by R H Tucker
“That sucks. Sorry.”
She lifts her shoulders. “Anyway, enough about me. What about you? You’re meeting Alicia today, right?”
Nodding, I pick at my ripped jeans. It’ll be the first time going out with Alicia since a couple of weeks ago when we were at the Carter Media event. We’ve been talking here and there on the phone and exchanging text messages, but I haven’t seen her since then. Maybe a little more concerning is that I haven’t wanted to see her.
Not that I don’t not want to see her, but there’s no urge to try and reconnect with her anytime soon. Which has left me, unfortunately, thinking about Skye. It’s unfortunate because I shouldn’t. She should be the furthest thing from my mind, but my thoughts of Alicia are tied to her. Every time I wonder why I don’t have the urge to call her, I remember thinking if I should call Skye or not so we can meet up. When I check my phone and find nothing from Alicia, I remember Skye and the time I checked my phone in Vegas, almost hoping for a Skye message. I’m not that way with Alicia.
“You okay?” Jade asks, breaking me from my thoughts.
“Yeah, I’m good. And I am meeting her.” Pulling out my phone, I check the time. “I should probably get going, I’m supposed to meet her across town.”
“Okay.” Getting up, she walks me to the door of the studio. “How’s it going with her, though? Are you getting the feels?” She laughs.
Smirking, all I can do is lift my shoulders. “I don’t know. She’s nice. And pretty. It’s just …” I’m trying to find the right words, but I can’t think of them. Alicia is hot, smart, and seems fun enough. Basically, she’s the total package. I should be thrilled I’m going out with her and maybe even more that she likes me.
“What?”
“Nothing,” I answer. “It’s fine.”
“EJ.” She stops me, grabbing my arm. “If you don’t like her—”
“No, it’s not that. I like her. I just … I don’t know. I thought I might feel different about her. But it’s probably just because we haven’t had a lot of one-on-one time together, you know?”
Thoughts of Skye strike again. We spent a lot of time together in Las Vegas. Finally voicing that concern to Jade, I wonder if maybe that’s the reason I’ve been feeling like this around Alicia. Perhaps I should make more of an effort to be around her. It’s not like I have the tour or a lot of other stuff pulling for my attention right now.
“Have you …” Jade’s words fade away, and I lift a brow. “Never mind.”
“What?”
“I was just going to ask if you’ve spoken to Skye?”
“Why would I?” I reply bluntly. I don’t realize how harsh it sounds until she scowls at me. “I just mean, what’s there to say? We both followed through on the plan. She got the headlines of how she caught me cheating on her, erasing her heartbreaker image, and I got what I wanted.”
“Did you?”
My head jerks back. “I did. King of Nice, remember?”
She laughs again, looking away. “EJ, you can say you want to get rid of that name all you want, and I know that’s true. But I also know what I saw when you guys were enacting your plan.” She makes air quotes. “You liked hanging out with her.”
“Sure I did,” I agree. “But that doesn’t mean anything.”
“To you or to her?”
“Both. Jade, we had a deal. The deal’s over now.”
“Even so, she could still be considered your friend. Friends keep in touch.”
“I guess.” I’m about to finally depart, but Jade’s green eyes linger on me, forcing my mind to work overtime. “Wait, have you talked to her?” She bites her bottom lip and immediately averts her eyes. “You have, haven’t you?”
“Only a couple of times. She sent me a text, and then the other day, she called me.”
“She called you?” My interest piques. I can see Jade reaching out to her, but why would Skye call Jade? “About what?”
“It was just this mix-up thing, I don’t know. I shouldn’t even tell you.”
“Wait, what? Why shouldn’t you tell me?”
Her shoulders slump, and she lets out a frustrated groan. “Wow, I’m really horrible at this. It’s not like I shouldn’t say anything because she doesn’t want you to know.” She pauses for a moment, tapping her finger to her chin. “Then again, she didn’t tell me not to tell you the news.”
“What news?”
