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He sat down at the keyboard and turned it on, which was so trippy. Perry would have to forgive us for letting him tinker around on it. But how else could we test out someone new? Anthony had texted Perry about our plans but hadn’t gotten a response, so maybe he didn’t care. If he did, we’d be sure to hear about it.
Jimmy listened to our first song before joining in on the refrain. Given the subtle looks thrown between the three of us, we were on the same page: it was mediocre at best. Not his playing—he was good—but our sound together just didn’t feel the same without Perry.
We tried again to make sure, playing three more songs with the same result.
“Thanks for coming out, Jimmy. We’ll be in touch.”
We sullenly played our newer material until Kurt, the next potential guy, stepped through the door.
“I was at your last show, and it was wild,” Kurt said, and come to think of it, I remembered seeing him toward the back of the club. “You guys rocked the house.” He lifted his hand for high fives.
“Yeah, it was.”
“I know Perry Davis, and he’s so talented. Do you know why he walked off?”
I looked at my bandmates, feeling uncomfortable. “It’s personal.”
Not taking the hint, Kurt blurted, “Is it because you and Ellis are together now? Just so you know, I’m cool with whatever. Live and let live.”
“We appreciate that.” I cleared my throat, not knowing what to feel. Why did it have to be such a big fucking deal? “So, uh, we definitely want to find someone who jives with our style.”
“Yeah, of course.” He headed toward the keyboard. “I’m bandless now, so I’m grateful for the opportunity.”
We played a melody Kurt was familiar with, and that turned into four cover songs before we called it quits. When I looked at Anthony, he seemed impressed with Kurt. He shrugged as if to say, why not?
“I think that went well,” Ellis said, and I nodded. “We’ll be in touch.”
We all seemed to breathe a sigh of relief once Kurt left. Maybe we’d find a replacement after all. Except that felt like such a hollow word. Connecting music-wise was one thing; personality-wise was another. Sure, Perry and I clashed sometimes, but we’d known each other forever, and I considered him more like a brother than anything else. Which was why his betrayal had cut so deep.
Anthony said, “Did you hear Perry’s been sitting in with that band—Hubris?”
I looked at Ellis. “Yeah, we heard. He’s sat in with them before though.”
“True, but maybe they asked him to be a permanent thing.”
Ellis frowned. “I heard their practice spot was across town, and considering he hasn’t been back to pick up his equipment, maybe they have something sweet for him to play.”
“Or he brought his keyboard from home,” Anthony pointed out.
“True,” I said. Probably wanted to avoid us at all costs.
“If you think about it, Perry always kept us plugging along,” Ellis said. “He got us the gigs on the road and at the Thirst Lounge. Do we need to double-check anything in regard to that?”
“I thought we’d hear from him if anything changed,” Anthony replied. “Maybe we should try to get in touch with him again?”
I nodded. “Or talk to Mario and make sure it’s all cool.”
“I’d never mess that up for you.” The voice belonged to Perry, who’d just come through the open door.
32
Ellis
I blinked in shock, wondering if I was imagining Perry standing there.
“Kurt Conners, guys? Really? He could never take my place.” When Perry sniffed self-importantly, I knew he was real. The dickwad.
Nolan scoffed, no doubt that same frustration bubbling up inside him. But maybe Perry’s appearance here would finally mean closure. “What did you expect us to do in your absence?” Nolan asked him.
“You’re right.” Perry stepped farther inside the room. “I don’t blame you. But I certainly don’t like other musicians touching my equipment.”
“I texted you about it,” Anthony said.
“Is that why you’re here?” I asked. “To pick up your stuff?”
He looked away and muttered, “It depends.”
Nolan folded his arms, skepticism crossing his features. “On what?”
“On whether or not you’ll let me explain myself.” His voice sounded meek and vulnerable, and I stifled the gasp in the back of my throat because I wasn’t expecting that. I thought for sure Perry would remain as stubborn as ever. “I…fuck, I’m sorry. For ruining everything. I’ve been a selfish prick.”
“Suppose it’s better to find out sooner rather than later that you don’t support us,” Nolan bit out. No way a simple apology would do. They were only words, after all. “Thankfully, there seem to be fans who do.”
Perry nodded. “The applause was deafening that night. I just…damn it. It probably won’t make any sense, but…I wanted us to succeed on our own merit, not because we’re some novelty act.”
