DRASTIC (Book 4 of the Soundcrush Series)

Chapter 36: Drummer Boys Should Answer Their Phone

The song: Cross Me by Ed Sheeran ft Chance the Rapper. I feel like this song could be playing in the club later in the chapter. And the implied threat in this chapter? Well, it's on, as far as Bodie is concerned, after what happens tonight.

Bodie

Stephanie hasn't changed a bit in six years. She rolls her eyes at Leed's arrogant playfulness and punches Adam in the arm to congratulate him on finally locking down his girl. She speaks earnestly with Trace about the possibility of Soundcrush fully turning the tide back toward alternative music, and peppers me with glares and cutting remarks.

After the interview, I serve her up an olive branch in the form of a super-crafty cocktail I swipe off a server, and say, "Girl, I just gave you a big impress-my-editor piece. I don't know why you still don't like me."

"Because you hurt my friend. Obviously, you did know Marley, and you ignored her, all those times she came out to see Soundcrush."

I sip my sparkling water. "You don't know what you're talking about, Scoresby. You ever think maybe she hurt me first?"

"That just makes you spiteful," she retorts. "Where is she, anyway?" Steph looks around the boldly decorated, uber- modern band house.

"She's getting styled, with the rest of the Soundcrush ladies."

Stephanie narrows her eyes at me and puts her hand on her leather-panted hips.

"What's the deal, Bodie? When you called, you made it sound like you two were together. Now I see you are still with Arabella Burns. I feel like there's a story there."

Shit. I didn't anticipate that this Little Bulldog would be less than grateful for the bone I threw her, but I should have known. She was always tenacious. Now she's a reporter to boot. I definitely don't want her sniffing around and finding out the truth—that Marley is my Beloved Babymama and Arabella is just a publicity stunt.

"Off the record?"

She cocks her eyebrow.

"Need to hear you say it, babe," I say testily.

"Fine, off the record."

"I got in a bad way in Thailand over the hiatus. So bad even I knew I needed to stow my recreational shit. Management hired Marley as my sobriety companion, and I welcome the help. I'm surprised a reporter like you hasn't already figured that out," I hoist my club soda.

"Yeah, I noticed you seem very sober. I just can't believe..." Stephanie bites her lip.

"Can't believe what?"

"That Marley would come to work for you, given the history."

Suddenly I wonder how much Stephanie knows about our history.

Of course in that moment, in the way shit always happens, Darius and Will arrive with Will's parents. I excuse myself from Stephanie to speak to them, and then I skirt the edge of the room with the kids, ushering them out back to the pool house while keeping Darius carefully out of Stephanie's line of sight. I figure Marley will eventually introduce them, but I don't want to be standing right beside, giving the same eye squints and blinking expressions or whatever similarities all these chics see between me and Darius.

Personally I don't see it, but I guess it's hard for me to see my own unguarded expressions. I probably wear different expressions when I look at myself in the mirror, and all the footage of me? Well, that's me wearing a rock star persona.

It's not surprising to me that I find Adam in the pool house, messing around with the DJ and entertaining the kids. When he sees me walk in with Darius, his eyes move ever so obviously from Darius' face to mine and back again.