“Well, I just wanted to say thank you in person for your generous offer.”
I narrow my eyes. Skyler was always a crafty bitch, and now I can’t tell if she’s being honest or not.
“So, you’re accepting?”
“Yes, I’m accepting it. Don’t worry. I won’t tell anyone that you’re a father,” she says patronizingly.
“Good. Then take your offer and get the hell out of her before I get my lawyer to withdraw it.”
“Ooh, so touchy. What’s going on in there?” she asks, looking past to me the bus. The curtains are drawn, but just at that second, we see the shadow of Carly move through the bus.
Skyler laughs. “I see you have company! I don’t want to interrupt.” She looks like she completely wants to interrupt.
“Fuck you, Skyler. Get the hell out of here before I call some real security and not that old idiot, Billy.”
“You don’t want to spend time with the mother of your child?”
My blood is pounding in my ears. “Go. The. Fuck. Away.”
“Tsk, tsk,” she says, shaking her head. “So damn rude. Someone should teach you some manners.”
She smiles maliciously and for the one-millionth time I curse myself for ever fucking her. She was always a bitter, jealous bitch and I can’t remember what I ever saw in her besides her exotic looks and banging body.
But that was the problem. That was all I saw. I only wanted in her pants and now I had to live with that mistake forever.
“FINE, LEO,” she basically shouts, making sure that Carly hears. “I’M SORRY THAT I BOTHERED YOU.”
Sure enough, Carly tentatively opens the door.
“Is everything alright?” she asks carefully, looking from me to Skyler.
“Everything is fine,” I assure her, “I was just telling our visitor that she isn’t welcome here and that I need to remind security that she is no longer welcome.”
Carly doesn’t say anything but nods. I can see her appraising Skyler in that way that only women do.
“I’m Skyler,” Skyler says from around my shoulder. “So sorry to interrupt you. I’m sure Leo has probably exhausted you.” She winks to Carly as if she’s in on a secret. Carly looks repulsed; I didn’t miss the recognition in her face when Skyler introduced herself.
“Good bye, Leo,” she sighs. “Thanks again for your offer,” she gives me a knowing look.
“Don’t,” I warn her, “You’ve already agreed.”
“I know,” she sulks, “We will be just fine.” And on the word “we” she pats her belly knowingly. I hear Carly gasp and I lose it.
“Go to hell! I’m calling my lawyer first thing tomorrow.”
She looks up at me with falsely innocent eyes. “What? I didn’t say anything.”
“Let’s go inside,” I say to Carly, leaving Skyler on the step, and guiding Carly back inside before slamming the door.
Carly is ghostly white and shaking. “Please tell me that she did not mean what I think she meant.”
I start to pace the inside of the bus. “Look, Carly,” I begin, running my hand through my hair. I’m nervous. I knew I wouldn’t have been able to hide it. Why did I think I could?
“Look Carly nothing!” she shouts, “Just be honest, Leo!”
“Okay, yes, it does mean that. But I can explain.”
Carly’s eyes fill up with tears. “There’s nothing to explain!” she yells. “You got your old back up singer pregnant and neglected to tell me!”
“I was just waiting for the right moment!” I argue. Bull shit. I know its bullshit and so does Carly.
“Whatever, Leo. This was such a mistake.” She shoves past me and hurries off the bus.
“Carly, damn it! Wait!”
But she’s already running through the parking lot, headed for her own bus.
“Fuck!”
I hurry down the steps and go to run after Carly, but Skyler appears from between another bus.
“Oh, I’m so sorry,” she says, her voice sugary sweet. “I hope I didn’t ruin things with your new girl.”
“Fuck you, Skyler!” I spit. I narrow my eyes. “You did it on purpose!” I thought Skyler was just being her normal bitch self, but this seemed timed all too well.
She gave me a little shrug. “Amber may have mentioned something. But honestly, Leo. I can’t keep all your whores straight.” She pauses and gives me a piercing look. “You just use us and dispose us,” she sneers.
