Hotbox

by Delia Delaney

  Matt currently worked at a lumberyard, but he admitted that he hated his job. He had wanted to get into mechanics somehow, but there were no openings when he tried a few years ago, so he just stuck with what he had. He claimed he didn’t know much, but after hearing him talk about his Camaro, I felt he sounded plenty capable of completing some more-than-average maintenance on a car. And he sounded more intelligent than Mike.

  “Hey, uh, if you’re interested, we’ve got a guy leaving in a couple of weeks. Lou’s pretty stressed out about finding a replacement—he hates hiring new people and he’s been having a hard time with it—but if you want, you could come in and work a few hours, see how you like it.”

  “Are you serious?” he asked with a smile. “I’d love it. I mean…I don’t know if I’d be able to do much, but I think I learn fast—”

  “You’d do just fine,” I assured him.

  My phone rang with a call from Jayden. I hadn’t even noticed the time until now. “Oh, crap,” I said to Matt, motioning to the clock. “I’m on my way back,” I said right away. “I just lost track of time.”

  “Oh, it’s fine,” she replied. “I was just worried that some hot girls carried you away and were now worshipping the daylights out of you.”

  I laughed. “Yeah, right. I don’t know any hot girls except for you.”

  Matt was shutting the garage door and we quickly began walking back to the park.

  “Hey, is Matt with you by any chance?”

  I replied affirmatively and she relayed the answer to Stacie. I told her what we were up to and said we were just a few minutes away.

  “We go on in about twenty minutes,” she said. “Hurry up so you can kiss away my nerves.”

  “Okay, I’ll be right there,” I chuckled. Matt gave me an inquiring look when I hung up. “She’s nervous,” I told him.

  He made a noise of disbelief. “I don’t get it. She’s incredible. She’s done enough shows you’d think she’d be used to it by now.” He gave me a side-glance. “What do you think it is? I mean I’ve known her for years, I don’t think I’ve ever heard her screw up on stage, everyone loves their performances… Why does she get so nervous?”

  If Matt didn’t know, then I really didn’t know. But in an attempt to figure it out I suggested, “Insecurity?”

  He scoffed. “What’s she got to be insecure about? She’s got talent, personality, and looks… It’s a lethal combination. Doesn’t she realize that?”

  “Mmm, I don’t think she sees herself like everyone else does. She’s confident in many other aspects of her life, but when it comes to performing on stage, maybe she’s insecure about something…less obvious.”

  “Like what?”

  I shrugged. “I have no idea! I’m just throwing out suggestions,” I smiled. “Why don’t you ask her?”

  “You ask her,” he challenged back.

  “I think she just doesn’t like attention,” I replied, which is what I believed it truly came down to. Once I really had asked her why she got so nervous before she performed. Besides claiming that she really wasn’t sure why—other than she got embarrassed because people were watching her—she basically said her body just reacted a certain way and she couldn’t do anything about it. She felt okay about performing music because she loved it, but she wished she could control her racing heart and settle her nerves. Her mind assured her she was fine, but her body didn’t want to listen.

  By the time we made it to the park it was packed. I thought it was crowded earlier, but this time it was truly crowded. We squeezed our way through people until we were closer to the stage where I heard Cali’s voice yelling at us, and saw Chris motioning us over. They had a good spot just left of center stage (where Jayden usually stood) and right up front.

  “Go around the side,” Cali told me. “Jay wants to see you.”

  I made it to the side of the stage but didn’t see her right away. Finally I saw Josh and called his name. He instantly hollered behind him and then she appeared, practically skipping over to me to wrap her arms around my neck.

  “Mmm, I missed you,” she said as she kissed me. “Can you just come on stage with me so you can be my kissing post?”

  “What’s a kissing post?”

  “Come on stage with me and you’ll find out.”

  “Is that like a scratching post?”

  She laughed.

  “You look amazing,” I told her. She was dressed very casual for the outdoor venue, but her hair was done special, and she was wearing a little more makeup. Tonight she had on faded jeans (her favorite pair), a t-shirt, and a pair of navy Converse.

