Page 17 of Silver Edge
Boom. Boom. Boom. Bang!
Finally, it stopped.
I rocked up and down to soothe the anxiety that crawled through my body as if a thousand spider eggs had hatched, the baby limbs skittering to my brain stem and down my spine.
I hated that feeling.
Drake rounded to the front of the stage. He did that thing with his hand tugging his hair from his scalp then stopped center stage.
“Scarlet? What’s wrong?” He knelt at my side. His hands cupped my cheeks. “Are you hurt?” He scanned every inch of me.
It was him. He played that beautiful, haunting music that pierced my heart, and then drove me mad. “You? That was you?”
His warm fingers on my chin tilted my head up to face him. “You heard that?”
I nodded, still straining to calm the anxiety in my soul. What could I tell him?I’m allergic to bad music, but I loved the first part?That I’m a wacko and he should run from me now before I ruined his life, like I did my foster dad’s?
“We can talk about my awful music after you tell me what’s wrong. Did something happen? Are you ill?” His thumb made a delicious brush across my skin, and my eyes closed. For a second, I leaned into it, wanting more.
The side door to Bands slammed, startling us both. “Wait here. I want to know what’s going on. I’ll be right back.”
His hand abandoned my face, leaving it cold and with a kind of emptiness. Loneliness? I didn’t get lonely. I was a loner. I didn’t need anyone. Heck, I didn’t like anyone.
“What is this nonsense I hear about you having a Battle of the Bands? I thought we agreed it was time to let this place go?” The screechy blonde’s voice from the diner carried from the front entryway. I forced my ears to remain open despite her voice’s constant drilling into my skull.
“I know what I said, but hold your father off on the loan a little longer. I’ve run the numbers and there’s a shot to save this place,” Drake said, desperation bleeding into his voice.
Was that why Barbie was around? Her daddy owned the place. Based on what the diner GM had said, I’d figured Barbie’s daddy would buy the land and put him out of business. I didn’t know he had invested in it. Great, there went my job. When she found out I worked here, she’d shut the place down before he could fire me.
Heels clicked in the doorway, so I slithered back into the shadows behind some speakers.
“You’ve given it your best. I have a job lined up for you already. It’s time you let go of your family and actually used the degree they paid for.”
“Way to support me,” Drake said, his voice deepening to a bass drum tone.
“Support you? Am I not the one who had my father lend you the money to save this place?” Her voice hitched an octave higher. I gripped the banister at my side; my nails chipped black paint from the wood.
“Sometimes I wonder why you did that. You’ve wanted me to fail since the day I took this place on.”
“No, I knew you’d fail. You’re not your brother. You don’t possess his musical talent. Heck, you never even wanted this place, you did it out of guilt. It’s time for you to let go of this strange, unspoken promise you made. Your brother isn’t here anymore. You need to move on. I thought when you realized…”
“Realized what?” Drake sounded hoarse with emotion. “You thought it would fail from the time I began this. That’s why you asked your father for the loan.” The sound of heavy steps echoed in the room. “News flash, I already tried that. I went to that Ivy League school for my parents, and I took that high-paying job right out of college with your father for you. Now they’re dead and you no longer have a say. In case you forgot, we aren’t dating anymore. We agreed to be friends.” His shoes tapped toward the front door.
Heeled shoes clicked after him. “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean it. I’ve known you for so long, invested so much time in you. It’s just that you told me some day we’d be together again. If I waited—”
“That was before I truly knew you.”
“What’s that supposed to mean?” she asked.
“It means it’s time for you to leave. I’ll have your father’s payment by the end of the month. If I don’t, it won’t matter.”
“We’ll talk about this later,” she snapped. “You always have your little moods. Don’t worry about Daddy. I’ll get you an extension.” Then her tone turned sweet. “I’ll pick you up after the club closes and we can figure it out together. As you said, I’m still your friend.” The front door squealed, echoing through the hall. Did she really change her tune that quick, or was she avoiding the truth?
“Hey, Margo,” Drake called after her.
I gritted my teeth, willing him to let her go from his life, for good.
“I won’t be able to hang out with you tonight as friends, or any other misguided way you’re thinking. I’ve got work to do.” Drake cleared his throat. “I’ll be busy all month. Actually, all my life.”
