Skye shuddered and buried her face in the pillow.She wouldn’t be the one to say anything that could break the spell, and she wouldn’t even allow herself to begin to acknowledge any four-letter words that started with the letter L.
Chapter Twenty-Eight
Remiwascurledoverthe dining room table, writing a song on the way to their next show, when Skye asked, “Have you seen the comments on your video?”
“No,” he said.He’d been trying to ignore social media lately, not wanting anything to mess with his head while he was in the middle of writing new music.
“You guys have several celebrities and bands commenting on it,” Skye said.“It’s kind of gone viral.”
“Really?”Liam said, getting up from where he’d been sitting on the couch to read over her shoulder.“What are they saying?”
“Everyone is praising you guys for stopping the show and trying to protect everyone,” Skye said.
“Sweet,” Liam said, elongating the word.
Skye’s phone buzzed with an incoming call.The bus made an awkward turn, jostling everyone as it pulled into the venue.Remi was close enough to Skye that he heard a man’s out-of-breath voice on the other end of the call but couldn’t make out his exact words.
“We just pulled in,” Skye said.“What do you mean protests—”
But the words died on her lips.Remi followed her gaze out the window.
“Holy shit,” Liam said.
The bus came to a stop as hundreds of angry people swarmed around them.They were chanting something.The hum of their vitriol and the rhythmic pulsation of their chants penetrated the walls.
It wasn’t just a group of mothers against Remi’s drug use.These people had found a lot more to be pissed off about.
“Protect Our Children” and “Repent Satan Worshippers” were hoisted on signs above their heads, along with homophobic slurs and threats and insults.
Rage burned through Remi’s veins as the words of their chant finally coalesced into a fully formed sentence.He didn’t even want to repeat the disgusting words in his head.
He strode toward the front of the bus and connected his phone to the speakers and played one of Tilted Haze’s most popular songs.
I’ll show you an abomination
A nation full of lies
Cruelty justified
For control of the domicile
Lie with a man
Lie with a woman
Lie to me
Tell me who to hate
Tell me who to love
Tell me how to live
Lie to me, Leviticus
He turned the knob up until the music drowned out the chant, until the pulse of the protesters’ hatred was overcome by the thumping of the bass.The rest of the band didn’t say anything.Didn’t move.A solemnity passed over their faces that Remi couldn’t let stand.
“We arenotgoing to let them stop us,” Remi shouted over the music.
