by Bryce Oakley
“I don’t know why I was thinking it would be sunshine and rainbows, us working together and seeing each other,” Meg said. She gave a small smile and shrugged.
“It’s not easy,” Collins agreed.
“It’s not, but at the end of the day, I respect you even when I really want to shake you by the shoulders,” Meg said with a grin.
“Same here,” Collins said with a laugh.
“So, what do we do?” Meg asked.
“Well, it’s going to be even more difficult if we’re both so sure we’re right. I may have been called stubborn a time or two. I have a feeling you may have heard that as well?” Collins joked, starting to feel a little more relaxed and hopeful about this conversation.
“Yeah, you can be a real asshole when someone disagrees with you,” Meg said, but she gave Collins a huge smile and laughed.
“That’s true,” Collins said, laughing with her. “What if I agree to an interview as a group? You could all have a sit down together so it’s more likely to stay on track and not veer into dangerous not-music-related territory.”
Meg appeared to consider the suggestion for a moment and they walked on in silence for a few minutes.
“I could agree to that. I think that’s fair,” Meg responded at last. “I was also thinking that it might make sense to have a list of questions in advance, so we can be sure how we want to answer them — and how our PR and label wants us to answer them. There won’t be any surprise questions that way.”
Thoughts of Zoey’s surprise answer during an interview about her now-girlfriend Pia Marino floated through Collins’ head. That had turned into a huge shit show.
“I think that’s a great idea,” Collins answered after a beat.
Meg nodded as they continued walking.
“I feel like we might have just come to a reasonable compromise, what do you think?” Collins asked.
“A few hours ago I would have thought that was impossible. Always better to talk after I get to hit something repeatedly,” Meg joked, smiling up at Collins and grabbing her hand as they walked.
Collins found herself comfortable with walking in silence, hand-in-hand with Meg. It certainly wouldn’t be easy to work together, but maybe they would be alright, anyway.
After returning to the production office, Meg went back to her drum set and Collins closed herself up in her makeshift office to call her brother.
“Broseidon, King of the Brocean!” Collins said. One of her true joys in life was coming up with goofy names for her brother. She didn’t particularly care whether he loved it as much as she did.
“What’s up, Buttercup?” Jake said. He usually stuck to the prissy nicknames for Collins.
“Oh, you know, living the dream,” Collins answered.
“Very funny. Now spill it, did you and Meg hook up or what?” Jake said. Wow, he didn’t beat around the bush.
“I would never kiss and tell, Jake. You know that,” Collins said.
“That’s a yes if I’ve ever heard one. So, are you guys like dating now?” Jake gushed.
“What? No,” Collins said as a knee jerk reaction. “I mean, kind of. We’re seeing how it goes.”
“Aww, someone’s a little excited,” Jake teased.
“She’s so different from the women I’ve dated in the past. She’s got so much substance and she’s so funny. I legitimately enjoy talking to her,” Collins couldn’t help but smile as she talked about Meg.
“Mom and Dad liked her, too. She had Mom laughing and Dad said she even held her own with Eric,” Jake said.
“I’m impressed. Eric’s a tool,” Collins joked.
“Okay, but really, is everything okay?” Jake pressed.
“I don’t know what I’m doing,” Collins admitted.
“What? Like for work?” Jake asked, alarmed.
“No, that’s fine. I just mean, I’m afraid I’ve already had a few missteps with Meg and it’s been like… fourteen hours,” Collins said.
“Well, my rule of thumb in a relationship is that it is better to be happy than correct. Don’t try to win arguments if a compromise will make you both happy,” he said.
Collins paused. “Wow, that’s… very deep for someone who has never had a long-term relationship,” she said.
“I mean it! Do you want to be in a happy and healthy relationship or do you want to be right all the time? Because those two things are mutually-exclusive,” Jake said.
Collins nodded, even knowing Jake couldn’t see her. “You’re right,” she admitted. “That’s a good point.”