“EJ, you have to promise not to tell her I told you. She asked me not to.” I nod slowly, unsure what she’s about to say. “It wasn’t a huge deal. She’s on tour with her band, and she called me … pretending I was you.”
My mouth drops. “What?”
“I guess the girls were daring her to call you, or something like that. I’m not really sure. So she called me instead, pretending I was you so they’d stop harassing her.”
“Why would they harass her?” I’m completely flabbergasted. None of this makes sense.
“EJ!” She lightly slaps her hand to the side of my head. “Because she likes you! And I’m pretty sure you like her. But you guys are so stuck on this ‘it was a deal, and now it’s over’ thing that neither of you wants to admit that to the other.”
“Did she …” I can’t bring myself to ask. I want to know and don’t want to know at the same time. But curiosity gets the better of me. “Did she ask about me?”
Jade’s eyes widen, and her mouth drops, staring at me like I’m a complete moron. “Of course she did. And again, this is all stuff I’m not supposed to tell you. And then she told me their record went gold. There. That was the news.”
“Oh, wow. That’s incredible.”
“I know! Even though I could hear the excitement in her voice, I know it was tempered. And it’s because of you.”
Staring at the dark marble tiles beneath my shoes, I don’t know what to do. I feel like calling her right now, more than ever, but I know I’m supposed to be meeting Alicia. This isn’t like Crystal, where it was part of the plan. I don’t know that Alicia is head over heels for me or anything like that, but she seems more interested in me than just wanting to make out or hook up, like Crystal was. I can’t ditch her because of this new information from Jade. And what if Jade’s wrong? What if she only thinks all of this stuff, but Skye really is happy and fine without ever hearing from me again?
I shake my head. “That’s awesome news for them.”
Jade scoffs. “Wow. That’s it?”
“What am I supposed to do, Jade? She’s off doing her thing, and I’m supposed to meet up with Alicia right now.”
Shaking her head, she tucks a piece of her dirty blonde hair behind her ear. “I guess. Let me ask you this: I know you haven’t hung out with Alicia much, but that first night with her? At the Carter Media thing? Did you feel anything with her like you did with Skye at that movie premiere we went to?”
Staring at Jade, I chew on the inside of my lip. I’m not sure if she knows my answer or not, but I instantly do. “It doesn’t matter.”
“Sure it doesn’t,” she replies, offering me a knowing smile.
I get to the restaurant I was supposed to meet Alicia at across town, but find her nowhere around. The restaurant is one of the hottest places in town and frequented by other celebrities, so when I approach the hostess, she’s not fazed when I ask about our table. Directing me to our spot, she tells me Alicia hasn’t shown up yet, but a waiter will be with me in just a minute.
Sending a text message to Alicia, I don’t hear anything back, and when the waitress stops by, I decide to order a soda, starting to feel a bit uncomfortable.
It’s a nice restaurant. I’m not one for fawning over high-class places, with crystal chandeliers hanging from the ceiling, like this place has, but I do know it’s a fancy place a lot of the Hollywood elite like to come to eat. Because of that, no one is really paying any attention to me. I think I recognize an actor across the room, but not who he’s sitting with.
The soft chatter of people talking, along wit
h a light piano piece playing in the background, does nothing to make me feel a little out of place. Everyone is dressed in formal wear. High-priced suits, elegant dresses, and here I am in my jeans, T-Shirt, and sneakers.
Right as I reach for my phone again, Alicia hurries to my side, kissing my cheek, and taking a seat in front of me.
“Sorry! I thought it was just going to be a quick meeting with my agent, and it turned into a complete contract signing.”
“It’s cool,” I reply. “Did you want to order a drink or—”
“No.” She shakes her head with a huge grin. “EJ, I have amazing news.”
She’s almost buzzing with excitement. Like the rest of the patrons, she’s dressed up just as sophisticated. A tight black dress that’s sleeveless and reveals enough cleavage that forces you to take notice. Her dark short hair is styled in a way this it curls around in front of her ears, and she’s adorned with bright red lipstick. Today it seems she’s going for more of a sexier look than cute, and she’s pulling it off.
