“You’ll be great; you’re gorgeous, smart and sweet. Have fun on this tour and live for yourself for a while.”
We spend the next two hours working on my hair and make-up. When she is done, I can hardly recognize myself. I look hot, but in a totally innocent way. I was a little worried that Amy may go crazy and make me look like a groupie, but she did very well. I put on a teal, strapless, knee-length dress that flares at the bottom and a pair of silver flats. I had to convince Amy that the pair of sky-high heels that she brought over was too sexy. I’m sure if the internet were calling me a “groupie whore” tomorrow, the deal would be off.
“Everyone’s going to love you. And while I’m totally jealous, I’m happy for you.” she says as she gives me a hug. “Call me and let me know how you are doing.”
“I will, thanks for everything.” I wrap my arms around her too. I’m going to miss this crazy girl.
Chapter 8
Camden
Around noon, I got back to the hotel to make some phone calls and check in with Ryder. I wasn’t too surprised that he was just getting up. Good thing I brought leftover bagels and stopped for some coffee.
“Hey, where you been?” he asks me.
“I was with Elaina helping her pack and getting her some extra clothes for the tour. Actually, you bought her some new clothes, luggage and an e-reader.”
“I did that all while I was sleeping, huh?” he asks, with a yawn. “Why does she need all that stuff anyways? And I thought her name was Ellie,” he says looking confused. “I know I had a few last night, but I wasn’t drunk.” He stretches as he walks over to the table where I just put the food and starts eating.
“Those are all things she needs for the tour and you are asking a lot of her. She’s taking time off work to help us. You’re the one that told me to make sure she’s happy. And she goes by Ellie, but her name is Elaina.” I sit down across from him and get out my phone to answer a few emails.
“Fine, just as long as this works and I can get your dad off my back. I mean, he’s like a father to me, but he doesn’t remember what it is like being twenty-four. Sometimes I go out and get drunk, it isn’t a big deal.”
I glare at him incredulously. “It is a big deal when you get so drunk that you get into a fight and put a guy in a coma. You’ll be happy to hear he’s doing better now.”
“It isn’t that I don’t care, but he did come at me.”
“I know dude,” I tell him, “but you are in the spotlight, and he isn’t. So people don’t care what he does. People look up to you like every celebrity. Elaina has a thirteen-year-old cousin who idolizes Line 9. I told him I may be able to get him some passes to see a show when we’re near here again, so practice reining it in.”
“Fine, I can behave for one night, but Elaina better appreciate it.”
“A car is picking her up at 6:00 and will bring her around back. You need to go and meet her at the gate, there will be cameras there and they’ll get some pictures of you helping her out of the car and leading her backstage with you, while you two look very much in love.”
“You know Ellie is pretty hot, maybe I can get her to change the no sex rule, this wouldn’t be a total drag,” he says, wagging his eyebrows.
I start to see red. “Don’t fuck this up Ryder, Elaina is a nice girl and she doesn’t need you fucking with her. You are going to fuck everything up and we will have a bigger mess than we have now if you can’t keep it in your pants.”
“Okay, okay,” he says. “Then maybe she’s such a sweet girl, she’ll help me to see the error of my ways and I’ll be saved,” he jokes.
I groan. This is going to be a long fucking two months.
Chapter 9
Elaina
A few minutes before 6:00, Jackson, Karen and I are sitting in the kitchen talking about what we think it will be like backstage.
“I’m going to miss you so much,” Karen says, “but I want you to have the time of your life. Just remember you can come home if you don’t like it.”
“I’m going to miss you guys too. I can’t remember the last time we were apart for any length of time.”
Just as I was getting ready to suggest that we head downstairs, there is a knock on the door. I answer the door and there is a man in a black suit.
“Evening Miss Roberts, I’ll be driving you to the concert tonight.” He looks down at my luggage. “Is this everything ma’am?” he asks as he starts to pick it up.
“Yes, but we can get it,” I protest.
“I don’t mind at all ma’am, this is my job.”
Okay, I think I just might be able to get used to this. I wonder if there will be this kind of service everywhere. We make our way down the stairs and Karen and I help Jackson, it’s hard to manage these stairs with the crutches. When we walk outside, we see a huge limo at the curb in front of our building.
“This can’t be for just me,” I say with astonishment. I was expecting a town car.
“Nothing but the best for Mr. Kinick’s girlfriend.” he says as he puts the luggage in the trunk. “Before I forget, here’s the pass for tonight’s show.”
“Wow, this is the coolest thing that has ever happened,” Jackson shouts. “I can’t believe that you get to meet Line 9.”
“I’ll see what I can do about getting you backstage at a concert soon,” I tell him. Tears are starting to form in my eyes, I hug him. “I’m going to miss you so much. I’ll email you every day and tell you any cool things that I see.”
I turn to look at Karen with tears in my eyes. “I love you so much.”
“I love you too, Sweets. You better call every day or I’ll come find you and drag your butt home.” She pulls me in for a tight hug.
“Yes, I’ll call every day and let you know where I am and what I’m doing.”
“You look a little green, are you getting nervous?” she asks with a knowing smile.
