by Shane Morgan
I scoff. “If that makes you feel better, then whatever.”
We sit quietly for a while before he utters, “Did you sign your contract yet?”
“What contract?”
“You know, with the label?”
“Oh… no.” I drop my eyes to the grass and flick my nails, saying in a low voice, “They haven’t gotten back to me.”
“They will,” he asserts. “These things take time. I bet they’re going down a list.”
I look up at him. “You think so?”
Daegan grins. “Well, yeah, think about it. They probably get hundreds of demos on a daily basis.”
“You’re right.” I shrug. “I should just relax.”
“Indeed.”
He lingers his gaze on my face, beaming at me. I feel that pull in my chest again, but I don’t turn away. Strangely, I’m starting to accept it.
Wrenching his eyes away from me, Daegan looks across the tracks to the other side of the field. Then he points to something in the distance.
“There’s a pond just behind that old shed.” He turns back to me and asks, “You want to take a walk out there?”
“Sure,” I answer, pushing to my feet.
We cross over the train tracks and stride through the field. We walk side by side. His hand grazes mine and it makes me shudder. I put more room between us, afraid of my own desire to actually slip my hand into his.
Finally we swerve around the old shed and come onto the pond. It has an irregular shape with rustic cobblestones enclosing the dark, creepy-looking water. I step closer to the edge and peer over, wondering what lives inside.
“Careful of the critters,” Daegan warns.
Startled, I spin away from the edge, only to stagger and lose my balance. He grips my arm before I trip into the pond, but I cause us both to fall down instead.
I land on my back. Daegan crashes on top of me. I giggle nervously as I stare into his eyes. He smiles as he glances back at me.
“Um… sorry,” I breathe.
He shakes his head and then lifts a hand to stroke my cheek. “You’re so beautiful,” he whispers.
My heart thumps with anticipation. He moves his hand away and gently traces it down my bare arm, sending a biting chill all over my body.
He studies my mouth for a second before carrying his eyes back up my face. I part my lips to say something, but then he kisses me, softly and with an immense amount of passion. I feel his piercing press against my lips as he deepens the kiss, entangling his tongue with mine. It sends a sensual jolt through my veins—a feeling I’d never experienced before.
I relax beneath him as melodies of a beautiful love song echo inside my head and all around us. I can’t bring myself to push him off, even though I probably should. I mean, don’t I like Milo? Isn’t he the guy I’ve liked all these years?
Daegan keeps his eyes open as he continues to kiss me. I sink myself into the depths of his soul-shaking, delicious shades of brown. They seduce me like the haunting song that won’t get out of my head.
He lowers his hands to my thighs. It surprises me. That’s when I snap back to my senses and move from underneath him, panting, trying to breathe normally again.
“Aurora,” he murmurs, reaching his hand out to touch my shoulder.
In a whisper, I say, “You took my first kiss.”
I writhe out of his grasp, spring to my feet, and take off running. I don’t look back once. When I reach my car, I speed off the farm, the kiss playing over and over in my head like a broken record.
Oh. My. Gosh. What just happened?
30.
Loud and excited chatter startles me awake. I don’t even know when I fell asleep. I was up late thinking about that kiss. Groggily, I roll onto my side and look at my phone. The screen doesn’t light up when I press the button. Great! I forgot to charge it last night. I glance at the clock on my end table. It’s not even seven yet.
Who’s Aunt Leah talking to so early?
I pull the covers over my head, hoping to fall back asleep before my alarm goes off. But then her voice grows louder and louder along with her footsteps running up the stairs.
She pushes my door open and comes up to the bed, jerking my arm. “Rora, wake up!”
Bewildered, I throw the sheets off. Her eyes are expanded like a deer in headlights, and she can’t seem to stay steady on her feet.
“What’s wrong?” I ask. My voice is hoarse, like there’s a frog in my throat.
