“How long have you been awake?” Aaron asks, rubbing his eyes before stretching his arms.
“About two hours. Woke up, worked out, made you guys breakfast,” he replies and Zack chokes on his food.
“You made this?”
“Is it really that unbelievable?” Danny asks. “Add water, medium-high heat, two minutes per side–even you could do it.”
Zack’s head jerks back and forth. “I can hardly read the instructions on the box of hair dye let alone create palatable food.”
“I’m so glad it’s palatable.” Danny stands, taking my plate from me.
“That’s a compliment coming from him,” Joey replies, and Danny looks at the ceiling as he nods.
“You’re probably right.”
“Take it or leave it,” Zack says as gets up and drops his paper plate into the trash.
“This is going to be epic,” Aaron comments looking out the window at the boardwalk as the bus comes to a stop. I grab my pintail before following the guys out the door. The sun’s just starting to peak over the horizon of the ocean, and the band gets started with setting the music equipment up while I stretch and warm up.
There’s a quick sound check with Incubus’ Dig, and then Joey looks up at me. “You ready, to fly, Sky?”
I head to the area I’ve identified as my starting point to get the right amount of speed to do most of my tricks around the guy’s equipment. I’m glad that most of it’s wireless so I have fewer obstacles to worry about. I begin with an easy carve as they start the song and when I get closer, I start to execute the choreography I worked on. I start with a BS pivot, shoving the board 180 degrees, so I’m facing the camera when I begin to cross-step, moving my feet over one another as I move on the board. Then I ghost stride kick-flip, jumping off the board, sticking my left foot under it and flipping it before jumping back on. From there I carve back around the band, running my fingers over Danny’s shoulders as I pass behind him. He keeps the beat, smirking over his shoulder at me before he hammers hard into the chorus. As I come back around, I start to Peter Pan– a cross-step with the added flare of my leg arching out in a smooth half-circle before my foot comes back to the board. As I reach Aaron, he high-fives me, holding my hand to pull me around him so I’m going back in the other direction. I widen my eyes as I pass behind my brother sticking my tongue out. When I get to Zack, he jumps just as I dismount from my board, so it goes under his feet. As he hits the ground, he sticks his foot out to catch the very end of the board, so it stops. I get back on, go farther out, and turn, gaining speed as I head straight at the camera. When I near it, I rotate my hips and feet, shoving the board out in front of me as my knees lower to the board to slide it out, slowing me. We’re hitting the final chorus, and I skate towards Joey from an angle. When I get close enough I push my board out and jump onto his back as the final lyrics pass over his lips, Blame it on the pretty girl who won’t get off my back.
We laugh, and Joey puts his arms over my legs before he starts running to the beach.
“What are you doing?” I yell as he gets closer and closer to the water. “Joseph Milton Haze!”
He runs directly into the ocean with me on his back and then throws me in. As I come up, sopping wet, I see the rest of the guys running towards us stripping down to their boxers.
I’m about to jump up and dunk Joey in when Zack does me the distinct pleasure of tackling him into the water. Aaron dives in out of his own accord, and I’m not sure where the hell Danny’s gone but my tattoo is stinging like a bitch from the salt water, so I head towards the shore. Before I can get on dry land, I’m pulled back into the ocean by a set of perfectly defined arms into a somewhat prickly chest.
“Danny!” I screech as I attempt to untangle my tattooed arm, so it doesn’t go back in the blasted water again. I don’t manage it, and I curse as the salt sinks into it again, causing tears to prick at the edge of my eyes. He’s laughing but stops when he realizes I’m not swearing as a joke. He turns me around, and his eyes fall on the arm I’m awkwardly holding.
“Sorry?” he says, shrugging as he swims backward away from my glare.
“Looks like we’re in deep shit,” Joey says, putting on a huge pout. “I sorry.”
“You owe me a new set of Cons,” I shoot back and Joey nods. I head to the shore again and when my eyes find their piles of clothes, my soggy Converse are the last thing on my mind.