“A little, I just don’t know what people are going to say about me,” I admit.
“Everyone will love you; you are sweet, kind, and selfless.”
“And if they don’t like you, then fuck ‘em,” Jackson adds.
“Jackson!” Karen and I both yell.
Before, Karen and I can scold him further for his language; the driver comes around and suggests that we go in order to make it on time.
“Okay” I say and turn to hug Jackson and Karen. “Bye, love you.”
“Bye, love you too,” they say as I get in the car.
I look out the window of the limo as we drive away from my home, and towards the unknown. I let a few tears fall.
**********
My nerves are getting the best of me as we pull around to the back of the stadium. I can see a few people lined up with cameras and I need to take a deep breath. You can do this. The door to the limo opens and I see Ryder standing outside the door reaching his hand in to me. I hesitate until I see Camden a few feet behind him near the building waiting for us. He looks amazing; he is now in a dark grey suit and a red tie. I smile at him and he smiles back encouragingly. Okay, I can do this.
“Ellie! You look amazing.” Ryder says as he pulls me towards him. He looks into my eyes for a second, and then puts his lips to mine. Okay, this isn’t what I was expecting right away, but I guess it needs to look like we have been dating. It isn’t bad, but it feels a little awkward kissing a guy I don’t have feelings for. His kiss is rough, not the kind of kiss I would expect from a boyfriend. But it is the kind of kiss I would expect from a rock star. I can’t let him and Camden down though, so I close my eyes, wrap my arms around him, and kiss him back. I see the flashes from cameras going off and feel a little strange knowing that people are watching me make out with a stranger. It sort of feels like one of those embarrassing nightmares where you look down and realize you’re naked in class.
After he ends the kiss, he pulls me to him like he’s hugging me and whispers in my ear. “That was amazing, but I think we might be able to do better, perhaps we can practice in
my room later. You know what they say, ‘Practice makes perfect’ and I think we could be perfect.”
“In your dreams,” I say between my teeth as I pretend to smile for the camera’s sake.
“I think you just might be featured in a lot of my dreams over the next couple of months,” he whispers into my ear as he grabs my hand and leads me toward the back door. “I have to get ready for the show, but if you follow Camden, he can introduce you to the rest of the band.”
After we are through the doors, Ryder heads off to his dressing room to change and get ready. Camden comes over.
“That was a good show you put on back there with Ryder.” He almost sounds a little pissed.
“I just don’t want to let you down. You’re doing so much to make this easier on me. I need to play my part well. I was a little shocked when he kissed me, could you tell?”
“No, it looked very natural,” he says as he eyes me.
“It didn’t feel natural. Could you tell that I was scolding him at one point?” I ask him.
“No,” he laughs, “Ryder Kinick is not used to being scolded, unless it’s by my mom. I would’ve loved to have been closer to hear that. What did he do?”
“He asked me to join him in his room later tonight,” I whisper as I blush a little.
“He what? I told him to be on his best behavior tonight. Don’t worry, I’ll talk to him.”
“No, it is fine, I handled it,” I say softly.
As we are walking around backstage, I try to take everything in. There is so much going on backstage, I feel like I’m going to be in someone’s way. I don’t know if I’ll be able to go to any of the other shows, so I try to take everything in while Camden seems to study me.
We get to a door and Camden knocks. “I better go in first,” he says, “just in case.” He peeks behind the door, and then opens it wider. Three guys are sitting in there, drinking beers. I was really expecting groupies or something to be with the band. I guess they are being good tonight.
“You must be the good little girl, Ellie that Ryder told us about” says a tall, blond guy with very piercing green eyes. “I’m Eric, I play guitar. If you get lonely on the road, just let me know. I’ve been told that I’m pretty good company.” I just stare at him, not sure how to respond.
Just as Camden starts to say something, I think to tell him off, one of the other guys walks towards me. This guy could be Eric’s twin; they look alike except for this guy’s dark hair. “Ignore my brother,” he says. “He can be very inappropriate at times, but the douche bag is harmless. I’m Alex, I play the bass.” Eric calls Alex an asshole and throws his empty beer can at him, but Alex ducks. Their easy banter makes me smile.
“Guys, watch the language please, there is a lady here,” says the big, tattooed, muscular guy who sitting on the loveseat. Honestly, the look of this guy is somewhat intimidating. I instinctively take a step closer to Camden. “Hey, I’m Caleb, I‘m the drummer,” he says.
I was feeling a little off after meeting the guys, so I was glad when Camden spoke up to make introductions. “Guys, this is Elaina.”
I give a small wave and say, “You all can call me Ellie. Nice you meet you.”
Before they can reply a man opens the door and tell them they need to get to the stage. Camden and I follow behind them.
“Here, I set a chair for you to watch from here,” says Camden. He really does think of everything, he must be really good at his job, or just really thoughtful.
The band starts playing and I’m surprised to find that I know a few of the songs. Camden sits next to me working on his phone, but every so often, I catch him watching me.
After the show, Ryder walks up to me and pulls me to him; we’re still near the side of the stage, so a few of the fans have an unobstructed view of us. He pulls me against his sweat-soaked body and kisses me again. This time it is more hurried and forceful. He is still hyped-up from the show. After the kiss, I see a few of the fans snapping pictures.
