So I’m confused as I walk into the bathroom where Declan’s getting dressed. Why is my brother so angry?
“Dec, my brother is here looking for you and he’s seething mad. What happened?”
He sighs as he takes his lip ring out and hands it to me. His eyebrow ring is already out.
“I guess I need to face the music. I proposed without talking to him first.”
“That’s crazy talk. He wants to beat you up because we’re getting married?”
“It’s not crazy, Sparkle. He deserves one good lick. I’d do it if the same thing happened with one of my sisters. Just give us a few minutes and it’ll be over with.”
He walks out of my room and motions to Robbie. Then he walks out the front door. I try to watch from the front window, but Finn grasps my shoulders and leads me into the kitchen where everyone else has gathered.
All my Atlanta girls are here and Jimi has his arms wrapped around Abbi. Will is here and keeping close to Ella. There’s a commotion coming from the front door. Tripp and Gabe walk in followed by Declan and Robbie. Declan’s lip is split on the bottom and his jaw is turning a nasty shade of purple. Tripp doesn’t even blink as he shouts, “We rode up and caught Robbie giving the beat down to Declan, so that can only mean one of two things-”
“Shut up, Tripp!” I scream. I want Declan and I to announce it together. He gives me a half smile but it’s completely wicked.
I walk over to Declan and slide my hand in his jeans where my ring is hiding. I slip it on and give him a slight nod so he knows I’m ready. “Yeah, Tripp, it means something. I asked Raven to marry me.”
“Holy shit, please tell me she said no.” Tripp quips back.
I bring my hand around and wiggle my fingers at everyone in the room. All the girls scream. I’m assaulted by hugs, kisses, and questions.
How did he propose?
How long have you been hiding the engagement?
Is this why you haven’t called me back?
When are you getting married?
Are you fucking serious? – Of course from Charlie.
There are also a few moans. Tripp and Gabe start haggling Declan and Robbie glares at him. Finn is silent, but I know he’s disappointed for other reasons.
Robbie walks to the fridge and surprises me by bringing out two bottles of Champagne from my parents private selection. Charlie helps him open and pour the glasses, and Kendall passes them around to everyone. Robbie winks at me before he raises his glass to the group. “To my baby sister, and soon to be brother-in-law, congratulations!”
Everyone cheers to us. I kiss his swollen lip gently.
“You may need to put some ice on that tonight.”
“Nah, it was worth it. But I do need my lip ring back before I leave. I know what the ring does to my girl.”
“I love you, with or without it.”
“Good to know.”
Declan leaves early to set up for the show at The Steamroom. I change into a black halter dress and silver heels before we leave. The shoes show off the shiny ring on my finger. Robbie’s driving me. He meets me at the door and I give him a scowl.
“Really, Robbie, you busted his lip? I have to kiss that lip tonight. Now I’m going to be worried about hurting him.”
“That’s what I was thinking, Baby Girl.” He laughs at me as he sets the alarm.
*****
We go in The Steamroom through the backdoor again. Since there are so many of us this time, we give the owner fifty dollars for our cover charge. I’m standing with a drink and talking to the other girls when a girl walks in that I’ve never seen before. She’s stunning in a blue slip dress. She has auburn hair cascading down her back and intense blue eyes. She looks around the room and it goes mostly silent. Abbi and Ella grab the guys and walk over to where I’m standing. Abbi looks like she’s going to be sick.
“Whatever happens next, you stay near one of us. Don’t listen to a word she says.” Abbi whispers.
Finn tenses and positions himself in front of me. His jaw’s ticking.
The redhead takes in our circle of friends and zones in on Abbi and Ella. “Where the fuck is he?”
“Christie, what are you doing here? He doesn’t want to see you!” Ella screams at her.
“Chance meeting, I wouldn’t be here without good reason, bitch. I need to talk to him about a video he made.”
