King of Nice
Page 21
I nod. “Our album went gold.”
“Yeah, I know. That’s awesome, Skye.”
“You know?”
“Oh—” Looking around, he scratches the back of his head, then nervously brushes his hair to the side. “Jade told me.”
I don’t know how to reply. Questions on whether or not Jade told him I asked about him pop up, hoping she didn’t. His face turns a shade of pink, and I’m praying mine isn’t doing the same. Perhaps it’s best to end this now.
“How’s Alicia?” I ask, hoping that puts an end to the awkwardness. I’m wrong.
“Okay, I think. I’m not seeing her anymore.”
I shouldn’t want to know why. I definitely shouldn’t ask. But I do. “How come?”
He doesn’t answer. His eyes meet mine for a moment, then he looks away. Did our deal work so great that he’s capitalizing on it, and instead of dating one girl, he’s starting to date multiple?
“On second thought, it doesn’t matter,” I say, and turn to head back inside.
“Wait, where are you going?” he asks, taking my hand. “And why doesn’t it matter?”
“Because … EJ, I’m glad our deal worked so great for you. I really am. But—”
“But what?”
Letting out a deep breath, I meet his light brown eyes. I have to finally rip this Band-Aid off and get rid of him once and for all.
“That night I caught you with Crystal hurt. Really, really hurt. And I know it shouldn’t have because that was part of our deal. That was what I planned, and you did nothing wrong. It still hit me hard, and I wasn’t expecting it to. So, fine. Good. I’m glad you’re not the King of Nice anymore, and maybe not everyone looks at me like a heartbreaker. But if I’m honest, since I’ve been away from you, I’ve had days I wished we never would’ve made that deal. I can’t do this with you. Why are you here, EJ? Just tell me, and we can both go our separate ways.”
He still has the smirk on him, confusing me. “I know you were never a heartbreaker. I was the King of Nice, though. I am.”
“That doesn’t matter.”
“I know.” Taking both of my hands, he steps closer. “I’ve spent probably every day since I was called that wishing I wasn’t. I hated it. And then … Then you came along, Skye. You didn’t care, but you still wanted to help me. Sure, you had your own agenda, but you went along with my part of the plan, too. You don’t care if I’m the nice guy of the band or not, do you?”
Biting my lip, I’m still slightly confused, but shake my head no.
“You’re amazing, Skye. It took me this long to figure out that I don’t care if I’m the nice guy or shy guy or the whatever guy. And that’s because you don’t care about it. Maybe most importantly, you do care about my love of Rockin’ Power Lizards.”
He chuckles, and the confusion mounts. “What does that have to do with anything?”
“Everything.” He laughs again. “It’s all part of it. Actually, there’s one thing that’s even more important than that. More than you not caring about my nice moniker, my love of a childish cartoon, or even me sloppily singing when I’m drunk.”
His grin widens, and it forces me to giggle. Leaning over, his lips meet mine. His hands come up to hold my face while my arms wrap around him. Maybe I should be confused about why he’s kissing me, but I’m not. All I know is he’s here with me, and I don’t want him anywhere else.
His lip breaks away from mine, but he stays close enough that I can feel his breath on me. “The most important thing is that somewhere in between all of those things, I fell head over heels for you. I don’t care if you’re a heartbreaker or a badass bass player. I just care if you’re mine.” He smiles, running his thumb over my cheek. “If you’re okay with dating a nice guy.”
“I wouldn’t want you any other way.”
Epilogue
Jade
Hitting the string on my guitar, my head bobs back and forth, trying to figure out the flow of the rhythm. It’s low, and as my fingers hit the next note, I grimace, shaking my head at myself. I feel bad because I volunteered to this guest spot on The Electrocutes’ next record, but I’ve been struggling all day in the studio.
“Sorry,” I call out to Leah and Skye, who are in the booth with their producer, David.
“It’s okay, Jade,” David tells me through the audio system. “Let’s take a break.”