“I’m very wise,” Jake said dramatically.
“Anyway, oh sage advisor, you’re good for the show tomorrow? You got the ticket I sent over?” Collins asked.
“Yes! Thank you! Don’t tell anybody, but I made myself a fan t-shirt to wear!” Jake said, sounding so enthusiastic.
Collins chuckled at her brother. He really was super into all things geeky. He loved to make custom t-shirts for special occasions. Sometimes he would send Collins random care packages filled with personalized throw blankets for Ollivander and on more than one occasion, he sent matching shirts for the two of them.
Not for Collins and Jake, but matching shirts for Collins and Ollivander.
It was the best.
“Oh man, I can’t wait to see what you come up with,” Collins laughed, legitimately excited. They hung up and she stared down at the phone in her lap.
She could be right all the time, or she could be in a happy and healthy relationship.
Damn, she had to give it to him — that was a very good point.
Chapter Sixty
Meg
Even after all the drama with Collins firing Dennis and then their argument and subsequent talk, Meg still felt angry. She wasn’t mad at Collins anymore — she felt like their talk went really well. She had gotten way more than she had expected and was happy with the way it was all going to go.
She had agreed to pre-arranged questions but of course she did. It was an interview for their own special, where the hell else would the questions come from? Meg smiled to herself, feeling pretty business savvy. She would write the questions after the radio interview and wave them in Collins’ angry yet alluring face before sending them off for PR and the label to review.
In truth, Meg was way more angry with Domino than she had ever been before, and that was saying a lot. They had been through plenty of ups-and-downs. Being so close and being in a band, they’d had tons of times when one of them had to say difficult things that the other person needed to hear. They had always gotten through it and had eventually been able to laugh at it together.
But this felt different. Domino wasn’t saying something shitty to Meg because Meg needed to hear it. Domino was saying something shitty to Meg to be shitty. It was easier to be mad than to be as sad as she wanted to be.
Did one of the closest friends she ever had really think so little of her? Domino thinking Meg was nothing but a pawn to someone like Collins felt like a punch to the gut, and Meg was still having a hard time catching her breath.
When the cars arrived for the ride to the radio station, Meg had made sure to place herself in a different car from Dom. She was surprised that Billie had insisted on riding with her, the sisters usually stuck pretty close together.
It was also strange that Billie kept staring at Meg and then looking away when Meg caught her. It was a short ride, so by the third time this happened, Meg’s patience was gone.
“What?” Meg asked sharply.
“What? Nothing. How are you doing?” Billie stammered.
“I’m fine. Nothing to worry yourself about,” Meg snapped. She knew she shouldn’t be taking out her bad mood on Billie, but she was there.
“Let’s grab a drink after the interview,” Billie smiled, clearly trying to smooth things over.
“I’m not ready to hang with Dom. And I don’t want a therapy session, either,” Meg answered while staring out the window.
“No, no, just yo
u and me,” Billie added quickly. “If you want, I could invite Vero, but only if you want.”
Meg was suspicious. Why was Billie acting as though she was an injured child? Why was she so bent on getting Meg to go out?
“What’s your angle?” Meg asked bluntly.
“No angle. It’s just been a shit show of a week and I want to hang out with you. I’ll have Vero meet us and we can grab a drink just the three of us, deal?” Billie asked.
“Fine, but you’re buying.”
The radio interview went exactly as Meg had expected. She had done about seven million of them in the past few years. It was the regular scene: happy chit chat about the band loving the radio station that always supported them, talking about the exclusive show the following night, and Billie and Domino doing the majority of the talking. Meg was completely fine with that — she had never been much for interviews, which made her argument with Collins about the interviews for the special even weirder.
True to her word, Billie didn’t invite anyone other than Vero to a drink after the interview. The three of them headed into a small cafe.
“I thought you offered to buy me a drink. I didn’t realize you meant coffee,” Meg joked, trying to look accusatory and surprised.
