Page 7 of Melody

“Nope.”

I’d be able to tell, too. I know Dragon better than anybody does. When he’s high, a little bit of his classic darkness fades.

Plus he’s the best drummer in the business. The band needs him.

“What are you doing over here anyway?” he asks. “Don’t your groupies miss you?”

I let out a soft scoff. “What groupies? I’m kibble when Emerald Phoenix is around.”

Dragon lets out a low chuckle. “Then I guess I’m kibble too.”

In truth, Dragon gets a lot of attention. More than I do, usually. Something about his dark demeanor seems to attract women like flies to honey.

But I get enough attention. I certainly don’t envy Dragon. I know his backstory, and it’s far from pretty.

“I’m a little afraid,” Dragon continues.

“Afraid of what?”

“This whole thing, Jess. I love playing. Love being in the band. Love all you guys. You’re like my brothers, man. The brothers I never had.” His bloodshot eyes widen. “What if we take off? What if we become famous?”

“That doesn’t sound like a bad thing to me, Drag.”

“No. I mean, I could use the cash for sure.”

“You and me both.”

“What I mean is that when you’re famous, people want to know about you.” He pauses and lights up a joint, takes a long drag. “They look into your stories. Into your life. I don’t need that shit hauled out.”

“It won’t be.”

“Can you guarantee me that?”

I pat his shoulder. “There aren’t any guarantees in life, bro. I can’t guarantee that I won’t be hit by a truck tomorrow.”

Dragon flinches. “Jesus, Jess. Way to go dark on me. Isn’t that my job?”

I chuckle. “Listen, Dragon. Everything’s going to be fine. Seriously, what are the chances we’lleverbe as big as Emerald Phoenix? Kind of a million to one, whether we open for them or not. What thisisgoing to do for us is get our name out there. We’ll be more than just some bar band who goes on tiny little tours. We might actually get some downloads of our songs. Make some decent money. Go on a few regional tours even. We’re not going to be Emerald Phoenix, Dragon.”

The truth of my words hits me like a brick.

We willneverbe Emerald Phoenix. Opening for a big name is never any guarantee, and while it will lead to some publicity, most opening acts never make it big.

Then there are the one-hit wonders. A band has a big hit, and then you never hear from them again. That could be us as well.

Whatever happens, I won’t let Dragon get lugged through the mud. I’ll always have his back, just like he’s had mine.

The two of us have been through some shit together. Shit the rest of the band doesn’t even know about. Shit my sisters and my parents don’t know about.

And they never will.

I tilt my head back. The stars are easy to see through the bare branches of the cottonwood tree we’re sitting under.

“You ever wonder if fame is worth it?” Dragon asks.

“Honestly, bro? I’m not sure I was ever looking for fame. I was looking to make a living doing what I love. I watched Rory give up on her dream of being an opera singer. She became a teacher. A good one. But I never wanted to give up. Eking out an existence as a rock band made me happy, even if it didn’t make me rich.”

“Rory’s with us now,” Dragon says.

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