AllFreeNovel
Share Us
When I feel the smile on my mouth, I try to reach for some control, knowing we need to keep some boundaries right now.
“We shouldn’t be sharing a bed.”
“We’ve always shared a bed.” He’s stubborn.
“How about we stay here until we get too sleepy to stay awake?” I offer, meeting him halfway.
“Fine.”
I should have known better because the moment the sneaky fucker tugs me close, I begin to grow far too comfortable to keep my eyes open.
Neither of us leaves the bed that night.
18
NOAH
Dagger ison my last nerve. He’s testing my patience. I would have smashed my guitar over his head already, but that would be insulting to my guitar.
From the increased volume of his microphone, he must have coerced one of the sound techs to raise it before the rest of us arrived for rehearsal. I can’t focus with him screaming behind me, his backup vocals louder than my main ones.
Josh has noticed the difference in our sound. He’s been glancing at me every two minutes, expecting me to do something about it. I won’t. Not yet. Let the arrogant fuck think he’s got one over on me for now.
I sing the final lyrics in the last song on the set list and wait for Justice to bring it to an end before walking offstage. My throat is raw and dry. I swipe a bottle of water from the snack table and chug it back. Backstage is busy and loud, full of frazzled people rushing around in preparation for tonight. Someone replaces the water I took before disappearing again.
It’s my home show tonight. Everyone expects me to be happy and excited to play here. I’m neither of those things. Vancouver is full of unrealistic expectations and cruel memories. Mistakes I’ve made over the years that nobody can seem to forget.
The media has been desperate for a story. Oakley Hutton’s son and Maddox Hutton’s brother, back in town. The one Hutton man with no connection to the NHL. Will he bring disaster with him again? Is there another Hutton scandal brewing in his cauldron?
Vancouver Warriors fans haven’t forgiven me for what happened to my brother before I moved away. The misunderstanding that inevitably led to my brother leaving Vancouver to play for Ottawa.
All because of a fight between me, my brother, and a bouncer at a club I had played at that night. The club manager refused to pay me for the hours I put in entertaining his customers, so I took the money I was owed anyway. He sent someone out to make sure I couldn’t leave with it.
My brother just so happened to be there at the wrong time. The bouncer shoved me against the hood of his truck, and Maddox wouldn’t let me take the beating. He got involved, and once the media found out he was at the club, they swarmed us. With a bag of weed I stupidly made a show of having and the fistful of money I threw at the bouncer in an attempt to get him off my brother, it didn’t take a lot of work for the media to turn it into a drug deal gone bad.
I haven’t played a show in Vancouver since. If there wasn’t a Knockout Training facility here, I would have convinced Garrison to skip the city altogether. But Tinsley deserves to train somewhere she’s comfortable and be around people who care for her.
“It’s a sold-out show tonight,” Justice says, coming up behind me. “How you feeling about that?”
I toss my empty water bottle into the trash. “I should let Dagger take my place.”
“Don’t give him that satisfaction. How much do you think he paid someone to get his mic turned up?”
“More than he’s getting paid to sing backup for me.”
He laughs loudly and grabs a juice box from the table. I notice the sloppy braids in his long hair when they flop into his face. “What are you going to do about him?”
I ignore the question, not wanting to talk about Dagger. “My sister used to braid my hair. She should teach Paisley.”
“You did? I can’t imagine you letting a little girl anywhere near your hair. But thanks, I think Paisley would like that. She doesn’t get to spend a lot of time around women.”
“What happened to her mom?” It’s blunt and a bit rude, but there’s no reason to beat around the bush. He can tell me to fuck off if he doesn’t want to share.
He sips the juice from the small clear straw and moves closer to lean against the table beside me. This close, I notice that his grey shirt has a big, glittery pink stain on it. Garrison would rip into him if he saw it. Our boss is a clean freak.
A faraway look ghosts over the drummer’s face. “Mel walked out on us a year ago.”
I scowl. The taste of displeasure fills my mouth. My mother’s biological parents walked out on her. There’s no place on this earth for humans like that.
