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“Oh, I’m not a fool, old friend. As soon as the news came out, I knew exactly what you’d been doing.”
“What? The news about Emory? What exactly did you think I was doing?”
Reed rolled his eyes. “You’re not some great mastermind, you know. You’re transparent, especially to me. Me and you, we’re so alike and so different, we can see right through each other. That’s why we always argued so much.”
“Huh.” I’d never thought about it that way.
“Anyway, I saw immediately what you’d been doing. Dumping Luna, pushing her away, pushing us all away... you didn’t want us around when the shit hit the fan.”
“Luna thinks I see myself as a martyr. I wanted to protect you guys, sure. But I also couldn’t bear to see you all dragged into something. I barely had enough energy to go on with the Emory inheritance plan as it was. It was overwhelming.”
“Honestly, I don’t blame you for that. I’d have done the same thing. Well, similar.”
I was suddenly frustrated. “Then why not talk to me for all these years?”
Reed shrugged. “Well, partly because you were right: association with you was pretty dangerous for a while there. And again recently, what with all this press on you an’ the brothers. And partly, I was hurt that you’d never confided in me. I’d have kept your secret. I’d have helped. And sure, I wanted to stay out of that particular limelight just as much as you wanted to keep me out of it. I’d have understood.”
I was struggling to comprehend, much like I had with Luna’s response. “So it’s not what I did... it’s that I didn’t confide in you? I didn’t let you in on what was happening?”
Reed nodded. “That the case with Luna, too? You been talkin’ about those times?”
I nodded, slowly. “Except she says she’d have stuck with me. If she’d had the choice.”
“She would have done. She was damn loyal. And she’d probably have been torn apart by that media circus. I don’t judge you for what you did. I’m still allowed to be annoyed about it, though.”
I didn’t quite understand, but I maybe never would, entirely.
At the end of the day, Reed announced it was time for him to get an early night’s sleep. He had rehearsal early tomorrow, and he’d probably be leaving before the time I was usually awake.
“Go on, Reed, tell me. Will you consider giving theNeedleheadreunion a go?”
Reed smirked, then he nodded, slowly.
I punched the air in excitement.
He smiled despite himself. “Slow down there, old boy. We’ve got to get the others on board too.”
“That won’t be hard. They always listened to you.”
“Jealous?” He raised an eyebrow mockingly.
“Maybe a little, back then. But it was because you always had the best opinions. Hard to fault you, or them, for following your leadership instead of mine. Mine was... chaotic.”
“Chaotic lives make people chaotic. Not your fault. Not all of it. But I’ll tell you, I was on the fence about it until I heard you’re back in touch with Luna. If she’s giving you another chance... then I guess I may as well, too. I can hold a grudge pretty well, but Luna always outdid me there. I’m not about to try outlasting one of her’s.”
I pulled Reed into a good old fashioned hug. “Thanks, buddy. I’ll try and make sure you won’t regret it. I won’t be repeating any of my old antics, that’s for sure.”
Reed clapped me on the back, then pulled back and looked me up and down. “We’re older now. I’m not sure your body could take a single one of your old antics these days.”
“Speak for yourself. I’m just as young as I was inNeedlehead’sprime.”
Reed chuckled, held up a single hand ingoodnight, and padded away to his bedroom.
I slept soundly knowing the grizzled rock veteran, my old best friend, was in the room next door. My life could get pretty lonely at times.
Actually, it was lonely most of the time. I’d lost what I’d had of my relationship with Luna, my camaraderie with my bandmates, with whom I’d spent almost all of my time for years. I barely got to see my family between our various obligations – either my mom and Felix or my Brock family, who were all just as busy as me. I held so many parties because I could make sure there were people around on my terms. I craved company. It had always been one of my flaws.
The next morning, I woke just in time to say a last goodbye to Reed.
