Turning off the car, she turns in her seat toward me. “Ashtyn, I know at the beginning of the summer you thought I wanted to do this as a bribe but that’s not true.”
Wait, what?
This can’t be happening. She’s buying me a car? She’s buying me a freakin’ car? There’s no way. I look over at Chloe and I notice that her ears have perked up too. What is going on here?
“Uh, seriously?”
She lets out a little laugh. “Yes, seriously. This has nothing to do with whether or not you choose to stay with me. I’m being practical about the whole situation.”
“How do you figure?”
“First of all, I’m tired of handing my keys over to Chloe. It’s your turn.”
That gets a laugh out of all three of us. It’s probably been pretty annoying that we’ve been taking her car every single night. Especially since most nights, we’re at Hudson and Jax’s place, which is an hour away. I’m surprised she’s been handing her keys over so easily. Wait, she said first of all.
“And second?”
“If I’m going to buy you a car, it might as well be in a state with no sales tax.”
“Touché.”
She looks back and forth between Chloe and I and says, “Well ladies, let’s go car shopping.”
And with that, my best friend is back. Our argument of the day is forgotten. We go 100% into shopping mode. If there’s one thing Chloe and I can do together, it’s shop.
Chapter 14
Flynn
Rolling over, I slip out of bed, making sure not to wake Ashtyn. We stayed up all night talking. I’m way too wired to sleep, and I only dozed for an hour or two. I sit on the couch and just stare at the wall. Jude crashed at Jax and Hudson’s place so Ashtyn and I could have the apartment to ourselves. I don’t know why he felt the need to leave. Soon enough we’ll all be living together anyway.
Today’s the day.
The day our lives change forever.
Maybe not drastically, but nothing will be the same from here on out. I always knew we’d take our music someplace and do something important, I just never knew it would happen so fast. We’ve only been taking this seriously for about a year. And, if I’m being honest with myself, we weren’t really a band until Jude joined us a few months back.
This whole thing is surreal.
I’m actually going to get everything I want. Maybe not everything. My father will never come around and quit being an asshole.
My whole body is buzzing as I watch the sunrise, and I don’t even hear Ashtyn come up behind me. She wraps her arms around me, and I pull her down onto my lap. She sighs while leaning into me. After the sun comes up, she turns and lightly presses her lips to mine. I can taste the minty toothpaste on her breath and smile because she brushed her teeth before coming out to find me.
“Good morning,” I say into her mouth while still kissing her.
Smiling at me, she says, “Morning. What are you doing up so early?”
“I couldn’t sleep. I’m too wired. Why are you up?”
Pouting, she says, “I rolled over and you weren’t there. The bed is too cold without you.”
Standing up, she wraps her legs around my waist. I carry her back to the bedroom and lay her down in bed. “I have a few hours before I need to go to the meeting, so I can stay and snuggle with you. Go back to sleep. I promise I won’t leave this time.”
Yawning, she leans into me and says, “Okay.”
Her breathing evens out quickly, and I hold her close to me. It’s moments like this that I can’t believe I’m lucky enough to have Ashtyn. I’m not sure when but my exhaustion beats out my excitement and I dose off for a few hours.
***
I figured it was best for us to arrive separately. We may or may not want to hang out afterward. We’re dudes but we still act like we’re PMSing if we don’t get what we want. Nobody wants to be around Jax when he’s acting like a drama queen.
I’m the first one there, which gives me a chance to size this guy up. I walk into the office building and admire the complete overhaul that was done. It’s weird there’s a real studio here in Ashland but that’s exactly what it is. I wouldn’t expect anything but the best from my dad.
The studio isn’t up and running yet so it’s kind of a ghost town. No one’s around, so I head down the hallway to find someone. Hearing voices, I stand outside of an open doorway. Sitting at a table with their backs to me are a guy and a girl in a very serious conversation. I’m assuming the guy is Oliver and maybe the girl is his assistant. Their conversation piques my interest, and I don’t let my presence be known just yet.
