Page 57 of Filthy Rock Stars

“Okay,” I answer. “See you soon.”

There’s a massive box in the lobby of the building, which I’m surprised to see addressed to me. Too overwhelmed to think about it, I haul it upstairs, and when I pass one of my neighbors on the way, she keeps staring for some reason. Gawking, actually.

Then it hits me. She recognizes me.

Fuck. I’m in an alternative dimension. The rules have all changed.

I’m tempted to rush around cleaning ahead of Owen’s arrival. It’s a good way to burn energy. But before I do, I tear open the box to investigate. A pretty pink envelope slides out first, and when I unpack the rest, my heart jumps in my throat.

It’s a keytar. A sleek purple keytar with chrome keys.

I love it.

Dizzy, I tear the card open. It’s from the band, of course, and all it says is to give them a call.

I pinch the bridge of my nose. “Damn it. Damn it, damn it, damn it.”

They just gave me an instrument, but I’m keeping a secret from them. This is a literal nightmare.

With shaky fingers, I call Mare, who immediately answers.

“You get the package?”

“I did. Mare, this is amazing. You didn’t have to do this for me.”

“Hold on,” she says. “Let me put you on speaker.” The sound switches, and Case and Star both shout hello.

“You don’t have to switch to keytar if you don’t want to!” Case says helpfully.

“It’s more just to show you we’re serious,” Mare adds.

“Serious?”

She clears her throat. “We decided we’re going to disconnect for a week. Turn off our phones and have a little retreat from the world, let stuff die down with Forbidden Destiny.”

“Sorry not to invite you,” Case adds. “But Mare thought it would be a good idea if you had a little space to clear your head to consider what we’re offering.”

“There’s a spot in the band for you if you want it,” Mare finishes.

I gasp and nearly drop the phone. “Oh my god.”

“Don’t answer!” Mare says quickly, laughing. “There will be a formal contract from the lawyers ready to review, but take your time. And please, think about it carefully. When we’re back, we’ll answer any questions you have.”

I stand there, speechless, but the second my brain kicks into gear, all it has for me is guilt.

“This isn’t...” I manage. “There’s stuff you don’t know. I need to tell you—”

“Later,” Mare says kindly. “Our ride to the airport is almost here.” She pauses, then adds, “You deserve this, Nico.”

“Okay,” I answer weakly. I catch myself. “And thank you,” I add. “This is… This is amazing.”

We hang up. I feel like screaming and crying and laughing. Like every time I turn around, I find a way to make things more intensely complicated. Like everything good is also somehow impossibly bad, too.

Something inside me reaches out for Shadow. Maybe he’s having more luck taking care of things on his end than I am. Maybe I just need to see him again so that this feels right instead of like a horrible, awful mistake, creeping up on me.

Before I lose myself in an anxiety spiral, though, the buzzer to my apartment sounds out, snapping me back to reality. I stand and look at the keytar, waiting on top of the box, and then at the door.

My friends are here with cookies, and when I let them in, I’m going to tell them that I just got invited to join the best rock band in the world.

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