By: Raven K. Asher
Text copyright © 2020 Raven K. Asher
This publication is protected under the US Copyright Act of 1976 and all other applicable international, federal, state and local laws, and all rights are reserved, including resale rights: you are not allowed to give, copy, scan, distribute or sell this book to anyone else.
Any trademarks, service marks, product names or named features are assumed to be the property of their respective owners, and are used only for reference. There is no implied endorsement if we use one of these terms.
Any people or places are strictly fictional and not based on anything else, fictional or non-fictional
Table of Contents
Table of Contents
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Chapter 11
Chapter 12
Chapter 13
Chapter 14
Chapter 15
Chapter 16
Chapter 17
Chapter 18
Chapter 19
Chapter 20
Chapter 21
Chapter 22
Chapter 23
Chapter 24
Chapter 25
Chapter 26
Chapter 27
Chapter 28
The End
About the Author
Other Books by: Raven K. Asher
Sneak Peek
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 1
“Thank you, everyone; we are Cyclone Lies. Have a great night.” Marshal shouts while pumping his fist into the air as the enormous crowd cheers in front of us.
The sound was like music to our ears.
Last year I never would have believed anyone if they had told us that we’d be where we were now.
Our band was growing more popular by the second.
Tonight had been the largest crowd that we had ever performed in front of, and it felt absolutely amazing.
It was a high unlike any other.
I smile, and pant for my next breath as Micah stands from his spot sitting behind the drums while Russell unplugs his guitar from the equipment on the stage.
Moving quickly, I unplug my guitar and then stand up straight just in time for Marshal to wrap his arm around my shoulders before we exit the stage together.
Micah and Russell follow after us as we walk through a long hallway before stopping.
A small group of girls runs in our direction.
Marshal chuckles lightly and then releases me to greet them. I stand back and sigh softly as I watch the girls practically offer themselves to him.
I couldn’t help the ping of jealously crawling its way up my spine.
For as long as I could remember, I had had a crush on Marshal, but he never noticed.
I would have given anything to have half of the attention that he gave the girls that always seemed to show up at our gigs.
“Don’t torture yourself, Chloe,” Russell whispers into my ear abruptly.
He was the only one who truly knew how I felt about Marshal.
“How long are we going to be here?” I ask.
“We’re leaving in an hour. We have another gig tomorrow night in a town eight hours away.” Russell answers as he moves to stand next to me.
Without warning, Micah lifts me from behind.
I squeal as he spins me around.
“We were awesome out there.” He hoots before placing me back down on my feet. “And you, Chloe, your solo was perfect.”
“I almost thought that Marshal wouldn’t let me do it,” I reply while turning around to face him.
“Nah, he knows that Russell and I would have kicked his ass if he didn’t,” Micah replies with a bright smile.
Before any of us can say another word, two members of our road crew join us. They wordless take my guitar and Russell’s before leaving us just as quickly as they had come.
“I’ll never get used to having people do things for us.” Russell sighs.
“Get used to it because it’s only going to get better,” Micah replies excitedly.
“Micah, Russell, get your asses over here.” Marshal suddenly calls out.
Micah doesn’t waste a second to leave me behind with Russell.
“Are you going to be alright for a little while on your own?” Russell asks.
“I’ll be fine. I’ll probably go to the bus and sleep.” I reply before pushing him to join the others. “Go, have fun, and enjoy the attention.”
He smiles and then reaches his hand up to stroke his knuckles across my cheek. “If you need me…”
“I’ll call,” I reply.
He nods and then lowers his hand before turning to walk away.
As he reaches Micah and Marshal, he glances back at me.
I sigh softly and then turn to walk away from them.
“Chloe, there you are.” Our manager states as he exits a room just as I pass by it.
I stop and then turn to look at him in question. “What’s up, Mickie?”
“You were fantastic out there tonight.” He insists before continuing. “But the fans want more from you.”
“What do you mean?” I press.
He motions towards my outfit. “You need to dress with a little more flair.”
I glance down at my black skinny jeans and black top. “What’s wrong with this? It’s the way that I’ve always dressed.”
“It’s not sexy enough.” He finally blurts.
Of course, I knew this would be an issue sooner or later. The guys had their signature looks, but I had stuck with a simple look.
Micah had his blue Mohawk and spiked bracelets, Russell had his chains hanging from his pants, tattoos, and spiked black hair, and Marshal had his piercings, dark eyeliner, and shaggy red highlighted black hair.
And most of the time, none of them wore shirts on stage.
Closing my eyes, I take a deep breath before releasing it slowly. After a few moments, I reopen my eyes to look at Mickie.
“Fine, I’ll wear something sexier, but I don’t want to look like a whore.” I give in.
