“You’re not fine,” I said, coming to stand next to him. “Dammit, Drew. You’ve been one of my best friends for seven years. Don’t you think I can read you better than that? What the hell’s going on with you? You’ve been in a shitty mood off and on for two weeks – ever since we left Tampa.”
He didn’t say anything so I continued talking.
“What? You’re not speaking to me? Fine, then you can listen. What the hell are you doing to Jen? She’s crazy worried about you, and you keep pushing her away.”
He finally turned and glared at me, sniffing out an emotionless laugh. “It’s just like you to bring up Jen, to care more about her in this situation,” he said, shaking his head.
I felt my anger flare up. “You’re damn right I care about her. She’s one of my oldest friends, and she’s Lily’s mother. What the hell, man?”
“Fuck you, Zack.”
I got in his face then. “No, fuck you, Andrew. Fuck you for coming here with your selfish-ass attitude, thinking that what you do won’t affect the rest of us. This is our shot. We need you. And something is obviously bugging you, but you won’t talk to any of us. I called you six fucking times this weekend, and you never called me back. Are you pissed at me? Is this about me getting all the publicity, because you know I’m fighting that shit.”
He shook his head and looked away from me. I was inches from his face, and I wasn’t moving. “That’s not it,” he said softly, his tone changing all of a sudden. “Sure, it pisses me off, but there’s nothing I can do about it.”
“Then what is it?” I asked, softening my own tone and taking a step back when I realized I might have been pushing him too much. “Talk to me, man. Please.”
I was getting desperate, and he wasn’t giving me anything.
He ran his hand back through his hair. “I’m sorry,” was all he said.
“For what?”
I was thoroughly confused.
He shook his head. “You wouldn’t understand. Hell, I don’t understand. It’s too fucked up.”
Shit, what the hell was going on?
I decided to pull out all the stops then. “What happened with Jen? Did you cheat on her?”
If he said yes, I was going to fucking kill him.
“It’s not what you think,” he mumbled.
I was well-aware that he hadn’t denied anything, but I knew I had to tread carefully. He looked ready to crack.
“Then what is it? Dammit, man. Give me something. I’m just trying to help.”
He sighed and finally made eye contact with me. “Zack, I don’t want to talk about it right now.”
He sounded desperate enough that it freaked me out. What the hell was up with him? I honestly wondered if he was using again. There had been a time when Andrew, Derrick and I had been pretty heavy into drugs, but as far as I knew it had been a few years since Andrew had touched anything stronger than weed.
“Tonight,” I said then. “We’ll grab a beer, just you and me, and we’ll talk, okay?”
He nodded, but then he looked down at the ground. He wouldn’t look at me. He just kicked at the concrete with the toe of his beat up Converse sneaker.
“Thanks,” he finally mumbled. “You’re a good friend.”
“Anytime, man,” I said, vowing to help him with whatever it was he was dealing with, no matter how bad it might be. “Are you going to be okay going back inside? We’ve got to lay this track down today, and we need you to be on point.”
He lifted his head but fixed his gaze on a middle distance. “Yeah, I’ll be fine. Don’t worry. I won’t fuck up the album.”
“Andrew, come on. That guy in there, he’s not you. You’re a far superior musician, and we need you. Whatever this shit is, you’ve got to put it aside and focus on the music.”
“I know,” he said, scuffing the toe of his shoe again.
“Do you?”
He swung his gaze back to me. “Yes, Zack. I do. I know it might not seem like it, but this album means a lot to me too. I’m not going to screw things up for us. Just give me five minutes to clear my head. I’ll meet you inside.”
“Okay,” I said, hedging to leave him there. I was honestly afraid he might bolt. “I’ll see you in there.”
As I walked inside, I watched his reflection in the glass doors leading to the studio. His hands were laced behind his head, and he continued to stare at the line of trees across the parking lot.
“Hey, everything okay with Andrew,” Jonathan asked me, grabbing my arm as I moved to walk past him into the building.
