She giggles at that. “I don’t know either. I don’t think so? It would be different if it was a girl… but like we’ve established, Jace is kinda hot in everything that he does. So I think I will like it… So if he says yes, will you kiss him then?”
My brain stutters as the image of Jace and Tuck flashes in my mind, replacing Tuck with myself. And my groin stirs, which Kaylee notices.
“Oh damn, that’s a yes if there ever was one.”
I try my best to answer, but nothing comes out, and I press my face into her neck with a groan.
She laughs softly at my reaction. “So, tonight then?”
“Yeah,” I murmur against her skin. “Tonight.”
And oh fuck, if I have a feeling that tonight everything’s about to change.
But I’m still doing it. Because that glitch? Yeah, it isn’t going away; it only keeps getting worse whenever I’m around Jace. And it isn’t fair to him or Kaylee. It isn’t fair tome. I need to know what this is, for my sanity's sake.
So I better do what me and my team always do whenever we’re facing a problem on the field.
Just tackle the fucker head-on, pray Lamar doesn’t kill anyone, and hope to make it through to the other side.
TWELVE
“You know, this song isn't half-bad,” Missy and I are at Yetties, fresh off the stage after a small show, and we settle at our table. I start going through the lyrics I've been scribbling down for the past couple of weeks, comparing them to the music Asher has composed.
Asher, our drummer, is a damn musical prodigy. He's the quiet one in our band who's passionate about music but prefersto stay behind his drum set in the background, where he can work his magic.
But he's not just limited to drumming. The guy can play the piano, guitar, drums, and he's even skilled on the violin. He's a musical all-rounder.
And in between composing our music, and hanging out with Ava, he still has time left to game his ass off online. He says music just comes naturally to him, and I couldn’t have been happier to have him in the band.
Our team is truly complementary. I write the lyrics, then, with Asher's help, turn them into songs. Ava does her marketing thingy, and Missy is the one who manages and oversees it all. And kudos for the girls, because besides the marketing and managing part, they also put their two cents in about the music, and it's lit as hell.
I think moving to the States was the best damn thing I could do considering that time in my life. And the funny thing is, I would do it all again, including getting beaten to a pulp, ending up in the hospital and having surgery, and losing the last family I had afterwards, just to have what I have now.
They are my family now.
The thought makes me glance at my phone. There are no missed calls today from my dad. He stopped calling after I ignored his first twenty or so attempts. To be honest, I have nothing left to say to him, and I don’t think Ieverwill have again.
We never had a very tight bond, he just sort of forgot about me after my mom left. He became engrossed in his work as an international attorney, flying to The States all the time, throwing money my way whenever I started complaining about that, but ensuring I was raised by a live-in nanny instead of him.
Which I loved when I was a kid. Hell, which boy wouldn’t want to get doted on day and night by sweet Julita, someone I actually considered as sort of a surrogate mom?
At least until I went to high school, and my dad fired her since he thought I was old enough to fend for myself.
Yes, it became painfully clear to me how much me and my dad actually grew apart during that time, which led me to ensure I would have my funds if things ever went south.
And going south it went, the final straw being my hospital visit, which he just conveniently ignored, and which made me lose my shit, resulting in me finally having the guts to just grab my bag andleave.
So I don’t know why he started calling, because the last time I saw him he barely looked up from his laptop when I said goodbye, my suitcase in hand. But thankfully, last week my phone stayed quiet. Except when Ava is calling me to gossip, for some reason she is the only one that calls. Everybody else just texts. Like normal people.
“We've finally reached over one hundred thousand followers,” the Ava in question happily provides as she slides into the seat next to Missy at our usual table, her braided hair still rocking a lovely shade of purple. She hands me one of the four beers she grabbed at the bar and proceeds to raise her glass. “I say cheers to that!”
We all click our glasses together and take a drink. Even Asher is here, being the hermit that he is. Yeah, he’s stuffed next to me in the corner of the booth so nobody can creep up on him, but he’s here nonetheless. We’re all together tonight, just us as a band, as my surrogate family, and I’m sort of loving it.
My grin is so broad it almost hurts my cheeks. “A hundred thousand? That’s a massive increase compared to a couple of months ago.”
“We have you to thank for that,” she points out.
I scoff at that, feeling embarrassed. “Oh no, that’s not true. You guys are the brains behind this band. I only jot down some stupid thoughts and then sing about it.”