“Oh, okay.” I refocus because she seems really excited about whatever this news is.
“So, I think I read somewhere that you and your brother like the Rockin’ Power Lizards, right?”
A light chuckle floats out of me. “Yeah, that’s right. When the news broke about the movie, we were kinda bummed it wasn’t going to be live-action, but CGI is still cool. We were hoping we could get a song on the soundtrack when it comes out. That would totally make things come full circle for us.”
“What do you mean?”
“It’s the reason we like them. They kind of inspired us to start playing music.”
“That’s weird,” she replies. It’s not said with a smirk or in jest. Her nose wrinkles and her eyes stay on me for a few moments, I think waiting to see if I’m joking. “Anyway, you can’t tell anyone because it’s super top secret. Like, the secretest of the tippy-top mountain of secrets, but …” She raises her brows, anticipating my reaction, but I’m confused. “I’m voicing Larry.”
My face drops. “What?” I deadpan.
The excitement drips from her as she nods. “I’m voicing him. That’s why I was running late right now. We just signed the deal.”
“Uh, Alicia? Larry is a boy. They’re all boys.”
“First of all, they’re lizards.” She holds up a finger. “But more importantly, it’s a reimagining. Larry is going to be called Lisa. And instead of the gamma goo stuff they crawl through in the desert, their powers are going to come from outer space.”
My mouth opens to reply, but I’m speechless. I have no idea what or even how to respond to this nonsense. My hands rise, and I point a finger, but immediately clench my fists, and my arms start shaking.
“EJ?”
I cough, finally gaining some semblance of coherency. “No. No, no, no. What? What? No!”
“What’s wrong?”
“Alicia, the Rockin’ Power Lizards are a staple of my childhood. Our childhood. What are you doing? What are you even saying? Is this a joke? Please tell me you’re joking? They don’t come from outer space, and the gamma goo is called gamma kassarian plasma. It’s a critical part of their origin story. It’s why they bond! And Larry is Lisa? Are you kidding me?”
She cringes, but not with an embarrassed look. In more of an expression like she’s trying to understand why I’m so upset by this news. Just the fact that she doesn’t know why I am, upsets me further. “EJ, it’s just a cartoon. A mediocre one at that.”
“Mediocre?” I yell at her. Catching a few of the looks tossed our away, I try to take a deep breath and calm myself. The breathing happens, but the nerves are still shot. “This … this is horrible.”
“So, does that mean you don’t want a role?”
“What?”
“Yeah. I asked the producers if you could have a cameo.”
“I could never.” Frowning, I cross my arms. “Not in a million years would I ever be a part of something like that. They’ll ruin the franchise.”
Her eyes narrow, and she leans back in her chair. “I don’t know what this is, EJ, but the Lizards movie is happening. And you being a part of it would only increase your new identity.”
“What do you mean?”
“The King of Conflict. It’s something else I wanted to talk to you about. I thought it up after that whole debacle with the girl from that band in Vegas. You were already shedding the lame King of Nice thing before, but this could open up a whole new revenue line for you. You could make all these controversial decisions and have this whole new persona. I’d help, of course.”
I scratch my head, instantly switching from irritation to bewilderment. “What are you talking about?”
“EJ, no one wants the King of Nice. But the King of Conflict? Now that’s grabby. Imagine, you could get in a fight with your brother—”
“Whoa, whoa. I’m not gonna fight with my brother.”
“No, silly. It’d all be fake. You guys could argue, or you could act like you’re gonna quit the band. The gossip magazines and blogs would run wild with that stuff. Then you’d all come together and sell more records and tickets than ever.”
The annoyance has built, and now I’m grinding my teeth. “Alicia? There’s no way in hell I’d ever do that.”
She stares at me like I’m talking a foreign language. “Why not? Controversy creates cash, EJ. Why do you think I even asked you out?”