“You can always count on fans on social media to spread gossip,” he says, whispering in my ear. I try to play along and smile for the cameras as if he just said the most romantic thing in the world. I’m getting kind of good at this.
As soon as we walk away from the stage, he lets go of me and asks Camden to show me to the bus.
Camden and I exit through a door backstage and he shows me to a tour bus. When we step on, I look around; the inside is amazing. There are granite floors and counter tops, dark cherry cabinets and tan, leather couches. This is so different from the apartment.
“The guys won’t be back for a while,” Camden says pulling my attention from the huge flat screen television attached to some sort of game system. “They usually have a few drinks after the show.”
Chapter 10
Camden
I watch Elaina, trying to figure out how she is dealing with everything. I can’t believe the asshole Ryder is trying to hit on her already. I know that I’ll be having a talk with him later. However, she did seem to handle him well.
I can’t help but wonder why she agreed to this. I get the impression that she needs the money; she doesn’t seem like the type to go on tour with rock stars to earn money for clothes or jewelry. I want to know more, but don’t want to pry. Growing up, my dad was a manager to huge bands, so we always had money. It seems that Elaina had a much different upbringing than me.
She is sitting on the couch across from me. “What are you thinking about?” I ask her.
“Just thinking about tomorrow and what the papers are going to say about me,” she sighs.
“It is easier if you don’t think about it.” I tell her. “You did well today, there will just be pictures on some websites and magazines and articles speculating about the mystery girl.”
“Thanks for helping me today and getting me all that stuff,” she says. I just shrug. “No, I mean it, that wasn’t something that you had to do, I know that Ryder is keeping you in charge of me, but going out of your way to do things like that for me really isn’t part of the agreement. I was really worried when I agreed to do this, but after spending this afternoon with you, I feel very comfortable with you around. I really think…”
Before she can finish her sentence, the door opens and Ryder strides in and sits down right next to her on the couch. Bastard. “So, ready to head back to my room?” he asks.
“Ryder, you need to stop, you told her that you wouldn’t flirt or make inappropriate comments.” I’m seeing red, I’m not sure what has gotten into me, I never care when he talks to other girls like this. I think it’s just that she is so different from the girls that are usually hanging around. “Is that lipstick on your neck?” I shout.
He wipes his hand on his neck and pulls it back to check. “You know how the girls act after a show, I can’t help it if they’re excited to meet me,” he says with a wink at Elaina.
“Not the best way to start this tour out.” I stand and scowl at him.
“It is getting late. Can you show me to my bed?” Elaina asks looking at me as she yawns. I think she is just trying to break the tension that is now in the room.
“Yeah, I’ll show you the way,” I tell her taking my eyes off Ryder.
I walk her back to a small hallway that has six bunk beds. “I did try to get him to let you have the bedroom.” I cringe imagining all of the things that she will hear sleeping out here with the guys.
“This is fine,” she whispers.
“I guess, I’ll leave you to get ready for bed,” I tell her. “I hope you sleep well, we’ll probably already be on the road when you wake up. Good night.”
“Night Cam. Thanks for everything that you did today.” she says as she reaches into her bag for something to change into. For some reason, I have a feeling that this tour is going to be better than any of the others.
Chapter 11
Elaina
When I wake, it’s bright and I feel like my bed is moving. I look around trying to figure out what time it is and w
hy I‘m sleeping in a box. Tour bus. Everything from the previous day comes back to me. I look at my phone to see what time it is. It’s 9:30 already and I have fifty-three new text messages. That is much higher than normal. I start to flip through them and find that most of them are from old classmates telling me they saw me in the paper, but I do have one from Amy and one from Karen.
Amy: Omg, I just saw your photos with Ryder, they were pretty hott. Great job Ellie.
Karen: Photos are out and you look great. Remember to send shirtless photos of Ryder. Love and miss you Sweets.
Okay, I guess I should be an adult and face my fears. I need to check out these photos. Better yet, maybe I need coffee first. Yes, definitely coffee first.
When I hop down from my bunk, I pass the other bunks and hear loud snoring. How did I sleep with all this noise? I should have asked Camden for ear plugs.
I sneak into the bathroom to get dressed and try to tame my crazy hair by braiding it, before going to get some caffeine. After I’m done, I walk down the hallway towards the kitchen area and Camden is sitting at the table with his laptop, typing away. Does this guy ever stop to rest?
“Hey,” I say.
“Hey, how are you doing this morning? Did you sleep well?” he asks looking up at me.
“I’m good. Yes, I slept well, I never sleep this late. What are you doing up working already? You had a long day yesterday too.”
“I’m answering emails. People are asking about the pretty mystery woman Ryder was with last night,” he answers with a smile.
“I heard, I only had fifty-one new text messages from acquaintances this morning saying they saw my picture.”
“I should have warned you that a lot of people would try to be your new best friend now. None of the sites have your name yet, but it won’t be long before that is out there too. How are you handling it?” he asks while studying my face like he actually cares and isn’t asking just to be nice, like most people.
For Now (Forever Book 1) Page 4