Wet boxer briefs. This should be awkward. I snatch up their pants and shirts and run towards the boardwalk.
“Skylar!” Danny hollers, and when I look behind me him and Aaron are almost on top of me since they have the advantage of being barefoot and not dragged down by wet jeans.
“Don’t you dare make it so there’s sand in my tattoo, too!” I yell back, jumping just out of his reach onto the boardwalk.
He falls to his knees in front of me. “Come on, Sky. Please give me back my clothes.”
Aaron seems to have the better idea of running directly to the tour bus instead of standing around with skin tight briefs showing his junk, and I grit my teeth for not thinking of just locking all of them out the bus without their clothes.
“Stop flirting and get some pants on,” Joey says as he walks past me. “We have to get packed up before some tourist decides to run off with our equipment.”
Danny pouts at me, and I throw his jeans at him. My mouth drops as he turns and pulls his boxers off, so I’m staring at his bare, perfectly shaped ass before slipping his jeans on.
He turns to face me and smirks. “What? You thought I was going to wear jeans with wet boxers underneath them?”
My mouth opens and closes as he chuckles to himself and he goes to help the rest of the guys. They each start packing up their gear, Joey still sopping wet, Zack still mostly-naked, Aaron fully dressed and Danny half-dressed since I’m still holding his shirt. Danny glances over at me, and his eyes drift, reminding me that I’m soaking wet in a white t-shirt. I yank his shirt over my head and then head to the bus smiling to myself. It’s hard to be mad when you just got to see a perfect example of man ass.
Chapter 21
220 Unread Emails and none of them are SPAM. I inhale as I read the 50th one. The contents are pretty evenly divided between fan mail, fan requests, and PR requests and my eyes are already starting to go buggy. I need to get through them today, though, because hundreds is a normal daily volume and it’s just growing. At this rate, I’m going to have to hire an assistant for myself just to monitor the Killers forum. I open the next email from a local school, and my stomach drops. Suddenly, I’m vaguely aware Danny’s talking to me and poking my upper arm.
“Huh?” I look up from the computer, and Danny’s an unfocused blob. I rub my eyes, and he comes into better perspective, leaning his chin into his hand with a perfect white smile on his face.
How are his teeth that white? Maybe it’s the scruff that makes them look even more white.
Danny’s brow creases with lines, and I realize he’s waiting for me to answer some sort of question.
“Huh?” I reply.
He laughs, leaning back and putting his arm over my shoulder. “You okay?”
I rub my face, and Danny runs his fingers over my spine.
“Looking over email requests,” I reply, chewing on my nails as I glance up at him. “Trying to figure out which ones we can fit in.”
“New requests?” Joey asks, and he reaches across the table to pull the laptop towards him. The request that made my stomach queasy is still on the screen, and I’m 150% sure he’s going to think it’s a great idea.
I nod up to the TV, where he and Aaron are playing some zombie game. “Won’t you lose?”
“Looks like I already did,” Joey replies and Zack takes his controller.
“It’s my turn anyway,” Zack says as he leans back and puts his head in Joey’s lap.
Joey looks down at him. “I thought you were saving that for later.”
I shake my head as Danny laughs. I’m still
not exactly used to what Zack says is ‘being secure in his manhood,’ which essentially means he makes everything into a perverted comment. Zack was always perverted, but apparently curbed it when he thought I was young and innocent. Danny finds my discomfort amusing, but I’m pretty sure the comments also make him uncomfortable by the way he squirms or laughs awkwardly.
Joey’s eyes are skimming the computer screen before he starts typing.
“And what are you doing?” I ask, leaning across the table without thinking about the fact my ass is in Danny’s face.
Aaron catches it out the corner of his eye, though. “Nice view there.”
Joey pushes the computer back at me before leaning back and crossing his arms over his chest.
“Looks like we’ve got a school gig, boys,” he explains before winking at me.
I swallow hard. “You guys will do great.”
Joey scratches his nose. “You’re coming too.”