“You don’t know what you’re talking about. Maybe if you hadn’t been such a snotty bitch I would have kept you around longer!”
Skyler lets out a high laugh. “Right. As soon as you got tired with me, you moved to the next toy.” She hoists her bag over her shoulder and starts to walk away from me. “Hopefully I saved that poor girl from a bunch of wasted heart ache. All you do is fuck and dump. Who knows? Maybe you would have knocked her up too?”
“It’s not like that,” I spit, so angry that I was seeing red. I’ve never hit a girl before, but Skyler is pushing me to my limit.
Her eyes widen in surprise and then she quickly recovers. “Right!” She laughs. “Like Leo Nash would actually date someone who wasn’t putting out.”
Shaking her head and laughing, she disappears between a row of cars.
Fuming, I decide not to see Carly right away but instead to fire that moron Billy. I rush towards the entrance of our portion of the parking lot where Billy is sitting in a small booth.
“Did you let Skyler in?” I bark, hurrying up to the booth.
He gives me a big smile. “I sure did. She’s a sweet little thing. And real darn pretty, too.”
“Yeah, well she’s actually a conniving bitch! She has no place on this tour! Get your stuff and get out! I’ll make sure that Mark sends you a severance package for your trouble.”
Billy gapes at me, and for an instant I feel bad.
“Mr. Nash, I’m real sorry. I-I had no idea. I know she’s not on tour now, but – but I thought it would be okay.”
“Well, it wasn’t okay! She just fucked up a ton of shit for me, so like I said, get your stuff and go!”
I wheel around and head towards Carly’s bus. I’ve got to make her see that I was going to tell her about Skyler. Okay, I wasn’t going to tell her about Skyler; that was part of my hope when I came up with the non-disclosure agreement, but still. I need to explain why I didn’t tell her. I spent so much time trying to be a good fucking guy, that I fucked up even more.
I pound hard on her tour bus and wait for her to answer.
Carly
The pounding continues at the door, but I ignore it.
“Carly! Let me in! Damn it!”
The blinds of the bus are drawn, and Amber, Ginny and Mae Li went out with the other people on the tour, and so I luckily have the place all to myself. I take a long drink of my Coke and try to focus on the grains in the kitchen table.
“Carly!” Leo bellows, “I’m not going anywhere.”
I roll my eyes, and go back into my bedroom. I can still hear the pounding but it’s not as loud.
I yank a pillow over my head but it doesn’t help and I’m ready to tear my hair out. Leo has been pounding for over twenty minutes. I can’t believe that someone hasn’t come out and told him to shut the hell up.
I sigh, realizing I’m going to have to be the one.
I stomp towards the front door and yank it open.
Leo is standing there, is hair wild and messy, and his eyes bright.
“Carly,” he sighs.
“Go the fuck away!” I spit.
He blinks, shocked at my tone and language.
“Carly, please.”
“I want nothing to do with you. NOTHING! Do you understand me?”
“Carly, if you would just give me a chance to explain? Please. Let me come inside and tell you the whole story.”
“No, Leo. You should have told me the whole story before! Not now, when you got caught. Were you ever going to tell me?”
He d
oesn’t answer.
“That’s all I need to know,” I say quietly.
“I worked it out so I wouldn’t have to tell you. I was trying so hard to be the right kind of guy for you, and I was afraid you wouldn’t understand.”
This was already more than I wanted to hear.
“Well, here’s a newsflash Leo. The kind of guy that is right for me, is one who is honest! Obviously, that’s not something you can be. Now get the hell off my steps.”
“Carly,” his voice is pained, and I almost break down. I had real, genuine feelings for him. I have real, genuine feelings. I’m still reeling from Walker and now this; it’s almost more than I can take.
“Leo, I’m so damn tired. I’m tired of guys using me as a doormat. You’re no different than Walker. I’ve had my fill of douche bags. Go.”
Defeated, he gives me one last long look, before retreating.
And that’s when I finally break down and cry.
