It was hell.
Daisy was in every AP and honors course she could get into and, much like the years prior, it was all due to her father’s persistent urging. The only good part was that Jameson shared one of her classes. He was a senior now, graduating in a few short months. His schedule was already wild, and the band was gaining real traction.
Their first single, “Dark Road,” debuted just after summer and became an instant local hit. Then the album dropped right before Christmas, tugging the guys away over winter break for interviews and appearances.
Daisy vividly remembered the first time she heard their song on the radio. They’d just left a late movie and, with her newly extended midnight curfew, had driven to a nearby beach. The second the car was in park, they were wrapped around eachother—Daisy straddling his hips, Jameson’s hands at her waist, kissing her like she was his very breath. Her mind floated to that familiar, blissful place when he touched her. She knew the time was coming to take the next step. She was sure he was the one she wanted to share everything with.
Part of her felt bad for making him wait. Fans would expect a rock star to be the opposite of patient, but she knew Jameson didn’t care. He only wanted her to be certain.
Though they were waiting, it wasn’t easy, especially in times like these, when they would get hot and heavy in the front seat of his Land Cruiser. They weren’t parked for more than ten minutes when they heard it, a familiar melody that floated up from the radio, faint at first, then clear.
They stilled. Daisy’s mouth fell open as Jameson’s voice filled the car.
“You’re on the radio,” she whispered, shock fizzing through her words.
“Holy—” He didn’t finish.
They listened in silence to the entire song.
When the last note faded, Jameson didn’t speak. He kissed her instead, deep and laughing, pouring every kind of happiness into her.
Life seemed to move too quickly.
Daisy thought that daily as the months flipped forward. So much had happened in a year. She had decided which colleges she would apply to. Her customer base was growing beyond her parents’ friends. Jameson, Kyler, and Sean were recent high school graduates, and TKC was preparing to go on their first-ever tour with Ace Monroe at the end of the summer. The guyswent to LA at least once a month to meet with their label, mainly networking, talking logistics, and learning the machine that was the music industry.
Before their tour commenced, TKC was set to perform at a big music festival in Santa Barbara.
Daisy began buttering up her parents weeks ahead of time. While their daughter was just shy of being a “real” adult, they still held fairly strict rules. It came as no surprise that they were hesitant in allowing her to travel with a bunch of boys to a music festival. But what came as an even bigger surprise was when they said yes.
It would be a weekend to remember.
None of the parents could make it—Charlie and Rebecca were away on a long-planned anniversary trip, and Margot couldn’t get the time off work.
So Daisy, Anna, and Sean drove down separately from the guys. The label had booked the band in a nice hotel near the venue, complete with too-much food, drinks, and a spa. They hadn’t even toured yet and the rock-star treatment had begun.
After a quick hang in the band’s room, the guys peeled off to rehearse, and Daisy, Anna, and Sean went exploring. They ate lunch at a small café and after rented e-bikes to ride along the beach.
They’d just returned when Anna tugged Daisy toward their room.
“Don’t hate me, okay?”
She squinted her eyes at her best friend. “Is it bad?”
Anna shrugged and avoided eye contact. It must have been bad.
“Just spit it out.”
Anna winced. “I… kissed your brother.”
Daisy’s eyes nearly popped. “Ew—why? You’re like a sister to him!”
“I know! It just happened.” Rushing into their hotel room, both Daisy and Anna plopped down onto their respective beds. “Just tell me quickly.”
Anna crossed her legs and sat upright. “It happened last week at his graduation party. It was innocent but also hot… sorry. I’ve been feeling really guilty about it all day and had to tell you. Are you mad?”
Daisy massaged her throbbing temples, still processing the information.
“Disgusted, yes, but mad? No. You should know me better than that.”
