Page 54 of The Lodge

River was always one of the most low-key members of the band. His signature haircut was cut short in the back, but with unruly bangs in the front—I always wondered what he was really thinking behind that hair, behind those kind eyes. He hung out often with Jett and Sebastian but rarely with both of them at the same time.

I’ve seen River hundreds of times in photos, but now it’s like I’m seeing him for the first time: he’s taller and more muscular, but his face—something about the light or the angle makes it feellike I’ve met him for real. I wrack my brain. Was it one of the Wall Street bros? One of Lauren’s museum friends? The guy who unloaded my bags when I first arrived here at the lodge?

Or, wait, no—maybe it wasn’t a guy at all, though I do think it was here at the lodge.

And then it hits me: he looks like Julie, so much so that they could be twins.

Julie, the concierge at this very resort—

Julie, whose brother is Tyler’s best friend.

My heart rate picks up.

I turn the page, looking for any sign of a sister. While I don’t find any mention of siblings one way or the other, I do see another photo that feels like I’ve just discovered a hidden key: it’s a picture of eleven-year-old River and a friend about the same age, bundled up in ski gear.

The mountain looks familiar. And there’s an ice rink in the background.

I take a closer look at the caption off to the side:River Wu (age 11) and Jett Beckett (age 11) prepare to carve the slopes in Stowe, Vermont.

Stowe, Vermont: that can’t be a coincidence.

In the photo, Jett Beckett is wearing a mint-green helmet.

I think of the one Tyler loaned me at my first lesson.Limited edition, he told me that day.Super rare.

I flip a few pages over, find the section devoted to Jett, and scan through until I find a picture from his later days in the band—nine years ago. I gasp.

If you were to break that perfect nose—

And cover up that flawless complexion with a five-o’clock shadow that’s grown out for a few days—

And turn the clock forward by nearly a decade—cheekbonesand jawline more defined, smile lines at the corners of his eyes—a transformation from polished pop star to rugged outdoorsman—

And add some brown contacts to those piercing blue eyes—

And let those eyebrows do their own thing—

And grow that short, bleach-blond hair out into long, dark waves—

And hide it all under helmets and goggles and ski gear for extra measure—

You’d get Tyler.

Title:

Metadata:jettbeckett_interview.mp3

Duration:0:09:24

Date:March 29, 2017

Alix:Hi, Jett—my name is Alix Morgan, and I write forStarslinger Daily. Thanks so much for meeting with me today. I wanted to state that we’ve started the audio recording. This is my assistant, Bridget, who’s going to listen in.

Jett:[inaudible]

Alix:I’m sorry, could you please repeat that?

Jett:No one told me this was on the agenda. How long will this take?

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