~~~
The next day I’m so emotional and exhausted that I barely notice that we arrive in another city. Amber can tell that something is wrong but keeps her distance. I had forgotten that she had known Skyler and I can’t help but wonder if she played a part in what went down the night before. I would like to hope not, but I realize that I can’t trust anyone.
The high of my opening act has completely worn off and I have to force myself to meet Mark for coffee in the morning. Regardless, I drag my butt into the Starbucks, which is only a short walk from the arena in Madison. I always thought Wisconsin sounded like an interesting state, but now that we’re here, I just don’t care.
“Hey Carly,” Mark greets me cheerfully as I walk in. I paste a smile on my face and sit down. “What can I get you?” he asks.
I definitely need some kind of pick me up but I have a feeling that there isn’t enough coffee in the world to make me feel better.
“A tall caramel frappucino, please. With an extra shot of espresso.”
Mark nods and hurries off to purchase our drinks. I stare lifelessly out the window and then pull out my phone to scroll through emails out of boredom.
There’s one from Quinn, titled Holy Shit.
Curiosity gets the best of me, and I open it.
Amazing! You seriously rock!
Below is a YouTube link and when I click on it, it’s a three-minute video of me singing last night.
For a moment, I’m incredibly proud of myself and in awe that this is already on YouTube.
Mark sits down and smiles at me. I quickly close my phone but not before he sees what I’m watching.
“I guess you saw everything then?” he asks, grinning widely.
I stare at him with confusion. “Saw everything?”
“Well, you were watching a clip of yourself,” he says, gesturing at my phone. “I figure you saw that you were trending on Twitter and YouTube.”
“Huh? I’m trending?”
Mark laughs and I take a sip of my drink. “You don’t know? You’re the hottest thing on the internet now.”
He’s a little too loud, and a few people look over at us. I look down at the table, embarrassed.
“Carly, don’t be embarrassed,” he chides, “You just set your career on the fast track last night. And that’s why I wanted to talk to you anyway. We’re not sure if Eden will even return to the tour and we want to make you our opening act. We don’t expect you to open and sing back up, but if you can work with us for a few more days, no more than a week, then we can get someone else to replace you in your back up role.”
“Is this for real?” I’m having a hard time processing what Mark is saying to me.
He laughs again, and his voice is kind. “Yes, this is real. Of course, we’ll be giving you a nice pay raise for opening, and you’ll be double dipping until we can get someone to replace you. I promise, you’ll be well compensated.”
“Wow.” And that’s all I can say as I sit back in the chair and take in what Mark has just said.
“You should check out the internet when you get a chance. People are wondering why you ever wasted your time singing country music.” He winks at me. I’m still speechless. “So, what do you say, Carly? Do we have a deal?”
I want to cry and laugh all at the same time. This would be so much sweeter if Leo hadn’t royally screwed up the night before. I’m tempted to ask Mark if he knew about Skyler, but it’s honestly none of my business and it’s certainly not Mark’s job to share Leo’s personal affairs with me.
“Yes,” I manage to say, “it’s a deal.”
“That’s great! And I promise we’re already looking for someone to fill your spot!”
“It’s alright, Mark. I’ll sing back up for as long as you need.”
“You’ve got a great work ethic, Carly. You’re going to go far. Oh! And I forgot to tell you one of the best parts! Eden had entire bus to themselves and we’ve already paid for it for the duration of the tour. The bus is yours! You can move on whenever you like.” He eyes me. “Unless of course, you want to stay on with the other women. But I was thinking that the new backup singer would take your spot on the bus.” He trails off.
“I’ll move on today,” I say quickly. I’d like nothing more than to be by myself, especially since Amber was acting strange. Ginny and Mae Li are sweet, but after last night’s events, I just want to lick my wounds in private.
“Great! Just give it till later this afternoon so I can get a cleaning crew in there. All the paperwork will be drawn up in the next day or so.” Mark is trying so hard to please me, and I feel like I should be the one falling down and thanking him.
