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Begrudgingly, I get out of the vehicle and follow as we approach a small door. Turning the handle, he glances back at me. “Damn, it’s locked.”
I can’t help the chuckle that floats out. “You thought we’d just be able to stroll in there?”
He rolls his eyes, but smirks, and waves for me to follow him. He marches along the back of the building, and through the brush that’s pushed against the walls. Stopping, he takes a couple of steps back and stares at an eight-foot brick wall. Rubbing his hands together, he moves quickly and jumps up, clinging to the top of the wall, hoisting himself onto the top.
“Come on,” he tells me.
“This is nuts.”
“Just do it,” he snaps.
I lift my shoulders and try to do the same thing he did. Taking a few steps back, I rush at the wall and jump, but my feet aren’t working as well as his. They slide down, and I drop to the bottom.
“Come on, loser,” he calls out, laughing.
I slap my face a couple of times, sobering myself up a bit more. Getting back to my starting point, I take a deep breath and try again. This time I’m able to hold on to the top of the wall, and Derrik leans over, grabbing my arm to help me up.
We both start laughing as I finally make it up. After a second, he jumps down to the other side. Feeling a little better but still befuddled as to what we’re doing, I follow along, and we make our way through the seats of the Bowl.
We’ve had a lot of concerts here. Every time it’s been with a sold-out crowd, lights illuminating the sky, and our music echoing around. Walking through the concert area this way feels different. Bigger, if that makes any sense. With all of us, the fans cheering, and all of our equipment everywhere, it makes the area feel small. Tiny even.
Right now, with no one around but just Derrik and me? It feels immense.
Making our way up to the stage, Derrik approaches the edge—the spot where he might be singing out to the crowd, taking in the adulation. He drops to his knees, then sits with his legs crossed, looking out at the empty seats. He glances up at me, raising his brows, so I follow suit and sit next to him.
“Hollywood Bowl,” I say aimlessly, then start laughing. “Remember when that girl skirted through security and started tearing at your shirt?”
He nods, laughing along. “Or that dude jumping on stage and kissing your sister’s feet?”
“Ugh!” I shout through laughter. “I could’ve gone an entire lifetime without anyone bringing that up again. What is it with guys and foot fetishes?”
Derrik chuckles. “To each their own.” A quietness floats between us, and he stares out again to no one. “What’s going on, Maddox?”
His question brings me back to reality, evaporating my humor. I stare down at the stage under my legs. “Nothing,” I whisper.
My mind wanders, wondering if he thought bringing me here, to when we had some great memories, was a way to calm me down. It worked for a minute, but once he asks the question, everything that’s happened in the last few days comes back to the forefront. I wish I could dull the pain with alcohol again.
“Oh, I got another one,” he says quietly. “Remember our first show here?”
I look over at him, remembering it like it was yesterday. It wasn’t just our first show here, it was everything else that happened that night. “I’ll never forget.”
He nods, smiling at me. “Platinum. Our first platinum record. Peter told us we broke the single-day download records that day, too.”
“It was …” I can’t finish, remembering the feelings. We’d received the news about two hours before we got on stage to perform. This was before our world tour. We were just heating up; just beginning this whirlwind life that’s encompassed us. “It was amazing.”
“We rocked the show that night. You played like a madman.”
I laugh. “We all did. Jade was on fire, EJ’s solos were awesome, and you sang your heart out. Man, we were on cloud nine … No, we were on cloud nine hundred that night.”
He grins. “And what’d we say, Maddox?” He looks over at me. “After that show, when we were all backstage, still feeling like superstars and the world was for our taking. What’d we say?”
I know the words he’s talking about, but I don’t want to say them. We were all already close by then, so I had no problem thinking of him and EJ as family. All of the touring, practicing, and recording before. All of the time we spent together drew us closer. But the words that night that Derrik said cemented it forever. And even though he’s the one who said them, we all believed them. Still do.
“We said family forever,” he continues. “I told you and Jade that there would be no band without you two. There are no Kings of Karmichael without all of us. And no matter what crap we go through, or what awards we win, we would always be there for one another. Always.”
My gaze stays on him, listening to his words. We’ve laughed together and argued with one another. There have been times when I absolutely wanted to punch him in the face, and I’m sure he’s felt the same about me. But through it all, thick and thin, good and bad, we’ve always had one another’s back. Because he’s right; family forever.
An annoyed growl floats out, but it’s not directed at him. I rub my hands over my face, then look out over the seats. “It’s over. Cece and me. I … I had to end it.”