His eyes light up with excitement. “Great, I’ll have the makeup girls go out and buy a few things. We’ll work with you to come up with a look that will wow the crowd.”
Our conversation comes to an end when an unfamiliar voice begins to sing on stage.
Mickie and I share a look before staring absently down the hallway.
“Who is that?” I shout.
“I don’t know.” Mickie shrugs. “He’s got one hell of a voice, though.”
I nod in agreement before moving down the hallway. My curiosity was getting the better of me, and I had to see the face behind the voice.
After a few moments, I manage to squeeze between a few people to get a good view of the stage.
The all-guy band plays loudly as their lead singer dances around while belting out the words to their song.
He had the same energy that Marshal had when singing.
Leaning close to a girl next to me, I continue to watch. “Who is that?”
“That’s Lucky August.” She answers before recognizing me. “You’re Chloe, right?”
I nod and smile as she bounces on her heels. “Is there any way that I could get your autograph; I’m a huge fan of Cyclone Lies.”
“Of course…” I reply easily.
She pulls out a pen from her bag and then a poster.
I take it and then unroll the paper before signing my name under the picture of our band.
“That’s awesome. Thank you.” She replies gratefull
y while I hand it back to her.
After a moment, she glances around. “Are Marshal, Micah, and Russell still around? I would love to have them sign my poster too.”
“If you go down the hall now, you might be able to catch them,” I reply.
She nods and then abruptly hugs me before running away with a squeal.
As I turn my attention back to the stage, I catch the lead singer glancing in my direction. His smile grows as I grin at him. I had to admit he was attractive. His shaggy brown hair was already soaked with sweat, but it made him even more appealing somehow.
When the song ends, I turn and walk away from the stage.
My adrenalin from earlier was wearing off, and if I didn’t get to the bus now, I would end up passing out.
I was beyond exhausted from the back to back gigs that we were doing.
Somehow I manage to find my way out of the building and then into the parking lot where our bus was parked. As I approach, our driver, Todd, opens the doors for me to get in.
I climb inside and then move to the back of the bus, where I could change into something more comfortable for the night.
Without thinking, I open the door.
I immediately regret it while shielding my eyes. Marshal had been in the room, but he hadn’t been alone or clothed.
“What the hell, Chloe?” Marshal bites out.
“Sorry, I didn’t realize that you’d be on the bus.” I apologize and then back out of the room while closing the door.
I turn and then practically run off of the bus and then back into the building.
My vision blurs as I search for an empty room.
Turning the corner, I run straight into Russell.
“What happened?” He questions while looking at me with worry.
Instead of answering him, I shake my head.
He sighs and then wordlessly wraps his arm around my shoulders before guiding me down another hall before walking into a room with a few people inside.
“Get out.” He demands.
The people exit quickly, leaving me behind with Russell.
“Marshal went to the bus even though I told him not to, didn’t he?” Russell breathes out while turning to face me.
I nod once.
“Damn it.” He growls.
After a moment, he releases a long-winded sigh. “Why don’t you lay down here? I’ll watch over you and then carry you to the bus when it’s time to go.”
“Okay,” I answer softly.
Russell once again strokes his knuckles across my cheek before pushing me towards the nearest couch against the wall.
He sits first, and I reluctantly lie down before closing my eyes while resting my head on his lap. Sighing softly, Russell tenderly strokes his fingers through my hair.
Within just a few minutes, I drift off as a few tears silently roll down my cheeks.
Chapter 2
“You’re an asshole, Marshal.” Russell suddenly growls out, waking me slightly with the rumble in his chest. “I told you to go somewhere else with that girl. You know that after a show Chloe always falls asleep.”
“She wasn’t in here when I came. I figured she found somewhere else to hang out.” Marshal replies.
“You’re still an asshole,” Russell replies.
“Whatever…” Marshal huffs out. “She should get used to it. There are no rules saying that we can’t hook up inside the bus or wherever we want.”
Silence surrounds us before Russell lays me down on a soft mattress.
I open my eyes to look up at him as he pulls my blanket up.
“I’ll be right across from you if you need anything.” He whispers.
I remain quiet as he turns and then climbs onto the small bed across from mine in the hall of the bus.
There were four beds here that we used when we traveled. Russell’s and mine were on the bottom, and Marshal and Micah’s were above ours. The back room was mostly used for getting dressed or for practicing together since it was the largest area on the bus.
Although it seemed it was also now used for random hookups.
Sighing softly, I roll onto my other side while closing my eyes again.
The hum of the tires against the pavement fills my ears as I try and fail to fall back to sleep. No matter how hard I try, I can’t manage to do anything other than relive the moment walking in on Marshal.
I had no reason to be upset. I knew he slept with other girls, but until now, I hadn’t actually witnessed it.
It sucked being struck with a cold dose of reality.
