Page 90 of The First Time
"Good." Mal shoots Joel another concerned look. When the drummer shrugs, Mal turns back to me. "How about we call Ethan, get this started?"
I slide my hand into my pocket. "Sure."
Mal grabs the cordless landline from off the top of an amp. He dials. "Hey. I'm putting you on speaker." He sets the phone back on top of the amp.
Ethan's voice flows through the speaker. "We could have done a, fuck what's it called? A conference call. We could have done this on the phone. You didn't have to drag Joel and Kit to Orange County right before rush hour."
"They volunteered to do it here," Mal says. "You could try being here."
Ethan's voice is bright. "Or I could try being with Violet. Which would you pick?"
"Fuck, can I try being with Valentine—" Joel calls Ethan's girlfriend by her last name- "instead of you guys? She's much more tolerable."
"Touch her and you die," Ethan says. "That goes for all three of you."
Joel laughs. There's no animosity to the teasing. All of us have been rooting for Ethan and Violet.
It's sweet but I'm not in the fucking mood. I tune out their banter until Mal starts getting into tour dates. We've got about a month and a half off, then we're playing a series of summer festivals in Europe, then we're back in Southern California to record our next album.
Then another round of press, music videos, release shit, touring to support the album.
Right now, I don't care if we're home or on the road.
Right now, the only place I want to be is with Piper. I'll have to get over it eventually, buteventuallyfeels like a long way off.
Mal gets into practice schedules. It takes fucking forever for us to agree on three times a week, three weeks a month. All of them happen right here, in Mal and Ethan's practice room, in Orange County, twenty fucking feet from Piper's room.
Usually, I look forward to practice.
Right now...
"Let's play, huh?" I don't wait for a response. I start playingBetter Days.
Mal and Joel share anotherWTF is his problemlook, but they say goodbye to Ethan, and they join me.
We get through a dozen songs. I manage to get lost in the flow of the music. It's not quite right without our lead guitarist, but this is still where I belong.
Only I don't feel that usual sense of euphoria.
I'm still miserable.
The door to the practice room opens and Piper steps inside.
She's wearing a low cut tank top, tight jeans, and tall fuck-me boots. Her makeup is fuck-me dark too.
Piper's eyes fix on mine. Frustration flares in her expression, but she says nothing. She just looks to Mal with a nod.
He waits until we're done with the song to put away his rhythm guitar. He looks back to us. "We'll start practices the Monday after Ethan gets back." He turns to Piper. "Where are you going?"
"To the sex clubs. That's what all the kids are into now." She throws her hair over her shoulders. "You think I'll find any guys who want to tie me up and spank me?"
Mal holds a poker face. "You want to grab a wooden spoon from the kitchen to use as a paddle?"
Piper blushes.
Joel laughs. "He's outdoing you, Pipes. You need to up your game."
She nods. "Uh, no. I'd rather use a riding crop."
