Mutually Beneficial

Chapter 10 - I'll Keep You My Dirty Little Secret

"Some of the best moments in life, are the ones you can't tell anyone about."

- Anonymous 

~*~

I left Casey's house a little after sunset. He told me that I should just stay for dinner, but I didn't want to intrude on his family time so I just explained to him and Stacey that I had to finish my homework. That was a lie since I already did it all during my free period. But they didn't need to know that.

The 20-minute drive back to my house was plenty of time for me to reminisce on what had just happened. I, Giulia Montenegro, just agreed to be the new lead singer for Wings for the Brokenhearted. It still hasn't sunk in. I mean, I was literally on the verge of a panic attack just thinking about it. 

It wasn't easy to convince me. After I had finished singing to the band, I felt physically sick. Especially when I saw that Stacey had been recording the whole time. All I wanted to do was get out of there as quick as I could, but the boys wouldn't let me leave. I kept repeating to them that this was a mistake and that they should find someone else for the job. I told them how I wouldn't be able to match their vibe on stage. But their constant begging and whining worked eventually and I caved in. Honestly, I would be lying if I said I wasn't a little bit excited about this opportunity. The band would definitely be a great distraction from everything that's been going on. 

Casey had immediately mass-texted our group chat after I agreed, so all of my friends already knew. They all congratulated me, even Reid. Although, I don't know how sincere his response was. 

However, there was one person that I was eager to tell. Brooks. That thought alone shocked me. I never thought that I would actually be itching to tell him things. But as soon as I got home I ran straight upstairs to my room, jumped on my bed and dialed Brooks' number. Finally, after about three rings, he picked up. 

"Gigi, to what do I owe the pleasure?" greeted Brooks. And even though I couldn't see him, I could feel his smirk through the phone. 

Not being able to contain my excitement anymore, I burst out with the news. "Guess what? I joined Casey's band! Can you believe it Brooks? Me, in a band!"

Brooks laughed loudly in response. "Giulia, that's amazing! I'm so proud of you and I know you're going to do amazing. Don't worry, I'll be one of your groupies."

"You're so annoying," I giggled. "But seriously, I didn't think I'd actually do it. I honestly thought I was going to chicken out."

"Well, I'm glad that you didn't..." After a long pause, Brooks finally added, "Ooo, I have an idea. Let me take you out to celebrate this momentous occasion!" 

I mulled his request over, knowing too well that it was risky. "You know we can't go out together Brooks, people will talk and it'll get back to Reid."

"First of all, screw Reid. And secondly, let them talk. We'll just explain to them that we're just two friends hanging out."

"I really want to Brooks, but I can't. I'm not brave enough to take that chance. I don't need to give Reid an excuse to make my life a living hell, even more than he already does."

A long pause wafted through the air until Brooks spoke once more. "Okay fine, how about this - let's go on a mini road trip. We can drive to Lakeview Valley, that's like three towns over. No one will know us there."