what I’ll say.
“You two getting me a coffee?” Zack asks, coming up behind me and putting his arm around my shoulders and then Danny’s. Our order is placed on the counter and the barista calls out Danny’s name. Zack huffs. “Obviously not. I’m a frappe kind of guy, anyways.”
“Of course, you like something sugary–” I begin.
“That’s not it. I like it creamy–whip creamy,” he cuts me off, wiggling his eyebrows suggestively.
Danny’s mouth drops slightly and then he shakes his head and gets our drinks. He hands me mine, and I smile up at him. His jaw is clenched, and I have a feeling we’re not going to get back to wherever the conversation was going because he’s been reminded exactly why he hasn’t brought it up yet.
I know I’ve been reminded. Because of the people who I do consider to be my brothers. My eyes go down to the other latte in my hand.
And the one that is.
Chapter 14
Once the signing is done, we go right to the venue, where the guys head in to check out the lighting, set and discuss the plans for the night while I get something cooked for dinner. When they come back on the bus, they’re all visibly tense and they mutter thank you when I put plates in front of them.
“What happened?” I ask as I sit down next to Joey. “You guys were stoked before you went in?”
Even Zack is pouting as he moves his mashed potatoes around his plate. “Nothing’s right.”
“Huh?”
He looks up. “Set looks like shit–and we have no sound techs to set up our equipment.”
“How did that happen?” I ask, looking around the table at the guys who are hardly eating– except for Aaron who’s already on a second portion. There’s nothing that can sedate his appetite– even the potential for their concert absolutely blowing.
“Lauren messed up, I guess. She was supposed to arrange for them to meet us here– I called them and they didn’t even know we had a freaking concert tonight,” Joey explains as he glances over at me. “We spent the whole time tuning up in there and working with the in-house tech on sound. It should’ve already been done. We still have to play through a song or two to make sure it’s mixing like it should.”
“Sound check is supposed to be sound check — not sound is completely shot because Kesha was the last person here,” Danny says, tapping his foot under the table. I reach my foot across and put it over his to stop the movement. He looks up at me and I raise my eyebrows. His lips lift up to form a smile.
“I’d say your setup is a bit different than Kesha,” I reply, and the guys finally relax a little as they laugh. “So you guys need to go back and sound check and I need to get my camera set up for the lighting.”
“Ugh, the fucking lighting,” Zack groans, pushing his plate forward and placing his forehead on the table.
“Exactly — I need to set up my camera– so let me order some people around about lighting, and I can be the bitchy photographer who wants everything just right,” I say as I stand and start picking up their dishes.
“You are good at ordering people around,” Danny teases as he stands to help me.
“Good thing you like being bossed around, huh, Madman?” Zack asks, lifting his head from the table.
Danny throws his middle finger up as I take the plates he’s collected and throw them in the trash.
“Oh, right — you two have that telepathic shit where you don’t have to talk to understand each other,” Zack adds as he stands and my head jerks at the tone of his voice. It’s not light and playful. It’s sarcastic, almost spiteful and totally un-Zack-like.
Danny turns, leaning back on the counter and crosses his arms. He nods at Zack and replies, voice low, “Just cause you’re jealous.”
Zack’s tongue pushes into his cheek, and he nods before heading towards the door. My mouth drops as I look back at Danny. He’s staring at the ceiling biting his lip. My eyes move to Aaron. His chest rises as he inhales and stands to follow Zack out.
“You sure you can help with the set, Sky? You don’t need to feel like you have to,” Joey says, and I wonder if it’s just me because he doesn’t seem to have noticed the hissy fit that was just thrown. “You’re already doing a lot keeping us fed and making sure we brush our teeth.”
“Speaking of which,” I say, nodding to the bathroom. “You’ll feel better singing with a clean mouth.”
Joey’s thick eyebrows crush over his dark brown eyes. “What?”
“Trust me.”
“Okay, then we have to get to sound check,” Joey replies and gives Danny a pointed look.
I go into the bedroom to get my camera, and Danny follows me. He plops on the bed, heaving a sigh.
I glance over my shoulder as I slide my lens until it clicks and pull it off to switch to my telephoto. “So what was that with Zack? It was a little bit more serious than playful.”
“Eh, you know how it is. We’re best friends — brothers — love each other, but that doesn’t mean we don’t get on each other’s nerves sometimes,” Danny replies, but his eyes are on his hands.
“Is that really it?” I sit down next to him with my camera in my lap.
