King of Nice

by R H Tucker

  “Hey!” I jump from around EJ and push the guy in the chest. “Shut up. Roxy, what the hell is going on?”

  “This asshole just said we’re pretty good for a bunch of girls.”

  “What?” I hear EJ step up next to me. “What the hell’s your problem, Vic?”

  “Oh, hey. What’s up, EJ?” His disgust over Roxy instantly morphs. “I didn’t see you there. Awesome party, right?”

  “Are you kidding me?” Roxy shouts and gets back in his face. “You’re just going to act like I’m not here and fanboy over EJ?”

  “Shut up, already,” Vic spits back. “I know him. Who are you again?”

  “I’m the bitch that’s gonna beat your ass,” she yells, and pushes him. I jump in front of her and try to hold her back.

  “Vic, what the hell?” EJ steps closer to him. “What are you doing here?”

  “Jade got Bret and us passes. A consolation prize, I guess, for not being able to get us on the festival.”

  I roll my eyes at the comment. From the little EJ has mentioned, Bret’s band continues to ask Jade and the Kings for passes to events and to get booked on shows. I feel bad for her a little because even if she is dating Bret, he and his bandmates come off really sleazy. Regardless of any of that, I hold up Roxy, who I can tell has already drunk too much.

  “Roxy, you okay?” EJ asks her. She scowls past him, glaring a hole through Vic. “Maybe you should get her home,” he tells me.

  “No!” Roxy shouts, trying to break free from my grasp. “That jackass needs to be taught a little respect.”

  “Respect?” Vic shouts back, laughing. “By who? A weak-ass drummer playing rock star?”

  I turn around, keeping Roxy behind me. “Hey, this weak-ass drummer could outplay you in your sleep. And not to mention, we’re booked, and you’re not, so we must be doing something right.”

  The words are swift, and my eyes are locked on to his. I don’t know if it’s because of those reasons that they strike a chord, but he straightens his shoulders out, returning my glare. “Listen, if I wanted to give out BJs and hand jobs to get to the top, then I could do that, too. But I’ll leave that to skanky Joan Jett wannabes like you.”

  Before I can slap him across the face, EJ tackles him to the ground, catching me off guard.

  “Yeah, kick his ass!” Roxy shouts.

  Vic tries to wrestle free, but they start rolling around on the ground, and then a group of security runs over to break them up. The crowd around us slows down, most looking on at what’s happening, while a few help to break up the madness. It’s a commotion of yells, and chairs falling over, with gasps from the onlookers and the music continuing in the background. Then I hear EJ, as two guards grab him, holding him back.

  “Say that again, asshole!” he screams at Vic, who’s scowling at him, being held back by his own guards.

  “You guys are out of here!” one of the guards shouts.

  “Whoa, whoa, hold on,” Jade calls out, running over to us. “What’s going on?”

  “These guys are fighting. They have to go,” he tells her.

  “No, this is my brother,” she tells him, pointing at EJ. She scans the crowd, then starts waving. “Gracie! Gracie, over here!”

  Roxy starts to lose strength in her feet, so I hold her up, watching the events unfold.

  “What happened?” Gracie James asks, her eyes wide in shock and confusion.

  “EJ got into an argument.”

  “What? Screw that!” Vic calls out.

  Jade snaps her head, looking over at him, scowling. She places her hands on her hips. “You know what? This guy always causes trouble. I can’t believe you, Vic. I did this as a favor to Bret.”

  “Jade?” All the venom and hatred disappear from his face, replaced by sorrow. “Come on, Jade? Please?”

  She looks over at Gracie, then nods. “He needs to go.” Gracie points at Vic. Then she looks at EJ. “He can stay.”

  The guards let go of EJ, and the other ones escort Vic out of the club, kicking and screaming.

  “I should probably get her home,” I tell EJ, nodding to Roxy.

  “What?” Roxy mumbles. “No, I’m fine. Skye, I’m … totes so good and I’m good.”

  EJ starts laughing. “Yeah, you’re probably right. Drummers.” He chuckles again, then leans over, giving me a kiss on the cheek. It reminds me of everything I wanted to talk to him about.