“Mark,” I say slowly, “It’s fine. Everything sounds amazing. No rush.”
We finish our drinks and Mark stands up. “I should be going. A lot to do,” he explains.
I nod. “I think I’ll hang out for a little bit.”
He smiles again and then gives me a little wave as he heads out the door.
I can’t help myself, and I quickly pull out my phone and Google my name. Sure enough, a bunch of hits come up.
I click on the first link, an entertainment site.
Carly Michaels, former half of Sideroad, wows audience. Walker who?
I gasp at the mention of Walker, but click on the link. It’s me singing again. Below there are hundreds of comments. I scroll through and most of them are positive.
Wow, she can sing.
I’m not a country fan, but I’d buy her rock CD.
Hot girl, hot voice.
I’m deeply touched by these strangers’ comments.
I go back to the Google home page and click the next link – a gossip site.
Somewhere in a corner Walker Stevens is crying reads the title. I giggle and scroll down to read the brief blurb, which basically says I can stand on my own as a rock singer, and it’s a wonder I didn’t start out with rock music.
I spend a few more minutes reading snippets, and after I’ve had my fill, I leave. I call Quinn as I walk around the city.
“Oh my gosh! Carly! How was it?”
“It was the craziest thing! I had no idea it would be like that!”
“I watched a bunch of the clips! You were amazing!”
“Thanks! I still can’t believe it.”
I quickly fill Quinn in on how I was offered to open permanently, giving her every detail, including how I would have my own tour bus since it had been a group initially opening.
“Holy crap!” she squeals. “That is so freaking amazing! How is Leo? Is he beyond excited?”
I pause just a little too long, feeling a fresh wave of sadness. Quinn is too perceptive.
“Car?” she asks quietly. “Did something happen?”
“I really don’t want to talk about it. I’m trying to focus on the good news of opening the show.”
“Okay, I get it. But if you want to talk, you know I’m here.”
I sigh. “I don’t want to get into details because it’s just going to upset me again. It’s still so fresh. But
to make a long story short, the former back up singer, the one who I replaced, appeared last night out of the blue. And Leo and I had just had a really, umm, intense experience together,” Quinn didn’t need those details. “Turns out the woman, Skyler, left the show because she’s pregnant with Leo’s child.”
Quinn gasps. “Are you sure? You’re positive?”
“I’m positive.”
“Well, what did Leo have to say about it?”
“Who cares what Leo had to say about it? He didn’t tell me!” I exclaim.
Quinn’s quiet on the other end and that annoys me. She should be jumping to my defense.
“Did it just happen? Was she big and fat pregnant, or newly pregnant?”
“I mean, she wasn’t showing or anything,” I say annoyed, “But what does that matter? He purposefully didn’t tell me. He said something like he was just trying to be this good guy for me and thought it would scare me away.”
“Would it have scared you away? Was he right?”
“Of course it would have scared me away!”
“Well, I can kind of understand why he wouldn’t tell you.”
“Why are you defending him?” My voice rises with anger.
“I’m not!” Quinn says quickly. “It’s just, I kind of see his point. You told me that he was working so hard for you and he wasn’t used to actually pursing a woman. You said he was new to the whole dating thing. So if he really liked you, I can sort of understand why he would keep it hidden.”
“I honestly can’t believe you’re taking his side.”
“I’m not! I’m just playing Devil’s Advocate here. Look, let’s just forget it, okay? I’d be pissed too, and I understand why you’re upset. I’m certainly not saying you shouldn’t be angry – I would be, too. Sorry. I don’t want to ruin all your good news today.”
“It doesn’t matter,” I say sadly, “This whole pregnancy thing has put a damper on it anyway.”
“Look, forget what I said. Go on back and move into your very own, private tour bus, you lucky bitch! I want to see pictures! I’m seriously so proud of you.”
My anger dissipates. “Thanks Quinn. I miss you.”
Forbidden Ballad - Rock My World Page 12
