Page 19 of Of Heartbreak and Harmony
The only time we work is when we’re high. The moment we sober up, the haze is lifted, revealing only a mess of live wires and hurtfeelings. One wrong move, and we’ll burn down everything and everyone around us.
But even knowing this, I still don’t look away. I see her lips curve downward in a frown. Her eyebrows scrunch. Then, before she’s shuffled into the back of the black SUV, she lifts her hand, brandishing her middle finger in my direction. On impulse, I do the same, making sure the expression on my face mirrors hers, and I don’t lower my hand until she’s in the SUV and driving out of sight.
I stare at it until my phone buzzes in my pocket. I take it out and read the text I was expecting. I read it and let loose a sinister laugh. I could have guessed, right down to the punctuation, what she sent.
Sav
I can’t do this shit with you anymore. See you at the show.
Me
I’m sorry.
I hit send on the half-ass apology, but when the message doesn’t show as delivered after a minute, I know she’s blocked me. She certainly didn’t waste time. She never does.
I close out of the text and block her number before deleting it as if it will do anything. Her phone number is one of the only three I have memorized, and now none of them will answer if I call. My mom’s written me off, and my brother is in jail.
I shove the phone back in my pocket and close my eyes, breathing slowly through my nose. I wait for her dismissal to sting. I wait for my head to spiral into what-ifs and my heart to ache in thatunrequitedloveway it always does when this shit happens. When I recognize the dull throb of pain, I open my eyes with a defeated sigh, then let them drift to the space where the redhead from earlier was standing. Was staring.Eavesdropping.
I wonder if she’ll take what she saw to the media. I drag a hand down my face. That’s the last thing I want, though I suppose there’s nothing new they can run about Sav and me. They’ve already ripped us to shreds ten times over.
She was pretty, the redhead. Probably beautiful if I’d let myself look her over a little longer. And she didn’t cower away from my stare. Shewasn’t panting after me. There was no phone out. She took no moves to approach me. It was like she’d accidentally stumbled upon us. She didn’t seem interested in throwing herself at us for an autograph, either. Or throwing herself at me formorethan an autograph.
There’s a good chance she’s not a fan, and that intrigues me more than anything else. More than her thick thighs and ample breasts. More than her unique hair color and full lips.
I’m tired of fans, and that stokes my interest in the girl.
I think about it for less than a minute before I make up my mind.
“Fine. Let’s go check shit out.”
All I get is Jo’s deep breathing in response. When I turn in his direction, I find him passed out cold with a lit joint hanging precariously between two limp fingers. I shake my head, but I’m not surprised. I pull the joint from his hand, take a drag, then stub it out in the ashtray on the table. I push the little button on the side of his chair to recline the back so he’s no longer hunched over and twisted.
“Gonna get into your stash, yeah?” He doesn’t answer because he’s passed out. I slap him on the shoulder. “Thanks.”
I snag a hat and some sunglasses from my bunk, then dig through Jo’s shit. I’ll find something to make me forget about Savvy’s bullshit, and then I’ll slip into the crowd and pretend I’m someone else for the night.
7
CALLIE
PRESENT DAY
“Wake up,slacker. If I can work three doubles in a row and stay awake, you can stay awake after two days off.”
I throw a pack of gum at Quinton, and he grunts.
“Leave me alone. I’m hungover.”
I groan and throw a candy bar at him. He lifts his hand like he’s going to bat it away, but he’s several seconds delayed. Dumbass. He ishungoverhungover.
“It’s boring here now that they stopped caring about you,” he says, his voice muffled in his folded arms. “I thought you were going to be the next Sav Loveless and Torren King scandal.”
“We agreed to never talk about that again.”
“I didn’t agree to anything.” Quinton sits up and faces me with his dark sunglasses still on. “Having my photos taken by paparazzi is the coolest thing that’s ever happened to me, even if I was blurred out and cropped in half in the background.”
I shake my head and go back to organizing the candy.
