King of Nice

by R H Tucker

  “Oh, great.” I try to sound happy, but not sure how real it seems. “We’re just about to get on stage in a few minutes.”

  “Great! Can we meet up after?”

  “Yeah, sure.”

  “Okay, I’ll text you then.”

  Hanging up, I stare at the screen. There’s something about this whole situation that doesn’t feel right. It’s not just the lingering feelings for Skye, it goes back before that. Back to that morning in her bed, when she told me to talk to Alicia. Meeting up with her and anything that might go further than that will always be laced with that memory.

  “Hey, you okay?” Jade walks over to me.

  Glancing over at her, I lift my shoulders. “I should be. My face is plastered all over the place. Page Five’s website crashed for an hour when pictures of Skye confronting Crystal and me were uploaded. The King of Nice is dead. I should be over the moon.”

  “But, you’re not.” I shake my head. “Then talk to her, EJ. Tell her you want to do something with her for real.”

  “I tried,” I reply, turning around and heading back to our room. “I went to their suite, and they already checked out. Did you know they didn’t even perform their last set.”

  “Really? That’s crazy. What happened?”

  “I have no idea.”

  She stops me, grabbing my arm to spin me back around. “Call her.”

  “There’s no point, Jade. You …” I lose the words, gazing down at my feet. “You should’ve seen the expression on her face. It doesn’t matter whether it was real or not, she felt something. And I destroyed whatever could’ve been.” Turning, I head to our room to get ready for our performance.

  The performance goes off without a hitch. I thought I might miss some notes or stumble along the way, but the opposite happens. The music drowns out everything, and while I play my guitar, all my doubts and second-guessing fades to the background. All that remains is the music.

  I wish I could play for the rest of the night and ignore everything else.

  After the performance, we all head to our backstage room where I collapse onto the couch, earning a look from Derrik. “What’s wrong with you?”

  “Nothing,” I answer, staring aimlessly at the ceiling. When I hear a knock at the door, I glance over and see Alicia walk in.

  Alicia’s on the shorter side, has a pixie cut hairstyle that’s pitch black, and large hazel eyes. She starred in last summer’s Best Picture of the Year winner. A girl with a good head on her shoulders, the perfect mix of cute and sexy, and career-driven. I should be ecstatic seeing her. She looks nothing like Danica Parker, but something about her reminds me of Derrik’s former fake-girlfriend.

  “Alicia.” I get to my feet and hurry over to the door. “How’d you like the show?”

  “It was terrific,” she answers, throwing her arms around me and giving me a hug as if it’s totally natural.

  Clearing my throat, I look around the dressing room, waving to everyone else. “Guys, this is Alicia Summers.”

  “Bro, like we don’t know who Alicia Summers is,” Maddox responds and walks over. “Alicia, what on earth are you doing with EJ?” He laughs while I scowl.

  She playfully slaps his chest, giggling. “Are you kidding? EJ is the talk of the town.”

  Her comment catches me off guard. She notices my expression and stifles her laugh. “I’m just kidding, EJ.”

  “Right.” I offer her a knowing laugh. Jade eyes me cautiously, while Maddox and Derrik chuckle along. “Anyway, I’m glad you’re here. What’d you want to do tonight?”

  “Ohmygod,” she cries out, starting to jump up and down. I look over at Derrik, instantly reminded of Danica and how she’d act around him. He starts laughing. “There’s this party over at the new club at Hotel Neptune. It’s going to be amazing!”

  “Hell yeah,” Maddox calls out. “Sounds like my kind of place. Let’s do this!”

  Without waiting, he heads toward the door, leaving the room. Hurrying behind him, Alicia follows, who’s trailed by Derrik. Lifting my shoulder at Jade, I shake my head without any idea what to do.

  “Are you sure you want to do this?” Jade whispers to me.

  “I don’t really have a choice, do I?”

  “EJ, of course you have a choice.”

  “I agreed to this date. I agreed to what Skye proposed. I agreed to … everything, Jade. This is the choice I’ve made.”