After what feels like forever, I roll back over and then quietly climb out of my cubby before moving towards the front of the bus.
I grab my guitar from its hook on the wall before sitting down.
Closing my eyes, I strum my fingertips across the strings.
I play softly for a few minutes before stopping. I then grab my phone from the table and then scroll through the icons before tapping on one of them.
Glancing towards the hall of the bus, I take a deep breath and then type in Lucky August into the search bar. It takes a moment, but it comes up with a ton of videos of their band.
Smiling, I tap on a video.
I nearly jump out of my skin as the music plays loudly throughout the bus.
“Shit.” I curse as I fail to stop it.
I had forgotten that we had used my phone last to listen to one of my playlists.
“What the hell…?” Marshal breathes out as he leans out into the hall. “Who is that?”
“It’s the band that played after us,” I answer him.
“Are you cheating on us?” Micah asks next as his head appears on the other side of the hall.
“Leave Chloe alone, guys…” Russell tries.
I groan and place my head in my hands as the music continues to play loudly. I couldn’t figure out how to make it stop.
After a moment, Marshal takes my phone from my hand before tapping on the screen a few times. He thankfully gets the music to play only through the phone.
He watches it a few minutes before raising his brow. “What made you want to listen to this?”
I shrug. “I liked the way that they sounded.”
Marshal nods and then hands my phone back. “They do sound good, but they are the competition. More than likely, we’ll never play on the same stage as them or the same night.”
He was right, but a part of me wanted to see them at least one more time.
I wanted to see the lead singer again.
Maybe if I were lucky, I’d get the chance to actually meet him instead of watching from the side of the stage.
“Chloe…” Marshal begins while rubbing the back of his neck. “I’m sorry about earlier.”
“I’m over it, Marshal.” I insist while focusing my attention on my phone.
He grunts in response and then sits in the seat across from mine. Seconds later, the television turns on while he grabs my guitar and begins playing quietly.
After a while, Marshal stops to look at me. “Have your parents called at all since we left?”
I shake my head. “No, and I doubt that they ever will.”
“You heard what they said when I walked out. They disowned me for being in this band.” I add.
My parents were extremely religious to the point that anything that brought happiness was considered a sin. For years I had kept our band a secret from them. Marshal, Russell, and Micah had been a secret too.
If my parents had ever discovered that I had been sneaking out to meet with guys instead of studying, they would have shipped me off to an all-girl boarding school.
The day that our band had been signed to tour, I had been forced to come clean.
Marshal and Mickie had been with me when I told my parents that I would be leaving. They had immediately kicked me out of their house with just the clothes on my back. The moment that I had spoken about our band, I had been deemed dead to them.
I had committed the ultimate sin in their eyes.
Every chance that I could, I had sent them a letter to let them know how I was. After all, they were still my parents, no matter what they thought of my lifestyle.
“You made the right decision.” Marshal states abruptly. “You’re happy with us, right?”
I nod and smile. “I love the band.”
“Awe…She loves us.” Micah teases.
I snort in amusement and shake my head while Russell and Marshal chuckle in response.
Growing serious, I sigh. “I think I’m going to stop writing to them. I have no idea if they are even getting my letters or if they’re even reading them. For all I know, they’re throwing them in the trash.”
“Do whatever you want, Chloe; whatever makes you happy,” Marshal replies.
Silence fills the bus before I get up. “I’m going to grab a quick shower.”
Without another word, I move to the back of the bus where there was a small bathroom. I close myself inside and then begin stripping out of my clothes.
Once I’m bare, I step into the tiny shower before turning on the water.
I sigh softly as the water warms my skin.
Closing my eyes, I enjoy it for as long as I can before I’m forced to turn the water off to keep it from draining the tanks completely.
Groaning slightly, I grab a towel and then exit the bathroom.
I get dressed and then move back into the front of the bus.
“Feel better?” Marshal questions.
“I’d feel better if I could get an actual shower that lasts more than a few minutes,” I reply. “Do you have any idea when we’re going to stay somewhere that’s not on the bus?”
“We have a week-long stop coming up,” Todd answers from his driver’s seat.
“Did Mickie say anything about staying at a hotel?” I press.
“I didn’t ask,” Todd replies.
I sigh dramatically. “If we don’t stay in a hotel soon, I’m going to kick Mickie’s ass.”
“That’s something I’d pay to see.” Marshal teases.
“I might kick his ass sooner.” I snort. “He’s changing my outfit tomorrow.”
“Why?” Marshal asks while leaning forward.
“My outfits aren’t sexy enough. Apparently, the fans want me to look more like you guys.” I explain.
“That’s such bullshit.” Marshal breathes out. “You’re fine the way you are; at least we don’t have to fight the guys away to keep you safe.”
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