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Riley, on the other hand, clearly wanted them all to be on the same page.
“I’m sure the reporter will ask about the breakup, so, Skylar, do you want to comment on that when they do?”
“Me?”
“You’re the one that left,” Erica quipped, and Skylar shot her a glare. “You can get mad, but it’s the truth.”
“Leave Skylar alone.” Elena’s voice was elevated slightly. “She did what was right for her, and that’s all that matters.”
“You can say that because it never affected your career.”
Riley held up her hands as if she were a referee. “Okay, ladies, let’s not bicker. If the breakup is too testy of a subject, I can always interject and divert the questions back to the current tour.”
“I don’t care to answer questions,” Skylar clarified. “But I reserve the right to keep my reasons for leaving to myself.”
She glanced at Elena out of the corner of her eye and tried to quickly smile. Riley nodded, giving her the approval to give whatever answer she was comfortable with.
Before anyone could say anything else, a middle-aged woman in a black pencil skirt, red top, and higher heels than Skylar had ever seen someone wear walked into the conference room of the hotel. The band had rented the room near the venue for the interview, and Riley had been sure to hire security to keep prying eyes out of the way. She had even worked with the magazine to set up a backdrop for promo photos that would run alongside the photos from the concert later that night.
“Hello, I’m Carmen Fleming with Three Chords Magazine.” She extended her hand out to Riley, who shook it. As they introduced themselves, Skylar leaned in toward Elena and whispered in her ear.
“Do I have your permission to slug Erica if she starts to out us?”
“Oh, one hundred percent.” Elena chuckled. They both knew she was joking. Or, well, mostly joking.
Thankfully, most of Carmen’s questioning was lighthearted and fun as she got to know each of the band members. She took the time to ask each one of them questions, which Skylar appreciated. It felt as if she were truly getting to know them. Riley also seemed pleased with how the interview was going.
That was until the inevitable question was asked.
“So, I know a lot of fans still wonder why the band broke up.”
Nervous laughter came from everyone in the room. Carmen must have noticed it because a smile formed on her lips.
“I see I’ve asked an awkward question.”
“It’s not awkward.”
Erica. Shit.
“We formed the band in high school, and we all started to grow and evolve at different paces. Going our own way was inevitable.” Erica looked over at Skylar and nodded slightly.
Wow. Wasn’t expecting that.
Skylar nodded back, silently thanking Erica for her answer.
“So, there’s no hard feelings about the band breaking up?”
“No,” Elena answered promptly. “We had an amazing run the first go around, and we’ve all been successful in our own ways since then. Erica has an amazing family. Michael has been a bassist on tons of hit songs. Andy, Gordon, and I have stayed busy still making music. And Skylar has been teaching guitar lessons in her hometown.”
Elena waited for a beat before continuing.
“And I think I speak for everyone up here when I say we never thought we’d have this chance to do a reunion tour. We are extremely grateful for this opportunity.”
Everyone agreed with Elena, and Carmen seemed pleased with the answer. As did Riley, who was seated beside Carmen and beaming with pride. Thankfully, Carmen’s next few questions were easier, and everyone seemed to be in a lighter mood.
That was until Carmen said, “So I have one more question for Elena and Skylar.”
Skylar felt her heart beating in her ears.