“Are you sure this is going to be okay? It’s not going to be a problem?”
The girl sighs heavily before responding, “Oliver, I already told you it wasn’t going to be a problem. I’m extremely professional. I’m not going to let what’s in the past get in the way of the present or future.”
The girl’s voice sounds so familiar, but I just can’t place it. I continue to eavesdrop to see if I can figure out why I know it.
“I know that. I don’t want your connection to the band to affect anything business-wise. I’ll drop you if I need to.”
The girl lets out a laugh so he must not be serious. “Yeah, because you could do this without me. Besides, would you really fire your own sister? We won’t have any problems unless Jax makes it a problem. I guarantee you, his music is more important than any issues with me.”
Holy shit! That’s Erin. She’s Oliver’s sister?
I must have said that out loud because both heads spin around. Why did I never make the connection? Erin’s last name is Morris. That’s a semi-common last name, but still. Although she never did mention having a brother. I should call Jax to warn him. What would I even say? Hey, just a heads up—the girl that ripped your heart out and stomped all over it is Oliver’s sister? Probably wouldn’t go over too well.
Breaking the silence, Erin gets up from her chair and starts walking toward me. “Hey, Flynn.”
My voice is laced with resentment when I say, “Hey, Erin. I thought you ran off to become a big-time lawyer. What happened? Couldn’t hack it?”
Erin broke Jax’s heart shortly after I came to Ashland. They were high school sweethearts, and Jax was a different person back then. He proposed and she paid him back by fleeing, saying they were in different places in their lives and she wanted to become a lawyer. She left behind a broken Jax. Luckily, Hudson and I were there to pick up the pieces. When he finally accepted she was never coming back, he snapped out of it and vowed to never be in a relationship again.
Prior to Erin leaving, she was the only person he’d ever been with and then he did a complete one-eighty. I don’t even want to know how many girls he’s been with since. But Erin is the only redhead he’s ever been with. No matter how hard a girl tries, unless they dye their hair, he refuses to have anything to do with redheads. That’s his kryptonite and he makes sure to steer clear of it.
Not even phased by my response, she replies, “Not that it’s any of your business, but I’m still in school. Oliver is my half-brother, and I’m helping him out with the legal side of the business. It’s my internship for school. Not the direction most people would go but I always said I wanted to find a job combining law and my love for music.”
A very minute part of me feels like an ass but the rest of me doesn’t care. She doesn’t understand the mess she left behind when she took off. She never witnessed the aftermath. I don’t have time to say anything else because the guys come up behind me. Jax registers who’s in the room but just as quickly, his face goes blank. Not sure what else I should do, I make the introductions.
Leaving Erin out of the conversation altogether, I point everyone out. “Oliver, these are the rest of the guys. Jax is the lead guitarist, Hudson is our drummer, and Jude is the bassist. Guys, this is Oliver, the guy that’s starting up the record label.”
Everyone shakes hands and we sit around the table. The t
ension thickens in the room, and I have no idea where this meeting is going. The entire room is like a time bomb, and I’m just waiting for it to explode.
Being the nice guy that he is and being oblivious to everything, Jude brings Erin into the conversation. “I don’t think we got your name.”
Being new to the band, he knows nothing about Erin. We wanted to leave the past in the past, so we never told him. It seemed like a non-issue, but I guess we were wrong.
Erin peeks over at Jax before she says anything, but he’s ignoring her and acting like she isn’t even in the room. Yep, things are going to blow up any minute. “You must be a new addition to the band. I’m Erin.”
“Nice to meet you, Erin. So what do you do? How do you know the guys? I feel like I’m the only one not in on the secret here.”
If there’s one thing about Jude it’s that he doesn’t stay oblivious for very long. Maybe it’s because he spends more time watching people than actually talking to them, but he picked up on the crazy vibes going on in here.