“Zack’s always been the loose cannon, and I’ve always been the serious one. If anyone is getting into spats, it’s him and me.”
I laugh at that. “Sounds like Jo
ey and me.”
“I’ve never really seen you two go at it.” Danny’s gaze lifts to mine.
“Just wait, guaranteed at some point things are going to get rough,” I reply, and my eyes somehow find the yearbook in a pile in the living area.
“Why’s that?”
“We’re just different people…but we always make up.”
“La la la,” Joey comes out of the bathroom. “I think you may be onto something, Sky.”
I follow the guys as we make our way into the venue. When we get inside, I’m shocked at how the place is lit up–or not lit up. It’s so dark that the band’s logo on the projector looks like the sun blazing behind them. The stage is also poorly set up, if you can call it set up. The only thing on the stage is the blockades, which I know Joey likes to stand on when he sings. I tap on one as we get up to the stage, and the guys walk up the stairs. It’s a start, but that’s all it is. A start.
I navigate my way backstage, which is better lit than the stage itself. I head deeper, looking at the supplies and find a set of risers on wheels. I grab it and maneuver it around the maze that is backstage until I get back up front. Zack sees me from stage left and swings guitar around his back.
“What were you doing, Lark?” Zack asks as he helps by moving electric cords so I can get over to where Danny’s drumset is.
“Exploring– the stage needs levels. This should help,” I reply as Danny stands and Zack starts helping him move his set aside so we can place the riser.
“You’re the best,” Danny says as I flatten the riser, and we get the drums back on it. Danny sits down. “Much better– now I at least have a chance of seeing the crowd.”
“Chicks are still throwing their bras at me, not you,” Zack comments.
“That’s because you’ll wear them,” Danny points out and Zack shrugs.
“Pink looks good on me.”
“Not that picturing Zack in lingerie isn’t absolutely titillating,” Joey interrupts. “But we’ve got to get this sound check done.”
I narrow my eyes as try not to picture the same thing and look up at the lights. I have a feeling I’m going to end up with an actual photograph of the monstrosity tonight– if I can get these lights to work. I make my way backstage again until I find someone who shows me to the lighting room. The guy managing it looks bored and lets me have at it without question. I blind the band twice before I decide just to order the guy around. I tell him exactly what I want and much to my surprise he does it.
“Why didn’t you just do that before?” I ask him.
“We get so many people in here– we count on people to tell us what they want. If they don’t, we just leave the settings from the previous band,” Light Guy explains, lowering a light a little bit when Joey makes a hand signal towards us. Joey gives the thumbs up.
“Band manager usually handles it?” I ask.
“For a band this popular, yeah. We were all surprised when we didn’t hear squat,” he says, and I bite my lip.
“Well, I appreciate you helping get it right. I have the set list memorized, can we go over some lighting for the different songs?”
“That’d be great. Otherwise, it’s staying like this.”
We go over each song and switch through the lights to test out that we’re on the same page. I put the settings I think will work on my camera and go to take some test shots. Joey and the guys don’t seem to mind and finish their sound check playing Centerfold by J. Geils Band.
Joey jumps off the stage and pulls me into his arms. “Have I told you how grateful I am that you’re ours?”
“Not today,” I mutter into his shoulder.
He kisses my head before letting go. “This is a 150 percent better.”
The the rest of the guys join us on the floor, and we look up at the stage, arms over one another’s shoulders. My chest fills with warmth as I stare at my work, knowing it’s exactly what the band needed to make their performance even better tonight– so they can touch more people. So they can keep them away from the edge.
Because that’s what they do.
And it’s the only reason I’m still here.
Chapter 15
I stand in the area built to keep the kids away from the stage, but I’m pretty sure by how rowdy the crowd is already that the security guards are going to have to be ready for kids crawling over the barrier.
And so am I.
I glance over my back at the sold out venue. There are thousands of people between the floor and seated areas, and I’m struck by just how big my brother and his band have made it. The crowd erupts, and I turn to see the guys coming onto the stage.
“Hello, Atlantic City!” Joey’s voice booms through the arena. He puts his hand over his eyes, narrowing them, a smile widening over his lips. He turns to Zack. “This crowd is full of gorgeous people, isn’t it?”
“Yeah,” Zack replies, and then he shrugs, pointing out into the crowd. “Except that dude flicking us off in the middle there. You mad, bro?”
“Eh,” Joey says. “He’s just trying to get laid, acting all bad ass.”
