by R H Tucker
“But what if it wasn’t nothing? What if she wanted more just like you?”
I shake my head, releasing an unbelieving chuckle. “She didn’t.”
“Do you really believe that, or do you just want to make yourself believe it?”
“Enough with the question game, please. Let’s just leave it alone. I’m here with Alicia, and you’re here with Bret. Where is he, by the way? You might want to keep your eyes on him unless you want to explain your way out of another deal he’s trying to orchestrate.”
Bret walks over to us, slinging his arm around Jade. “Babe, was that Carlton McKenzie you were talking to a little bit ago?” Jade nods, rolling her eyes over to me. I have to stifle a chuckle. “Babe! Can you introduce him to me?”
“Bret, how many times do I have to tell you? I’m not going to be your inside man. I don’t mind getting you guys in where I can, but trying to force meetings with producers and other artists just makes me look like I only want to talk to them so they can sign you.”
He crosses his arms, scowling. I hate watching these interactions between them. Not that I’ve seen a lot, but the few that I have, they’ve all been the same. Bret wants something, asks Jade for it, and she says no. Most of the time. Then, he gets in a huff as if he’s a three-year-old who was just scolded.
“All I’m asking for is an introduction, babe. Come on, you guys got your break somehow.”
“You’re right, we did. By playing karaoke bars and pool halls.”
“Yeah, and it’s just a happy accident your uncle has his own management firm, right?”
She scoffs, and I feel the insult, too. Yes, we were lucky that Peter was already in the music business, but that doesn’t mean we didn’t work to get where we are. We didn’t go to him looking for a handout. We did all the work on our own, and it might have happened a lot sooner for us than some other bands, but we earned our way into the business.
Jade spins around, leaving us behind.
“Jade, come on. I’m sorry,” Bret calls out, chasing after her.
“Oh, what’s that drama about?” Alicia giggles, walking back over to me.
“Same thing different day when it comes to Bret,” I answer. She smiles, and it makes me wonder about her and how she got into the business. “Hey, how’d you break in anyway? Lots of commercial auditions? Background work?”
She lets out another of the giggles that I’m getting used to. The kind that says it’s irrelevant and not worth talking about, but she answers anyway. “Not even close. I was walking along Santa Monica Pier, and this guy came up to my friends and me. He said he was a photographer, and that we should model.”
I laugh. “Shady much?”
“That’s what we thought, but a friend and I actually called the number he left on his card, and it was a modeling agency. We got work that weekend modeling at a show, and from there I caught the eye of an agent. I got the first gig I auditioned for.”
“Wow.”
“I know. It’s been okay, I guess.”
Her words make me pause. Not only the flippant attitude of them, but her story is so different from mine. Music is all I want. It reminds me of Skye, too—her story about seeing Metallica and how she wanted to play since then. Then I’m reminded of listening and finding out more about her, and just talking with her. Connecting with her under the guise of our deal, whether I knew it or not.
“Acting is such a hassle with all of this stuff, though,” Alicia continues, waving her fingers around the room. “It’s fun but boring. I couldn’t care less about winning any awards.”
“Seriously? Alicia, you’re an amazing actress.”
She lifts her shoulders. “It’s like whatever to me. Acting is just how I make money. And trust me, the money is good.” Moving closer, she runs her hand behind my neck. “Thank you for the compliment, though.”
Leaning against me, I’m acutely aware this is going to be our first kiss. I remember going out with her after our performance in Vegas, and a couple of times she seemed like she wanted to kiss me then. We were with the group, and it wasn’t an intimate setting at all. Not that it has to be to kiss, but I couldn’t do it. Everything was too fresh with Skye.
We’re still not in any kind of romantic setting here, with people all around, talking with one another. However, as she draws closer, her eyes meet mine, and I sense the same vibe again. Wrapping my arm around her, I pull her to me, connecting our lips.
As far as kisses go, it’s not bad. Her arms rest over my shoulders, and then her tongue slides across my bottom lip. It’s … a kiss. But it doesn’t spark anything in me. It doesn’t make me think she wants me or drive me to crave more from her. It’s perfunctory. It feels like something we’re doing because we’re supposed to be doing it.