  “Thanks,” she laughed. “I like to be comfortable when I perform outside.”

  “And you like to be uncomfortable when you perform inside?” I smiled.

  “No, but this type of show doesn’t really call for dressing up.”

  “That’s kind of what you wore on our first date.”

  “It is what I wore on our first date. You earn some major points for that one, sport.”

  “Sweet. I’ve been saving them for a rainy day. It’s a good thing you had Cali because I wouldn’t be able to do that to your hair,” I told her. “That’s pretty cool.”

  There were different sections of hair twisted to meet the rest of it that was all gathered up at the back of her head in a curly heap. A few wavy strands hung down along the side of her face, but I could see they were very subtly tacked aside at the top, so they didn’t get in her way. She couldn’t stand having her hair in her face while she was doing something active.

  “Thanks,” she replied, patting the pile of hair in the back. “It’s one of my ‘messy up-dos,’ ” she smiled.

  “A ‘messy up-do,’ huh? I’ll have to remember that.”

  I walked back with her to where Shawn and his bass player, Mac, were sitting on some chairs. Jayden had me sit with her a few feet from them and she asked about my time with Matt. I filled her in on our plan for his car and she was thrilled I was going to help him with it. But I assured her I didn’t want it to interfere with our time together. She seemed glad for that, but suggested she could spend some more time with Stacie, too.

  A guy came by to give the band a five-minute warning, and Jayden looked like she was going to be sick.

  “There’s a bush over there,” Shawn told her with a facetious smile. “Go throw up, and then put on your game face.” Then he left to talk to his brother.

  I wrapped an arm around her. “Just take a deep breath,” I suggested. She did and I told her to take another. “You get through this and I’ll give you a massage.”

  She laughed. “I like when you say it the other way around.”

  “I’ll let you give me a massage?”

  She nodded.

  “You don’t like my massages?” I pouted.

  “I love them. But it’s more motivating to think about pleasuring you.”

  “Pleasuring?” I said with wide eyes. “I like the sound of that.” She laughed and gave me a kiss. I noticed that the guys were getting ready to go on stage so I put my hands against her neck and looked her right in the eyes. “You’re going to do great. I guarantee it. Just keep breathing for now, and once you play that first note, everything’s gonna fall into place. Okay?” She nodded so I kissed her again. “If that doesn’t help, then just remember I’ll be thinking about last night in the dugout.”

  She laughed out loud just as Shawn was walking by. “What about the dugout?” he asked, eyeing us both. Jayden just smiled with embarrassment and dropped her head against me.

  An announcement came from the stage, introducing Shawn Mason. As the crowd welcomed the band, the guys turned to head up the steps onto the stage. Shawn turned to impatiently wait for Jayden, so I gave her one last kiss on the temple and whispered, “The dugout.”

  With a very big smile she followed them onto the stage. I had to laugh when I heard her remind Shawn that there were children in the audience, so he needed to hold back on the swearing and crass jokes.


  I exhaled, almost feeling like she had passed her nerves onto me. If that was the case, I was glad. I didn’t want her to feel anxious.

  I made my way back to the front of the stage. The crowd was still cheering as the band got comfortable with their instruments. Jayden saw me move through the crowd and she gave me a smile. She was absolutely beautiful up there. The four of them made a really great combination, not only musically, but visually as well. I wasn’t sure what it was, but they really seemed to click in all aspects. They looked like they belonged together.

  They opened the show with a performance of “You Really Got Me.” But Jayden’s version was closer to the Van Halen version, which rocked a little harder and soared a little faster. When the first few notes were hit, the crowd went crazy.

  There was a mix of people in the audience: families with young kids, teenagers, middle-aged music lovers, and even grandparents. Those that celebrated the music more actively were down in front of the stage, but the entire park was filled as far as I could see with people sitting on blankets or chairs that they had brought.

