Rookie (22 page)

“That new band is here,” Leslie explained.  “They were supposed to play some stuff for Rob and Chad today.”

“Okay,” Sidney said, brows lifted.  “Are Rob and Chad here now?”

“No,” Leslie frowned.  “Rob called to tell me that they were waiting at the airport for
Lexie’s flight.  I guess Lexie went somewhere with Mel, I don’t know.  Anyway, her flight was running late.”

“Damn,” Sidney muttered.  She’d almost escaped.

“Maybe you could just go in and get them started or something?” Leslie asked.

It really wasn’t Sidney’s responsibility and she cringed at the thought of staying until Rob showed, but she didn’t see that she had a choice.  It would be extremely unprofessional of her to leave this new band sitting around, waiting when she could go in, introduce herself, and get them warmed up.

“I’ll go talk to them,” Sidney sighed.  “Where are they?”

“In Rehearsal Two,” Leslie said.  “Thanks, Sid.  I know you probably want to get out of here but I didn’t know what else to do.”

“No problem,” Sidney said, hitting the elevator button.

She got off on the second floor and rushed to the rehearsal room.   Entering the room, she was met with four sets of young, eager eyes.  Smiling, she stopped, surveying the guitar cases and other equipment not yet set up.

“Hi.  I’m Sidney Roper.  I’m sorry but Rob and Chad are running a little late,” she explained.  “Why don’t you guys set up and start warming up while we wait.”

“Sure,” said a tall, lean young man.  He was obviously the leader for confidence oozed from his pores.  His smile was friendly, if not a little cocky, and his eyes a shade of blue one only saw on Caribbean beaches.  “I’m Nathan Brennan.  That’s Joey Prince, Dylan
Kelty, and Ethan McGuire.”

“Nice to meet all of you,” Sidney said, trying to match names with faces.  “What’s the name of your band?”

“Mythic Dash,” Nathan replied.

“That’s different,” Sidney said.

“We were going for memorable, or even unique,” smiled a dusty blond who might have been Dylan.  “But different, well, I don’t know if that was one of our goals.”

Sidney laughed, her cheeks flushing. She sank to a piano bench.  “I didn’t mean to offend you.  I just meant that it really is a unique name.”

“That’s all right,” said a tall boy as he sat beside her.  His dark brown hair was quite curly and his eyes the definition of sea foam green.  “I’m Joey Prince, by the way.”

“Hi, Joey,” Sidney said, inching away a bit to put a little space between them.

“So, Sidney,” asked Nathan.  “Do you work here or are you an artist?”

“Both, I guess,” Sidney explained.  “I work here as an assistant but I recently recorded my first CD.”

“Ah, a newbie like us,” Joey said with a roguish wink.  He couldn’t be a day over eighteen but he had the suave, Don Juan act down.  “Are you going to this soiree?”

“Excuse me?” Sidney asked.

“The studio party,” Joey said.  “Are you going?”

“She’s not going to go with you,” the shorter, quiet one of the bunch responded.

“Hey, Eets,” Joey said, brow furrowed.  “Don’t ruin it for me, okay?”  He turned to Sidney, faux hurt expression on his face.  “That’s Ethan for you.  He’s the brain of this outfit.  And our…what do you call it?  Moral fiber.”

“Moral fiber,” Dylan snorted.

“Someone has to keep you hellions in line,” Ethan muttered with an eye roll.  “Should we set up?”

“Sure,” Sidney said. 

Joey hopped to his feet and retrieved a beat up guitar case from the middle of the room.  The others followed suit, removing guitars, straps, and picks from their cases.  Dylan took a seat behind the drum set that, along with the piano, was a permanent fixture in the rehearsal room.

Sidney glanced at the clock hanging above the door, wondering how much longer Rob would be and how she’d be able to escape gracefully.  She definitely didn’t want this new band to sense any tension.  Although they were young, they didn’t appear to be naïve. 

“We’ll just warm up,” Nathan said, slipping a strap over his head.  “If Rob isn’t here by then, we’ll play some of our stuff for you.”