  “Hey, text me tomorrow,” I whisper to him. “We should talk.”

  He nods, offering me a grin. I adjust my arms under Roxy and look around the club. “Okay, Rox. Let’s find Leah and get out of here.”

  25

  EJ

  My blood is pumping. Mostly because of the fight, I think. But I also know when Vic insulted Skye like that, I couldn’t hold back the urge to punch him in the face.

  Once the commotion calmed down, I see Derrik talking with a couple of other people, and then I’m offered a shot from the bartender.

  “Way to go, man,” he tells me, sliding the small glass of caramel liquid over to me. “I had to listen to that douchebag for an hour. Who was that anyway?”

  I chuckle and down the shot. “Just a guy in some band. They aren’t very good.”

  “Figures,” he responds, laughing. “Good job sticking up for your girl, though. Some dudes are pricks and don’t do anything.”

  I don’t correct him about calling Skye my girl. Mostly because she feels like it. I know what we’re acting like, but tonight, more than any other night, she feels like my girl. It felt like we’re together. When she said we need to talk before she left, it didn’t seem ominous. It seemed serious but in a good way. Maybe she’s thinking the same thing I am, and tomorrow we can clear this all up.

  “Oh my God, EJ,” I hear someone behind me. Turning around, I see Crystal Diaz. “I got here just as that fight broke out. You’re a badass.”

  I chuckle. “Thanks. How’d your set go?”

  “It was so good!” She smiles, clapping her hands. “One of these days, I hope I can headline one of these shows, like you guys.”

  “You’ll get there,” I reply.

  “Do a shot with me,” she says, grabbing my arm.

  Cringing, I shake my head. “Eh, I probably shouldn’t. I’ve already been drinking a bit tonight.”

  “Please? Please, EJ? Come on, the King of Nice has been transitioning into a new king. Let’s let loose.”

  She doesn’t say it with any hint of teasing or amusement, which is probably why I don’t roll my eyes. Plus, it’s nice to see that this plan Skye thought up seems to be working. “Okay, why not?” I acquiesce.

  The bartender serves up two more shots and we both down them. Grabbing my arm, she drags me out to the dance floor. “Dance with me.”

  Lifting my shoulders to myself, I follow her along, and start to move my feet. I’d never call myself a dancer, but I do think I have rhythm. She stays close, and I feel the heat either from her body or my own from the alcohol starting to take effect. Probably both. Her hands come up and lock behind my head as the bass sounds around us. The spotlights still swirl around the room, adding even more dizziness to my world, but I stay upright with Crystal close. My hand slides around her waist. I’m at ease with the closeness to her, not presuming or even thinking of anything else. She seems to be, though.

  With her hands still locked behind my neck, she pulls me closer, and I feel her breath over my lips. Instead of kissing me, she moves her lips closer to my ear. “EJ, that fight was so hot.”

  I recognize the words, but only that they’re words. Not the connotation behind them, which is probably why I don’t do anything except smile and nod.

  Her mouth locks with mine, and I feel her tongue slide over my lips. My drunken hands slide lower behind her, and she stops moving to the music, keeping me against her. Her hands finally unlock behind my neck, only for her fingers to run through my hair. A soft moan floats out from her, and she parts her lips from mine, traveling them back up to my ear. “I
want you, EJ.”

  My eyes widen, completely caught off guard. I’m trying to figure out what’s happening right now, thinking about how this is happening to me and not Maddox or Derrik. Also, the fact that she called me hot and had her lips pressed against my ear does not go unnoticed. But sprinkled over all of those thoughts is Skye. We aren’t a real couple. It’s all an act with the sole purpose of what’s happening now. For me to shake the King of Nice name. So why am I hesitating over this? Shouldn’t this be precisely what I want?

  “I’m staying at Caesar's,” she whispers, keeping her heavy-lidded eyes on mine. It’s not a comment, it’s an invitation. Even in my drunken haze, I know that.

  Before I can answer, I feel a hand wrap around my wrist. Jade tugs at my arm, pulling me away. As we travel through the crowd, I look back and see a confused mien come over Crystal. Crossing paths with Derrik, he stares at me with an even more bewildered expression, and then I’m pulled into a small room that looks like it houses janitor supplies.