  Cali and Stacie were pretty funny. They obviously enjoyed being down with the action. During the first song we were joined by other people that knew the band, and I was most shocked when Jayden’s father appeared with a woman I knew was Charlotte.

  “What?” he asked with a smile. “This is the best stuff to hear.”

  Obviously each of Jayden’s friends had their own favorites to hear. Each one of them responded to different songs, especially when Shawn would talk to them during the show. Shawn really was a great performer, but the band as a whole was incredible. He introduced the band after the third song and had very nice things to say about them all. But with Jayden he had to claim she was his favorite since she was prettier than the others. That got a laugh, especially when Shawn looked over at our group and said, “Sorry, Ty, but I knew her first.”

  “Ooh, you earned a comment from the man himself,” Cali teased.

  “Is that supposed to be an honor?” I asked with a smile.

  “Shawn seems to think so,” Joe replied dryly.

  Shawn announced his favorite part of the show was next, which was when Jayden sang. Cali and Stacie were screaming their heads off and jumping up and down when Jayden stepped up to the mic and smiled.

  “Okay, but I need everyone to sing along,” she told the audience, and the band began “I Love Rock ‘N Roll.” And people did sing along—very loudly. If the crowd wasn’t already involved in the show, they certainly were now. After that they did “Carry On My Wayward Son,” and Shawn’s voice really made it sound awesome. They did “Piece of My Heart” as a joint effort, and I felt anytime the two of them sang together, their voices really made it extraordinary. And “Crazy Train”… That was just…insane. Just the music itself was amazing and the crowd’s response was tremendous. Most of what they played was loud rock, but they also played a couple of mellow songs like “Rockin’ in the Free World” and “Give a Little Bit.” But anything they did, the crowd loved.

  They played an hour of music like they were supposed to, but Shawn claimed they had another song in them if anyone wanted to hear it. He kind of took a poll from the audience to see what they wanted the band to play, and there was quite an array of requests. Finally after joking about this or that over certain songs, he looked at Jayden.

  “What do you think? ‘Wild Thing’ or ‘Don’t Stop Believin’ ‘?”

  With a smile she replied, “Mmm, how ‘bout we try both?”

  That got a good response, so Jayden switched her guitar for the fifth time to do Wild Thing.

  “This song is actually about Jayden,” Shawn teased, and the audience laughed.

  She scoffed and shook her head. “Shawn sings this song in the mirror,” she replied, and everyone laughed louder.

  After “Wild Thing”—with lots of crowd participation shouting the chorus—they did do “Don’t Stop Believin’ ” (also with crowd participation). The ending was fantastic and it closed the show well. I couldn’t even fathom how good Jayden was on stage. Everything they had played impressed me, but the array of songs they performed really showed how talented the band was. And I loved the songs that Jayden sang, or when she sang with Shawn.

  I was blown away.

  “What’d you think?” Cali asked, as if she could read my mind.

  “I’m speechless. They’re incredible.”

  She pretty much beamed with pride.

  After the band left the stage, an announcement went out that Shawn Mason and his band would be performing another show at nine o’clock. Most of the people were now moving about. I couldn’t tell if people were coming or going, but I noticed that there were now a lot more twenty-somethings and teenagers around us since some of the other people had left. I was assuming they were getting ready for the next show.

  I talked with Joe and Charlotte for a few minutes. They were staying for the second show, but were going to move further out, away from the mob of anxious music lovers. For now they were waiting for Jayden to come out so they could talk to her.

  Someone tapped me on the shoulder so I turned around to face Jack and Megan.

  “Hey, you guys! It’s nice to see you.”

  “You too, buddy,” Jack replied. “That was one wicked show. I’m impressed.”

  “Yeah, I kind of am as well,” I confessed. “I’m glad you could make it.” I made sure everyone was acquainted as we all made our way toward the side of the stage. “So the big day is approaching, huh?” I asked, glancing between the two of them.

  “Yes, it is,” Megan replied, smiling at Jack. “Two more weeks.”