“Shh,” Zack hushes my brother. “We’re not supposed to swear here.”
“Oh, no shi–take mushrooms. Have you ever tried one of those mushrooms?” Joey asks, and the crowd laughs. He makes a face. “Yeah, won’t do that again. I’m not a fan of vegetables, but I swear my sister keeps sneaking them in everything she makes us every night. You guys know my little sister’s the gal over yonder with the camera, right?”
Danny cat-calls from the back and Zack turns.
“Keep it in your pants man,” Zack says, before looking back over at me. “Ah, hell, he’s right.”
He cat-calls, followed by Aaron and rest of the crowd while Joey puts his hands on his hips.
“Come on, people! That’s my sister! At any rate, she’ll be posting pictures of our awesomeness, and yours too! Who’s ready for a song?”
The crowd is deafening, but quiets a bit as Danny starts out the guys, then the bass and guitar kick in before Joey’s lips come to the microphone. From there on I fall into my job naturally, navigating my way around the front of the stage, and then making my way to the side and then the back. As I do, Danny keeps playing but winks over his shoulder at me– and when I look down at my preview, my heart hammers out of beat from the song so that I can hear it in my ears. I caught it, and he looks damn amazing smiling as he winks. His arms flex beneath his tattoos as sweat drips down his neck and his buzz haircut makes perfect sense.
My camera focuses back out at Joey framed by the crowd in the background. Even though I know he showered earlier, he looks like he hasn’t in days from the sopping state of the hair on his head. I rub sweat away from my forehead with my arm before heading back to the front because I know they’re nearing the end of the set.
“Thank you, Atlantic City!” Joey says when they end with Night Owl. The crowd calls for more as they leave the stage and I ready my camera to catch the encore. When the guys come back on stage for one more song, I capture both their entrance and the crowd in one epic frame. They end by playing some Greenday song I don’t know because I can’t stand them– but the guys love them, and 95% of the people who love Kill Me Softly love Greenday, too. I’m one of the 5% who doesn’t like anything pop-punk except KMS. When I join the guys backstage, I’m trembling with adrenaline from the show.
“That was amazing!” I say as I join them. Zack’s already on his cell phone. “Who’s he talking to?”
“Macy,” Danny replies, and the high from the concert rushes out of me. He shrugs. “I guess she was at the show, wants to meet us on the bus in a bit.”
“Right,” I say as we’re guided by security guards to the back of the building and out so we can go to the bus.
“You okay?” Danny asks as he falls into step with me. The humid New Jersey air smacks into me as we walk out the door. I feel sick to my stomach.
“Yeah, just a little dehydrated.”
“Takes a lot out of
you. The guys and I will go through a whole twenty-four pack of water in the next ten minutes,” Danny replies, nudging me. “You drink anything during the concert?”
I shake my head and stars dance in the frame of my vision. “Just need a cold shower.”
“So you’re going first?” Aaron asks over his shoulders. “Because I think Zack will battle you for that so he can see his girl sooner.”
I trip over my feet at the mention of Macy again, and Danny’s arm snakes around my waist, keeping me from face planting.
“Seriously, Sky — are you okay?” His eyes dart over my face. “You’re gray.”
I put my hand to my forehead. “I’ll lay down while the rest of you shower. I’ll take the last shower.”
I go to my bedroom as soon as we get on the bus and close the door behind me. I toss my camera on the bed before sitting on it and putting my head on my knees.
It’s just Macy.
I pull my cell phone off the charger and swipe the screen with shaky hands. I’m about to open the forbidden folder when the door slides open, and Danny comes in with two bottles of water. He twists the cap off one, handing it to me before he sits next to me.
“Drink,” he says when I don’t immediately react to the cold bottle in my hand.
I sip it slowly at first, but then realize how thirsty I really am. I drink the whole bottle in a few big gulps and then hold the still cold plastic to my forehead.
Danny puts his hand on my knee. “You have to make sure you’re drinking during concerts. We’re drinking water the whole time.”
“I’ll be sure to next time.”
Danny’s brows raise into his forehead in question.
“I promise, I’ll even wear one of those water backpack things if it makes you feel better,” I reply as I toss my bottle into the trash.
He tsks me as he stands and grabs it out. “Recycle, Sky. Save the planet. We only get one.”
I roll my eyes as he repeats what I used to say when he was staying in the basement.
Out of Beat (Boys of Fallout Book 1) Page 7