“Yeah, figured this was a better idea since we are going to have to get back to work this afternoon. And I’m not trying to get pelted with any food today so I figured non-alcoholic was a safer bet,” Billie countered.
“Let’s not forget that coffee is, in fact, a drink,” Vero said and winked at Meg.
Vero was sober, but Meg was pretty sure it didn’t bother her to be around people that were drinking unless they were being obnoxious.
In her current mood, Meg couldn’t actually promise that she wouldn’t be obnoxious.
“Garçon, your finest latte please!” Vero said with a wide arm flourish, making Meg laugh.
“So, how are you two lovebirds doing? How’s the wedding planning coming along?” Meg asked, feeling better about agreeing to hang out with Billie and Vero. It was the best distraction away from her own reality that she could ask for.
Billie grinned. “Oh, everything is coming along nicely — still not eloping in Vegas with Elvis—”
“Oh, come on,” Meg interrupted, disappointed.
“But really, I wanted to bring you here so I could listen,” Billie said resolutely.
“Listen to what?” Meg was back to being suspicious.
“It sounds like this morning went about as bad as it could possibly go when you tell your friends that you’re dating someone,” Vero answered. “They were assholes.”
Billie shot Vero a look, and Vero raised her eyebrows, silently standing her ground.
“I’m really sorry, Meg. I don’t know why Dom is being so weird and none of it went the way I would have expected.” Billie looked sincerely apologetic.
“You should be sorry. That was fucked up. Nobody gets to have a say in my personal life, not even my closest friends. You’re all allowed to have opinions but if we’re being honest here — when I want your opinion, I’ll give it to you, alright?” Meg said.
Vero laughed and Billie rolled her eyes, a grin tugging at the edge of her mouth.
A big part of the reason Meg was so angry with Dom was because it meant that she hadn’t been able to talk to any of her friends about Collins and dammit, she really wanted to talk to her friends about a girl she was starting to really like.
She told them all about her evening at the arcade bar with Collins and Jake. Vero laughed at the thought of Collins playing skee ball.
“I can’t really picture her playing any sort of game, if I’m being honest,” Vero joked.
She went on to tell them all about her evening out for Jake’s birthday the night before. They knew all about Meg’s history with her own family, so they understood how much it meant to her that they all treated her kindly.
“It sounds a little bit like Dr. Jekyll and Ms. Hyde. I can’t picture Collins laughing and cracking jokes and buying anyone a Dolly Parton coloring book,” laughed Billie.
“It’s strange, but it feels just as natural as her scary-as-fuck persona that she uses at work. At first I thought she was just a big old faker. Like, who can actually be that mean all the time in real life? But the more I spend time with her, the more I see she’s just wearing her work hat. It’s not that it’s not her, it’s just one facet of her personality.” Meg was thoughtful for a moment. “You guys, promise me that if I ever start acting like that with a ‘work hat,’ you’re going to have to throw things at me until I knock it the fuck off.”
The three women laughed together, the laughter dying down naturally before Vero brought up the topic Meg was sure was going to be discussed.
“Alright. Let’s talk about Dom. What the what?” Vero asked.
“Is there something that I don’t know? I don’t understand why Dom is so sure that I couldn’t possibly be good enough for Collins to have feelings for me?” Meg said, feeling incredibly sad to say the words out loud.
“I think it’s her weird version of feeling protective over you?” Billie said.
“Well she can fuck right off with that nonsense,” Vero chimed in, surprising Meg with her forceful response. “You’re awesome and Collins is damn lucky that you let her hang out with you.”
“Awwwww, that’s so sappy, Vero!” Billie exclaimed.
“Very mushy, thank you, Vero,” Meg said with a smile and considered it to be confirmation that she absolutely should buy the Elvis replica jumpsuits for their wedding. So what if they were incredibly expensive. Only the best for her friends!