  They both seemed really excited, and for a moment, I was even jealous.

  I was glad when Jayden appeared. She greeted everyone and was bombarded with hugs from her friends and family. Her dad and Charlotte spoke to her for a minute and then they left us. She turned to me with an expectant smile, and I was happy to take her in my arms and give her a hug.

  It was Jayden’s desire to sit for a while, and I felt we all agreed since we’d been standing as well. After finding a vacant picnic table, we all sat and conversed, mainly about the show.

  “It’s kind of odd that I have to go back up there,” Jayden admitted. “I’m not sure I’ve ever done two separate shows in one evening. I’m a little surprised they expected it of us.”

  Shawn didn’t even try to hide his guilty face. “They didn’t,” he admitted with a smile.

  “What do you mean?” Jayden asked him.

  “Well, it was kind of my idea.” When Jayden raised her eyes at him he said, “They wanted both types of music split into an hour-and-a-half show. I sort of suggested it might be better to separate the two. I said my band was plenty talented to be ready for that much music,” he added with a big smile. “And we get paid more.”

  “Ah, I see,” Jayden smiled. “That’s just like you, always trying to find a way to be on stage longer.”

  He laughed in agreement, but as soon as someone called his name from a distance, he disappeared.

  I had been carrying Jayden’s phone for her in my pocket, and I felt it vibrate for the third time. I pulled it out and glanced at it before handing it to her.

  “Some guy named Nick keeps calling you,” I told her. He had called twice right after the show was done, but Jayden hadn’t come out yet.

  I was surprised when she grabbed the phone at lightning speed, completely excited.

  “Hey!” she answered right away. She listened for a few seconds before she asked, “Seriously?” She stood up on the bench and looked around. “If you look toward the stage, I’m about thirty yards to the right… Yeah… Do you see the picnic tables? …Yeah, I see you. At least I think that’s you,” she laughed. She hung up the phone and said, “I’ll be right back.”

  Cali had been talking with Stacie at the time, but she noticed as soon as Jayden left.

  “Where’s she headed?” she asked.

  “To Nick,
I guess.”

  She looked confused for a second, but when she looked ahead to where Jayden was, her mouth hung open. “No way!” Both she and Stacie became really excited, and Matt rolled his eyes with a smile.

  Jayden stopped in front of some guy and he put his arms around her in a big embrace. I was instantly jealous, even though I had no idea who this guy was or why he was here. I could barely even see him; he was wearing a hat and it was also covered with the hood from his sweatshirt.

  “Is she gonna bring him over here?” Cali asked me. “She’s not gonna horde him all to herself, is she?”

  I had no idea what she was even talking about until the guy’s name suddenly hit me. Nick. The same Nick she said she was going to invite to the show? I looked at the other guy that was with him, and I thought I recognized him from a photo that Jayden had showed me. I think he was the drummer.

  Jayden returned to our group with the two guys in tow. She introduced everyone by first names, but she didn’t even say anything about who the two of them really were. I didn’t think Jack and Megan had a clue, but they were sitting at the end of the bench, busy talking to Chris. Chris seemed familiar with Nick, but after a few words of basic conversation, he allowed Jayden the time with him. Nick had removed his hood by then and I felt a little uneasy. It was odd seeing him up close, and that he seemed to know my girlfriend pretty well. And…it didn’t help when Cali kept mumbling how hot he was.

  “So Ty,” Nick said to me with a smile. “Do you think you’d let this girl tour with me?” He put his arm around her shoulder and squeezed her close to him. “She keeps turning me down. Maybe you could convince her?”

  Had I not known how completely talented she was, I would have thought he was just trying to flirt with her.

  “Hey, where’s Mason?” he suddenly asked, glancing around.

  “Probably lining up a week’s worth of dates,” Jayden replied, looking around as well. She finally spotted him and called him over. “I didn’t tell him you were coming, just in case,” she added. “And don’t mention that Rod is here,” she warned with her finger, and Nick agreed.