Page 19 of Rocked: The Price of Dreams

The biggest change over the past few months had been the guys’ voices and their insane growth spurts. They both stood a few inches taller than they had before. Their arms had toned from playing, although muscle build still evaded them. But their voices? Wow! Hunter’s had deepened with a gravelly rasp that stirred my belly when he sang slow songs. Kyle’s perfect alto tone gave me shivers down my spine on a constant basis. But they didn’t affect me in that way. I’d never crushed on them. Hanging around them had made me immune to their developing good looks, but I never failed to be mesmerized and in awe of their raw talent. Our singing had gone to a whole new level. And today, we would put that on display.

I just needed to find my A-game.

“I’m gonna be sick.” I clutched onto the railing by the stage stairs and leaned forward. My stomach gurgled and grumbled. Sweat broke out on my brow.

“Nah, Gem.” Hunter bounced around like a boxer about to take to the ring. “We’ve spent months rehearsing for this moment.”

I wished I possessed his confidence. We’d performed at a few talent contests, but the crowds had never been this big. While there were probably a couple of thousand people here at the fair, wondering around the market stalls and rides, there was only about one hundred people sitting in front of the stage, eating food and watching the entertainment. Their eyes would be on us.

“Will throwing up make you feel better?” Kyle rubbed my back and drew my hair into a ponytail, keeping it off my face. “You want me to take you to the restrooms?”

“Water. I need water.” I flattened my hand across my tummy to ease the nerves.

Rushing forward, past my mom and Derek, Claire held out a water bottle. “Gemma, you’ve got this.”

As she crouched in front of me, her neck scarf fell loose. Red marks, nasty scratches, and black bruises covered her throat and chest. My breath hitched. The nausea in my belly bubbled toward my throat. Kyle’s dad’s drinking had worsened over the last six months. Kyle’s bruises appeared more frequently. His ribs were often sore. The marks on Claire’s neck weren’t the result of everyday careless bumps.

I wasn’t stupid.

“Mrs. McIntyre?” Concern lilted in my quiet tone. “Is everything okay?”

“Of course, dear.” Claire quickly retied her scarf and smiled as if nothing was wrong. Like always, she denied anything had happened and covered up, and made excuses for William’s behavior. “Don’t worry about me. You need to focus on the show. There is no need to be nervous. Remember, breathe. Look out over the crowd. Smile and please enjoy yourself.”

“Thank you.” I placed my hand on her shoulder. “But is there anything I can do?”

“Gemma. Everything is fine. I promise.” A subtle tremor quaked in her voice as she squeezed my hand.

But she couldn’t lie to me. I knew things at home weren’t good.

“Come on, Gem.” Kyle caught my arm. “We need to get ready. It’s okay.”

As I straightened, a deep groove formed between his brows. I hated that there was nothing I could do to help him or his mom. The only thing that eased our worries was music.

He play-punched me in the arm. “Can we just rock that stage and blow the crowd’s mind? Let’s play so loud Emily hears us in the hospital.”

I took a sip of water and savored the cool liquid. With Emily’s health deteriorating and Claire’s marks making my heart hurt, my pre-performance jitters were insignificant. I pressed the water bottle against my cheek and closed my eyes. Breathe. Look out. Smile. Have fun. We’d do this for Emily. We’d do this for Claire. She was the only one who believed in us. “Okay. We can do that.”

“Gemma?” my mother, Janine, scoffed. Overdressed in high heels, too much makeup, and a gawdy sequined jumpsuit that screamed of the seventies disco era, she pointed one long pink talon at my face. “You get on that stage. I didn’t come all this way for nothing.”

Yeah, thanks, Mom. Real encouraging. Not.

Derek stepped forward, drawing Janine aside. “Gemma? You look amazing. Go break a leg.”

“Thanks. Will do.” I wiped my lips on the back of my hand.

“Ergh! This is ridiculous.” Janine rolled her eyes. “I’ve waited long enough. I’m going to find the bar.”

“Knock ’em dead, kiddo.” Derek gave me a hug and led Mom off into the crowd, not even toward the front of the stage to watch. My stomach sank for all of two seconds. The moment Mom was out of sight, my nausea subsided. Go figure.

“Is your family coming, Hunter?” Doubt loomed in Claire’s tone.

“Nope.” He pursed his lips and shook his head. “Dad’s working overtime on some new housing project. Mom’s at home with Jenny.”

She smiled a sad smile. “Maybe next time.”

We knew the idea of them seeing us perform wasn’t likely to come to fruition. They hadn’t been to our end-of-year school musical production or our contests. Nor had my mom, but that was no surprise. Hunter had dismissed it like it didn’t bother him, but it did. Covering his disappointment, he flashed us his brilliant smile, spun in a circle, then slapped one hand onto my shoulder, and his other one onto Kyle’s. He gave us a little shake. “We have each other. That’s all that matters. Let’s rock the shit out of this place.”

“Fuck yeah,” Kyle and I hollered in unison.

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