“I can’t tell if you’re being serious or giving me a hard time, but in case you need reassurance, I’ll keep it in my pocket.”
“That was a joke,” Alec said with a laugh.
“You need to work on the whole joking part,” Boomer responded, his forehead pinched together. “Maybe next time you can smile or something.”
“How about this?” Alec dangled these in front of Boomer. “I’ll trade you these for the game. I haven’t played one of those in years.”
Boomer’s face lit up like Alec had told him he’d won the lottery. “You so have yourself a deal.” He handed over the purple Game Boy. In turn, Alec tossed him his key chain.
Asha leaned over. “Is it just me,” she whispered. “Or does Boomer actually think he gets to keep the car?”
We both snorted.
Once we were on the road again, I plucked my ACT book out of my bag and tried to study, but it was impossible to concentrate. Alec was sitting across from me playing Boomer’s game, and my whole body was conscious of his proximity. Every time my mind wandered to him, I had to reread whatever passage I’d been working on. When twenty minutes had passed and I’d barely made it through a chapter, I tossed the book on the seat between us. Alec glanced up from the Game Boy.
“Sorry,” I told him, but he waved me off.
“It’s okay. I completed Boomer’s Pokédex anyway.”
“What?” Boomer turned and gaped at Alec. “You caught Chansey? No freaking way. I’ve been trying to capture that damn thing for three weeks!”
“Boomer!” Asha shouted as the car drifted into the next lane. “Eyes on the road!”
Alec just smiled and set the Game Boy aside. Then, he unbuckled his seat belt and slid over to re-buckle next to me. When he pulled out his phone and offered me an earbud, I took it without a second thought.
“I want you to give me your honest opinion about this band,” he said as he scrolled through his music library. “They’re called Raining Bullets. This is their demo.”
When he hit Play, I closed my eyes and concentrated on the song. It was fast and upbeat with loud guitars and a whole lot ofrock. They reminded me a bit of the Heartbreakers…only a girl version. Alec didn’t say anything when the demo finished, just looked at me expectantly.
“They weren’t what I was anticipating,” I said, pulling out the headphone so we could talk, “but I liked them a lot.”
“Yeah?”
I nodded. “The world needs more awesome rocker chicks.”
“My dad’s been going back and forth on whether he should sign them. Says they’re not radio-friendly, so he’s leaning toward no, but I’m working to convince him.”
“Are they friends of yours?”
“Actually, we’ve never met,” he said. “But I’m trying to get into the production side of the music business. There’s something about finding new talent and working with other musicians that I love.”
“Trying?” Alec was part of a successful band,andhis father owned a record label. How hard could it be to get into the production side of music?
“Let’s just say my dad and I don’t see eye to eye when it comes to creative decisions.”
“So he doesn’t trust you.”
“It’s more that he has a blueprint for running the business and doesn’t like to stray from it,” Alec said. “But last month I got him to agree to let me produce a record for this new client he’s signing.”
“Congrats, Alec!”
“Thanks, I’m really excited about it.” He gestured for me to put my earbud back in. “Here… How about I play you some more demos?”
As we continued toward San Francisco, making our way closerto Rose and the answers I so desperately needed, Alec showered me with music. Unlike the playlist he’d shared with me earlier in the day, none of the melodies were familiar, and I didn’t know a single lyric, but I couldn’t care less. Each time I heard a new song, I felt like I was getting another piece to the puzzle that was Alec Williams.
***
Not long after leaving Pismo, we stopped at the Gas Exchange. As promised, Alec refused to let anyone pay for gas. While he fueled the car, Asha and Boomer took charge of stocking up on snacks so we wouldn’t have to stop for dinner. They were halfway across the parking lot when Asha spun back around.
