Page 21 of Once Upon a Boyband
“Under a rock?” Kevin asks. “Did you know the internet is placing bets on whether you died?”
“Not dead,” I say. “But honestly, I’m happy to let people think Deke is.”
“Don’t say that, man. I know it’s been a while, but this concert?—”
“You said you needed a firm no,” I say, cutting him off. “And now you have it. I’m not interested.” I push back from the table and stand, carrying my plate to the sink.
“Look, if this is about how you left things, I’ve talked to the guys. They aren’t mad. They want you to be there. In fact, they don’t want to do it without you.”
They aren’t mad.
Those words make my stomach clench, because how could they not be?
Every couple of months, I spend a few minutes googling the other guys from the band. Tracking where they are, what they’re up to. Last I checked, Leo was living in Nashville, running his own recording studio and making a name for himself as a producer. Jace is out in California with his supermodel wife and the kid they had a year or so ago,smiling in the background of all the lifestyle photos she puts on Instagram. He released a solo album a few years ago, but it didn’t get a ton of traction outside of the Midnight Rush superfans, and now he seems to be focused on doing the family thing.
Then there’s Freddie. He’s got a career bigger than anything Midnight Rush ever was. Every song he drops goes straight to the top of the charts. He’s been in the top ten of Spotify’s global most-listened-to artists for three years running, and he took home three Grammys last year. I’m honestly surprised he’s even willing to do a reunion show. A lot might consider it a step down after all he’s achieved.
Either way, he has to still be pissed over how I left things. They all have to be.
Because I didn’t just turn my back on the band. I turned my back on my friends.
Kevin has to have an agenda here. He proved over and over again that he’ll say what he needs to say to get what he wants, no matter whom he hurts in the process, so I have no reason to believe him now.
“You say that, Kevin, but I don’t trust you.”
“Ouch. Why not, man?”
“You know my answer to that question,” I say. This time, I don’t care that my words are sharp.
“Nah. That’s water under the bridge. What happened a long time ago—let’s leave that out of this. Your friends want you there. That’s all that matters.”
“Then why aren’t they calling me instead of you?”
“They’re just busy. I promise you,” Kevin says. “You can trust me on this. Did I mention the proceeds of the concert will go to charity?”
I turn on the water to rinse my plate. “Charity?”
“The Breast Cancer Foundation. That’s what your mom had, isn’t it?”
I drop the plate, and it lands on a glass, which immediately shatters from the impact. I swear under my breath and put down my phone, turning on the speaker. “Kevin, what is this really about? Why that charity? Why a concert now, after all this time?”
He’s quiet for a beat before he says, “The charity was Freddie’s idea, but New Groove loved it. Great PR.”
PR.It’s one of Kevin’s favorite phrases.Great PR. Bad PR.It’s how he framed everything. I’d be fine if I never heard the words again.
“The label wants to give all the proceeds to charity? I can’t imagine Dixon ever agreeing to something so generous.”
“Dixon retired,” Kevin says. “But you’re right. He would have said no if he were still around. But Meryl Hendrix is in charge now, and she thinks it’s brilliant.”
I have vague memories of Meryl Hendrix. She was always around when Midnight Rush met with New Groove executives, but I don’t remember her having much to say.
“Now that New Groove has lost Freddie, they’re anxious to get their hands on what he’s doing. Their only way to do that is through Midnight Rush.”
The contract the four of us signed with New Groove Records is what the industry calls a three-sixty, which, in simple terms, just means they get a cut of everything. Sales, streaming, tours, merch. Any revenue the band generates. For that reason, it makes sense they’d be excited about a reunion show, generally. And if Freddie were still on their roster, I might understand them donating revenue to charityas an investment inhiscareer. But without that incentive, it’s hard for me to believe.
“When did Freddie leave New Groove?”
“Last fall. Finished out his contract and cut ties.”
