Page 63 of Rocked: The Price of Dreams

Our fourth submission theme was “heartache.” This one made me nervous. I hoped we put enough emotion into our singing. We poured our hearts into “Apologize” by Timbaland featuring OneRepublic and had written a fresh track about how we’d feel if we ever lost our friendship. Kyle didn’t want to polish off the song we’d penned about Vicki cheating. He didn’t want to give Vicki the satisfaction of having a song written about her. If we won, we might have to sing it over and over again, forever, and he didn’t want that.

On the night before prom, we hit submit. We wouldn’t know if we’d made it into the next round for another two weeks.

To keep my mind off the competition, I focused on the dance. It was time to frock up.

On Saturday night, I slipped into my long emerald satin dress with rhinestone-crusted straps. I put on my makeup, adding extra dark shadow for a smoky-eye effect, and deep red lipstick to my lips. I loved the total rock star vibe I’d created. Strappy silver stilettos completed my outfit and added four inches to my height.

Just after six o’clock, the guys knocked on my door to take me to the dance. When I opened the door, my heart skipped two beats. Wow! Hot didn’t do them justice. I’d never seen them dressed in suits before. Hunter rocked a black and silver brocade number while Kyle, in a traditional black tuxedo, shirt and tie, looked like a runway model. I took a deep breath, and warmth flooded my chest. They smelled so good, all citrusy and spicy.

“Damn.” I waved them inside. “You guys scrub up nicely.”

“Speak for yourself.” Hunter’s gaze raked over my dress.” That is fucking gorgeous.”

“But you’re beautiful no matter what you wear, Gem.” Kyle’s eyes glinted as he stepped forward and handed me a box. “Here. I got this for you.”

I opened the box to reveal a stunning cream corsage. “Oh. You didn’t have to. But thanks. That’s really cool.” It amazed me that Kyle always did those little extra things without thinking. He truly was special.

Claire, our designated chauffeur, came in with her camera and took several photos of us, some serious, some candid, and some of us goofing around before she drove us to the dance.

Linking arms, we strode into the ballroom at the Hyatt Regency in Princeton. I nudged Hunter in the hip, then Kyle. “Every girl is gonna be jealous of me. You guys are fucking hot.”

“We know.” Hunter grinned as he wriggled and straightened his tie. “But you can admire my awesomeness while we dance.”

“I am immune to your charm, Mr. Collins.”

But I did check out his ass as he led me and Kyle through the crowd. A girl could look, right?

Jostling past the students lining up for photographs, we made our way to the dance floor. In the middle of the bobbing and jumping mass of bodies, we danced with our school friends. Even Vicki.

Unfortunately, Kyle hadn’t been able to avoid her, even though he’d tried. Within a week of their breakup, the drama had died. Now, several weeks on, they were talking again...well...being civil to each other.

I’d never forgive Vicki for hurting Kyle. But she was one of my only girlfriends. I was sure we’d catch up at some party in the future, have a few drinks, and be friends again. Maybe...one day. But today was not that day. Until then, she could stay away from Kyle.

As I twirled and danced around with the guys, the band churned out chart-topping hits. Kyle and I winced when the lead singer missed hitting the high notes. Hunter cringed when the keyboard player failed to keep up with the beat. Worst thing was the band weren’t crowd entertainers. They didn’t look much older than us, but they just stood on stage and sang. That was why the guys and I would make it in the music industry. We knew how to put on a show, play to the audience, and fire everyone up.

But this wasn’t our gig. Tonight was about having fun and enjoying our final school dance.

Underneath the balloons and streamers, we worked up a sweat. We were jiving and singing along to “Hotel California” by The Eagles at the top of our lungs when an ear-piercing shriek from the mic sliced through the air. Everybody’s hands shot up to cover their ears. They stopped dancing and turned to the stage.

Some jock had charged on stage and stolen the mic.

Oh...it was Matias Protofski.

Matias held out his arm, keeping the lead singer at bay, and hollered into the mic, “Evening. Montgomery High.”

On the side of the stage, Principal Gallagher and Mr. Benson charged up the stairs toward him.

But Matias spun toward them and held up his finger. “Hold up there, Principal G.” The principal halted in her tracks. Matias had become the school’s star football player. Every teacher treated him like a golden child. Even the principal made exceptions for Matias. Just like she was doing now.

Matias mouthed thank you, then turned to the sea of students and thumbed toward the band. “These guys are good, but why the fuck don’t we have our very own rock stars play tonight?”

My pulse jumped. I gaped, clutching onto Kyle and Hunter’s arms. Had I heard Matias correctly? The guys’ mouths had fallen open as much as mine.

Matias stabbed his finger at the crowd. “Everyone here loves their music, right? If you don’t, I’ll track you down and beat the shit out of you. You need to do yourself a favor and watch these guys on YouTube. They’re in this contest, ‘Discovered-on-YouTube.’ You need to watch it, follow them, and vote for these fuckers. Seriously? Who here doesn’t love Kyle, Gemma, and Hunter? Who wants to hear Everhide sing?”

The whole room erupted in claps and whistles and cheers.

My knees buckled. Tears prickled my eyes. I spun around in a circle like I was in a dream. Was I dreaming?

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