My stomach drops as I recognize her as one of the girls I saw in the DVD. Finn holds onto me and she notices our interaction. Then she zones in on my ring and looks me up and down.
“I sure hope you stay with that fine piece of ass. Don’t give Declan another look because he will break your little heart.” She storms to the back door and goes on stage looking for Declan. My knees give out and Finn catches me. He slides me over to Will and takes off after her. My friends are quiet, but I know they’re wondering what the redhead meant about the video. I try my best to lighten the mood, but Kendall catches on quick.
She sets up shots for us and raises her glass. “FUJIMO BITCH,” and we all chant it back.
Declan walks through the back door a minute later with Finn on his tail. He looks livid, but relaxes as I raise my second shot to him. He raises his eyebrows suggestively, but I ignore him and take the shot.
When he gets to me, he kisses my finger. “You okay?”
I nod my head, but don’t look at his eyes.
He lifts my chin to him and frames my face. “Don’t let her ruin our night. I told you before; she’s a crazy bitch. She just caused a scene backstage. I asked Mark to remove her. She got an anonymous tip about a sex tape and thought I was behind it. Finn was right there and heard everything.”
“Seeing her tonight brought back the image of the two of you in the video. She’s gorgeous, Dec, much more so than the other girls.”
“Shh, don’t say that. You are the most gorgeous girl in the world to me. I have a little secret that may make you feel better.”
I lift one eyebrow, urging him to go on.
“I never even came when I was with her, and I was only with her once. There was nothing there for me at all. I was drunk and stupid and I paid the price. So now, can we forget all about it?”
Even though I shouldn’t, I smile.
All the guys in the band come over to hug me. Apparently, Declan told them our good news already. Nate throws me over his shoulder, threatening to kidnap me so I can come to my senses.
New Year’s Eve at The Steamroom is more of an event than a show. The owners bumped the cover up to twenty-five dollars a head. The price includes party favors, champagne at midnight, and entertainment. I feel bad because our fifty dollars contribution did nothing to cover all of my friends’ heads. Declan assures me that management doesn’t care because the place is expected to bring in over ten thousand dollars in cover charges and probably more than that in liquor sales. All the TV’s are showing New Year’s Eve in Times Square so we can keep up with the countdown. Our group gets our normal table, but I spend most of the night on the dance floor with my friends. Sayge’s popularity is obviously growing because people are shouting requests for some of their newer songs.
Five minutes to midnight, the band takes a break for the countdown. Instead of going the back way, they jump down off the stage and head to our table where the champagne is already waiting. All the couples have paired up. There are a few new girls at our table standing next to Tripp, Robbie, Finn, and Gabe. Blake walks directly up to Charlie and pulls her against his chest. She runs the tips of her fingers over his Mohawk. Finally! The tension between these two over the last few months has been exhausting. Declan looks around and sees what I do. He smiles at his friend.
At midnight, the place erupts in cheers. Declan kisses me passionately, grabbing my ass and holding me as close as he can. We separate, but he doesn’t let me go. He sways with me as “Auld Lang Syne” plays over the speakers.
“Do you have any idea what I want to do right now? If I wasn’t so scared of some psycho running ar
ound with a secret recorder, we’d be in the back against the wall.”
“Well, is it a onetime offer? Can’t you show me when we get to my place tonight?”
He nods his head provocatively and I reach up to run my tongue over his ring. I kiss his cut tenderly and feel the ointment on it.
The band heads back to the stage for one last set. I get dirty looks from several girls when they see the ring on my finger. We don’t get home until early in the morning and decide to watch the sunrise. It’s the perfect end to the holidays.
Chapter 34
Social Media
The third week of January, Jay called and asked the band for a meeting. Declan arranged it to be at his house. He asked me to come over too and stay the night. This might be a good opportunity to talk to the band about a project for my business class that I need their help with. They all need to agree in order for my group to get started.
On Sunday afternoon, Jay arrives carrying his laptop and numerous files. We sit down and wait for him to start.