I nod, and take off the bass, setting it down on it’s stand. Leah and Skye walk in and hop up on the bar stools set up next to me, while the guilt hits me again. “You guys, I’m sorry. I don’t know why I can’t get this.”
“Don’t even worry about it, Jade,” Leah tells me.
“Yeah, it’s okay,” Skye agrees. “I know everything’s different here. Plus, I’m sure you have a different way of recording stuff with the guys.”
“It’s not that,” I counter. “I think I’m just stressing about this meeting I have later today.” They both exchange curious glances. “Where’s Roxy, anyway?”
“With Dean,” Leah responds, shaking her head with a smile. “Ever since the tour ended, those two are kind of inseparable.”
“Speaking of.” I look at Skye who starts blushing. “EJ said you guys went to some comic book convention or something last month?”
Smiling, she nods and pulls out her phone. “Yeah.”
“I can’t believe he didn’t get spotted.”
“Oh, we had it covered.” Scrolling through her photos, she leans closer and shows me the pictures. I see them posing together, hand in hand. She’s dressed in normal jeans and a shirt, but EJ’s wearing a mask that wraps around his entire head. “Is that …”
Skye starts giggling. “Larry Lizard. The original voice actors were signing that weekend, so we went, and he got the doll I bought him autographed. Oh, excuse me, collector’s item, action figure.”
We all start laughing. “You guys are the cutest,” I tell her, forcing her to blush more.
“What’s up with you, though?” Leah asks. “What’s this meeting about today?”
Rolling my eyes, I can’t help but let out a long sigh. “It’s this thing Bret set up. I’m meeting with Rich Records about recording some stuff over there.”
“Ew!” Leah cries out. “Jade, why would you even go there? Richards is such a sleaze. He low-balled us when we were trying to get a deal and was completely condescending.”
“I know, but Bret set it up. And I’ve been looking for a new spot to record some stuff, too. I love being at Juxtapose Studio, but I want a clean slate for this new stuff. I guess Rich Records has an offer where I can use one of their recording studios, and Bret might finally get an in for his band.”
They both exchange glances, and I know what they’re thinking. It’s what I’ve been thinking myself. Just because Bret might be getting something out of this, that doesn’t mean I have to meet with another record company or make any deals.
All of that is true, but Bret and I have been going out for a while. I do put my foot down on certain things, but he’s my boyfriend, and I know he has dreams, too. If I can do something to help him, I want to. But he certainly tests the limits of my generosity sometimes.
My phone chimes and I see a message from Bret, reminding me about the meeting today.
Skye must see the expression on my face. “Are you sure about this, Jade?”
“It’s fine,” I tell her, attempting to believe the words myself. “Come on, let’s try to lay down this track before I have to go.”
They both nod and head back into the studio, while I pick up my bass. I wish playing music was all I had to worry about. That I could simply focus on the music, getting lost in the thing I love, and not worry about all the business side. But I guess that comes with the territory. Who knew being the Queen of Kings meant thinking about business meetings and recording contracts, and not just being a rock star?
About the Author
RH Tucker writes cute & edgy YA romance and lives in Southern California. He also consumes
too much caffeine, eats too much pizza, and firmly believes Rocky Road is the best flavor of ice cream.
Sign up for my newsletter to be notified first when the next Kings of Karmichael book comes out. You’ll also receive updates, excerpts, and FREE short stories!
https://www.subscribepage.com/rhtuckernewsletter
If you enjoyed King of Nice, please consider leaving a review. Reviews and ratings help other readers find the book.
~~~ ALSO BY RH TUCKER ~~~
THE KINGS OF KARMICHAEL
King of Hearts
King of Nice
Queen of Kings (coming soon)
King of Bad (coming soon)
THE RUMORS HAS IT SERIES
Rumor Has It
True to You
Courting the Nerd
Heart Shaped Lock
Through the Layers
Piece by Piece
HIGH SCHOOL SIDEKICK
(written under Ron Tucker)
Freshman Sidekick
Trial by Fire
Riptide
Graduation