I stepped aside, and Luke bent to grab Emerson. Braden, Paul, and two other guys came into the room. All of them carried him down the stairs. I followed behind them, shutting the door. Crissy was wringing her hands together. She darted to the side as the guys took Emerson to the car.
“What happened up there?” she asked me in a rush. Beads of sweat formed on her forehead, and she wiped them off with the back of her hand.
“Uh.” What did happen? “Nothing much.” And that was the truth. Nothing much happened. Emerson was high. We got him out, and now it was back to life as usual. I hadn’t been given a window to my old friendship with Luke. It was a façade. He needed me to act as bait. That was it. Nothing more.
“Oh.” Crissy’s laugh trembled. “That’s good. I was worried.”
“Yeah…” I squared my shoulders back. Whatever. I walked away from Luke three years ago. That had been my choice, not his, but even as I tried to make myself believe that, I couldn’t. I missed being Luke’s friend. Getting that feeling again and then having it taken away, I felt something missing inside me.
They started to put Emerson behind the driver’s seat, but Luke shook his head. “No. Do the middle. If he wakes up, we can restrain him better this way.”
Hearing those words, Crissy stepped back, bumping into my side. I expected her to move away, but she didn’t. She stayed there. Her arm started shaking, and that told me one thing; she wasn’t going to help much.
I started for the front seat, but Luke stopped me. “What are you doing?”
“‘What are you doing?’” I indicated Emerson. “You need to sit next to him if you’re going to be able to restrain him.”
“I know.” He held his hand out, and Braden gave him the keys. Luke held them out to me. “You drive. Braden and I will both sit in the back.”
“Oh, thank god.” Crissy darted for my seat.
She closed the door for me, pulling on it so I was forced to step back. Luke laughed slightly. He asked, “Still want to join the band?”
“What do you mean?”
“Not much has changed in three years. Emerson gets high. We carry him home, and we do the best we can. This is how it is.”
I already knew how Emerson operated. Was it worth dealing with my cousin, that’s what he was warning me about, but the real question I needed to ask myself—was this all worth it, to play with Luke again?
My hand closed around the keys, and I went to start the car, but I already had my answer. Was it worth it?
Hell yes.
There wasn’t much of a reaction from Luke when I told him. All I got was a nod, and he said, “We’re playing Candy Lake’s house party tonight. It’s a good paying gig. Don’t fuck this up.”
Don’t fuck it up. Sound advice. I smoothed my clammy hands down my pants and nodded. “Sure. I can do that. I mean, I can not do that. Not fuck it up, I mean.” I was already messing it up.
Emerson rolled his eyes. “Are we sure about this? Chicks bring drama.” His lip curled up into a sneer. “Especially this one.”
Braden yelled from the van behind us, “One, she’s amazing on drums. Two, even though she’s my sister and it pains me to say this—it really does—she’s hot. We got the girls coming in droves to see us, but guys will come too now. Sorry, Bri. I feel like I’m pimping you out.”
I shrugged.
He continued, “And three, she needs to stay busy. We need to keep her away from Turner in her free time.”
Emerson grunted right next to him in the seat. “That’s my best friend, asshole.”
Braden shot back, “You don’t agree with keeping her away from him?”
My cousin lowered his head. My brother had him with that one. Luke shook his head. “Why are you making this same argument? I already said she’s in.” He said to me, “And I mean it, Bri. I know your history with Candy Lake. Be nice. She has two parties every summer and more during the winter. She booked us in the past, and she pays the best. I don’t want to lose this gig. We need the money.”
Candy Lake? Move over Emerson; she was another admirer of mine. My lips twitched at my own joke. I was lame, and so was Candy Lake. She wasn’t as bad as Emerson with her hatred of me. No one was. The last time I saw her, the two of us ended up pulling each other’s hair and rolling on the ground. It had been a chick fight gone bad and not one of my glorious moments. I could fight better than that, but she got me on a night when I had been drunk, way too drunk. The party loved it. I had not.
I shrugged. “I won’t start anything with her.” But if she started something like other girls had in the past, she had another think coming.
“I mean it, Bri. You hated her in high school. Don’t start anything tonight.” He walked around me and went to the driver’s side. As he got in, Braden clapped his hand on the seat. “Come on, Bri. Hop your ass in here so we can go and make some girls’ panties wet.”
Because that made sense.
I shook my head and got into the van. As Braden slammed the side door shut, I remarked, “We need to have a talk where you remember that I’m your sister.”
Braden winked at me. “You are, but come on, you’re going to be treated like a dude now.”
“For some reason I feel like that’s a compliment, but I have no idea why.”
Emerson rolled his eyes. “We’re treating you like an equal. Stop complaining about it.”
“Why don’t you stop complaining?” I gripped my armrest. “Talk about the pot calling the kettle black.”
He was staring at me. “Keep it—”
“Shut up,” Luke clipped out, pulling out of the parking lot. “Both of you. Here's the plan. We’re going to the party, we’ll do the set we practiced with Bri in the basement, and then we’ll head back. The two of you don’t even need to talk to each other.”
“She—”
“Got it?” Luke barked, giving Emerson a pointed look in the rearview mirror.
“Yeah.” My cousin lowered his head. “Got it.”
“Bri?” Luke addressed me.
“Yeah?”