“Okay,” she said.

They took turns tuning, making sure their sound was good.  Then, they went through a rigorous warm-up routine that impressed her.  Sure, they were barely out of high school, but they knew what they were doing and took it seriously.

“Sorry he’s taking so long,” Sidney said once they completed their routine.  “You can play some of your stuff for me, if you’d like.  I know you probably will have to play it again for Rob, though.”

“We don’t mind,” Joey said, flashing a megawatt smile.  Sidney had a feeling that Joey had left behind a string of broken hearts – and would soon be adding to that string.

“We’ll play you the first song we wrote,” Nathan said, glancing over his shoulder at Dylan.  “Ready?”

Dylan nodded.

Settling on the piano bench, she listened as they played.  Their sound was amazing and the song remarkable considering their age.  She was expecting something immature – maybe lyrics bemoaning high school woes or something of that nature.  But it was nothing like she expected.  They definitely had a rock quality, though nothing too heavy.  Sidney could already hear their music blasting from the speakers of car radios.  It was simply good music.

Once they finished, she couldn’t help but to clap.

“Wow, you guys are good,” she said.

“You sound surprised,” Joey said, lifting a bushy brow.  “Did you doubt us?”

“Seeing as she’s never heard us before,” Ethan said, hiding a smile, “I guess she didn’t know what to expect.”

“That’s why we keep you around, Eets,” Joey grinned.  “To keep us all in line.”

Ethan rolled his eyes.

“And we keep Joey around for comic relief,” Dylan said, shoving the drumsticks in the back pocket of his jeans.

Sidney laughed, enjoying
herself for the first time in weeks.  She was mildly surprised to realize that she actually liked these guys. Their fresh yet serious approach to their craft was nice – especially after dealing with some of the older bands and their extra-large egos.

“Anyway, Sidney,” Joey said, setting his guitar in a nearby stand.
“About this party.  Are you going with anyone?  You know, like a date?”

“I’m not going with a date,” she said.

His toothy smile was nearly blinding.  “Excellent!”

“But I am going with a friend,” Sidney said. 

He waved his hand as he sat beside her.  “Blow the friend off.  I’ll take you.  We’ll have a blast.”

“Are you sure you’ll be done with your homework in time?”

The other boys laughed but Joey was nonplussed.  “I’m out of school, my dear.  Graduated last year.  We had to wait for baby boy Nate to finish.”

Sidney glanced at Nathan who offered her a shrug.

Turning to Joey, Sidney patted his shoulder.  “I’m flattered, really, but I am going with a friend.  A female friend. But don’t get any ideas – she won’t go with you, either.”

“Shot down already,” Joey said, slumping.  “Damn.  What good is being a famous rock star if all the chicks refuse you?”

“You have to become a famous rock star before claiming to be one,” Dylan offered.  “Sorry, friend, but you’re not there yet.”

“We will be, my man,” Joey said, bounding off the bench and over to the drum set to offer up a fist for Dylan to bump.  “Just you wait.”

His boundless energy was wearing her out.  Just as she was about to suggest that they play another song, Rob burst into the room, sucking all the good aura out.

“Hey, guys,” Rob said, shaking each hand, not even bothering to glance in Sidney’s direction.  “Sorry about the delay.”

“No problem,” Nathan said, his lips pulling into a confused frown.  “Sidney had us warm up and stuff.  We’re ready whenever you are.”

“Great,” Rob said, continuing to ignore Sidney.  “Chad will be right in.  We’re both anxious to hear this new stuff you’ve been working on.”

Sidney shriveled, trying to disappear.  She eyed the door, figuring the best way to make a discreet exit.  She didn’t want to call attention to herself only to be further ignored by Rob.

With a sigh, she got to her feet.  There was no easy way to escape – she’d have to just do it.

Waving to the guys, she scurried behind Rob, her eyes only on the door.

“See you, Sidney,” Dylan called.  “Thanks.”

“Yeah, thanks,” Nathan repeated.

