Page 28 of Verses

You never hadto say it but you couldn’t pretend.

Even strangers could tell those fences won’t mend.

You said your love for me would never, ever fade,

But when another came along, you sent me to my grave.

My soul would never rest.

My life would not be blessed.

In your house, I was only a guest.

You don’t need to tell me twice.

I would always be second best.

Second best, second best.

The lyrics weren’tthat great, but they had come from my heart—and I hoped that, eventually, our catalog would grow large enough that I could retire this one from the setlist. The guys had always liked it, though, because it was a slower song, and they could rest a little—no shredding, no rapid cadence.

Thinking back, I remembered when Liam had first played the tune for us. I’d grabbed my then brand-new notebook, finding the first few words I’d penned which became the chorus.

The rest I’d composed on the spot.

When I’d sung it the first time, I’d cried like a baby—and all four guys in the band had hugged me like we were in a football huddle. And, no matter how fucking dysfunctional we’d become over the past few years, they were my family. Even now.

We understood each other.

And I only hoped Wolf could become part of that. Not just on the surface, but to the core.

I sang the last few lines of the chorus the final time where the words changed slightly.

Don’t say it again,‘cause I know

I will always be second best.

Second best, second best.

Until the endof the song where Adrian played the cymbals with the wire brushes, creating a soft, melancholy sound, I hadn’t realized I’d been pouring my heart and soul—all the fucking tragedy and shit we’d been experiencing over the past couple of months—into my voice.

The guys had heard it too, though, and they said so.

“Jesus, Hayley, what the hell was that?” Pedro asked.

Taking a deep breath, I opened my eyes—but before I turned my head to look at him, I gazed upon our small audience. Everyone was staring at me, not just Crazy Stu but the entire bar. When I opened my eyes, I broke the spell and they started applauding, something they hadn’t done all night.

“What do you mean?” I asked, feeling a little insecure.

Kyle didn’t say a word, but his eyes told me even he’d been affected. Wolf said, “You had a regular Celine Dion moment there.”

I started laughing. “Celine Dion?!What?”

“Your voice told us what you were feeling just as much as the words.”

“Oh.” But I sure as hell didn’t want to talk about it. Not any of it. “Then I think it’s time to play something fun!”

At least that meant our old song might stand a chance—even with my pathetic lyrics.

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