Page 28 of For One Night Only

I grit my teeth. “Everything needs to go through Wade. Have a great afternoon, Gina.”

She immediately calls me again as soon as I hang up, but I put my phone on silent and sink into the oversized yellow chair by the razor-thin TV. This is what I was afraid of—that one concert wouldn’t be enough for anyone, and I’d be obligated to pick my old life back up again.

Everything swims in my vision, and I move from the chair to the floor, taking a minute to complete a grounding exercise.

I desperately need that prescription.

The exercise helps, but my shoulders are still tense as I head torehearsal. Because the studio is just down the block from our hotel, it doesn’t take long to set up our instruments and get to work for the afternoon. The sound technician hired for the concert is working with us in rehearsals, and it’s a nice change from a basement practice session or a karaoke machine. Despite the lingering tension between Keeley and Valerie, we get right to work without any issues, and everyone sounds great.

Except me. I screw up the chords on “Ghosts,” forget my harmony on “All My Friends Are Vampires,” and overall just make the rehearsal unpleasant for everyone. I can’t focus. My mind is reeling as I wonder if all of this has been a setup from the start. I even forget to come in on “Midnight Road Trip,” and everyone stares at me as the rehearsal crashes to a halt.

“Okay, that’s it. What’s wrong?” Valerie says to me. “You’re in a completely different place today.”

“Yeah, well, I’m just not sure this is worth it,” I say, trying to catch my breath.

“Uh, what’s this about?” Riker asks, frowning at me across the space.

Warmth flushes the back of my neck, and I don’t look away from Valerie. “You know, I agreed to this because you needed it, but it’s not just the one show, is it? You’reallhoping to record again, aren’t you?” I ask, heart pounding.

“Pretty sure we’re all too busy for that,” Keeley says, but it lacks bite.

Jane frowns at me from behind the keyboard setup. “Caleb, where is this coming from? Let’s talk.”

“Are you really all okay just exposing yourselves to all of this nonsense again, forher?” I say, pointing at Valerie. I know I’m not being fair, but my pulse won’t stop racing from the adrenaline as I prepare for yet another fight. “I got a call from Gina at Label Records, and she said Valerie agreed to another record.”

Valerie gapes. “That’s not true! I’d never do that without talking to you.”

I feel disoriented. I’m not sure what to believe, but I won’t fall for her wide-eyed denial so easily. “You set up this reunion without discussing it as a band first. Why should this be any different?”

Valerie unplugs her guitar. “You know what? Forget it. I’m not going to stand here and let you accuse me of something I didn’t do.” She storms out of the studio. The others just stare at me.

“Can you believe her, going behind our back like that?” I ask, pacing the distance between my amp and Valerie’s pedalboard. “She just expects us to go along with everything.”

No one agrees, but I know they want to. Theyhaveto. I can’t be the only one who feels like I got suckered back into the whole damn thing.

Finally, Keeley breaks the silence.

“Dude, you’re being a dick,” she says. “You know Label is super fucking sketchy. Of course they’re trying every tactic in the book to get us to agree to a third album—this is their last chance to get more money out of us.”

Jane nods, tucking her hair behind her ears. “She’s right. They reached out to my agent too, but we’re not going to respond.” Her words are slow, measured, like she’s trying not to spook a wild animal.

Do I really look that out of control? I stop pacing and close my eyes, trying to catch a breath.

Riker grunts. “I’m sure if Wade wasn’t literally at Galaxy’s Edge right now, he’d be calling us with the same news.” He gestures toward his phone, where Wade’s private account shows him with his daughter in matching mouse ears.

All the fight leaves me in a rush.

“You’re right. I can’t believe I fell for that so easily.” I jumped to conclusions, because even for all my talk about trying to make peace, I wanted to believe the worst in Valerie. It wasn’t fair.

And my anxiety brain lies to me. My therapist said that a hundred times, and it’s like I’ve forgotten all that work I’ve done in the span of a few days.

God, I messed up.

“You just forgot what it’s like in this industry,” Riker says generously.

“Shit,” I sigh, swallowing thickly. “I just…I don’t know how to navigate this anymore.” The fans, the label…I forgot how overwhelming this life could be. I’m not at my best. Throw in all my complicated feelings about Valerie, and of course I’m all over the place. But my anxiety is no excuse for attacking her. I didn’t even give her a chance.

“That’s why you’re in a band, dumbass,” Keeley says. “You don’t have to figure it all out alone.”

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