Purring he rubbed against me a few more times then took off down the hallway. He had me trained. It was dinnertime, if I didn’t follow him and give him his chow he’d be back in my face.
“Okay, dude. I’ve got you covered.” Filling his bowl with the dry food he loved, I gave him a couple of treats, which were actually more like kitty crack for him. All he had to do was hear the bag and he’d come running from wherever he was in the apartment.
Checking my watch, I grabbed the pad from the counter and started making a list of all the things I needed to get done before I left. Top of the list was to call Michelle and see if she’d watch Sylvester for the next two weeks. She was going to give me mega grief and I wasn’t looking forward to it, but I didn’t have any time to waste. I needed to take care of a few other things and pack too. Shit, did I even have clothes to wear ‘on tour’ with a rock band? Crap, add shopping to thelist. Good thing I didn’t have to meet them until tomorrow afternoon.
Satisfied Sylvester was happy, I grabbed my suitcase and tossed it on the bed. Opening the closet I looked at my choices—lots of jeans and t-shirts, a few dresses and sweaters—total college prep look. Damn. I hated to spend money on stuff I wasn’t going to use but I didn’t see any way around it. I needed a shit ton of new clothes if I was going to be stuck on tour with them for two weeks, and who knew if I’d even be able to do laundry. Double crap.
Since packing was going nowhere I called Michelle to get it over with. Rolling my eyes knowing what I was letting myself in for, I dialed her number.
“Hey, Cyn.”
“How’s it going?”
“I haven’t killed anyone yet.”
I laughed, ever since we’d met freshman year at NYU she’d been able to crack me up even at the worst of times. She was the complete opposite of me. I knew I was too intense most of the time, and she just let shit go. I tried to be more like her but usually itwas a huge fail, and if she hadn’t been around when mom died, I don’t know how I would have gotten through it.
“Good to know. Hey, I have a favor to ask.”
“Who do you want me to kill?”
“No one, brat, this is serious. Would you be able to watch Sylvester for me for a couple of weeks?”
“Umm sure, but why? Where are you going?”
I cringed knowing what was coming next. “I have to go out of town for work.”
“You’re a songwriter. Where could you possibly have to go? Spill it. What aren’t you telling me?”
Shit, shit, shit. “I told you Symmetry asked me to work with a band to do their album right?”
“Yeah.”
“What I didn’t tell you is it’s Raining Chaos.”
“Holy shit. No way. You’re so freakin’ lucky. How does this shit happen to you?”
“I don’t think I’m lucky. Chaos is an ass, and he’s pissed they don’t want to use his songs so he insisted I go on tour with them or he wouldn’t work with me.”
“So don’t work with him.”
“It’s not that easy. Besides if we work together, maybe I can incorporate his songs or some of them into what I give to Symmetry. I don’t know why they’re making me write this album anyway. His songs are great.”
“So my BFF is going on tour with a rock band. Shit, I want to come.”
“I was waiting for that. I wish you could go instead. You know how I feel about the whole rocker thing.”
Michelle was quiet and I knew the wheels were turning in her brain. “Maybe this will be good for you. Maybe you’ll understand your dad better?”
“What’s to understand? He deserted us because his band and fans were moreimportant than his kid or the woman he supposedly loved.”
“Girl, you need to let that shit go. You can’t let it rule your whole life. This is a huge opportunity. Your music will be heard all over the world once the album comes out.”
Sighing, I dropped down onto the bed. “But what do I know about writing heavy metal songs?”
“Fuck. Do I need to come over there and smack you around? You know every one of their songs by heart. I’ve heard you singing them. Don’t give me that shit.”
“Okay, whatever. It doesn’t mean I can write it.”
