“Man, you’re so busted. Although, you could leave it here. I don’t mind watching her for ya, you know until you tell your wife that you’re replacing her favorite mode of transportation.”
“Fat chance, Quinn. Hop on.”
Sure enough, in the back compartment is an extra helmet, which saves me having to run up and get mine. It’s a bit awkward, riding with your dad, but I don’t care because I’m on one of the finest pieces of man-made machinery. This baby purrs, and much like its name, glides along the roadway effortlessly.
After an hour, we stop at the studio. Dad tells me he has to pick up some sheet music and asks if I want to come with him. Truthfully, I’d rather stay outside and admire this beautiful bike, but he’s looking at me like he wants me to follow.
We say hi to the receptionists before heading toward the designated studio for 4225 West. The band paid a hefty price to make sure they always had space, mostly so they could keep their equipment there.
The red light above the studio door is on. Dad doesn’t say anything, and he definitely didn’t mention anyone using their space.
As soon as we step inside, I turn cold. My sister’s sitting at the table. She looks at us as we walk in, smiling before turning her attention to the window. I follow slowly, afraid of what I’m about to see.
On the other side, Dana Cantu is singing into the microphone, a familiar song, the one my dad wrote for my mom. Behind her, Ajay Ballard is on the drums, a set almost identical to my dad’s, which are sitting to his left. Hendrix Brandt is shredding his electric, while another guy I don’t know is plucking away at his bass. And my dad? Well, he’s now behind his kit, Liam is standing next to Dana, sharing singing duties and JD is pounding away on the piano.
“What’s this? Some kind of set-up?”
“It’s a jam session, Quinn. I know you’ve been to one or two in your life.”
“Don’t patronize me, Elle. Dad freaking duped me into coming here. You know I don’t want to do this.” I point toward the room. She stands and faces off with me.
“Why not, huh? What’s the big deal? This was always your dream and now you’re too high and mighty to let some woman have control, to let her sing?”
“My decision has nothing to do with Dana.”
“Then who? Is it me? Are you still pissed at me for almost failing out of school? I thought you were past that crap?”
“It has nothing to do with you!”
“Then why, Quinn?” she asks. I swear she’s about to cry but won’t do it in front of me. She’ll save those for Ben.
I can’t tell her. She’ll never understand. She doesn’t have to worry about estranged parents coming to look for her, but I do.
I look back through the window, hating everything that I see. My dad and Ajay are in complete sync, playing off each other. This is what he wants, someone he can jam with, someone who can play the drums, and that’s not me.
I make eye contact with Liam. His head turns slowly and then looks back at me. He must know because he’s setting his guitar down, but it’s too late.
“Tell Dad I’m out. Don’t ask me about the band again.”
“Quinn…”
I’m out of the studio before my sister or Liam can say or do anything about it. If anything, this backhanded attempt by my father has made my decision more concrete. If I’m going to go into the music industry full-time, I’ll do it as a solo artist and on my own terms.
Not theirs.
12
Eleanora
The Los Angeles International Airport should be listed on the national registry for nightmares and places tourists should not visit.
Rhett insisted, no, more like demanded, that I drive out there with him. He gave me some song and dance about being alone in the big city, yada yada yada, yet has zero qualms about sending me back into town… in a taxi cab… by myself with a driver who couldn’t go below seventy – on the side streets. At one point, I thought the taxi was going to flip over and explode into flames. Luckily, I survived and was able to send off a not so nice, yet very thankful text to Rhett. According to him, I’m still alive, making the adventure okay in his book. I happen to think otherwise, but I digress.
After spending a few days together, I think I finally broke through with Rhett on why it’s so important for me to have this self-discovery mission. He’s my big brother and he takes the role very seriously. Anyone else would freak at the idea of their little sister living in this big scary city by themselves. Of course, I live with Kellie but she’s busy working for her parents, learning the ropes of the family business. Although, girl was not so busy once she found Rhett sitting on her couch. Kellie made sure her hair was done, makeup was on point, and even offered to cook him dinner each night. I’ve seen more of her in the last couple of days, than I had since we went out on the town. Oddly, I’m okay with this. Sure, my friend has the hots for my brother, which surprisingly isn’t the first time. All through high school, girls would try to butter me up for information on him, and my friends, when they were at my house, well their voices suddenly became high-pitched the moment he walked into the room. I’m happy to say, at least to my knowledge, Rhett has never tried to hook-up with any of them.
I think I did my sisterly duty, showing Rhett around. We stayed mostly to the best parts and I completely avoided the Strip where I’m working. For one, I didn’t want to explain why I took a job in such a seedy part of town and two, I was afraid that once he saw the location, he’d all but drag me home. He’s giving me until the end of the month to get home, so telling him I have a job would only confuse him and ring alarm bells. A job means roots, and I don’t want to give him a reason to change his mind.
I wasn’t home five minutes from my terrifying taxi ride when Zeke called and asked me to come in. The call couldn’t have come at a better time. For the days Rhett was here, I feared Zeke would call and I’d be forced to either come clean or tell Zeke I couldn’t work. Neither option would’ve worked for me.