I threw Danny, Tic, Nikko, and Lexie a thumbs-up, and they smiled, giving me the final playback of the verse.
“That was the best one, don’t you think?” I asked.
“They all sounded great, but that last note you hit was epic, man. I can’t wait to play it live!” Tic replied.
Danny nodded in agreement. “Yeah, Liam. This has to be our first single on the next album. I don’t know why we wasted time trying to come up with something different. What made you change your mind on the chorus anyway?”
Lexie bit her lip and raised her brows at me.
“I don’t know. I guess it just didn’t seem to fit right, and now, it does. I mean, it is a little depressing, don’t you think?”
Danny scoffed. “Dude, all of our music is either depressing or about sex. That’s what people want to hear. It’s what they connect with.”
I nodded as he pressed the buttons and started to play the song from the beginning. As soon as the chorus came in, I glanced back up at the spot of the ceiling Avery was on the other side of.
I’m hollow again
Feeling emptier than I’ve ever been
It was hard to picture her behind the lyrics. They were sad and vulnerable—two things I never thought Avery to be. But with her tragic past, I didn’t know why I thought she was so different from the rest of us. She was privileged, but that didn’t make her immune to pain or depression.
This could be the end
This pain is making me break; it’s making me bend
Please send me a glass or send me a friend
I’m hollow tonight, tomorrow, again and again
When the song was complete, everyone erupted in unison. Danny clapped his hands a few times and leaned back in his chair. I could see the stress melt from his shoulders as he smiled. Lexie bobbed her head to the same beat of the song Tic was still keeping tempo to with his sticks. And I swore I could see the dollar signs in Nikko’s eyes when he kicked his feet up on the empty chair.
I fidgeted, hoping we were finished for the night.
“Guys, I’m starved. Can we order pizza or something?” Lexie sipped on her Red Bull and watched me with a strange expression.
The guys all patted their stomachs in agreement, finished up a few things on the computer, and headed upstairs. I stayed behind with Lexie, sensing she had something to tell me.
“What is it?” I asked when the footsteps fell overhead.
She twisted in her chair and smiled. “You like her, don’t you?”
My head snapped to her. “Who?”
“Who? Seriously?” She laughed. “Avery!”
“Please.” I huffed. Even if Idid, I shouldn’t.
“I’m not blind, Liam. I saw you kiss her the other night and the way you’ve been looking at her since.”
“I kissed her to make her ex jealous. That’s it. You’re seein’ things, Lex.”
“And I suppose it’s just a coincidence that you’re staring up at the ceiling below her bedroom?” She stood and collected her phone and keys. “It’s okay. I like her too. I mean, I don’t like her the way you do. She’s great though. Not what I expected. She’s got that kind of twisted soul but this, like, energy you just want to be around. You know?”
Of course I knew.
“I’m going to run with Danny to get pizza. You should go up and play the track for her. I think she should hear it before we test it out onstage.”
“Lex,” I called when she reached the stairs. “We have rules for a reason.”