Aunt Leah reaches the phone to me, laughing. “It’s Alan Moore!” she squeals. “Take it. He’s been trying to reach you.”
I spring up fast and snatch the phone from her.
“Hello?”
“Hey, Aurora,” he excites. “I listened to your demo; loved it. I brought it to the label execs and they’re excited it, too.”
“They are?” I sit up and throw my hair out of my face.
“Damn right, they are,” he laughs. “Listen, we want you to come in and take care of some paperwork. Then we can start working on your debut single and preparing you for the coming tour.”
“Wait, so you’re saying Epic Rock wants me?” I confirm, looking at Aunt Leah.
She clasps her hands at her chin, grinning from ear to ear.
“Aurora Law. You’re the star we’ve been searching for. We look forward to working with you.”
I can’t stop laughing, and somewhere in the midst of it I start to sob.
When I get off the phone with Alan, I run into Aunt Leah’s arms. She hugs me tightly and hops around with me. “I knew it! I knew it!” she says over and over.
Easing away, I wipe my face and start going through my phone.
“Calling Alex?” she asks in her laugher.
“Daegan,” I blurt out. I don’t rethink it until I see the confused look on her face.
“Who’s Daegan?”
Oh, only the first person I thought of calling to share this good news with. I begin to wonder why.
Then that kiss rushes back to me, lying in the open field with his warm, strong body pressed on top of mine, and the way I shuddered when his hand trailed down my arm.
“A friend,” I say in a low voice, only to pass over his number and call Emma instead.
“Well, I’m going to get dressed. You do the same so we can drive to Cleveland,” she cheers.
Aunt Leah scurries out the room and I hear her footsteps quickening down the stairs.
I call Emma while I put my hair up in a bun and head to the shower.
“Hmm… is everything okay?” she answers in a dazed tone.
“Em!” I yell. “Alan Moore called. Epic Rock wants to sign me. They love my demo!”
I have to move the phone away from my ear when she starts to scream. “OMG! Law! You’re going to be a superstar!”
“This is so unbelievable. Like, my head’s spinning right now,” I laugh out my words. “Listen, I’m getting ready to drive out to Cleveland, so I’ll fill you in later.”
“Yeah, like, of course. Oh and Law?”
“Yeah?”
“Please don’t forget me when you get famous,” she giggles.
“I could never forget my Ems,” I assure her.
After showering, I quickly haul on a pair of blue jeans, a chiffon top, and my black flats, and then I hurry downstairs to meet Aunt Leah.
She snatches up her purse off the table by the front door. “Ready to go?” she enthuses, squeezing my hand.
We hurry out the front door, lock up, and head to the car. Epic Rock Records, here I come.
Aunt Leah drives for nearly fifty minutes before we arrive in downtown Cleveland. The record label is located on the seventh floor of a high-rise that overlooks the breathtaking Lake Erie and the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and Museum.
“Think about it,” she whispers as we wait in the lobby, staring out the window at the beautiful architecture. “One day, your name will be in there.”
I look at her and smile. “That’d be amazing, but I doubt I’l
l get that far.”
She jolts my arm. “Oh stop being so modest.”
“Ms. Law.” A stern voice draws our attention.
Glancing away from the window, I see Alan Moore coming over to us.
“Nice seeing you again.” He shakes my hand and Aunt Leah’s. “This way, please. Everyone’s excited to meet the girl with that powerful voice.”
“Thank you,” I gush.
He leads us down a passage to a door on the left. When I enter behind Aunt Leah into a conference-looking room, eager eyes glance over at us. I swallow hard as an onset of nerves overpowers me. This is it.
Three men and one woman stand and walk over to shake our hands.
Alan introduces them. “This is Marc Augusta, founder and VP.”
“Mr. Augusta, nice to meet you,” I say firmly.
Then I’m introduced to Paul Warren, who’s responsible for Artist Development, Tony Newman, who handles the Legal aspect of the label, and finally, Liz Carron, who oversees the publicity.
