Page 100 of The Music of Us
Jake and I exchanged tense glances.
“Hey, Marie,” Jake greeted, stepping in front of the camera. “What’s going on?”
“Ah, Jake, you’re back,” Marie said, giving him a curt nod. “Just in time. I’m pulling the plug on the livestream.”
“What?” I gasped out. “You can’t.”
Weneededthe livestream—especially now that Mom confirmed the bank wouldn’t be able to help.
The four boys’ protests were as immediate as mine. I couldn’t distinguish all of what they were saying with their voices all shouting over one another, but I knew they were fighting for me.
“Boys,” Marie snapped, silencing their overlapping pleas and arguments. “I understand your concerns. I’ll admit, canceling isn’t the best look. But we don’t have a choice with Jake’s injury.”
“But I’m fine to sing,” Jake protested. “I just can’t play guitar.”
“Well, that’s the problem, isn’t it? Who’s going to play the music for this performance?” Marie asked. She pointed at Phillip, Aspen, and Leon. “None of you can play guitar, so you three can’t fill in. And I won’t use a prerecorded track and have you doing some hammy karaoke performance that becomes a meme.”
“A capella,” I rushed out. “How about they sing a capella?”
“Not a chance,” Marie spat, as if I’d suggested something wildly outrageous. “Without a single instrument? Are you kidding? Unprofessional. I’d never allow it.”
I deflated.
“It’s a loss both ways, but it’s better to reschedule the livestream,” Marie stated. “I’ve spent the last couple years carefully cultivating the exact image I want. It’d be a bad move to green-light a performance that’s going to make the band look like amateurs.”
She looked down at what I assumed was her calendar.
“Between tour rehearsal and your individual, conflicting schedules, the next time all four of you will be available is in October.”
“That won’t work,” I protested. “Without this, we won’t even beopenin October. We had a deal.” I gestured between myself and Jake. “We even got the band back together for you before tour.”
“I’m sorry, but we’re out of options,” Marie said smoothly. Then, as if that news wasn’t bad enough, she announced, “When Leon texted me about Jake’s hand, I took the liberty of booking you four on flights out this evening.”
I jerked back in shock, unable to help my physical reaction, like when a microphone whines so blaringly loud and high-pitched that you instinctively flinch.
This evening? So soon?
Jake’s jaw dropped. “Youwhat?”
“We can have another meeting in LA,” Marie reasoned, before glancing at her notes. “There weren’t four available seats on a single flight due to booking on such short notice, though. So, Jake, you have the first flight out tonight. Followed by Leon and Aspen on another, and then Phillip. I figured you wouldn’t want the red-eye, Leon,” Marie said, laughing a little at her joke, as if she hadn’t just finished destroying the very thing all my hopes were pinned on. “I’ll text you the info.”
Without waiting for a reply, she hung up.
“So this is it, then?” Jake muttered to himself. He turned to look at me. “I’m so sorry, Lucy.”
Then, without any warning, Jake walked out the door.
Chapter Twenty-Five
INTERVIEWER: Which band member’s most likely to ghost someone? [Phillip, Aspen, and Leon all side-eye Jake, who slowly raises his hand, looking caught-out but unrepentant.]
ASPEN: Jake just leaves if he doesn’t want to be somewhere. Like, one time, we were at a party, and Jake got asked too many questions about Livie, so he excused himself. We thought he was going to the bathroom, but he just never came back. Later, we found him hanging out with the parking valet, splitting a bag of chips.
—Morning Glory Talk Showtranscript
My mouth gaped as the door swung closed behind Jake.
Finally, I turned to his bandmates. “Where’s he going?”