  34

  Skye

  The crowd cheers louder than they did last week. Leah yells into the microphone, finishing our last song. This is the beginning of our second week on tour with Strange Tides. Every night that we perform, it seems like we’re gaining a few more fans than the last performance. The Rocket and Moon Fest was different. There were so many people visiting, wanting to see various bands and acts, that the fans cheering for us seemed like they were cheering simply because we were there. On tour, it feels like we’re finding our real fanbase, and it’s building our confidence as a band.

  Which is why I’m smiling as we make our way off stage, but it’s tempered. It’s been tempered ever since we left Vegas. I know it shouldn’t be because we’re exactly where we want to be. Especially Roxy.

  “You guys gonna meet us after the set?” Dean asks, wrapping his arm around Roxy while the rest of his band makes their way on stage, and the crowd cheers.

  Dean and Roxy are a thing. They have been since the first night we started the tour with them. Roxy, like Maddox, loves to jump headfirst into stuff, so I’m not surprised.

  “Yeah, wouldn’t miss it,” Roxy replies, kissing him.

  “Did you tell her?” Dean’s lowered his voice. When I glance over at his words, I see his head nod toward me.

  Roxy’s eyes meet mine.

  “Tell me what?”

  “There’s an after-party going on tonight,” Roxy replies. Dean leaves her side, heading onto the stage with the rest of his band. We both walk toward our backstage room, where Leah’s already waiting.

  “So why are you two whispering about it like it’s some clandestine meeting?” I ask her, taking a seat on our couch.

  “Well, see …” She nervously bites her lip, gazing over at Leah. “Dean’s cousin is in town.”

  “Okay?” My eyes stay on her, unsure what that’s supposed to mean.

  Her eyes jump back to Leah again. Only this time, Leah nods to her, urging her to continue.

  “Okay, you two are freaking me out,” I tell them.

  “Roxy’s too much of a scaredy-cat to tell you, but she’s set up a blind date for you.”

  “Roxy,” I groan.

  “No! No, no. It’s not a blind date.” She stamps her foot at Leah, scowling. Turning to me again, her face softens. “It’s not, Skye. Dean’s cousin just said you were cute. He’s from Anaheim, like the rest of their band. When he found out we were touring together, he asked if he could set up an introduction.”

  “That sounds exactly like a blind date,” I tell her.

  “I know that’s what it sounds like, but seriously, he’s not expecting anything. I made sure to tell Dean you weren’t really looking to date after EJ.”

  “Roxy! There’s nothing between EJ and me. And I can’t believe you said that!”

  “Told you she’d say that,” Leah speaks up, eyeing us both for a moment, before returning her attention back to her phone.

  Roxy holds up her finger. “First of all, I didn’t say EJ. I simply said you weren’t up for dating anyone. And maybe, more importantly, you can tell us all you want there was nothing real, but we know better. Which is exactly why I told Dean you’d meet his cousin. It’s not a date or a hookup or anything like that. But I’m not letting you go four weeks on this tour without at least trying to move on.”

  Releasing a long, drawn-out sigh, I annoyingly cast a gaze at Leah, who peeks her eyes up at me. Roxy stands there, eyebrows raised in hopeful anticipation. I don’t want to meet anyone, but I don’t not want to meet someone. Not to date, but as much as I hate a
dmitting that they’re right, to somehow get past these lingering feelings and thoughts of EJ. So … maybe she’s right.

  “Fine,” I acquiesce, glancing over at Leah. “Roxy will probably stay for a while with Dean, but I really don’t want to stay long.”

  “What if you like him?” Leah asks.

  I guess anything is in the realm of possibility, but I don’t think that’s going to happen. Especially when all I see online is Alicia posting about being at the Kings’ performance last week and her upcoming date with EJ. Maybe I should stay longer with whoever Roxy’s setting me up with, but the opposite is what I’m feeling. I don’t want to linger around someone to try and forget EJ. As much as I shouldn’t, I want to be alone and remember my time with him.

  “I won’t.”