“I’ll see you at the party,” Joey called in a singsong voice.

“Bye,” she said, her eyes shooting to Rob.  She was startled by the dark, black look he flashed in her direction.  Deciding to decipher it later, she bolted out of the room, just avoiding a collision with Chad.

“Sid, hey,” he said, confusion all over his face.

“Bye,” she muttered as she darted for the elevator.

So much for a graceful exit.

***

In her lonely hotel room, she sat on the bed, computer open on her lap, and stared unseeingly at the screen.

Never had she ever thought that Rob’s indifference would hurt like it did.  It felt as if someone had ripped a scab off of a healing wound, only to start the pain and bleeding over again.

“If only I could figure out a way to just talk to him,” she muttered, her heart quivering.  “If only he would take a second to listen to me.”

She probably shouldn’t have told Lexie, but at the time, she’d felt as if she was choking and had to dislodge whatever was blocking her windpipe.

Blinking to clear her eyes, she looked at the computer.  There was a chat room that only members of the Center were privy to, but Sidney wasn’t in the mood to talk to other women.  Those women discussed the horrible things that had happened to them – needed to talk about it.  Sidney didn’t think it would be appropriate to get on there to discuss her damaged love life.  Or, whatever kind of life it was.

And Aliza.  Aliza was almost always available.  But after taking her advice, Sidney was a little soured.

“Okay, so maybe she didn’t tell me to sleep with Rob,” Sidney mused aloud.  “I guess I can’t blame her.  I’m the one that convinced him.”

Shutting the computer, she set it on the bedside table and slid horizontally on the bed.  Fishing the remote from under the pillows, she turned on the TV and flipped through the channels, not particularly fussed about watching anything.

Restless, she ached to get out of the room and do something.  The threat of Grant still hovered over her head, escalating that ache.  The four hotel walls were closing in, forcing her to do something stupid.  But what could she do?  Maybe go down to the lounge and have a drink?  Sure, but by herself?

Slipping off the bed, she found her bag on the little table by the window and fished through the contents for her phone.  Maybe she’d call Leslie and suggest they see a movie or something.  Anything to get her out of the room and take her mind off of Rob.

Just as she found her phone, someone knocked on her door.

Her heart thudded as she clutched the phone and crossed the room to peer out the peephole.  She released a breath when she spotted Leslie standing in the hall, bored look on her face.

“Hey,” Sidney said after disengaging the locks.  “I was just about to call you.”

Leslie brushed past Sidney and sat on the bed.  “Good because I spoke to my uncle earlier and he told me that he just finished painting his little beach cottage and is ready to rent it.”

“Oh?” Sidney asked, slipping into a chair.  “Where is it?”

Leslie crinkled her nose.  “It’s in Woodridge Beach.  It’s not far from Chad and Lexie’s place.”

“Oh,” Sidney said.

“But, hey, it’s private and has an alarm system,” Leslie said.  “And, he’s willing to cut you a break on the rent because you’re a friend of mine.”

Sidney’s eyes bounced off every wall and surface of the cramped hotel room.  Although the staff had been friendly and the place very clean, she was beginning to hate it.  She hated everything it seemed to represent in her life.  Perhaps a little cottage on the beach was the first step in the right direction of a new life.

She got to her feet and picked up her bag.  “Let’s go take a look at it.”

***

The tiny cottage was not as luxurious as the homes that surrounded it.  As a matter of fact, it sat behind a larger house that loomed on a hill above it.  Leslie explained that the cottage was once used as a guest house but when her uncle bought the property, he decided to rent each out separately.

“So, someone lives in the big house?” Sidney asked as they stood on the covered porch of the cottage.

“Not right now,” Leslie said.  “Uncle Phil has some work to do on it.  The entire property has been in foreclosure and both places were a huge mess.  He decided to get the cottage ready so he could generate a little money while working on the big house.”

Leslie unlocked the door and they stepped inside.  The scent of fresh paint assaulted them immediately, causing them to take a moment to get their bearings.