“It’s nice to meet you too, Jude.” Her eyes flash toward Jax again and she becomes flustered when he’s still ignoring her. “I’m actually in law school, and I’m helping my brother out with the legal portion of the business. Plus a bit of admin stuff. Basically, I’m managing his life.”
She lets out chuckle but Jude picks up on the fact that she didn’t answer the last question he asked her. Not one to give up, he makes things extremely awkward. “So did you learn that Jax is an asshole the hard way? Is that what’s going on here?”
At the mention of his name, Jax whips his head around and gives Jude the death glare. I should jump in and say something, but I’d rather see this whole thing play out instead. I’m a jackass, but I feel like whipping out a bucket of popcorn right about now.
His voice laced with complete disgust, Jax says, “I don’t touch redheads. You should know that by now, Jude.”
Not where I thought he’d go. But I guess denial is where he wants to be right now. I can’t say I blame him. If I were in his shoes and this were Ashtyn, I’d do the same thing. Either that or get down on my hands and knees and beg her to take me back. Yeah, it would be the latter.
Throwing her hands up in exasperation, Erin yells, “I don’t know what kind of game you’re playing here, but you do too know me, Jax. I thought enough time had passed and we could be civil, but I guess that isn’t going to happen.”
Jax smiles a big creepy smile, and I’m almost afraid what’s about to come out of his mouth. “Oh, Erin. I guess that is you. I didn’t recognize you. I know they call it the freshman fifteen but that was three years ago and you look like you put on a lot more than that.”
Erin falls back in her chair like someone just slapped her in the face. Her eyes start to water and tears threaten to fall over her lids. Before she can cry, Oliver jumps out of his chair and slams his hand down on the table causing everyone to turn in his direction.
“Enough! I don’t care how good you guys are. I refuse to sign you if that’s how you treat women. If you can’t work together, then we might as well stop this meeting right now. That was pretty fucking heartless, Jax, and you should apologize before we continue.”
Jax is as likely to apologize as he is to come out of the closet. Basically, that’s never going to happen. I start to say something but being the awesome little brother that he is, Hudson jumps up and comes to his brother’s defense.
In complete disgust he says, “Jax doesn’t have to apologize for anything. You don’t know what kind of shit your sister put him through. You weren’t there. He still isn’t the same person that he was back then. He’s only heartless because she ripped his heart out and shredded it before leaving the wreckage behind.”
Erin wipes her eyes and looks at her brother. “He’s right. Jax has nothing to apologize for. I’m the cause of the tension in the room. It would be best if I leave and not be present when the band’s around.”
“No, Erin, you can stay. That was a dick move and I’m sorry. I’m going to be professional and not let our shit get in the way. The past is the past and there’s no point dwelling on it.”
What the fuck? Who is this guy and where the fuck did Jax go? All attention is on him. Hudson’s jaw is hanging open, and I’m sure my face looks pretty similar. You could hear a pin drop. I’ve known Jax almost my entire life and this is the first time in three years that a bit of the old Jax has come out. The new Jax would never apologize and couldn’t give a shit whether or not he made a girl cry. I guess Erin is his kryptonite.
“If Erin and Jax can put their shit out of the room, then it’s best we move on now and discuss what we’re really here for,” Oliver says, breaking the tension.
We all nod our heads and everyone sits back down.
“Here’s the thing, I don’t want to go into all the legal shit with you guys. That’s what lawyers are for.”
We all nod our heads. Even if we wanted to get into that, we wouldn’t know what any of it means anyway. Luckily, Jax and Hudson’s dad is a lawyer and can deal with all of that for us.
“I’m not going to beat around the bush either. I like you guys. You have a great sound, but it’s a little on the rough side.”
Jax starts to jump up but I push him back down. It’s true, we’re nowhere near perfect and we need work. Sure, we can carry a tune and we have the basics down, but there’s always room for improvement.
