“That’s true, but what about you? You’ve never asked for tickets?”
“Um…” I opened my mouth, then closed it as I tried to formulate a response.
When I didn’t answer, Xander froze in the middle of the hallway, the tips of his ears bright red. “God, I’m being a complete ass right now. Sorry for assuming you like our music.”
“No! That’s not it at all,” I said in a rush. “I loveDance Till Dawn. Seriously, I know every song on it by heart.”
“So if it’s not about our music, then why?”
I tugged on my amethyst as I quickly organized my thoughts. “What you have to understand is I’ve seen the way fame ruins relationships. The more popularINbecame, the more people in Violet’s life—acquaintances, friends, even family—expected things from her. They wanted to cash in on the perks of knowing a celebrity, something I’m sure you’ve experienced, and I refuse to be that person. I won’t put Alec in a position that compromises our friendship.”
As I spoke, a hint of a smile appeared on Xander’s face. “I get what you’re saying. That’s commendable.”
“There’s obviously a but coming.”
“Alec is a smart guy. He can tell the difference between a freeloader and someone who actually cares about him. I think he’d be thrilled to have a friend like you supporting him backstage.”
He was probably right, but before I could say so, a small assemblyof people poured into the hall, filling the quiet space with a blast of conversation and laughter. At the head of the pack was a woman with a clipboard and headset. As they passed by us, I did a double take, my head whipping around so fast I put a kink in my neck. Without thinking, I grabbed Xander’s arm and sucked in a sharp breath.
“You all right?” he asked, glancing down at my hand and then up at me. “You look like you’ve seen a ghost.”
“That was Chelsea Hirano,” I explained, heart racing.
“Who?”
I shot him a dirty look. “You didnotjust say that.”
“Is she from a movie or something?”
“No, she createdLady Phoenix.” Xander looked at me with a blank expression, so I added, “The comic? Come on, it’s only the bestselling series by a female cartoonist in the past decade. She must be making a surprise appearance for something. There’s this rumor going around that Netflix is interested in doing a TV adaptation. Now that I think about it, Comic Con would be the perfect place to make an announcement. Oh my God, I hope it’s true.”
He gave a half shrug. “Never heard of it.”
“I’m seriously offended right now.”
“Between recording new music and our touring schedule, I don’t have a lot of leisure time.” Xander paused to study a map posted on the wall. After locating the redYOUAREHEREdot, he pointed us in the right direction. “What’s the comic about?”
“I could spend the next twenty-four hours trying to explain itto you, but the basic premise? There’s this girl named Hotaru who discovers she’s a phoenix, and she uses her powers to protect the mortal world from demons, monsters, and evil spirits. Next time you get a break, check it out. You won’t regret it.”
“I’ll put it at the top of my list,” he promised before nodding at a nearby stairwell. “We need to go this way.”
“When you do, remember to let me know what you think,” I said, pushing open the door.
“How does a full briefing of my thoughts and feelings after every issue sound?” he joked, not realizing there were well over a hundred.
“As long as you don’t ship Soshi and Emerald together, I want to hear every detail.” Phoenix fans either loved or hated the pairing, and since the couple grossed me out, I fell into the latter category. Over the course of what felt like a never-ending storyline, readers were tortured with a sexually charged enemies-to-lovers romance, only to discover the characters were twins separated at birth. Very Luke and Leia, but with a lot more than kissing.
His brows knitted together as we started up the stairs. “Am I supposed to know what that means?”
“Nope,” I said, laughing. “Let’s keep it that way. I don’t want to be responsible for corrupting your young, innocent mind.”
Xander snorted. “Believe me, that ship sailed a long time ago. Besides, aren’t I older than you? You’re what—seventeen?”
“Eighteen, but age has nothing to do with it. The averagePhoenixfangirl can reach levels of smut that would shock the devil,” I replied with a wink.
“My life comes with a built-in fandom, remember?” he said,shooting me a pointed look. “Once you read an X-rated fanfic about yourself, there’s no going back.”
I grinned at him. “You read fan fiction about yourself?”