“No fighting.”
I cracked a grin. We’ll see.
“I mean it.”
I nodded. “Yeah. Okay.”
“What happened up there?” she asked me in a rush. Beads of sweat formed on her forehead, and she wiped them off with the back of her hand.
“Uh.” What did happen? “Nothing much.” And that was the truth. Nothing much happened. Emerson was high. We got him out, and now it was back to life as usual. I hadn’t been given a window to my old friendship with Luke. It was a façade. He needed me to act as bait. That was it. Nothing more.
“Oh.” Crissy’s laugh trembled. “That’s good. I was worried.”
“Yeah…” I squared my shoulders back. Whatever. I walked away from Luke three years ago. That had been my choice, not his, but even as I tried to make myself believe that, I couldn’t. I missed being Luke’s friend. Getting that feeling again and then having it taken away, I felt something missing inside me.
They started to put Emerson behind the driver’s seat, but Luke shook his head. “No. Do the middle. If he wakes up, we can restrain him better this way.”
Hearing those words, Crissy stepped back, bumping into my side. I expected her to move away, but she didn’t. She stayed there. Her arm started shaking, and that told me one thing; she wasn’t going to help much.
I started for the front seat, but Luke stopped me. “What are you doing?”
“‘What are you doing?’” I indicated Emerson. “You need to sit next to him if you’re going to be able to restrain him.”
“I know.” He held his hand out, and Braden gave him the keys. Luke held them out to me. “You drive. Braden and I will both sit in the back.”
“Oh, thank god.” Crissy darted for my seat.
She closed the door for me, pulling on it so I was forced to step back. Luke laughed slightly. He asked, “Still want to join the band?”
“What do you mean?”
“Not much has changed in three years. Emerson gets high. We carry him home, and we do the best we can. This is how it is.”
I already knew how Emerson operated. Was it worth dealing with my cousin, that’s what he was warning me about, but the real question I needed to ask myself—was this all worth it, to play with Luke again?
My hand closed around the keys, and I went to start the car, but I already had my answer. Was it worth it?
Hell yes.
There wasn’t much of a reaction from Luke when I told him. All I got was a nod, and he said, “We’re playing Candy Lake’s house party tonight. It’s a good paying gig. Don’t fuck this up.”
Don’t fuck it up. Sound advice. I smoothed my clammy hands down my pants and nodded. “Sure. I can do that. I mean, I can not do that. Not fuck it up, I mean.” I was already messing it up.
Emerson rolled his eyes. “Are we sure about this? Chicks bring drama.” His lip curled up into a sneer. “Especially this one.”
Braden yelled from the van behind us, “One, she’s amazing on drums. Two, even though she’s my sister and it pains me to say this—it really does—she’s hot. We got the girls coming in droves to see us, but guys will come too now. Sorry, Bri. I feel like I’m pimping you out.”
I shrugged.
He continued, “And three, she needs to stay busy. We need to keep her away from Turner in her free time.”
Emerson grunted right next to him in the seat. “That’s my best friend, asshole.”
Braden shot back, “You don’t agree with keeping her away from him?”
My cousin lowered his head. My brother had him with that one. Luke shook his head. “Why are you making this same argument? I already said she’s in.” He said to me, “And I mean it, Bri. I know your history with Candy Lake. Be nice. She has two parties every summer and more during the winter. She booked us in the past, and she pays the best. I don’t want to lose this gig. We need the money.”
Candy Lake? Move over Emerson; she was another admirer of mine. My lips twitched at my own joke. I was lame, and so was Candy Lake. She wasn’t as bad as Emerson with her hatred of me. No one was. The last time I saw her, the two of us ended up pulling each other’s hair and rolling on the ground. It had been a chick fight gone bad and not one of my glorious moments. I could fight better than that, but she got me on a night when I had been drunk, way too drunk. The party loved it. I had not.
I shrugged. “I won’t start anything with her.” But if she started something like other girls had in the past, she had another think coming.
“I mean it, Bri. You hated her in high school. Don’t start anything tonight.” He walked around me and went to the driver’s side. As he got in, Braden clapped his hand on the seat. “Come on, Bri. Hop your ass in here so we can go and make some girls’ panties wet.”
Because that made sense.
I shook my head and got into the van. As Braden slammed the side door shut, I remarked, “We need to have a talk where you remember that I’m your sister.”
Braden winked at me. “You are, but come on, you’re going to be treated like a dude now.”
“For some reason I feel like that’s a compliment, but I have no idea why.”
Emerson rolled his eyes. “We’re treating you like an equal. Stop complaining about it.”
“Why don’t you stop complaining?” I gripped my armrest. “Talk about the pot calling the kettle black.”
He was staring at me. “Keep it—”
“Shut up,” Luke clipped out, pulling out of the parking lot. “Both of you. Here's the plan. We’re going to the party, we’ll do the set we practiced with Bri in the basement, and then we’ll head back. The two of you don’t even need to talk to each other.”
“She—”
“Got it?” Luke barked, giving Emerson a pointed look in the rearview mirror.
“Yeah.” My cousin lowered his head. “Got it.”
“Bri?” Luke addressed me.
“Yeah?”
“No fighting.”
I cracked a grin. We’ll see.
“I mean it.”
I nodded. “Yeah. Okay.”