“With some tweaking, you guys can be a huge success. This could be a great relationship. I’m just building my label and you’re the first band I’ve come across. I’m concerned about everyone’s interests here because if you don’t succeed, then I don’t succeed.”
I agree. With all the other shit on the side, Oliver seems like a cool guy and a great fit for us. We need someone who doesn’t have a problem speaking their mind. I don’t want someone to coddle us, and I don’t get that vibe from Oliver.
“You guys are going to be huge, and I want to help you get there.”
“So, what are your plans? Where do you want to take us?”
“I want to get you guys into the studio as soon as possible. I’ve only heard the one song so I want to hear your other material. I think it’s best to get an EP together and expand your online presence. You have a great following for a small town band but I want to get that growing. Ultimately, I want you on Warped Tour next summer. That will get your music in front of a lot of people. It will also give you the chance to make friends and connections with other bands for potential future tours.”
I nod my head and look at the other guys. They’re all thinking the same thing—this is right for us. An EP and fucking Warped Tour. That’s the dream right there for any pop punk band. All of the bands we model ourselves off have played Warped at one time or another. Blink-182, Fall Out Boy, Green Day, All Time Low, all of those fuckin’ guys have played Warped.
Being the front man, I speak for us again. “I’m going to lay it out there for you, Oliver. The guys will agree with me when I say this feels right. We can’t commit to anything, though, because Jax and Hudson’s dad will want to go over contracts, and he would kill me if I agree to anything beforehand. Apparently, verbal agreements are pretty legit in our fine state. There’s one elephant in the room we haven’t tackled yet. Will we still be living in Ashland?”
I’m worried about his response. Although Jax and I have already graduated, Hudson and Jude are still in school. I’m sure Jude could care less about sticking around because we’re his family, but I don’t know what Hudson is thinking. If we have to move to Portland that would require them to both get their GED or do online school. It’s something to consider.
“I’m based out of Portland so it would be preferable if you moved up there as well. If you don’t, you’ll be traveling a lot. Are you all over eighteen?”
Hudson speaks up. “I’m going to be a senior but Jude is only sixteen. I don’t have a problem with getting my diploma online if I need to, but I’m not sure about him.”
“I’m cool. I’m actually working on getting emancipated so no issues for me, either.”
That gets everyone’s attention. I guess he’s been thinking about what he’s going to do. The guys are even more shocked than I am because they have no idea what’s going on. They don’t even know he’s been living with me because he didn’t want any unnecessary drama within the band. I agree with that, but I don’t agree that his living situation and lack of parents is unnecessary drama.
Oliver just nods his head and turns his attention to Hudson. “So your dad is your lawyer then?” Hudson nods his head and Oliver continues, “Okay, I’ll have Erin send the contract over to your dad and we can start the negotiations. Here, write his name and contact information down for me.” He slides a pad and a pen over to Hudson. Turning his attention to Jude, he says, “And I’m sure Erin can help you with getting emancipated. You’ll have to get that worked out before signing the contract.”
If Jude’s mom is the kind of woman she sounds like, she’d probably try to figure out how to take his money. We’ll want to get on the emancipation thing quickly so that won’t be a problem for him.
Standing up from the table, Oliver says, “Okay, well this is great. I hope we can get everything figured out and start making some amazing music together. I can’t wait to get you guys in the studio and perfect your sound.”
We’re all beaming. It’s going to be awesome to actually take this to the next level. Shaking his hand, we say our goodbyes and head out of the room. Stopping, I turn back toward the room and Jax raises an eyebrow at me.
“Hey, you guys go on, I’ll meet you in the parking lot. I have a quick question for Oliver.” They just nod their heads and walk back out.
Back in the conference room, Oliver and Erin are putting everything back to normal. Lifting up his head, Oliver asks, “Was there something else you needed, Flynn?”
“Yeah, man, I just wanted to thank you for not saying anything to the guys about who I am. Or, I guess I should say, who my father is. They don’t know.”
Finding Flynn Page 12