When we were opening for Rainknife, our setlist was only seven songs. As headliners, it wasseventeen—plus two encore songs. My arms were burning early, but I pushed through the pain with the help of adrenaline and the tall vodka tonic stashed next to my stool. I wasn’t going to run out of energy tonight. Not during the first show of the tour.
I’d keel over and die before I let exhaustion slow me down.
After the encore, I walked up to the front of the stage and spent a moment taking it all in. Soaking in the fame and adoration. Then I tossed my drumsticks into the crowd and walked off stage with my bandmates.
Once we were backstage, we shared another group hug. “Couldn’t have gone better,” Violet said.
“I was really feeling myself out there,” Riot said, breathless.
“We could tell,” Cash replied. “You were in the groove.”
I glanced to our right, where Roxie was standing awkwardly. I was about to invite her into our hug again, but then Riot pulled away and ran a hand through his sweat-soaked hair.
“How’d we sound from back here?” he asked her.
Roxie’s smile was almost bashful. “Outstanding. Even better than the night you opened for Rainknife.”
“It’s different when you’re the headliner,” Riot said.
We all shuffled back into the dressing room, and then Riot quietly slipped away. The way he did after every single show we played. It no longer bothered me, but I still wished he would hang out with us after.
In the dressing room, Roxie frowned at the rest of us. “Where’d Riot go?”
“He, uh, has a process,” I explained. “He needs a little privacy after the show. To wind down.”
“Oh. Okay.”
She looked disappointed, but I couldn’t tell her any more than that. And based on the way Cash and Violet were staring at me, they wanted to make sure it stayed that way.
“Want to find a bar and celebrate?” I suggested. “I’m buying!”
“You’re just going to put it on the band credit card,” Violet accused.
“Yes,” I said, throwing an arm around Violet, “but I’ll be the one to hand the credit card to the waitress.” I winked at Roxie, and she grinned.
Something twisted in my chest, right behind my breastbone. Something bright and strong.
Yeah. Roxie wasn’t like the groupies we’d had before. She was definitely something special.
It was going to be an exciting three months on tour.
10
Roxie
I wasn’t sure what had happened to Riot. One minute, I was chatting with him backstage while we walked to the dressing room.
The next minute, he was gone. And Milo’s excuse—and the stare the other bandmates gave him—wasn’t very convincing.
Where did he go?
It wasn’t my business. But I was still curious.
We made small talk in the dressing room, then headed out the back door to the loading dock. I expected throngs of adoring fans to be waiting out there, but it was actually pretty quiet.
“I found a cool spot,” Violet said while holding out her phone. “Three blocks this way.”
The dive bar was crowded and loud. A lot of the patrons looked like they had come straight from the concert, but none of them recognized Milo or Cash. Violet might have stood out more with her pink hair, but she was wearing a beanie, so only a few strands stuck out.
