Page 157 of A Dark Melody

“Good. You?”

“Decent. I woke up feeling like shit, but I slept some more and I’m alive.” He laughs. “I’m surprised you aren’t dead to the world.”

“I can hold my weight when it comes to drugs and alcohol.” I shrug.

“You weigh like 100 pounds.” He laughs. I smile. I don’t correct him on the fact I’m actually 115 pounds because he didn’t know I’m crazy about my weight. “Have you ever done heroin?”

“No.” I say, walking to the exit. He follows. “Have you?”

“Yeah, a few times. It’s not that bad of a low. It kind of feels like you’re floating.”

“I don’t think I could do it. I wouldn’t want to get addicted.”

“It’s not that addictive.”

I don’t know what to think about him doing heroin. He wouldn’t be the first guy I knew who did harder drugs. It isn’t that abnormal in the scene to be hooked on heroin or meth. It is a demanding lifestyle. People need their vices to survive it. He didn’t seem addicted, but I didn’t know him well enough to know for sure.

I know for a fact I’d never do it. I don’t want to get addicted to hard drugs. I would hate for it to get out that I was a drug addicted. Sure, I did coke sometimes and took Xanax, but I had a prescription for that. I could go with them both if I had to. I wouldn’t sleep well, but I could live without Xanax. I’d be a little drained, but I could go without the coke. I mean I do often. And yes, I did ecstasy, but I draw the line at heroin and meth.

“My manager wants you to sign an NDA if we are going to keep hanging out.”

“Protective manager.” He lets out a light, airy laugh. “I’m guessing my manager would want the same.”

“Probably.” I nod.

It’s then that I see Wes walking up to the venue. He looks exhausted, and I wonder if Ben actually gave him the vial or keptit for himself. Wes looks my way for a moment before quickly looking away. He walks past us quickly and into the building.

“Should we get it over with?” Skylar asks.

“Sure.”

When we walk onto my bus, Sue looks up.

“I’m here to sign an NDA.”

“Good.” She reaches into her bag and pulls out a package. “It’s pretty standard. You can’t repeat anything Abbey says or does to anyone. Meaning no selling stories to the press. We will find out if you do and we will sue.” She slides it over.

“Yeah.” He says. He signs where she points. “I have one on my bus she needs to sign.”

“I’ll look it over.”

“After she signs it, sure.” He smiles. “It’s pretty standard.”

Sue studies him for a moment.

“I’ll just sign it.”

“Fine.” Sue says. “Come right back after.”

We exit my bus and head to his.

“She seems tough.”

“Yeah.” I shrug. If I’m going to start hanging out with him, she is going to have calm down a little on the rules. I didn’t want him knowing how little control I have over my own life.

“I don’t have long until sound check.” He pulls a package out of a drawer by the door. “It’s technically for the whole band.” He shrugs.

I sign it, skimming through it. It looked pretty basic, and I don’t sell stories to the press so I’m not really concerned about it. I hand it back to him.

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