Page 23 of Madden

“Nothing is goin’ on between you? Nothing at all?”

I push myself off the couch and stalk past him. I should’ve lowered my shoulder and checked him with a warning to mind his own goddamn business.

If I did, though, he’d know something was up, and I’m trying to get him off my ass.

“I told you nothin’ was going on, which means nothin’ is going on.”

“Well, that’s funny because Ivy saw Hanna outside of Whiskey Barrel that night, and she was upset. In tears, actually. She didn’t say much, but she did tell her she saw you kissing another girl. I think her words were ‘the blond bitch she saw at your house the other day.’”

I grit my teeth. Fuckin’ Hanna.

I didn’t see her again after she saw me with Brielle, despite saying she’d meet me by my car. She disappeared by the time I went back into Whiskey Barrel. It doesn’t matter, though. I wasn’t going to hit her up again, and I didn’t want to face her emotions when I rejected her attempts to go home with me.

“She doesn’t know what she’s talkin’ about.”

“She doesn’t? She must’ve seen something for her to be as upset as she was.”

I flare my nostrils, keeping my back facing him, and grab my drumsticks from the caddy next to my drum set. I can feel his eyes on me when I turn to sit down, but I don’t give a fuck what he has to say or what he thinks about our relationship.

“Stay out of my business.”

“Oh, like you do with all of us?” He chuckles. I want to tell him to eat shit, but he has a point.

The difference between the rest of the guys and me is they don’t ever seem to think with the fuckin’ head on their shoulders. How many times have I been the one who plays cleanup crew when they get into trouble?

The only time I didn’t was when Brix and Tysin had a bet going between them, which was different. Still, tensions were high between them for months after. It wasn’t until Brix managed to get Ivy back that he finally chilled out and came around.

You want to know who busted their ass to smooth shit over?

Me.

So they can say what they want about Brielle and me, but it’s none of their concern, and would stay that way if anything happened anyway.

I pull on my headphones and flip my drumsticks around my fingers, drowning out him and his bullshit. I close my eyes and go hard, not caring about finishing this conversation. As far as I’m concerned, it’s over.

I don’t know how much time passes before I cut and grab my water for a drink. When I glance up, Trey stands in front of me with his arms crossed.

“Is this a solo practice today? If so, I’d like to get the fuck out of here and back home to my woman.” Trey drops his arms and shrugs.

Brix leans against the bar across from us, still looking pissed off from earlier. Tysin is in his own world, his face buried in his phone.

“I was just messin’ around until we got started.”

“Well, let’s get the fuckin’ show on the road then.” Brix grunts.

Despite all of us being in a mood, we’re able to let it go when it’s time to get to work. Our album is dropping soon, and we’ll be heading out on the road doing press along with a few performances. We need to get ready, so we don’t look like a mess.

None of them stick around after we finish, which is fine with me, so I dip out to shower. I don’t want to deal with their questions, and every one of them has their panties in a wad.

I take a deep breath through the steam-filled room and adjust the towel at my waist, stepping out into my bedroom, where I’ve laid out my clothes.

My phone lights up, and a notification flashes on my screen. Brielle’s name immediately comes to mind, and I’m hoping it’s her.

I’ve checked my phone every chance I got to see if she replied, and still nothing… until now.

From:Brielle Silvers

Date:March 17th, 2022

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