Getting introductions out of the way, Mr. Augusta proceeds to praise me for my vocal talent and expresses how much he loves my demo.
Afterwards, he passes me and Aunt Leah a few sheets of paper.
“This is the contract that we offer our artists,” he says. “You can take as much time as you need to go through it.” He directs his next words at Aunt Leah. “You can even have your manager discuss them with a lawyer.”
She waves a hand. “Oh, I’m not her manager. I’m only here to—”
“She is,” I cut her off, “Temporarily.”
Aunt Leah wheels her head around and looks at me.
Alan chimes in, “We also provide artists with managers if you don’t already—”
“I already have one, he just couldn’t make it today,” I tell him.
“Who’s that?” Alan asks.
I reply confidently, “Luke Bryson.”
He stares at me with slit eyes. “Luke?”
I nod. From the corner of my eye, I notice Aunt Leah is looking confused, too.
“He didn’t mention a thing to me,” Alan retorts.
“Who’s this Luke?” Tony pipes in.
I glance at him as I answer, “Only the best sound engineer ever. He owns the studio where I recorded my demo and he contributed greatly to its outcome.”
They glance at each other and bob their heads, impressed.
Mr. Augusta leans forward and rests his hands on the table. “Well, as you might have been informed by Alan, Epic Rock is hoping to make waves in the music industry. We’re working on setting up a showcase here in Cleveland for our two new artists, including you, and then officially launch you both on a three month long tour. After that, we want to put out back to back albums beginning this fall. The question is, are you ready to come on a long and crazy ride with us?”
He looks me straight in the eye.
I swallow before I answer, “I am. This is a dream come true.” Then I glance down at my contract.
Mr. Augusta says, “We’ll leave you and your aunt to go through and discuss it. Let us know when you’re ready or if you need a day or two. But please understand that we need to get things moving.”
As soon as they all leave the room, Aunt Leah slaps my arm. “Why’d you lie about Luke?”
“I didn’t, not really, because he will be my manager anyways.”
She cocks her head to one side. “Oh really? You’ve already discussed this with him?”
“Not exactly,” I reply in a near whisper.
“Geez,” she scoffs.
“I’ll talk to him later. Right now let’s talk about this.” I wave the contract. “What do you think?”
Aunt Leah flips over the first page. “So far, nothing appears to be bullshit. Let’s read it through carefully. I’m not going to risk them using you to rake in money then throw you under the bus when it’s time for you to get paid.”
I smile at her.
“What?” she asks, smiling back.
“Oh, nothing,” I reply, going back to the contract. “Just that I’m glad I have you.”
“Me too.” She leans over and pecks me on the cheek.
We take our time to go through the contract line by line, checking for any clauses that won’t be in my favor or would otherwise make me uncomfortable. By the time we reach the last page, Aunt Leah gives me an approving nod to sign it.
I ask them back into the room, sign my signature, and shake hands.
“Welcome to Epic Rock Records,” they say in sync with broad smiles on their faces.
I expel my held breath, as if to let out the tension I’d felt up till now. I think I’m ready for this.
Following the end of the meeting, Liz and Paul get to work on setting up a schedule for me. I have to finish my senior year—Aunt Leah is hell bent on that—while I get ready for the upcoming showcase in a few weeks.
Liz whisks me off to meet with the art director. Together we discuss imagery, marketing, among other things that will expose me to the public and reel in my peers.
By the end of the day, I’m exhausted from meeting all these different people and having to explain my musical style.
I pass out on the couch when we finally arrive back at the house. Aunt Leah leaves me to relax while she starts dinner. I turn my phone on and return all my missed calls, starting with Alex. He’ll come by for dinner so we can celebrate together. Then I call the cousins. Chris is beyond stoked. He can’t stop laughing and saying I told you so. Drew is far more composed. He’s already asking about free tickets to my shows.
