Page 17 of Creed

I have a Christmas gift for you and Bear, but we didn’t see you over the last few holidays, so I’ve still got a pile of them here for you. They’re just silly bracelets and some other things that I learned how to make at this summer camp that my parents dumped me at to get me out of the house, but the string colors matched the colors of your album so I thought they might bring you luck when you perform.

Anyway, I still use the polaroid and have a scrapbook of memories. Mom and dad aren’t home a lot and when they are, they’re back to fighting. So I sneak out with my music and the camera and take pictures on my walks until they either fall asleep or leave the house.

Things aren’t super great, but I’m staying strong.

Write back soon!

Love,

Collins.

He never answered that letter.

Chapter 8

Creed

(AGE 23) ~ ONE YEAR LATER

The party celebrating our third album release is in full swing in our backyard. Music is thumping through the speakers, party lights are blinking and dancing along the lawn, girls are swimming naked in the pool, and I’m in the lounge chair just basking in the success.

Our band, Dark Sins not only released its third album since signing with Cort Records, but our song ‘Til the Bitter End is already sitting at the number one spot on the music charts after releasing twenty-four hours ago.

It was rough for a while because a few months ago, we lost Benjamin. He didn’t die or anything dramatic like that, but his longtime girlfriend found out she was pregnant, so he negotiated his way out of the contract and went home to be a dad. Good for him. We’re all happy for him. But what sucked was scouting a new drummer.

Nobody fit the bill and we were losing hope of finding someone since we clearly couldn’t trust Steve to not bring another piece of trash into our band like he did with Tony.

With a stroke of luck and a random-ass trip to the hardware store to pick up supplies for installing a pergola for the backyard, I stumbled across a young kid with wicked talent. Riley Graves. He was sitting on a stool in the back of the parking lot and had made a drum set out of various sized buckets and was going to town on them to a metalcore playlist in the background.

I was so impressed and just knew we had to have him in the band that I didn’t even consult Bear or Tony before practically throwing the kid in the car and taking him to the studio, sitting him down in front of a real drum set, and having him show me what he was made of.

Safe to say, he didn’t disappoint. Kid is fucking talented. Maybe even more so than Benjamin, and I make it a point to tell him that every day.

He’s young at only 18, but he said he’s got no plans for college and had no idea what to do next in life, so he was oddly emotional when we offered him the spot in the contract to be our drummer. He’s been a fucking rockstar ever since. Figuratively. And literally, I guess. He’s dedicated to the role and I’ve taken him under my wing. After finding out that his parents are also trash, I took him in and he’s been living with me for about a month now.

The pained expression in his eyes as his mother spewed venom at him from the other side of the phone reminded me of another person who was dealt a shitty hand in life. I haven’t had time to read, let alone respond to her letters lately because I’ve been so busy. So I guess taking Riley in was my fucked up way of trying to make up for not being there for Collins.

Riley thrives on affection and I’ve got it for him in spades.

He’s not very social, and he gets overstimulated easily, so he’s inside in his room to avoid the women and the party with his headphones and music that he loves to listen to that helps him to tune out the world. I finish off my third glass of Macallan when a very wet and very naked pretty brunette straddles my lap. As much as I don’t appreciate my clothes getting wet, her large round tits in my face more than make up for it.

My hands move around to cup her round ass when she grinds herself down on my hardening cock without so much as a word. These girls around here know I’m not much for talking because I have no interest in starting a relationship with them. They’re not interested in emotional connections and neither am I. So why bother with conversation?

She tips her head back and moans when I pull her wet little pussy across my erection again, and her long, wet locks spill down her back and brush to tops of my legs. She arches into me, pushing her breasts closer to my face so I lean up and suck one of her hardened nipples into my mouth, which has her body trembling on top of me.

I move to suck on the other one as she reaches between us to pull at the waistband of my shorts when my phone starts buzzing on the table beside me. I ignore it because I’m too fucking horny to answer right now.

Just as the brunette pulls my dick out and pumps it once, my phone starts buzzing again. Groaning I look over at the screen reluctantly. I don’t recognize the number, but the name of the city has my lust fizzling out real quick.

With a heavy sigh I tap the girl in my lap on her thigh twice, signaling for her to slide off. She pouts but does as instructed with no argument. I’d just tucked my softening dick back into my pants when it starts to ring for the third time.

Jesus fuck.

I jab the green button on the screen a little too aggressively to answer. “Yeah?”

A woman’s voice speaks in a professional tone from the other line. “Good evening, I’m looking to speak with a Mister Creed St. James this evening.”

I roll my eyes, annoyed that I’d answered, thinking it could just be a fucking spam call, after all. “Speaking.” I say blandly.

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