Skyler didn’t know whatto do. A robot had taken over Trevor’s body. He showed no emotions at all. Even onstage performing, a place he normally shined the brightest, his light was dimmed to almost nothing.
How could Skyler be the only one to notice the sun had gone out?
Skyler didn’t want to push him, but the way Trevor was dealing with his grief couldn’t be healthy. He was trying to act like nothing had happened.
But something did. Something absolutely fucking terrible had happened, and Skyler was still processing it himself. He couldn’t believe Stacey was gone. Just like that. She’d been like family, and now he’d never see her again. Never get to swap more recipes or argue over another teen drama she liked that was before his time. Nothing.
He’d cried so many times while Trevor was gone. Now that Trevor was back, Skyler was trying to stay strong for him so he could be here for whatever Trevor needed. Only Trevor wouldn’t tell him what he needed.
So he’d taken it upon himself to follow Trevor into this meeting with Maggie, in a small room at tonight’s venue right before their soundcheck, because he didn’t want Trevor to have to go anywhere alone.
But when Maggie saw Skyler, she let out an exasperated sigh. “I only asked to talk to Trevor. You’re not needed, this doesn’t concern you.”
Trevor needs me.
“I’m not leaving,” he told her. “Anything that concerns Trevor, concerns me too.” When he glanced to Trevor for a confirmation and got nothing, hestarted to worry he was overstepping. But then without looking at him, Trevor reached out and gripped his hand like a vice, so. “I’m not leaving,” he repeated.
Maggie gave him a sharp look. “Fine. Sit down and let’s not waste any more of my time please.”
He huffed.Hertime. As if she wasn’t overscheduling the band until barely an hour of their days was unaccounted for. But he did what she said, pulling out a chair for Trevor and then dropping into the one beside him.
“Now Trevor,” she started, and already Skyler was gritting his teeth. Her tone couldn’t mean anything good. These meetings never meant anything good. “We’re aware you had purchased a home for your mother. We’re going to need you to officially move in there.”
“But I live with Skyler,” Trevor said flatly.
“Yes, I understand that. And it’s getting suspicious how you two still live together when you’ve both got the money to afford places of your own. You can still spend time with him there, but it needs to look like you live in your mother’s house.”
“Let me get this straight,” Skyler jumped in, unable to control himself. “So besides us having to sneak around everywhere else when we’re together, now you want him to sneak in and out of the place helives?”
Maggie pressed her lips into a thin line and didn’t respond to him. Instead, she turned back to Trevor and said, “If it’s too painful for you to be in her house, you could also move into Sierra’s apartment. That would be acceptable.”
Acceptable?
No, it would fucking not be. Not to Skyler. And not to Trevor.
But while Skyler was trying to contain his indignation, ready to fly out of his seat and drag Trevor out of here, Trevor barely flinched.
“That’s not happening,” Skyler insisted when Trevor said nothing. “No way. You have no control over where—”
Maggie held up a hand to him. “If we could avoid getting dramatic, that would be helpful.”
He shrunk back in his seat, her word choice more cutting than he’d care to admit. And when she smiled like she was pleased she’d subdued him, he gave her a murderous look, but kept his mouth shut, even though every fiber of his being was screaming that this was wrong.
Not only this particular situation, but all of it. The way their management had treated the band, manipulated and controlled them from day one, was fucked up. In the beginning, he’d been so grateful for the opportunity that he’d overlooked the full extent of their manipulation. And even when he’d started to catch on, he’d still accepted it. Because he’d figured this was the way the music industry worked. Record labels offered contracts that gave them ultimate control in exchange for giving artists the chance to live their dreams and earn money and fame.
But Carmichael Records had manufactured everything about this band. Skyler and the other guys had come to them, had vied for their spots in Boys Will Be Boys. And it was likely the label had taken advantage of their age, inexperience, and desperation in order to get them to sign incredibly unfair contracts.
“It’s fine,” Trevor said.
Wait. No.
“What the hell?” he said, head whipping toward Trevor in disbelief. There was no way he’d agreed to move in with his fake girlfriend.
Trevor shook his head at him, and he looked so exhausted, like he couldn’t fight anymore, that Skyler lost some of his will to fight too. Trevor turned to face Maggie. “I’ll move into my mom’s house.” At Skyler’s pained squeak, he added, “For appearances only. I’m not leaving Skyler.”
“No one’s asking you to,” Maggie assured him.
Yeah right, you’re not.
