Page 52 of Rocked: The Price of Dreams

“That you are.”

As he hooked his arm around my shoulders and gave me a hug, Hunter pedaled down the road. Finally.

Time for school.

***

Over the next month, I saw Ewan a total of six times. After our initial night of fiery fun, we fumbled through a few more steamy encounters, but the flames fizzled out. His life revolved around study and ice hockey. Mine...music. We parted ways just before Thanksgiving.

After our gig for the Tigers, we secured a regular gig at a local bar in Princeton. There was nothing Ivy League about it. It was a true local hangout. But it opened the door to more college parties. With the three of us single, we were living the dream—playing, partying, and hooking up—and we hadn’t even finished school. Kyle fell in and out of love every few weeks while Hunter and I enjoyed our newfound hunger for sex. But his tally of encounters quickly outgrew mine.

Over the Christmas break, we spent more money on new equipment, computer software, and mics to improve the professional sound in our recordings. We even uploaded a dozen of our songs onto Spotify. We had no idea if paid streaming would take off, but we hoped to make a few dollars if anyone ever listened to our tracks.

As the new year took hold, I struggled to find balance. With five months until we graduated, music consumed my every waking moment in and out of school. But frustration and disappointment played with my doubts. Rejections flooded our inbox from record labels, booking agents, and managers, and they threatened to tamper with my dreams. Why couldn’t we get a break?

Sitting on the floor in my living room with the guys, I stared at my laptop. I scrolled the Internet, looking for new competitions, festivals, and venues to play at, as well as fresh open-mic night listings. I even searched for different companies to send demos to. They were hard to come by. We’d sent our new songs to many of the ones we’d first submitted to only to be rejected again. I stabbed at the touchpad. “We’ve been doing this for years. Why won’t anyone see we’re talented? Why won’t anyone take a chance and sign us?”

“I fucking don’t know.” Hunter stopped strumming his guitar. We were supposed to be working on new lyrics this afternoon, but we’d come home to a pile of returned envelopes on my doorstep. Kinda killed our vibe. He wiped his hand down his face. “Are we delusional? Do we think we’re better than we actually are?”

Probably. But that wouldn’t stop us from playing.

Kyle tossed his notebook aside on the sofa. He leaned forward and rested his elbows on his knees. Tiredness loomed in his eyes. “It’s useless. Maybe we should just stop. Quit. Take a break for a while.”

My heart crashed onto the floor. Had I heard him correctly?

I sucked in a deep breath as I glanced from him to Hunter, then back again. The moment our gazes locked, unrelenting fire, steely passion, and sizzling energy rippled between us. Life without music wasn’t worth living. Quitting wasn’t an option.

“No. Never.” Grit set in my tone. “I don’t care if every label on this planet rejects us and we have to busk in Times Square for the rest of our lives, I’m not giving up.”

“Me either.” Hunter slid his fingers down the neck of his guitar. “I can’t. Music and performing are in my blood. I can’t survive without them.”

“Thank fuck.” A sly smile slid across Kyle’s lips; his eyes twinkled. “I was testing you. To see if you still felt the same way I did.”

I slapped him on the thigh. “Don’t scare us like that. That’s just cruel.”

“I know. I’m sorry.” Chuckling, Kyle hooked his hand around my head, drew me closer, and kissed the top of my hair. “But it was worth it to see you freak out. But I assure you, Gem. You’re stuck with us for life.”

I thumped his arm. “Good. We made a pact. You better not break it. Not ever.”

Chapter 18

February 2010

I hated Valentine’s Day. It was cold, snowing, and overcast, and we were stuck indoors. Technically, the day to celebrate love was two days away on Sunday—but that didn’t stop everyone at school today from smooching in the hallways and exchanging gifts. If they all knew that those fleeting moments of happiness would end in heartache they might not have been so smitten. I grabbed lunch at the school cafeteria and took a seat next to Hunter at one of the indoor tables. He’d cheer me up.

“I see you’re inundated with endless Valentine treats, like me.” He waved at the bare table beside his tray. Not a card or flower, chocolate or soft toy graced the space. Thank goodness.

“Oh, I have been.” Not. I loosened my scarf and placed it on my lap. “I just told the delivery guy to take the dozens and dozens of roses I’ve received to my place. I can’t carry them home on my bicycle.”

Grinning, he wrapped his arm around my neck and kissed the side of my head. “Please kick me in the balls if I ever fall for this bullshit.”

“Nah. You won’t. We’re too smart.”

But when he straightened, the deep red scratches slashing his cheek caught my eye. I hadn’t seen him this morning as he’d had a dentist appointment before school. “Shit.” I caught his chin and turned his head to the side. “What happened to you? Wild sex romp with someone?”

“I wish.” He grabbed his fork and dug into his pasta. “It’s nothing. Jenny had a meltdown in the storm last night. She doesn’t like thunder and lightning, nor the wind.”

“Are you okay? Is she?”

---