Page 66 of Rocked: The Price of Dreams

The whole room erupted and cheered.

The high coursed through my veins as Kyle and I placed the guitars on their stands and rushed to join Hunter in the middle of the stage. After we bowed, we hugged each other so tight. This...right here... with these guys...was my magic. My forever.

At the end of the night, we helped the band pack their gear into their van.

“You guys are really good.” Paul, the lead singer, offered us three joints. “You nailed it. Enjoy these on us.”

Hunter grabbed them and tucked them into his jacket pocket. “Thanks for being cool about us taking over.”

Carl, their bassist, chuckled and slapped Kyle on the shoulder. “When we make it big, you can be our support band any day.”

“I think it will be the other way around.” I handed the Gibson packed in its case to Lenny, the drummer, to load into the van.

“We’ll see.” Mal, their keyboard player winked. “Good luck with the contest. See you around.”

As the band drove away and the students headed off in cars and limos to after-parties, Hunter, Kyle and I made our way across the road to the park and took a seat on a bench. After the crazy night, we needed a moment to savor the high before hitting a party...and we had drugs.

“I’ve never had marijuana before.” Excitement skipped in my tone as I rubbed my arms in the cool evening air. Kyle quickly pulled off his jacket and wrapped it around my shoulders. I slipped my arms into the sleeves. It was warm and smelled of him—a touch spicy and always manly. “Thanks.”

“You’re welcome.” He kissed the side of my head and shuffled in closer, keeping me warm.

Hunter, sitting on the grass in front of us, eyed one of the joints. “I’ve never tried it either. But...every new experience that is not sexual...has to be with you two.”

“Here’s to that,” I said.

He lit the weed, took a drag, then coughed and stuck his tongue out. “Ergh. It tastes like shit. This better not fuck with my voice.”

“One joint won’t kill you.” Kyle chuckled as he took the toke. He put the smoke to his lips, inhaled deeply, then blew out slowly. “Fuck...that shit is good.”

Kyle handed me the joint. Holding it lightly between my fingertips, I placed it between my lips and dragged in a breath of the drug. The end of the paper sizzled red. Sweet smoke filled my lungs. As I held my breath, my head spun. I swayed. Then exhaled...and coughed. “Not bad.”

Hunter took another hit and glanced out over the rose garden. “God, I can’t wait to get out of here.”

“Me either.” Kyle waved his hand at Hunter for another turn at the cigarette. He sucked on the weed, then blew the smoke up into the air. “I’ve been seriously looking at apartments. We can’t afford much more than a two-bedroom hovel.”

“Where will we store our equipment?” Hunter pinched his brows together.

Crap. We had a heap of gear now—lights, amps, speakers, mixing boards, and our guitars.

“I don’t know.” Kyle shrugged “In the van? In our living room? Until we can afford something bigger and better, we’re gonna have to compromise.”

“That’s okay. We’ll make it work,” I said, taking the joint from Kyle and having another drag. This one hit me harder. My skin tingled. My brain turned fuzzy, and a wave of seriousness washed over me. “As for sleeping arrangements, we’ll buy a sofa bed and rotate bedrooms once a month so we have equal turns at some privacy. Unless you guys want to share a room?”

They shook their heads.

I handed the marijuana to Hunter. “So if you hook up with someone, you’ll just have to fuck them wherever your turn to sleep is.”

Hunter raised an eyebrow at me. “You down with that?”

I smirked. “I’ve had to put up with you banging girls already. What’s the difference if it’s in my own living room?”

Kyle wrapped his arms around me and kissed the side of my head. “You are truly one of a kind, Gemma Lonsdale.”

“And don’t you forget it.” I nudged his thigh. “We’re doing this. You guys are my world. We’re equal. We’ll never do anything without the other two agreeing or being involved. No one will ever earn more money than the others. Like now, everything we earn is split in equal thirds. We’ll never do solo gigs or interviews or even shit without each other’s approval.”

“Absolutely.” Kyle nodded. “We’re a team. Always.”

“To living the dream.” Hunter took another puff. “Oh...shit. We should get tattoos. Our initials or something. United in ink forever.”

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