"Nope, I'm around the most important person in my life. Nothing could be more urgent."
Martha's drill-instructor eyes were trained on me throughout the day. "Martha I'm fine," I told her when I stumbled over a crack in the sidewalk. My stomach was producing tiny stabs of pain, but it was nothing compared to what it was before.
"I just don't want you overdoing yourself."
"I'll take care of her," Kill said.
Just then a yawn burst out of me. "Alright, I've seen enough of the city for the day. Let's go back to your place for leftovers," Martha exclaimed when she noticed me falling behind at the farmers market.
"I agree," Kill and my dad said, nodding their heads.
When we walked in the door, Jet, D, and Van pounced on Kill. “Why haven’t you been answering your phone?” D asked, exasperated.
Jet and Van stood behind D, bobbing their heads up and down.
“Sorry, I was out showing Eugene and Martha around Portland,” Kill responded, still headed toward the kitchen. “What’s up?”
Van and Jet were practically quivering with excitement. D was in manager mode, but the flush across his cheeks screamed he was on the verge of losing his cool, just like the other boys.
“One of the promoters from Airline Records called. They want to promote us,” D answered, his voice pitchy at the end. His professional attitude slipped away when he watched Kill's eyes widen in shock. D jumped up and down with Jet and Van. Kill just stared at him, like he hadn’t understood what D just said.
“Wait... What? Are you serious?” Kill's face split with a huge smile, the news sinking in.
“They said if we rock on this tour, they'll sign us for our first album,” D continued.
Kill broke away from me and jumped up and down with the rest of the boys, screaming and high-fiving like little kids. My dad walked over and put his hand on my shoulder. I looked up at him and noticed his eyes were creased with concern.
"They deserve this. I'll be fine," I whispered in his ear, answering his unspoken question.
“How did they hear about us?” Kill asked when they were all spent from their celebrating.
I stiffened at Kill's question, worried I would be caught before the whole thing even started.
D cocked his head to the side, most likely replaying the phone call he’d received. “Honestly, I didn’t ask,” D said, laughing along with the other boys. “I'm assuming it had something to do with The Note, or maybe they wanted to know what we sounded like, since we had to pull out of the Festival,” D surmised, but then shrugged it off.
"Who the fuck cares?" Jet cried out, getting another cheer out of the boys.
“When do we leave?” Kill asked, his smile getting even bigger.
“January first. They'll send the bus out for us, and by then, all the venues will be confirmed. The coordinator is thinking we'll be gone until the end of May.” D’s eyes were almost glazed over from the excitement pulsing through him.
Kill lifted me by the waist and swung me around. Everyone moved back quickly, so I wouldn’t hit anyone with my feet. “See, Slick. I told you there was nothing to worry about."
“Yeah, you never should’ve doubted my managerial skills,” D said with smugness in his voice.
The celebration moved into the living room. As the initial excitement wore off, they bombarded D with questions. D had his phone out as they discussed set lists and wardrobes.
My dad went into cop mode-or father mode. Sometimes it was hard for me to tell the two apart. He started explaining safety precautions they would need to take during their tour. He had the boys’ full attention as he demonstrated crowd maneuvers on our recliner.
Amy flew through the door, screeching as she launched into Jet’s arms and kissing him hard on the mouth.
“How are you with this?” Martha asked me as we busied ourselves in the kitchen warming up left-overs.
“Good, they're amazing. I wish you guys could’ve seen them play. They're special, and they deserve this,” I answered, but my words felt wooden. My heart dropped at the thought of Kill leaving, but it was for the best.
Martha searched my face, and I moved around her, not wanting her to figure out what I was hiding. “Did you have anything to do with this?”
My whole body became frozen with shock. “What?... No,” I said my squeaky voice making an appearance.