She breaks our connection, smiling up at me, and taps me on the nose. “Not bad, King of Nice.”
I narrow my eyes, unsure what the comment means. Was that a test? Was she expecting something else? Those questions lead to more, like, Why I’m even doing this? A final thought rattles around as she turns around and starts talking to a middle-aged lady. She didn’t say it with malice, or even with a teasing tone, but it felt condescending. King of Nice. Skye never seemed to care about my nickname. She knew who I was when she first brought up the deal. Me being the nice guy of the group, it never once seemed like something she was trying to cover up. She actually encouraged me to just be myself. More confident, sure, but still myself.
Shaking my head at myself, I turn around, grabbing the drink I’ve left sitting at the bar. I have to stop thinking about Skye. That’s over and done. It’s time to move on.
36
Skye
We’re in Phoenix tonight as the tour continues on. The girls and I have been buzzing all week, ever since we were told that we received our first gold album. We’ve shared the news with our family and other friends we’ve made. Leah’s brother actually flew out the next day and took us all out to dinner, which was super nice of him.
The urge to share the news with EJ is still with me. He’d definitely understand the excitement I’m feeling, but I can’t bring myself to call or text him. That doesn’t mean I haven’t talked to any of the Kings. I sent a text message to Jade. I asked her not to tell EJ, so I hope she’s stuck to her word. I didn’t do it to check on him, even if I did ask how he’s doing. But I’ve tried to avoid contact with her because it reminds me of my time in Vegas, which is something I’m trying to forget.
“Did you text him yet?” Leah asks while we hang out at Hardy’s, a pizza chain in the southwest.
“Who?” My eyes widen, unsure who she’s talking about. Why would I text EJ?
“Garret,” she answers, her expression suspicious. “Who else would I be talking about?”
“Oh … no one. And no, I haven’t.”
“But I thought you said he was cute. And he was so nice.”
Her words remind me exactly why I haven’t sent him a text message even if he did give me his number and texted me the next day to tell me he had fun. It was adorable and cute and … nice. Everything that reminds me of EJ.
“Yeah, he is …” I trail off, staring at the slice of pizza on my plate.
Leah’s sitting across from me. Roxy, who’s sitting next to me, bumps my shoulders. “Hey, what’s going on?”
“Nothing,” I reply, trying to laugh it off and finally take a bite of my slice. “I’m good.”
They both exchange looks, and I know neither one of them believe me. Leah’s the first to voice it. “Skye, you should call him.”
“Leah, he was nice. And sure, he was cute, but what am I going to do? We’re on tour right now. Plus, he’s Dean’s cousin, so there’s still time. I’m sure we’ll see him before the tour is over anyway. He said he was going to the concert in Albuquerque.”
“That wasn’t who I was talking about.”
“Oh.”
The silence drifts around us, leaving the buzz of employees working in the background, and other customers enjoying t
heir time eating. I feel their eyes on me as I stare down at my food. I’m surprised they haven’t brought this up sooner. They didn’t talk about EJ during my hungover ride home, or while we were getting ready for the tour. Then, when the tour started, I thought Roxy might bring up when she began seeing Dean, but she didn’t.
“I know you, Skye,” Leah tells me. “If he didn’t matter to you, then you wouldn’t have gone off the deep end and drunk away twenty-four hours of your life.”
Wrapping her arm around my shoulders, Roxy leans against me. “I saw the picture of him at the party with Alicia the other day. They looked … normal.”
I let out a confused chuckle. “What does that even mean?”
“It means he didn’t look like he did when he was with you.”
I fight off the urge to check the gossip website for said photos. The same urge I’ve had since I overheard Roxy tell Leah about them. Picking a pepperoni off of my plate, I nibble on it, then shake my head. “It was all an act. You guys know that. I don’t know how many times I have to tell you—”
“You can tell us all you want about the deal and that it’s an act and any other forms or contracts you think you had with him. You know what I think?” Leah points her finger at me, forcing me to roll my eyes. “I think you like him, and you’re afraid to admit it.”