  “What the hell do you think you’re doing?” Jade hisses at me.

  “What?” I reply and feel my tongue mumble the word.

  “I am not letting you do this. I am not letting you become Maddox. That’s not you.”

  “Jade, I don’t know what you’re talking about.” The words sound even more slurred.

  Grabbing my face, she leans closer. “You’re drunk, EJ. I am not letting you cheat on Skye, especially in this condition.”

  “Cheat? Jade, don’t you remember? It’s all an act. Isn’t this what was supposed happen?”

  “No,” she counters. “It may have started as an act, but I’ve seen you these last few weeks. You like her. And if nothing else proved it, then how you reacted to Vic tonight does. You two need to get that out and in the open before you go off and have drunken hookups.”

  Moving her aside, I go to leave the small room. “You don’t know what you’re talking about. She was even excited that Crystal was flirting with me. She’d be proud of me.”

  Grasping my arm, she spins me around, this time putting both hands to my face. “Would you listen to yourself? I know you’re wasted, but that is so not you. And whether you think so or not, I know you don’t want to have drunken, one-night stands. EJ Tyler doesn’t do that.”

  “Maybe the old EJ didn’t, but the new—”

  “No.” She shakes her head. Catching me by surprise, she wraps her arms around me, hugging me. “Please, EJ. Don’t do this. Don’t turn into the cliché that Maddox embraces. I love who you are as the lovable EJ. I don’t want to see you become something you’re not.”

  She’s never been this real and emotional with me. No matter how much I hate the label and the fact that other people might think one thing or another about me, deep down I’ve always liked who I am. I never went into this wanting to change the person I am, just the world’s perception of that. Her honesty seems to break through the drunkenness, and my arms wrap around her, embracing her back.

  “I won’t, Jade.”

  “What the hell?”

  Both of us snap our heads toward the door to see Derrik standing here. “Okay, what is going on with you two?”

  We jump away from one another. “What? Nothing,” I answer.

  “Yeah, right,” he snaps, slamming the door shut. “You guys, this … this is not good.”

  “Yo, Derrik, why are you disappearing into hidden rooms?” Maddox laughs, pushing the door open. His laughing stops when he sees Jade and me. We’re not touching anymore, but our proximity, compared to where Derrik is standing is suspect. Plus, he only saw Derrik walk into this room, so why would Jade and I be in it? “What the hell is going on?”

  “You guys, it’s nothing,” Jade answers.

  “No, it’s not nothing. This is serious,” Derrik replies. “Bands break up because of this kind of stuff.”

  “Seriously, someone tell me what’s going on,” Maddox says, and I can hear the concern in his voice.

  “It’s not what you think,” I tell Derrik.

  He folds his arms, looking more like an upset parent than a disapproving brother. “Good, because it looks like you were just making out with a girl out there and Jade got jealous and pulled you away.”

  “Whoa, whoa!” Maddox screams. “Someone tell me what is going on right now!”

  “It’s not like that!” Jade shouts. Looking over at me, she lifts her brow. “EJ, you need to tell them.”

  “Tell us what?” Derrik asks.

  “No, it’s not a big deal.”

  “If someone doesn’t explain this to me, I’m going to lose my shit!” Maddox screams.

  “Fine!” I yell back, throwing my hands into the air. Letting out a sigh, I stare at the dark floor. “You guys know this thing I have going on with Skye?” I lift my gaze in time to see them nod. “It’s a deal.”

  Derrik quirks an eyebrow. “A deal?”

  “She’s gone out with a couple of asshats in the past that blamed her for the relationship ending. She kind of has a reputation.”

  “The heartbreaker,” Maddox says, matter-of-factly. I stare at him, surprised he knows. “Dude, I knew her rep. But I thought she’d be the best thing for you. Break you out of that shell.”

  “Yeah, well, we did, too. We made an arrangement to act like we’re going out for this month. Then, in the end, I’d break up with her. She’d act like she was broken-hearted, and I’d get some dirt on me instead of being Mr. Nice Guy.”