He was standing right inside the lobby. I shrugged him off and narrowed my eyes at him as I wondered if he’d been watching our conversation through the glass.
“Don’t ask like you know him or even care,” I almost snarled, but I held back. I wasn’t trying to be a dick, but this guy just didn’t sit right with me.
Jonathan raised his eyebrows in an innocent sort of way that made me trust him even less.
“He’s fine,” I finally said, because I knew he wasn’t going to walk away without an answer.
I started to walk past him. I needed to call Emily and check on Lily. They were going to the zoo with Emily’s best friend, Rachel. Knowing what a handful my daughter could be when she was in a mood, I wanted to be sure everything was okay. She’d thrown a tantrum earlier in the day when I’d left the house.
“I do care,” Jonathan called after me, and I turned to face him.
I shook my head. “I don’t buy it. You don’t even know us. You don’t know our history or our music or what Liar’s Edge is all about.”
Jonathan took a step forward, and I noticed his demeanor had changed. He took a more defensive stance.
“That’s where you’re wrong. I do know your music. I know it’s some of the best stuff I’ve heard in years. It’s original, it’s personal, and your voice draws people in. The rest of the stuff I need you to help me with. Tell me. Let me get to know you guys. Zack, I know this situation isn’t ideal for you, and I’m not interested in replacing Molly. The truth is, I don’t know the circumstances around the change and why Adam called me, but at the end of the day, I’m here for you and Leo and Derrick and Andrew. I’m here for the band. It’s my job to help you guys be successful, and when your guitarist is playing like shit and his head’s not in the game, you can bet your ass I’m going care about it.”
I didn’t believe for a second that he didn’t know why we’d changed managers. I’d bet a good sum of money that Adam had told him all about us and how I’d most likely push back on his decisions. Jonathan was prepared for whatever I threw at him, and that bothered me.
I sighed. “I don’t know about the other guys, but you’re going to have to earn my trust, plain and simple. I’ll give you a chance, because I have to, but I also need you to do right by us, listen to us and respect that we’ve been doing this for seven years. This band is everything to us, and we’re each other’s family.”
“I get it,” he said. “But I’ve been doing this for eight years, and I’m good at my job. I’m hoping we can work together to take what you guys have done and the kick-ass music you’ve made and make Liar’s Edge a band that everyone has on their iPod, plain and simple.”
Yeah, because that’ll put money in your pocket.
I knew what he was thinking. He might have been dressed in jeans, a plain black t-shirt and black Vans, but I’d guarantee he was only wearing those things for our benefit. He was trying to fit in, but at the end of the day, if we didn’t make money, he didn’t get paid. Something told me Jonathan Striker didn’t do poor well. He was a suit and tie guy all the way, even if he wasn’t wearing one.
“I’ll work hard for you, Zack. I promise you that, but I need you to meet me halfway.”
He stuck out his hand then, and I knew it was his way of asking me to make a gentleman’s agreement to do what he wanted me to do. Begrudgingly, I stuck out my hand and shook his. He nodded once.
“You coming back into the studio?�
� he asked then, and over his shoulder, I could see Andrew stub out a cigarette on the wall outside the glass doors. I wasn’t sure when he started smoking again. He’d quit a few years back.
I swung my gaze back to Jonathan. “I’ll be in there in a minute. I just have to check on my daughter.”
Jonathan raised his eyebrows. “You have a daughter?”
I shoved my hands in my pockets and nodded at Andrew as he walked past us. He nodded back but didn’t say anything.
“Her name’s Lily,” I told Jonathan, giving him the benefit of the doubt. “She’s two and a half. My fiancée’s watching her today. I just want to be sure everything’s good.”
“I have a daughter, too,” he said then, surprising me. “Her name’s Cami, and she’s four. She lives with her mom in Ventura.”
He dug his phone out of his pocket and showed me a picture of a little blond girl. I could see the resemblance.
“She’s cute,” I said, because that’s what you said when people showed you pictures of their kids. And the little girl was cute.
“Thanks,” he said, as he shoved his phone into his back pocket. Just as I started to let my guard down, I put it right back up. “See, that wasn’t so hard, was it?”
