“Ry… c’mon.”
“Seriously? I’m not being stubborn. I’m being pennywise.”
Danger laughs.
He actually laughs.
The douche.
“Pennywise? Who the fuck sayspennywise. Ryan, I know you’re unhappy and even offended about having the PR taken from you, but you gotta see that this direction is the right one for us… as a band.”
While folding my arms over my chest, I exhale loudly in response, then say one word, “No.”
He scoffs. “Really? Give me one good reason?”
“We’re indie.”
“Why do we have to stay indie? We’re rock. We can be mainstream. Fuck, Ryan, we’re good enough for mainstream. You know we are. What’s holding you back? I mean, what are you so afraid of? This is what we’ve all dreamed of. Us, the four of us, our names in lights. Recoil as a huge mainstream rock band. This iswhatwe are. This iswhowe are. This is the direction we need to take—”
“Fuck! I know, all right!”
“Then why are you fighting this?”
I sigh, exasperated. “I don’t fucking know.”
Danger exhales and then steps up to me. Wrapping his arm around my shoulders, we slump against the kitchen counter. “Ry, you’re a stubborn fuck. But sometimes, letting go of something isn’t just about letting go of one thing.”
I glance at him. “I keep thinking…” Danger nods and lets me continue, “… Katie never doubted me. Not once… on anything… you know?”
He swallows hard and nods. “She loved you, warts and all.”
I let out a stifled laugh. “Yeah. Well, she trusted me…on everything.She never thought I wasn’t capable. Katie knew… she just knew I was capable of anything I put my mind to.”
Danger nods. “So, having Tillie doing PR makes you feel like you aren’t capable?”
I shrug. “Well, I’m not capable, am I? It’s fucking obvious, man.”
He slaps my back. “It’s not that you’re not capable, Ry.”
“It’s just that maybe I’m not the best man for the job anymore?”
“You’re the bestmanfor the job, but maybe this job needs a goodwoman. What do you say?”
I can’t help but let out a small chuckle. “Yeah. But I fucking hate not being good enough.”
Danger slaps my shoulder. “Then don’t think of it like that. Just think about whether your talents can be put to use elsewhere. Maybe you can start to kick my ass in training or something?”
“Yeah, like that would ever happen. You trying to make me feel worse?” I scoff.
He smirks. “No! Sorry! But really, Ryan, something good will come of Tillie being here. She is damn good at what she does, and she has our best interests at heart.”
“Yeah, I hope so. ’Cause right now, all I’m seeing is me being replaced and our money being spent in ridiculously large amounts.”
“But, on the plus side, our social media likes have gone up massively in only a few days. Tillie’s methods are working, and she’s been here for less than a week.” I groan as he walks backward away from me with a giant grin toward the boardroom, and I roll my eyes.
Turning toward the kitchen bench, I pour myself some much-needed caffeine.
I hate that he’s right.