“Well, good luck with that. Why would I be afraid to admit it?”
“Who knows,” Roxy chimes in, catching me off guard. “Maybe you think he won’t like you, or maybe you’re afraid he’ll do to you what the other a-holes did to you.”
“EJ wouldn’t do that?”
“How do you know?” Leah asks, further prodding my confusion. “Perhaps this King of Nice is the biggest scam in the history of scams.”
“Yeah, maybe he’s not the King of Nice, but the King of Jerks.”
Leah, with a smirk firmly planted on her face, picks off a pepperoni of her own and points it at me. “You never know, Skye. Maybe he was looking for a deal exactly like the one you thought up, and was just searching for the right girl to implement it with.”
“Yeah,” Roxy continues to egg on. “EJ is the worst of them all. Way worse than Maddox. Not just bad, he’s eeevvvillll,” she says, elongating the word.
They’re both giggling, and I know they’re simply prodding me further with this ridiculousness. It prompts me to pull out my phone, waving it at them. “Fine, you know what? Do you want me to call him right now? I will, if only to shut up this nonsense.” I laugh.
“Yes!” they both shout in unison.
“Fine,” I repeat and stare at my phone. I quickly scroll to Jade’s number and hit call. Both Leah and Roxy stare at me, unsure if I’m really calling, still with smirks across their faces. “Hey,” I say as soon as Jade answers.
“Hey, Skye. What’s up?”
“Not much. Just here with the girls. They were begging me to call you.”
“Really?”
I nod. “Yep. It’s okay, EJ. They think there was something really going on between us, or that our deal was starting to lead to something more, so now they’re teasing me to no end.” I add a laugh, trying to sound as calm as I can.
“EJ? Skye, what’s going on?” Jade asks, sounding confused.
“Look, I know it kind of ended weird and everything, but I saw the picture of you with Alicia, and I wanted you to know, it’s totally cool, EJ. We’re fine.”
Silence comes from Jade’s end of the phone.
“So, okay? We’re good, right, EJ?”
“Um … sure. Skye, this is … I don’t know.”
I giggle like as if he told me a joke. “I know, right? … Yeah, the tour’s going great. … Oh, yeah, no problem. I know I called you out of the blue. I’m sure you’re busy with whatever stuff you’ve got going on. Just putting Tweetle Dee and Tweetle Dum over here at ease.”
I laugh again while Roxy and Leah both scowl with grins.
“Skye, are you sure—”
“Okay, EJ,” I interrupt her. “Yeah. All right, I’ll talk to you later. Bye.”
As I hang up my phone, Roxy takes a bite of her pizza, and Leah rolls her eyes. “Fine. Whatever.”
Waving her off, I get up from my seat. “I know you don’t want to believe it, but we really are good. I’ll be right back. I’m gonna use the bathroom.”
Gripping my phone, I’m nervous I might crack the screen from clutching it so tight. Not only for lying to the girls about calling EJ, but now having to explain it to Jade. I can’t wait to do that, I have to call her back right now and let her know I’m not going crazy. She answers on the first ring.
“Hey, Jade, I’m so sorry about that.”
“I’m glad you called me back. I was about to Google reasons people have psychotic breaks.”
A defeated laugh floats out of me. Locking the bathroom door behind me, I lean against it, bringing my free hand to my face, thoroughly embarrassed. “I know. I’m sorry. It’s just that the girls really did hound me to call him and they keep wanting me to admit I liked him more than I should’ve and—”
“Skye … I know you do.”
“Please, Jade. Please don’t say anything. Look, he’s with Alicia now.”
“Not really.”
“What do you mean? Roxy told me about the photos. He met up with her after your show, and then they just had that big event the other night, right?”
“Well, yeah, they did. But EJ … he doesn’t seem … Sorry, I don’t think it’s my place to say anything.”
“I understand. How … how is he, though? In general?”