“Okay guys, things have progressed significantly since New Year’s Eve. You’ve gotten the attention of a few key people and I’ve been working to get your name on some lists for upcoming shows. I’m working with the organizers for the Main Street Festival in Franklin, but I’ll come back to that. I got a phone call from a small team that is organizing an Indie Performance Stage at Bonnaroo in June. Even though it’s Indie, it’s not geared towards just indie rock; it’s for all new and unknown acts. Apparently, Ryan from Knight’s Dream mentioned Sayge and the organizing committee sent a representative to some of your shows at The Steamroom. They like what they saw and want to offer you a three hour spot somewhere on the schedule.”
“Holy shit! Fucking Bonnaroo? Are you fucking with us, Jay?” Cooper yells. “This is the chance of a fucking lifetime.”
The guys start throwing questions back and forth, not waiting for answers. Declan pulls me into his lap and I squeal with excitement. I’m not an expert, but even I know this is a huge deal. Even if the stage is a small set up and they play at 3:00 in the morning, there will still be artists from all over the world there representing all types of musical genres. This type of exposure is huge.
After a few minutes, the chatter dies down and Jay continues.
“I think it’s about time you guys find someone new to represent you. I enjoy working with you like this, but it’s about to get out of my area of expertise. My company has some great people I can recommend for your band.”
Declan and Cooper exchange a look and Declan shakes his head. “Jay, man, we don’t want anyone else right now. I know your position isn’t exactly set up to manage us, but maybe we could come up with an arrangement where Cooper and I handle the stuff we know how to do, and you keep on with your work? You sure as fuck know what you’re doing.”
Jay looks around at the guys to confirm that everyone feels the same way and they all nod.
“Well, I guess we can see if it’ll work. But we have to have an honest relationship, guys. I’m ready for the promotion, but my company doesn’t see it that way. If you ever feel I’m not steering you in the right direction, let me know.”
“Deal.”
“Okay, now to the other issues at hand. I’m working on your behalf to complete applications for more festivals. I’ve pulled apps from Florida to Kentucky. The initial paperwork isn’t the problem, your existence is.”
“What does that mean?” Declan sounds offended.
“It means if you want to start to gain recognition, we need to jump on board with marketing. I think you should get some studio time in the next month and record something for your fans to buy. Like I said before, it won’t be sponsored as a recording deal, but there are plenty of people around the city that take on bands in your shoes that would be willing to lay some tracks for you. Also, we need a website with some footage of your shows.”
“Shit, man, this seems like a lot of stuff I know nothing about. I’m in unchartered territory here. You got people to do this?”
“I have a few people I can put you in touch with. This is a critical piece to the puzzle and you need to make sure you pick someone you trust.”
This is the perfect time for me to speak up. “Um, guys, can I break in?” All heads turn to me.
“I was going to talk to you about this later after Jay left, but he gave me the perfect segue. I’m in a new business class and my group project is to present evidence about the effects Social Media has on business. Webpages, Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, Online Marketing tools, etc. So I’ve been thinking how to come up with a presentation and I thought of Sayge. You absolutely fall into the entertainment business category. What I’m offering is to completely create your social media presence. My whole group would participate in getting you on the internet. It won’t be anything like a professional marketing team, but I think we could put something together that would help get your band noticed. You can accept or reject any of our ideas. Our goal is to prove that the presence of social media is a critical tool in today’s operational objectives.”
It’s so quiet; I get nervous. All five pairs of eyes are staring at me. Nate stands up and kneels in front of me. He lifts my left hand and holds it to his lips. “Raven, you have officially become the love of my life. Give this tool back his ring and I’ll replace it with one twice its size. You and I will get married and have beautiful and brilliant little babies. You are the most perfect girl in the world.” He starts to kiss my hand, but Declan kicks him in the stomach.
“Yo Douche, get your hands off my woman.” He jokes back.