I run my tongue over my lower lip as my foot starts to tap. Danny leans over and looks at the screen.
“A talk about bullying?” he asks, looking up at my brother.
“Yeah.” Joey shrugs. “We all got labeled. Some of us got picked on and some of us stood up to bullies picking on other people. We’ll talk about that and do a few acoustic songs. It’ll be sick, and teenagers are our wheelhouse.”
I can feel Joey’s eyes on me as I look at the computer without seeing. I know what’s coming next, but I couldn’t agree less.
“And you can talk if you want, Sky,” Joey adds.
I close the laptop and stand, inhaling. “I’m good.”
“Skylar,” he says, his voice soft, and I look down at him with my shoulders tight. “I’m not doing this to hurt you. I don’t want other kids to suffer like you did. It’s not fair you went through what you did.”
There it is. Joey thinks he can save others, but a part of me knows he can’t. Tears prick in the corners of my eyes.
“Just because you weren’t there to save me doesn’t mean you have to try to save everyone else. Besides, what do you think you can say that will change it?” I ask, and I can’t help the hard edge in my voice.
Joey’s quiet and Zack sits up, the zombie game suddenly paused. He locks his gaze on me, and his eyes are dark as he answers, “Saying nothing isn’t an option for us. Not one of us would’ve let you suffer, Sky. You wouldn’t let us in–or anyone one– and we need to make it so other kids know that it’s okay to let someone in. That they’re not alone. I wish someone had said something to you; could’ve reached you so you would’ve known that. If we can get one kid to know that than we’ve done something more than sitting on our asses in this tour bus playing a video game.”
There’s such determination in his eyes to make things better for someone else, and I can’t stomp on that. I swallow hard, nodding.
“Okay, you guys do your thing, but I’m not talking.”
Aaron stands and pulls me into a hug. “No one expects you to, but if you feel the need to, interrupt us.” He holds me out at arm’s length. “God knows you’re already good at that.”
I roll my eyes before letting him pull me back into his arms, and then I’m covered in a group hug. I’m starting to get used to them– but they still make it hard to breathe. At least they all smell good right now.
~~~
The tour bus pulls up to the high school, and my body tenses as I look out the window. I haven’t stepped foot in my old high school since the day of graduation, and even though this isn’t my school, my throat thickens. I wonder what the kids in those hallways deal with every day. I’m not naive enough to think I’m the only girl whose ever been hit by her boyfriend, or brutally teased and it’s the fear of the fact some girl in that auditorium could be suffering like I did that has me going cold.
I look at each of the guys, deep in their thoughts, and I wonder if I’d let them in if things would’ve been different. Maybe that final year wouldn’t have been so bad if I told someone what was going on. Even though my parents wanted to know what was going on that I’d drop the charges, they didn’t push it. I think they were afraid I was already fragile enough, so if I didn’t want to go through with it, they wouldn’t make me. My eyes land on Danny. He’s looking down at a journal he writes beats down in and when the bus stops his eyes lift to mine. He gives me a smile, but my hands still wrap around the edge of the seat I’m sitting in. The guys stand and I’m tempted to tell them I have work to do, but Joey holds his hand out to me and nods to the door. The firm line of his lips and unusually serious look in his dark brown eyes tells me I’m not getting out of it, so I place my hand in his and let him guide me out of the tour bus. When we get outside, he puts his arm around my shoulders, and then Danny comes around the other side to put his arm around my waist. Zack takes Joey’s side, and Aaron takes Danny’s.
Joey turns his head to kiss my temple. “Family sticks together — even when they’re miles apart. You’re never alone, Sky. Never.”
I nod, and we all look at the high school in front of us. I don’t know what they can say to get to someone like I was, but I have a feeling if they’d been around, they would’ve known exactly what to say. I glance over at Danny and my stomach flutters. Especially him. His hand tightens on my waist, and I put my head on his shoulder.
“Ready?” Danny asks.
“You’re the ones talking,” I remind him as we start towards the doors. He takes a shaky breath, and I look up to see him with his eyes straight ahead, and his lower lip pulled into his mouth. “Are you?”
