AllFreeNovel
Share Us
He smirks, but he sticks up a thumb before nodding his chin in the direction of the Clam Shack bar.
“See you soon, Albert.”
“Ayuh.”
I head up into the town and end up ducking out of the wind behind the same hardware store where I first bumped into Jackson. Which, now, feels like months ago. I open my phone and feel my stomach drop
Fuck me, I have over a hundred missed called in the last few days. A bunch from June, one or two from Becca, atonfrom Chuck, and—oddly—more calls from Judy that I usually get in a year.
My brow furrows as I flip to my texts. Jesus Christ, it’s even worse. Hundreds of them which never delivered while I was on the island, but are now all popping up at once. I catch the few from Becca first, which immediately freak me out.
Hey girl! I heard you’re snowed in, but you HAVE to get in touch with Chuck. He’s flipping the fuck out about this shit with your mom, and he wants this story you’re working on bad. Call me.
I frown. What “shit with my mom”? I mean, aside from the usual litany of bullshit surrounding Judy.
The ones from Chuck I can’t even look at, because there area tonof them, and they all seem to be varied versions of “call me right fucking now” or “where the fuck is my fucking story?!” Or “DID YOU FIND HIM”.
I start to read through June’s texts when my voicemail notification pings. On top of the avalanche of voicemails from the last few days, I apparently have a fresh one from Chuck that I missed by like ten minutes.
My stomach knots, but I hit the play button anyway as I bring it to my ear.
“Okay, this is my last motherfucking call, kid! I don’t give a fuck if you’re snowed in, because right now all I know is, this shit with your mom is about to go fuckin’ nuclear, and I NEED that goddamn Havoc story yesterday. YESTERDAY, MELODY! I swear to fucking Christ, if I don’t hear back from you in the next two hours, I’m canceling that goddamn card you’ve been milking at that bumfuck motel of yours, and your ass is gone. Two hours, kid. I mean it.”
My face falls in horror. Holyshit. One, that crappy motel has apparently been billing the Ignition corporate card since the day I checked in, almost a week ago. Which is…shitty. But more importantly?
What shitwith my mom?
I’m a millisecond away from thumbing June’s number, when my phone buzzes with an incoming call that makes me grin as I answer.
“Mind reader, I wasjustabout to call you—”
“Melodywherehave you been!?”
I wince at the fear and concern in June’s voice.
“I’msosorry. Albert did call you, right?”
“The guy with the Maine accent? I mean, yeah? But that was like five days ago!”
“I’m sorry, I’m sorry,” I wince, making a face. “Where I was staying up here got dumped on with snow, and the service is nonexistent.”
June exhales.
“It’s okay, I was just really worried about you.”
My nose wrinkles.
“I know, and I’m sorry to have just gone off the map like that.”
“I mean what music-related story are you even doing up there in the hinterlands?”
“I…” I swallow. “I’d better tell you in person. It’s…kind of a big deal.”
It’s the other piece of reality that I’ve been putting to the back of my mind over the last week. The part where I’m sitting on the most explosive music news story of the last decade.
And I’m not going to tell it.
I wondered about it for a few days there—if I’d tell it but downplay it. Or if I’d tell it and somehow hide where I’d found him. But in the end?