Nate lifts his hands in surrender and laughs. “Hey, man, I had to try; this girl is the SHIT!”
“I know. Next time you put your lips on her, you’ll find them busted.”
The room comes to life and they love my idea. Jay compliments me on the whole thing and asks for an outline. I suggest inviting my group over this afternoon to discuss the details. My classmates already discussed doing our project on Sayge, but we had to wait for the bands approval before going any further. I’m working with the same group from last semester since we all ended up in the same class together. I text them and everyone says they can make it here in an hour.
The guys talk about all the cities they will be going to in the upcoming months. There’s a festival in Jacksonville Beach that falls over my spring break. I mention to Declan that maybe we can stay for a few days.
At 5:00, Anna, Brent, Kyle, and Mari all crowd into the living room. I get out my laptop and pull up a few websites to review.
“Okay, before I get started, on a scale of one to ten with ten being the highest, how familiar are you guys with social media?” I ask Declan and the rest of his band.
“To be fair, let’s say five.” Cooper answers for the group.
“Okay, here’s what we’re going to do. Each of us has an individual responsibility and we get together each week to analyze the data we’ve collected. First things first, we need footage of you. Not just performance video. I want backstage, practice sessions, maybe even some stuff when you go to the studio. Kyle and Brent are going to do the actual videography. When we get what we want, it’ll be uploaded. We’ll need a lot because I don’t want to have the same clips everywhere.
“Anna and I will create your Facebook and Twitter Accounts, and Mari is going to start a blog. All of these sites will carry similar information, but the goal is to get followers in every area. The webpage is our biggest project. We’ll have tabs that will showcase all things Sayge. Bios, show schedules, upcoming events, pictures, video, all of it. What we’ll do is create the platform and you can be involved with all the creative processes. Once we turn in our data, and the project is over, we’ll know what your biggest success was. Then you can keep it going. I’ll help of course because it’ll just be maintenance by that point. What do you think so far?”
“So what do you need from us to start?” Declan asks.
“We need your participation immediately. As a m
atter of fact, we need to start tomorrow. Anna is going to contact each of you for bio information and I need your schedule. Tomorrow after class, we’ll get started on opening all the accounts. I have enough pictures from Atlanta to upload right now, but I’ll want more by the end of the week. Kyle will be with us on Thursday night and we need backstage access to film your set up. Then he’ll get the show too. I plan to have the Facebook, Twitter, and blog site up by Friday. If this goes as planned, you’ll be announcing that you’re going to be recording the show and to visit Sayge on Facebook during your last set on Thursday night. That should start the ball rolling. Did I miss anything?”
I look at my school friends, but they shake their heads at me.
“I have a question, Angel,” Nate purrs at me, trying to get a response from Declan who glares at him. “Why aren’t you doing the bios? You’re with us all the time.”
“That’s exactly why. Anna hardly knows y’all and can write without being bias. I don’t think I could sit and conduct a serious interview with you at all.”
He shakes his head in understanding.
Jay likes every aspect of the plan and wants to be on our email chain for daily updates. He especially wants some footage so he can get more applications out. We order pizza and my group heads to the kitchen to outline our goals for the week. We also pull some ideas from blogging websites for background and colors. I choose a cool design with deep red and black colors. When I start to show off the design to the guys, they look at me like I’m crazy.
“New rule, Sparkle, you guys choose all the designs, colors, and content. We don’t give a shit about that. You show us the end product and we’ll tell you if we want any changes.” Declan tells me. “Basically, you’re in charge.”
“Okie dokie, are you going to be this laid-back when we plan the wedding?”
“Probably, I only have a few requirements. You and your mom can have carte blanche, unless you take me up on my Vegas proposal.” He wiggles his eyebrows at me.
I join the others in the kitchen and relay his message. Anna looks at me questionably, “Did you say something about a wedding?”
Surrendering Page 32