When I reach the end of the list, I notice I have missed calls from Milo and Daegan. I feel a tug in my chest when I glimpse Daegan’s name, and instantly the kiss rushes back to me. It feels so wrong yet so good, and that only induces my guilt because I’ve been crushing on Milo for years and he finally seems to be opening up to me.
Exhausted, I close my eyes and try to push my emotions aside. I’ve considered what Alex said, about focusing on just music. I mean, soon Milo will leave and I probably won’t see him again for a long time.
Does that mean my feelings for him will disappear too?
But what about Daegan and that… kiss? There’s definitely something there if I couldn’t even find the strength to stop it. So does that mean my heart is already straying from Milo and inching towards Daegan?
Frick! How did I get myself into this mess?
“It’s Luke,” Aunt Leah says, reaching her cellphone out to me. I’d been thinking so hard that I didn’t see her come into the living room.
I sit up and take the phone from her. She sits on the armchair, watching me.
“Hello,” I answer.
Luke’s excited voice fills the line. “Congrats, girlie. Heard you signed your contract today.”
“Yeah, I did. Thank you.”
Aunt Leah dips her head and stares up at me, waiting for me to clue him in about his unknowing position in my career.
“Um… Luke, I hope you won’t get mad, but…”
“Mad about what?” he prods.
I squeeze my eyes shut as I blurt out, “I kind of mentioned to the label that you’re my manager.”
All I hear is silence in return. After a long second I ask, “Luke, you still there?”
He releases a razor-sharp breath before he replies, “Yeah, I’m still here. I’ve never managed anyone before and I have no idea why you want me to manage you.”
“Well, because you’ve been so great while I was recording my demo, and I really took everything you said to heart. I feel like I can trust you. And a manager is someone you have to be able to trust. So…” I drawl, hoping he’ll consider it.
“I mean, I do have that MC gig at the Heat Room sometimes, and I do sound engineering for a bunch of artists—”
“Okay, I guess you can’t. I’m sorry to put you on the spot like that.”
“Now hold your horses, missy,” he stops me. “I didn’t say I wouldn’t do it.”
A smile s
preads across my face. “You will?”
He huffs a laugh. “Well, all right, I’ll see what the position is like.”
I burst out laughing. “Thanks, Luke. Thank you so much.”
“But if I can’t stand the crap with this label, even if Alan and I are friends, I will back out, you got that?”
I nod, even though he can’t see me. “Sure thing. Thank you for doing this. Want me to get you back on with Aunt Leah?”
“Yes,” he answers fast.
I hand the phone to her. Her cheeks flush red and she grins all the way to the kitchen.
Then as if I never had the conversation with Luke, my mind flows back to Daegan and Milo. I think about them until I snooze off. Only one ends up in my dream as I remember the softness of his lips pressed against mine.
31.
I’ve tried my best to dodge both guys at school. I know it’s not fair to Milo or Daegan, but after signing my contract and plunging into preparations for the showcase, it’s easier to push my conflicted feelings to the side for now.
It seemed to be working, until I start seeing posters and banners about senior prom all over school. Not only that, it’s a week away now. That’s when I remember Milo had asked me to be his date. Nice.
I find it interesting that even though Emma and Drew have broken up, they’re still going to prom together. She’s excited about shopping for dresses and can’t stop gushing about it at lunch. I cringe over the idea. There’s nothing I find less torturing.
“So, what color tuxedo are you guys wearing?” she asks Drew and Chris. Alex keeps his head hunched over his tray, not paying her any mind.
“We’re all going with the usual black, but I might add some embellishments on the shoulders of my jacket,” Chris replies.
“Who are you going with, anyway?” Drew asks him before he drains the rest of his soda.
His lips curl into a cunning grin as he glances across the cafeteria and tootles at a curly brunette I remember from English Lit.
“April Castillo,” he says smoothly. He blows her a kiss and the poor girl can’t help but shudder.
“Geez,” I giggle.