  After the show, we head over to a bar with the girls and Strange Tides. The bar isn’t a swank or party-esque place like the ones we visited in Vegas, but it’s nice. There’s hanging lights around the first floor, and when you walk up to the second floor, it opens to a balcony, looking out over the city. It’s also not a raucous display of debauchery that we were part of during Rocket and Moon. While fun and exciting, this is low-key and chill.

  It’s nice that everyone in their band is cool with us. Will is their drummer, Paul the guitarist, and Dean plays bass and sings lead. Dean’s cousin, Garret, was waiting for them at the bar when we all arrived.

  “You guys were really awesome tonight,” Garret says as we sit around a round table on the balcony.

  “I didn’t know you saw the show.”

  “Yeah,” he replies, and a soft pink crosses his cheeks.

  It reminds me of EJ. Again. When I first saw him, I noticed he had the same brown hair as EJ, only a little darker. He even combs it like him. Being related to the lead singer, I immediately thought he might be stuck up or demanding as if he deserves to be waited on hand and foot. Or even worse, I imagined he might be someone like Mitch who EJ got in a fight with. However, he’s been nothing but cordial.

  “So, what do you do?” I ask, taking a sip of my Diet Coke. No more alcohol for me ever since my drunken night of stop sign pole dancing.

  “Uh, let’s see. Mondays and Wednesdays I do college, and the other days of the week, I deliver pizzas.” My eyes widen at his response, earning a chuckle out of him. “I know, not glamorous or a rock star life like Dean, but it is what it is.”

  “Sorry, I didn’t mean to seem so shocked, it’s just … I’ve been around musicians and, well, crazy people lately. I just figured it was something else.” I let out a laugh. “What are you going to college for?”

  “I have no idea,” he says, smirking. “My parents want me to go and are paying for it, so … I might as well.”

  He’s a little lost, trying to find direction, but not a pushover either. It’s EJ all over again. Fighting the thought, I turn away and scan the city lights. I remember her kissing him. I remember seeing him lift his hands, holding her like he did with me. And I remember feeling crushing loss, knowing my plan was finally over. But I also recall smiling and laughing and feeling like our plan was never a plan, but fate.

  “You okay?” Garret asks, bumping his shoulder into mine.

  “Yeah.” I offer a strained smile.

  He doesn’t seem to believe me, but he doesn’t question it. It makes me feel worse because even if this isn’t a date, it was set up by Roxy. I’m sure he was expecting at least a willing participant instead of a forlorn girl gazing out over the night sky. Before he can ask anything else, Leah lets out a yell. We both spin around and see her jumping up and down, talking on her cell phone.

  “Ohmygod, ohmygod, ohmygod!” Her mouth drops open, giving me a wide-eyed, smiling stare. “Yes! Absolutely. I’m with them right now, I’ll tell them! Okay. Thank you, Scott!”

  Roxy steps closer to me, and we both stare at one another, unsure why Leah is freaking out, but her enthusiasm is infectious. Both of us start grinning at one another.

  “What is it?” Roxy asks.

  Running over, she wraps her arms around us, giving us a hug. “You guys!” Backing up a step, she’s still a jitterbug. “Our album … just went gold!”

  The gaggles of screams, squeals, and any other high-pitched noises coming from us trump any and all other sounds. We start jumping around, our arms hanging on one another, laughter mixing with joyous cries. It’s miles away from multiple times platinum like the Kings, but it’s an accomplishment all of us only dreamed of when we started together.

  Finally breaking away, Dean comes over and wraps his arms around Roxy, kissing her. Leah celebrates with the other band, and Garret walks over to me, giving me a hug.

  “That’s incredible. Congratulations.”

  “Thank you.” I return his hug, and his arms linger around my side. His eyes stay on mine, and for a split second, I think he might try to kiss me. Maybe it’s the moment of celebratory feeling in the air. And I could probably blame it on that, but I don’t want to.

  Pulling away, I offer him a friendly smile, then look back over the city, still excited about our news, but feeling like something’s missing. I wish EJ were here so I could share this news with him.

  35

  EJ

  I’ve been to enough red carpet and gala events that the shine and whimsical luster of it all has worn off. It’s fun, don’t get me wrong, but it’s just part of the job. I’m at a Carter Media event with Alicia that’s all about promoting an upcoming slate of movies and shows all under the company’s umbrella. Since a few of our songs are featured in their shows or on the movie soundtracks, all of us are always extended passes to the events.