The asshole was mocking me. Fuck that.
“Yeah, I guess not,” I said, as I pulled my phone out of my pocket and started to dial Emily. I couldn’t stand there talking to him any longer. I walked outside before he could say anything else that might irritate me further.
“Hey baby,” Emily said cheerfully when she answered. In the background I could hear what sounded like an elephant.
“Hey princess,” I said, as I leaned against the brick wall and finally started to calm down. Emily always had that effect on me. “How’s it going?”
“Great. Lily’s been nothing but perfect after this morning’s incident. We’re actually about to head home so she can take a nap, but she wanted to see the elephants one more time before we left.”
I heard the elephant make the trumpeting sound with his trunk, and then I heard Lily’s high, musical laugh in the background. “Do it again!” she commanded, and I laughed.
“Lily, you want to talk to your Daddy?” Emily asked then.
“Uh-huh!” Then I heard some shuffling noises before Lily got on the phone. “Hi Daddy! I saw monkeys and elw-phants and a wi-on. It was big and it went, wroo-aaar!”
I laughed. I couldn’t help it. She was so animated. “You did! That’s great. Are you having fun with Emily and Rachel?”
“Yeah! We got ice cweam and a pwetzel, and it was yummy.”
I heard the elephant make noise again, which made Lily laugh. Then it sounded like she dropped the phone.
“Zack?” Emily asked a few seconds later.
“I’m here.”
“Sorry, she got distracted.”
“Hey, no worries. I’ve actually got to head back in. I just wanted to call and say hi.”
“How’s recording going?”
“Not great. Something’s up with Andrew, and it’s affecting his playing.”
“Oh no. That totally sucks. What’s going on with him?”
I sighed and shook my head. “Hopefully he’ll tell me tonight. We’re going out for drinks. I think he needs a friend.”
“Good. I’ve been worried about him. But, um, do you think you’ll be late?”
“I don’t know. Why?”
“Um, well, Rach and I had plans to go out tonight since she’s flying back to New York tomorrow night after the shoot.”
“Oh, shit, I totally forgot. I can’t cancel on Andrew. I’m afraid he’s about to lose it. I’ll see if my dad and Sierra can watch Lily.”
“I hate to impose on them. They watched her last night.”
“It’s fine. My dad owes me,” I said, not wanting to go into detail about how much he owed me.
He’d left my mom high and dry when she needed him most, leaving me to take care of her for years when she was sick, and I still hadn’t forgiven him for being a selfish prick. Emily probably knew what I was referring to anyway. She knew my history with him. She also knew he wouldn’t flinch if I asked him to babysit, especially since his new wife would jump at the opportunity. She loved Lily.
“Emmy! Emmy!” I heard Lily calling then.
“I’ve got to go, Zack,” Emily said then. “I love you, and I’ll see you later, okay?”
“Love you, too. Give my baby girl a kiss for me.”
“Will do. Oh, and Zack?”
“Yeah?”
“Tell Jonathan to call me. I need to go over some of the promos we’re doing while you guys are in town.”
“Yeah, I will,” I said, my mood plummeting at the reminder that we were under new management.
Before I went inside to pass along Emily’s message, I gave my dad a quick call to make sure he and Sierra were up for babysitting. If they weren’t, I was inviting Andrew over for drinks. Either way, he was telling me what was up that night.
Chapter Eight
Zack
That night I sat at a bar near my dad’s house waiting for Andrew to show. He’d texted me that he was on his way, but I wasn’t going to be convinced until I saw the whites of his eyes. Thankfully he’d come back into the studio after our talk and played like he normally did, rocking out his parts of Stolen. I could still tell that something was bugging him, but at least he’d stopped letting it affect the music.
And although I hated to be selfish, with what we were doing, I was honestly a little selfish. This album could make or break us, and I wasn’t taking any chances. It had to be perfect. I didn’t want to look back and have regrets. We’d worked too hard to get where we were, where so many bands never got. It wasn’t a chance I was passing up.
