DRASTIC (Book 4 of the Soundcrush Series)

Chapter 32: Drummer Boys Have Performance Issues

The song:  come thru by Jeremy Zucker. So sweet and I think it describes Bodie perfectly. He's so exhausted dealing with everything and he needs Marley's comfort more than even he realizes. he's just trying to keep it together and be everything to everybody.

Bodie about a month later

"Why do I even have to go to school today, when you are both getting ready for the party?" Darius complains.

"Cause you are bouncin' off the walls and gettin' on my nerves," I joke with him. Darius knows I'm kidding. He rolls his eyes at me.

"Mahhhhhrrrmmleeyyyyy," Darius complains. That's his new thing. Combining her name with mom, making it come out somewhere between Mom and Marley. It's real sweet, much nicer than just calling her Marley, and I can tell she secretly loves the special nickname. "Come on. You guys are spending all day downtown getting styled and photo-ready."

Marley leans across the backseat of the stretch and cups his cheek. "You are one of the beautiful people. You don't need a spa day, and you have a major test today. There's no good reason for you to come downtown and hang around in the suites just to be bored. Besides, you have a plan. You are going to ride up to the band house in the limo with Will and his parents, right?"

"Speaking of Will, there he is. Don't you guys want to lord it over all your friends that you will be hanging with Mayhem and D-Thrills tonight?" I nod at Will, leaping over the back seat of his parent's convertible as they laugh at him and wave goodbye. Darius gives me an eye roll and Marley a quick kiss and jumps out of the stretch I've leased for the weekend. Marley and I follow him out, to speak to Will's parents.

Turns out that Will's parents aren't just super nice people, they are industry types. Will's dad Randall is a sound engineer in a downtown music studio, and his mom Sonya is an AP on The Walking Dead.

Which means, they are used to way bigger A-listers than me. Rappers, tv stars, famous movers and shakers in the both the music and film industries. They didn't bat an eye when Marley invited them over for dinner a couple of weeks ago so we could hash out the celebrity/security thing for flying Will along to Disneyworld with us last weekend.

They have the impression that Marley and I are dating, and I didn't correct them. I just asked them to sign an NDA, and that way it doesn't matter what they think.

We got along so well with them that I invited them to come up to the band house for our big grand opening party tonight. There will be some other industry people that they will know, thanks to Mac  being tight with several local rap artists and their crews.

I clap it out with Randall, and he thanks me again for the invite.

"It's gonna be pretty dope," I tell him with a grin. "Trace won't be satisfied until the cops come at least three times, I'm sure."

"He's only kidding," Marley assures Sonya. "There will be other young people there besides Will and Darius. Adam's oldest nieces and nephews, and some young cousins of the Ballards. It will be PG-13."

"Prolly more like NC-17 in the main house, but definitely PG 13 in the teen party pool house," I wink at Sonya.

"Will's been with his dad in the sound booth when he worked on Mayhem's album. Unfortunately, he's seen it all," Sonya rolls her eyes at her husband.

"Hey, I made him go hang in the lobby when May's posse ordered the strippers," Randall grins. She reaches over and covers his eyes. "Amazing you could mix that track with your eyes closed, huh?"

"I'm skilled, what can I say?" he jokes.

We say our goodbyes amid laughs.

I resist my natural instinct to throw an arm around Marley as we walk back to the truck. I am careful now, not to touch her in public.