Page 3 of Spark

“Who plays what?” Ruby asks.

Kai finally deigns to speak. “I play bass. But I can also play guitar in a pinch. And Savage sings lead vocals and plays guitar.”

“Very cool.”

“Kai’s also amazing with production and sound stuff, too. He’s the one who sets up our sound system for practices.”

“A man of many talents.” With that, Ruby flashes my big brother a beaming smile I’ve never witnessed before—one that would have turned me into a goddamned puddle on the floor, if only she’d directed it at me. When Kai only shrugs like he doesn’t give a shit what Ruby thinks, or how beaming her smile might be, she blushes, droops, and shifts her attention to Savage. “Is Savage your actual name?”

“Yeah, my last name. My first name is Adrian, but everyone calls me Savage.”

Ruby smiles brightly again, her blush still lingering. “Savage, it is.”

Savage motions to Ruby and Titus. “I wouldn’t have guessed you two are twins.”

“People always say that,” Ruby agrees with a chuckle. “But I don’t understand why.”

Everyone laughs. Everyone, except Kai. And it’s totally noticeable.

Titus says, “Our mom always says I must have stolen most of Ruby’s nutrients in the womb.”

“Although we were in totally different amniotic sacs,” Ruby chimes in, “so that’s not possible.”

Awkard silence ensues for a beat.

“So, yeah,” Ruby adds, fidgeting. My god, she’s adorable. I’ve never seen her nervous before. Normally, she’s a queen bee. The most confident person in any room. We have to wearuniforms to school, but with her purple hair, and even more so with her uniquely sparkling personality, Ruby always comes off like she doesn’t give a flying fuck what anyone thinks about her. And yet, apparently, she’s acutely aware she’s not winning over Kai for some reason, and the effect on her is obvious: she desperately wants to.Fuck my life.

“Hey, can I talk to you in the stairwell for a minute?” Kai says, breaking the awkward silence. Unfortunately, he’s talking to me.

“It’s a school night,” I reply lamely. “And they came all the way from Evanston, so let’s not waste any valuable time.” I jerk my chin toward the long, keyboard-shaped duffel bag in Ruby’s hand. “There’s an amp for you right there, Ruby.” I point to the space between Kai’s bass and my drumkit. “Do you need any help setting up?”

“Nope, I’m good. Thanks for the amp. I have one, but it was nice not to have to lug it on the train.” She flashes my brother another beaming smile—yet another that would have melted me, if aimed my way. “Did you set up the amp for me, Kai?” When Kai grunts, she thanks him. But he’s already walking away.

Titus asks, “So, is it cool if I sit on the couch and watch, or should I step outside?”

“Sit,” I say quickly, cutting off whatever Kai might be inclined to say. “We’re just having fun here.” I look at Ruby. “It’s more of a jam session than an audition. Just have fun with it, okay?”

“Okay,” she squeaks out. But it’s easy to see she’s a ball of nerves.

“Do you sing, Ruby?” Savage asks. “We could use some backing vocals, if you?—”

“I love singing back-ups!” Ruby gushes enthusiastically.

“Awesome.” Savage looks at Kai. “Set her up with your extra mic.”

Kai frowns. “It’s upstairs.”

“That’s okay,” Ruby chirps. “I brought one, just in case.”

It’s the final straw for Kai—a bridge too far. “KC,” he snaps sharply, his hard gaze cutting into me. “Stairwell.Now.”

“A keyboardist named Rufus who’s a linebacker on your football team?” Kai hisses at me the second the metal door to the basement closes behind us and we’re alone in the cold stairwell. “That was an awfully specific series of lies, Kendrick.”

I throw up my hands. “You wouldn’t give Ruby a chance otherwise.”

Kai doesn’t have a thing against women, generally speaking. How could he, when we were raised by a kickass, widowed mother and her kickass, widowed mother? But in the context of our fledgling band, Kai’s been adamant: no girls allowed. Why? So we never repeat what recently happened when his ex-girlfriend, Courtney, broke up with him and took their entire band with her.

“Are you into this chick?” Kai asks, his dark eyes laser-focused. “Is that why you asked her to come here—to try to get into her pants?”

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