His eyes go to Joey and then come back to me. “I know what I need to do.”
We’re at the doors and break apart to be ushered inside before I can ask him what he means. The band is led behind the auditorium stage, where stools with microphones wait for them, and I sneak out from behind the curtains, ignoring the crowd of teenagers that fills the place. I turn my back to them, concentrating on my camera. At eighteen, I’m not much older than some of these people, yet I’m calling them kids.
I know some of them must be like me. My eyes rise to Danny’s as the curtain reveals the band, and despite the cheering crowd, his gaze finds mine. My jaw clenches. Some of them are probably like Danny, too.
Bullied. Abused. Sitting in the silence waiting for someone to say the right thing.
Just waiting for someone to set them free.
Joey scratches the back of his head as he clears his throat. “Ah, thank you.”
The noise goes down, and his nerves show in how his hand moves to the hard lines framing his forehead.
“So we’re here to talk about bullying.” Joey looks down at his worn black Converse and then back up, shrugging. “The thing is we kind of suck at talking. We’re songwriters–because sometimes it’s easier to say things with a song than to talk them out. I guess that’s the way we’ve always dealt with things.”
His eyes move to Aaron and Zack on the left side of him with their acoustics, and then Danny who has somehow managed to produce a tambourine that I didn’t notice. He nods at my brother.
“See this,” Joey says, using his fingers to point to his eyes; “is a sign we’ve all been together way too long. We just eye-agreed that we’re going to start with a song.”
The crowd laughs, and Joey nods to Danny.
“That’s him eye-ordering me,” Danny jokes, laughing into his hand. It’s nerves, and a twitchy smile comes to his face as his feet tap against the rungs of the stool. “So I guess I have to explain this song.” He coughs. “I wrote it. I suppose that’s really it.” His eyes find mine hidden behind my shaking viewfinder. “I hope it helps.”
I swallow hard, thankful for the stabilizer in my lens as I snap a shot. Joey points at me and uses his hand to signal for me to drop the camera. I lower it slowly as Aaron and Zack start to play the guitar, Danny joins with his portion, and then Joey’s hands wrap around the microphone as he sings:
Hey Beautiful Girl,
Yeah, you, sitting all alone
You say you’ve got a story to tell
It’s a story I want to know
My breath catches in my throat at the emotion in his voice, and he pauses, the guitars taking time to let the words sink in before he continues:
She says all I want is to be free;
I don’t want to be here all alone
She’s got scars on her heart that she never shows
I wonder if I show her mine if she’ll finally let go
Danny’s gaze locks on me, and I feel my throat thickening as Joey goes back to the lyrics he sung at the intro, which happens to be the chorus from the sounds of it. Then he moves into the next set of lyrics:
She says free me from these memories
The ones that burn into my soul
But Darling, those scars don’t mean you have to be alone
Together we can face this world
And show them we’re stronger because of the troubles we’ve known
Danny’s eyes close as he taps his foot to the beat, and the guys all seem to have been absorbed into the music they’re playing. The chorus comes again, and my heart hammers hard as Joey’s mouth opens for the next verse:
We’ve got scars from the world that we never show
But maybe if we let them see
If we let them know
Those hiding their scars will be able to know they’re not alone
That these scars are scars we shouldn’t face alone
Tears stream down my face, and I lift my hand up to wipe them away, crushing my eyes shut as the song continues.
Hey Beautiful Girl,
Yeah, you, sitting all alone
Danny’s suddenly there, his hands on my face and I open my eyes as he wipes the tears away. He presses his lips against my forehead and whispers the lyrics as they reverberate from the stage:
We’ve got a story to tell
It’s a story the world should know
We’re beautiful even when we let these scars show
The music dies down, and the crowd goes nuts, but all I really comprehend is Danny in front of me, staring into my soul–knowing all of my scars while I know all of his.
Out of Beat (Boys of Fallout Book 1) Page 11