“I don’t know what to do about Domino. I’m so angry that I can’t even fathom making up with her.” Meg felt discouraged.
“You don’t have to do anything about it right now. We can sit right here and enjoy our lattes and just chat for a while, alright?” Vero said.
“Billie, what do you think?” Meg asked, glancing to Billie, who was fidgeting with her napkin.
“I’m not sure, Mego. There were really weird vibes between Micah and Collins this morning,” Billie said as she looked thoughtful.
“Yeah, well. She’s going to have to get over it,” Meg said.
Meg decided to change the topic and instead told Billie and Vero about the conversation she had overheard between Collins and Micah that morning in the hotel hallway.
“That’s a little weird, right? Why was Micah looking for Collins first thing? Why not reach out to any one of us? I mean, are they friends or something?” Meg asked. Out of the four band mates, Billie was the closest with Micah, so she was the best person to ask.
“Honestly, I don’t know, Mego. I work well with Micah, but I wouldn’t call us close. I don’t know that it’s weird, but it doesn’t sound completely normal, either. So, maybe keep your guard up?” Billie said, but Vero shook her head.
“I don’t know that keeping your guard up is going to accomplish anything other than driving a wedge between you two and getting in the way of your relationship. How about you be the first member of The Shrikes that has the rare ability to talk to the woman you’re dating and ask her! At least that way you’re more likely to get an answer,” Vero put in.
Meg rubbed her forehead and sighed. She wasn’t sure whether she wanted to talk to Collins about it. She would be fine with asking her about it if she were sure Collins had a perfectly rational explanation and they could just make out and everything would be fine.
When they had drained their lattes and talked as much as they could about a problem that was impossible to solve, they got up to leave.
“Hang on, we might run into Dom later, so I’ve got to pick up some small pastries that’ll be easy to aim,” Meg said as she walked back to the counter.
As they walked out together, Meg watched Vero give Billie a questioning look but Billie just smiled and shook her head.
Walking into the building after coffee, Meg found herself genuinely excited to see Collins. They were goi
ng to work on Meg’s drum solo together and even though Collins could be a lot to work with - sometimes a lot of sexual tension but equally possible was a lot of frustration - she was still looking forward to it.
“Oh hey, there you are!” Collins called to Meg from the production office as she walked by. She had a big smile on her face, which was unusual when she was working.
“Hi, yeah I was grabbing a coffee with Billie and Vero. Do you have time to work with me on the solo? Or are you busy?” Meg smiled, feeling nervous around Collins and giddy from the caffeine.
“I told you I would make time, I’m free to help,” Collins wasn’t necessarily unfriendly, she was just always matter-of-fact.
They walked together to Meg’s instrument in silence, butterflies swirling in Meg’s stomach.
Once Meg was seated at her drum set, Collins launched into her plan.
“I’ve been thinking a lot about this, and I really think we need to lengthen your set. I think everything is flowing, but I want to extend it another 30 to 45 seconds. It’ll make a bigger impact that way,” Collins gave Meg one of her intense stares, looking for a reaction. “Understand?”
“Yeah, that makes sense. But are you sure it won’t be too much if we lengthen it?” Meg asked. She would have gone on to elaborate more, but stopped when Micah joined them.
“Hey Mego! How are you doing? I thought the radio interview went really well, didn’t you? I’m so excited for tomorrow’s show, and of course for the big show on Saturday!” Micah was speaking a mile per minute, babbling on in a way Meg had never seen before. “I just love being in Colorado, don’t you? So glad I finally got out here! I’m jealous of Billie and Vero for spending so much time out here!”
Meg couldn’t bring herself to respond more than a nod and shrug. It was just so weird and unlike Micah.
“Yeah, it’s all going to be great, Micah. We were just getting to work on Meg’s solo on ‘Just Another Howl at the Moon,’ so we should get back to it,” Collins offered as they both stared at Micah until she got the hint.