  Maddox has a DJ gig at Venice Beach tonight, and Derrik decided to pass it up to hang out with Zoey. I wasn’t going to come, but Alicia wanted to because she said it’d be fun. And since I told Jade, she decided to come, too—though I’m not sure why. As her plus-one, she brought her boyfriend, Bret, who begged for her to bring him. Actually, I don’t know if that’s true, but he’s a junkie for the spotlight, so I wouldn’t be surprised if he did.

  “Isn’t this great?” Alicia asks, taking my hand after we’ve talked to a producer.

  “I guess,” I admit. It earns a confused glance from her. “These types of things aren’t really my thing.”

  Giggling, she pokes my side. “EJ, I saw the red carpet kiss you had last month. That certainly seemed like your thing then.”

  “Yeah, well, that was different.”

  “Why?”

  I keep my eyes on her, unsure of how to answer. In the time we’ve been hanging out and talking since the last weekend in Vegas, I haven’t brought up Skye at all. And Alicia hasn’t asked. I don’t know if she doesn’t want to know, or she thinks it’s a complete non-factor. Probably the latter, since I’ve given her no reason to believe it was a serious relationship.

  “Just because,” I finally answer, hoping she doesn’t push me on it. She doesn’t. Like everything else, she brushes it off as another comment of something inconsequential.

  It’s a trait I’ve noticed in the short time I’ve known her. It doesn’t matter what we talk about, everything comes across as irrelevant to her. NBD seems like it’s her personal motto. A couple of days ago, she mentioned her agent was negotiating a part in a movie by an influential director. When the deal fell through, she said, “No big deal. I’ll get a better role later.” I could almost hear her shrugging her shoulders.

  It’s amazing and a little perplexing at the same time. I wish I could just shrug things off sometimes, not giving them a second thought. But at the same time, it’s unnerving. She doesn’t seem to care about things. I’m sure she does. There have to be things in her life she’s concerned about or that are precious to her, but I haven’t found out what those things are. Everything seems so easy-come-easy-go to her. And I don’t know if I like that.

  “I’ll be right back,” she tells me, kissing me on the cheek. “Gonna go freshen up.”

  I smirk, my brows pinching together
in confusion. She looks fine. Actually, more than fine. She, like a lot of the other Hollywood types in the room, are dressed to impress while I came in my jeans, an orange T-shirt, and my Vans shoes.

  Jade sidles up to me, catching me off guard. “So, how’s it going?”

  “What are you talking about?”

  “I’ve been watching you.”

  “Yeah, that’s not creepy at all.”

  She laughs. “I’m serious, EJ. Not like a creeper, but to make sure you’re okay.”

  “Jade, how many times do I have to tell you? I’m fine. Alicia’s cool.”

  “Have you kissed her yet?”

  “Wow, okay. Let’s just jump right into my personal life and interrogate my PDA skills.”

  She laughs again.

  Derrik and Maddox haven’t brought up Skye once since Vegas. Even when they learned about the deal, they didn’t ask me anything when the news broke about her “catching me” with Crystal, or that we broke up. But Jade is another story.

  The day after we went out with Alicia, she asked me if I liked her. It caught me off guard because we’d only gone to the one party. Then, when I was texting Alicia, Jade asked me if I was going to see her again. When I told her I didn’t know, she dropped it. After she found out Alicia was coming with me to this event, she asked me if that was a good idea. I asked her why wouldn’t it be, and she didn’t have an answer.

  “Seriously, Jade. Is this because of Skye? You know better than anyone else what that was about. It was a contract. A deal. And now the deal’s over.”

  She bites her bottom lip, nervously averting her gaze. “I know.”

  “What’s that look?”

  “No, nothing.” Shaking it off, she gives me a forced smile. “I just want to make sure you’re … Okay? I know you don’t want to admit it, but you and Skye—”

  “You’re right. I don’t want to admit it. Because there’s nothing to admit.”