“Hey, Bon,” she says, and there’s no trace of nerves in her velvety voice. “Long time.”
Long time.
It was an entire lifetime ago.
“Ah… yeah. Yeah. Long… long fucking time,” I manage.
I don’t know why my voice sounds so far away.
A smile curves the right corner of her lips. “You don’t remember me,” she says.
How could I forget you?
“You two know each other?” James asks.
Gemma shifts on her feet, her amused eyes narrowing in on me as she crosses her arms over her chest. “Middle Madison High. What, a little over ten years ago now?”
Ten years that feel like a haze.
I clear my throat in an attempt to shake off whatever nervous hell my body is putting me through right now. “What? Yeah, no… No, of course I remember you,” I say.
Why is my face itching?
“You sat in the front right corner of Ms. Wilson’s AP Physics,” I go on. “Probably the only person who passed that one.”
A look of delight flashes in Gemma’s eyes. “Everyone complained about the grading curve when I scored high on that final.”
“You scored like a 97,” I say, remembering how pissed everyone had been.
She laughs, and I think my knees wobble at the noise. “All luck,” she replies. Her mouth opens as if she’s going to say more, but our manager, Avie, opens the dressing room door before she can speak.
“Are we having a circle jerk in here? What’s happening? You’re on in five. Get your shit together,” and he’s back on his phone without so much as waiting for a response.
Reed snorts. “I missed him being an ass.”
“That’s because you don’t have to deal with him every day like me,” Mads says. He glances at James. “Are we good here? We have a couple of things to do before set time.”
“Very important things,” Zeb says, tossing the bean bag up and down in his palm.
“All good if you all are,” James says as he peers between us. “Gemma is running full point today. I’m just here in case she needs anything since her team won’t be here until the next festival,” James says. “If you guys need anything onstage, I’ve shown her your signals. She’ll be watching.”
“But you’ll be with us at Radio Eleven, too, right?” Mads asks James.
“You don’t trust me?” Gemma asks, smiling as if she fully expected some pushback.
Mads gaze fixes on her, and I almost snort.
I know that fucking look.
“We’ll see how you do tonight,” he tells her.
“Didn’t realize this was a test,” she replies.
James clears his throat as if trying to clear the air, and he nudges his chin at Reed. “She’s on you tonight. Don’t do anything stupid.”
“Yeah fucking right,” I say. “Maniac.”
Reed grins at Gemma. “No promises. Might want to put your hair up,” he tells her.