She chuckles. “He’s … EJ. He goes with the flow, not rocking the boat. You know? EJ.”
A smile crosses my lips. I’m remembering after our Ferris wheel ride and make-out session on the wheel. We hung out longer, and I asked him what he wanted to do or where he wanted to go. His answer was always whatever or wherever.
“Yeah,” I reply.
“Skye, I know that deal was between you two, and I have no idea how either of you really feel. I have my suspicions, but as long as both of you are denying it, I can only go on what I’m told. But … he seemed happy when he was with you. And even if I don’t know you that well, you did with him.” She lets out another laugh, along with a deep breath. “There. I’ve said my piece. I won’t bring it up again.”
“Thanks,” I reply, chuckling. “How’s everything else with you guys?”
“It’s all right. I’ve been writing a lot, trying to get some songs out of my system.”
“Oh, for your guys’ next album.”
“No, this is something I’ve wanted to do for a while. Just a little side project. Nothing official or anything like that, it probably won’t see the light of day. But I want to explore some more songs I’ve been writing that doesn’t fit the Kings’ style.”
“That’s awesome, Jade. I’ll have to visit you when we come back from the tour.”
“I’d like that. How’s the tour going, anyway?”
“It’s good. Oh my God, Jade. We just received our first ever gold album.”
“No way! That’s amazing, Skye! Congratulations!”
“Thank you. Yeah, we’re still freaking out about it. It’s awesome.” We both quiet down on the phone, and I know I should let her go, no matter how much I’m dying to ask more about EJ and what he’s up to, besides dating Alicia. But I won’t. “Anyway, I should probably get going.”
“Yeah, okay. Don’t be stranger, Skye. We didn’t hang out a whole lot, but I’d like to. All of you guys.”
“I won’t,” I tell her. Before she can say bye, though, I force myself to add one more thing. “Jade?”
“Yeah?”
“Can you … not tell EJ I called or asked about him?”
A long silence floats through the phone line. For a moment, I don’t know if she’s going to agree to it or not. It’s just enough silence to make me second-guess myself. Maybe I should let her tell EJ I talked to her. Perhaps that might inspire him to connect with
me. But what would be the point of that now that he’s going out with Alicia?
“Okay,” she agrees, albeit timidly on the other end.
“Thanks. I’ll talk to you later.”
“Bye.”
Still leaning against the door, I hang up and slide my phone away. Looking across the bathroom, I stare at myself in the mirror. I’ve gone from heartbreaker, to deal maker, and now conversation faker.
I can’t tell the girls it wasn’t EJ. They’ll continue to prod and poke, egging me on once again. I really hope Jade doesn’t mention to EJ that I called, and especially that I asked about him. I love that he’s a nice guy—it’s one of the things I liked about him most—but he hates it.
No matter how this thing started, I know what I wanted out of it. And I know what he wanted. And he got it. I won’t take that away from him.
37
EJ
Walking into Juxtapose Studio feels calming. It’s where we’ve recorded most of the songs for the last two Kings’ albums. It’s tiring, aggravating, annoying, and everything in between, but it’s also relaxing. It’s where we come to create and put our music together. We argue over notes, lyrics, and song placement, but it oddly brings us all closer.
Jade sits on the beige couch, scratching out her latest line. She’s started visiting the studio to work on some solo stuff she’s been wanting to record. Maddox is helping a little, laying down drum tracks for her, but for the most part, she’s controlling everything.
It’s cool to see how she’s going about composing the lyrics and sheet music. The little bit that I’ve heard, it’s much softer and easygoing than our usual stuff. I’m excited to see what she comes up with.
“Jade, that sounds great,” I tell her.
Smiling, she sets her guitar down on the stand and then takes a seat next to me. “Thanks, E. I’m still getting used to being alone in here, but it’s nice.”
“Is Bret bugging you to try and help?”
She rolls her eyes, letting out a sigh. “Of course. I even told him I don’t plan on releasing this stuff. It’s just music I want to get out of my system, you know?” I nod. “But no. He wants to bring in his band and sing background vocals, and anything else you can think of.”