Page 97 of Dirty Rock

Take off the black,

Remove the white,

Step through the facade, look up to the light.

Nothing fake/fake/fake

Let’s be real/real/real

You’re all I want in my hands,

All I feel…

We drifted off into the chorus building and building until we hit the bridge of the song, and I imagined a crowd of thousands in front of me. The sea of fans heard my raspy tones, and they were hanging onto my every word, letting me build them up slowly before Presley and the boys threw them down the steepest rail on a rollercoaster, only for us to sweep them up at the end, hold them tight to our chests, and put them back on their feet again.

I finished that song about filtered faces, filtered lives, filtered hearts, and I dropped the sheets of paper in my hand like they meant nothing.

When I looked up and took in the three people in front of me—Dicky, Joshua, and Jules—each one of them was staring at me with wide eyes and open mouths.

The room fell silent before Coops strummed on his guitar, breaking the tension. “That’s what we’re talking about, Rhett.Jesus Christ!Always sing like that.Alwayssing like that!” he cried.

“Wow,” Big D chuckled behind me.

Hawk said something. Presley, too. Dicky and Joshua huddled together, passing looks my way that let me know I’d nailed it.

And Jules…

She just smiled right at me like nothing I did surprised her anymore. I smiled back for just a moment before I had to look away. Seeing that smile and knowing it wasn’t going to be there for me later was too much to take.

I walked over to the fridge, grabbed a beer, and I slumped back against a wall.

“Sing every track like that, and you’ll be remembered for the rest of eternity, brother,” Big D said as he walked past me, removing his bass guitar strap from over his head. “Goddamn it, we have the best vocalist in the world.”

“Told you I was fine.”

I didn’t dare glance at Julia again. I was pissed at her for walking away from me, for telling me to grow up, and for these games she was playing. The boot was on the other foot for once, and I didn’t like the discomfort of it all.

Presley stepped out from behind his kit, and I could see the rivulets of sweat trickling down his obliques.

He squeezed my shoulder. “You doing okay?”

“Yep.” I gasped. “But do you know what I could do with?”

“What’s that?”

“A night on the town with the boys.”

Hawk cheered from across the room. “Hell, yes. I’m in. Where we heading? VINYL!, or…?”

VINYL! Happened to be the most exclusive club in all of London, only allowing people through the doors who were invited. Our invitation was open, according to the owners, meaning we could rock up any time we liked, step through the doors, and it wouldn’t be a problem.

“I’m down.” Coops nodded.

“I’ve nowhere else to be,” Big D bellowed back.

“Elvis?” I asked, looking up at him.

As soon as I saw him cringe, I knew he wouldn’t be joining us.

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