We’d spent the rest of the afternoon finishing the song, with Derrick and I contributing our instrumental parts in half as many takes as it took Andrew. Then Andrew and I added the vocals. When it was all said and done, Jonathan and Tommy seemed pleased. Jonathan had even complimented us on the way out the door, telling us to bring the same level of intensity the next day.
I was halfway through my Sam Adams when I looked up to see Andrew walk through the door of the bar. He slumped into the seat next to me without saying hello and asked the bartender for a Jack and Coke. As soon as it was set in front of him, he downed it and asked for another while I watched him, not sure what to make of the scene in front of me. He looked like a mess; blond hair sticking up haphazardly, rumpled t-shirt, and dark circles under his eyes.
“So Jonathan’s a douchebag,” I blurted out to break the ice.
“Yeah, no shit. He actually put his arm around me and asked if I was okay when he came back into the studio,” Andrew said, and I was relieved we’d found common ground.
“What did you tell him?”
“I shrugged him off, and told him if he ever touched me again I’d kick him in the nuts.”
I raised an eyebrow. “Seriously?”
That sounded like something I’d say, not Andrew.
“Naw, man. I told him I was fine, and he moved his arm.”
I saw that as my opening. “But you’re not fine.”
Andrew stared straight ahead and rattled the ice in his mostly-empty glass. “Yeah, no shit,” he deadpanned. “I thought we established that this afternoon.”
I couldn’t tell if he was pissed at me, but frankly, I didn’t care. I was just glad he’d shown up. It meant he wanted to talk things out.
“Okay then, out with it,” I told him.
He laughed a short, non-humorous laugh. “Interesting choice of words.”
What? I had no idea what he was talking about.
“Do you want to start from the beginning?” I asked, offering him a way to ease into what I assumed was probably going to be a bomb that he was going to drop on me. I just didn’t know what kind of a bomb it would be.
“Sure,” he said, as he leaned back in his chair and draped his arm over it. He finally looked at me. �
��Just so you know, this is probably the hardest thing I’ve ever done.”
I made eye contact with him and nodded. “Got it. It’s why I’m here.”
“I just hope you’ll still be here when I tell you everything.”
I gritted my teeth. He was going to tell me he cheated on Jen. I fucking knew it.
“I will be,” I promised him, because it was the right thing to do, and I was pretty sure he needed to hear it, but quite honestly, if he told me he cheated, I might actually stick around but it would only be to punch him.
“Alright, so last summer when I was in L.A., I was out one night, and I met this girl. We got to talking, and she sort of invited me up to her hotel room. We were hooking up, and then she asked if her friend could join us.”
Okay, that wasn’t a big deal. Andrew had done that from time to time, hell we all had. Had he gotten the girl or her friend pregnant or something? Sadly I was no stranger to that scenario. Maybe that’s why he felt comfortable talking to me. Or shit, did one of them have some horrific disease that they’d transmitted to him and he just found out? I wasn’t sure I could handle that, especially because he’d been sleeping with Jen for the past year, but also because I’d already lost someone I loved to something I couldn’t control, and I wasn’t prepared to do it again. I didn’t even want to think about that.
“I follow you,” I said as calmly as I could, so he’d keep talking. I didn’t want to ask any of my clarifying questions for fear that he’d clam up, but my mind was racing.
He raised an eyebrow. “Do you?”
Obviously he knew me well enough to tell that I wasn’t actually as calm as I was trying to appear.
“So did something come out of that night?”
“You could say that,” he said. “Here’s the deal. It wasn’t a threesome with two girls.”
It took me a few seconds to understand what he was saying. “Oh. Okay, so it was a girl and a guy?”
I seriously wasn’t getting what he was trying to tell me.
He cocked his head to the side. “Yeah. A girl and a guy.”
“Okay. Did you hook up with the guy?” I prompted, starting to see a thread I could possibly follow.
Broken Fairytales Series Box Set (Broken Fairytales, Buried Castles, Shattered Crowns) Page 69