I’m gawking at her like she’s grown a second head, and a third is starting to sprout. “I don’t know. Why did you ask me out?”
“Because I saw you finally breaking out of that pathetic King of Nice cocoon.”
Finally connecting the dots, I take a deep breath. “Hold up. So if you didn’t see me with Skye making out on red carpets or in bar fights … are you telling me you would’ve never contacted me?”
She lifts her shoulders, offering me a slightly embarrassed smile, but not nearly embarrassed enough. “I mean … not really. But that’s okay, EJ. You’re not that guy anymore!”
“No. I am that guy,” I reply, matter-of-factly. “I have to go.”
Getting up from the table, I kind of expect her to protest. Or to finally backtrack on some of the things she says, but she doesn’t. What she does do is pull out her phone and start scrolling through it. “Well, if you change your mind, let me know,” she tells me without even making eye contact.
I chuckle to myself, shaking my head, and leave the restaurant.
38
Skye
It’s the last night of the tour. I can’t believe how fast these four weeks have zoomed by. We traveled from California to Arizona, one stop in New Mexico, then swooped around to Utah and Nevada. Now we’re finishing back in California, at a small club in Los Angeles called Lazos.
The dim lights from the club give a soft yellow glow over the stage, and Leah calls out the last lyric of our song. The crowd sings along to it and then erupts, applauding. She thanks everyone before we make our way backstage, finishing our last set of the tour.
Getting to our room, Leah, Roxy, and I all hug one another, smiling ear to ear. For the first time in a week, no thoughts of EJ hit me after playing our set. Then a knock sounds at the door before it opens, revealing him. My eyes jump to Roxy and Leah, who wear the same shocked expression as me.
“EJ.” His name lightly floats out of me.
He offers us all an uncomfortable wave. “Hey.”
“EJ!” Roxy yells, running over and embracing him in a bear hug. “What are you doing here?”
Letting out a nervous chuckle, his eyes find mine. “Um, I looked up your tour. Can we talk for a minute, Skye?”
Leah and Roxy both stare at me, but I have no idea how to reply. Forget not knowing why he’s here, I have no idea why he’d even want to talk to me. We finished our deal, and he’s going out with Alicia now. What is this?
Instead of being able to question him, though, Roxy pushes my arm. “Of course you can,” she answers for me.
Fo
llowing him out of our room, I take a deep breath, still wondering why he’s here. “What are you doing here?”
Despite the shock, I’m immediately caught off guard by how much I want to wrap my arms around him. I know when we were together, we were actively making sure to display public affection in front of others. However, even with no one around and our deal long since gone, I still feel a draw toward him.
He smiles. “You guys sound great,” he says.
“You heard us?”
He nods. “I was hanging out backstage. Was that a new song in your set?”
I can’t fight off the smile of him noticing our setlist. “Yeah. We’ve been working on a few new ones, and last week Leah wanted to try it out. Everyone likes it.”
“As they should. It sounds terrific.”
“What are you doing here, EJ?” I ask again.
An expression I remember overtakes him. It’s the tentative, unsure-what-to-do-or say appearance that was on him in the beginning. But the more we were together, the less I saw it. He looks away, then down at his hands, fidgeting with his fingers. “Uh …”
His slightly pained expression inspires a little more boldness out of me. “Confidence, EJ.”
My words earn a grin from him. “I miss that.” His words catch me off guard. “Skye, I messed up.”
“What do you mean?”
“I mean, I shouldn’t have made that deal with you. Well, no, I’m glad I made it. But at the same time, I’m not. You’re a heartbreaker, and I’m a nice guy, but I don’t know if that’s such a bad thing.”
“Uh … what?”
“No.” He takes a deep breath, pinching the bridge of his nose. “Sorry.” A weak laugh escapes him. “You seem good.”
I still don’t know why he’s here, but I don’t want to act like I’ve been thinking about him since I left Vegas, so I put on a strong face. “Yeah, things have been good. Great, actually.”
“Really?”