  “And Jade?” Derrik’s eyes narrow, pointing at her.

  “She found out last week.”

  “Nothing is going on between us,” she tells Derrik. “I just think there’s something real going on between them. I’ve been trying to convince EJ he should talk to her and go out. For real.”

  “EJ,” Derrik says, and I can hear the disappointment in his voice, “why didn’t you tell us?”

  “Because it’s embarrassing enough that I’m already thought about in a certain way. Then to tell you guys I was going out with a girl, but it’s all a setup. How much lamer can you get?”

  “Not much,” Maddox replies, and I glare at him. “Sorry. No, but for real, EJ, you didn’t have to hide it. I know I bust your balls, but I told you already, I’d help you break out of that.”

  All I can do is nod. “Yeah.”

  “You should text her tomorrow,” Jade speaks up.

  “You heard her?”

  She nods. “EJ, you stuck up for her tonight. That says more than enough of how you really feel. Text her tomorrow and don’t go back out there to hook up with Crystal.”

  “You were about to hook up with Crystal Diaz? My man!” Maddox exclaims proudly.

  “No.” Jade stomps over to him, slapping his shoulder. “He’s not.” She turns back to me with a worried expression. “You’re not, right?”

  I shake my head with a defeated smile. “You guys know of a way I can sneak out of here?”

  26

  Skye

  I don’t think I’ve ever had someone defend my honor. In addition to it being charming and chivalrous, it flustered me. I told EJ before how the girls and I have gotten idiotic remarks, so the stupidity that Vic was spewing was nothing new. Also nothing new was Roxy’s reaction.

  What did catch me off guard was how EJ sprang into action after Vic accused me of sexual favors for how we got our band going. If I didn’t have to hold up Roxy from falling on her face, and escorting her back to our hotel, I might’ve grabbed EJ’s hand right then and there, and found a dark, quiet place for us.

  Slipping on my pink, fuzzy slippers, I grab my hoodie and zip it up, still feeling the butterflies from last night. EJ agreed to text me today, and I’m not nervous like I have been. I want to talk to him and get everything out in the open. He has to be feeling something for me after the way he acted last night. Maybe this will work after all.

  Dragging my feet to the kitchen, I hear Leah and Roxy bickering back and forth. There’s a marble bar that fences in the kitchen, where Roxy sta
nds. Leah’s sitting on a barstool, both of them still in their pajamas consisting of boy shorts and oversized T-shirts.

  Roxy’s short curls sway back and forth as she shakes her head. “No, we’re not saying anything.”

  “Roxy, I don’t care what he did last night. I might’ve not seen it, but even if I had, I would still feel the same. He can’t act one way and then do something else when she’s not around.”

  “He was drinking. Leah, you know how I get. You can’t hold someone accountable for getting a little crazy. Fun crazy, not crazy crazy. Anyway, I don’t care what they wrote, we know him. The real him.”

  “It’s not just what they wrote, Rox. His picture’s plastered all over Page Five. We have to tell her before she sees it. She really likes him, no matter how much she’s trying to hide it, and I’m not letting this catch her out of the blue.”

  I clear my throat, and both of them snap their heads around, eyes wide and mouths open. “What are you guys talking about?”

  The expressions are identically frozen in place. Finally, Leah is the first to talk, but she looks away, back toward the kitchen. “Um … we have something we need to tell you.”

  “Pancakes!” Roxy cries. “Chocolate chip pancakes or blueberry? I know I messed up waffles last time, but I can totally do pancakes. It’s an instant mix!” Roxy giggles uncomfortably, earning an eye raise from me.

  Leah slaps her hand. “No, we’re not talking about pancakes.”

  Stepping closer to them, I lean against the kitchen counter bar, next to Leah. “If we’re not talking about pancakes, then what? And why were you guys talking like I need to be protected from something?”

  “Mosquitos!” Roxy chimes in again. “Skye, Vegas is becoming a hotbed for mosquitos, and we’ve already been lathering ourselves in bug repellent. We just want to make sure you stock up during this last week coming up. Gotta watch out for that West Nile Virus.”