Chapter 2
Abby
“Valentine Frontman Jet Valentine in Seclusion as Band Disintegrates Mid-Tour”
Atremble ran through Abby’s entire body as her eyes scanned the article that sat underneath the headline. Jet was in real trouble. Hurting.
Over the past couple of years, the entertainment news websites had become increasingly full of his antics. Drunken rages, missing concerts, or falling apart onstage. Altercations in nightclubs. DUI arrests.
To the rest of the world he must look like a spoiled little rock star, acting out because he needed attention or because he had a serious case of lacking gratitude for the blessings life had bestowed on him. And, sure, that was probably part of it.
But Abby had known him since they were little kids, and she’d seen him throw tantrums. She knew what triggered them– fear of losing control.
This rock star bad behavior was basically just an adult version of the tantrums he’d thrown when they were young, and she was certain it was caused by the same thing.
It had all started when Jet’s parents had died five years before and had steadily escalated since then. Her heart went out to him. It actually skipped a few beats.
He must be so upset. So lost.
The deep ache in her soul, the compassion she held for his situation, was not something she would ever admit if they happened to see each other. That just wasn’t how they were. It wasn’t their vibe.
In fact, a small glow grew in her chest as she remembered some of their epic banter battles. Busting each other’s balls was the way they related to each other. It was how they showed they cared.
“Hey, girly. What are you reading? You look like you’ve seen a ghost.”
Abby’s head snapped up at her friend Ella. She hastily swiped the screen to lock her phone. “Oh, nothing. Just…you know how the news can be. Depressing.”
Ella nodded. “I know. That’s why I try to steer clear of it. It can just be too much.”
“Yeah.”
Abby’s heart pounded at the close call. So far, she’d been able to keep her habit of keeping track of Jet’s life a secret, and she hoped to keep that trend going for at least the next forever or so.
The two friends that she was meeting for coffee today, Ella and Gen, were absolutely the last two people she’d ever want to find out that she still thought about Jet Valentine. They were each dating one of his brothers, and if the cat got out of the bag around them, she was sure it wouldn’t be long until that damn noisy cat was meowing at Jet himself.
She couldn’t have that. If he found out that she had…well, if she was honest, something resembling feelings for him…God, she’d never hear the end of it.
In their constant exchange of points in a running tally to see which of them was “winning,” that would be the ultimate defeat.
“Hey, hot mamas. What’s shakin’?”
Gen popped into the coffee shop, changing the atmosphere in the place like a whirlwind. That was the force of her friend’s personality and magnetism– every time she walked into a room, all eyes turned on her. It had been that way since they were in high school, and in this instance especially, Abby was grateful for it. Anything that distracted from what she’d been doing would help.
“Abby’s been depressing herself by reading the local news on her phone,” Ella said as Gen settled herself in the third chair that sat around the small, round coffee shop table.
Yes!Abby hadn’t specified what kind of news she’d been reading, but in the game of telephone that was human communication. Ella’s brain had filled in her own assumption and incorporated it as part of the story, and Abby was so freaking thankful for that quirk of human psychology at that moment she could have kissed Ella’s brain, gray squishiness and all.
Gen rolled her eyes. “Oh, God. You wanna talk depressing? Forget the local news. Have you guys seen what’s going on with Jet? There were a ton of articles all over the gossip sites this morning.”
Ella’s eyes widened. “No! I went into the studio early and had my phone off. What’s going on with Jet? Is he all right?”
Abby feigned ignorance, following along in Ella’s wake like a water skier pulled behind a speedboat. “Yeah, what’s going on with Jet?”
“Oh, God. His band is breaking up. Honestly, I’m surprised it took this long with all his shitty behavior the last few years. Apparently there are a bunch of cancelled concert dates and promoters are talking about suing, and it’s just all really ugly.”
“Oh, no!” Ella exclaimed. “I should call Donovan.”
“Yeah, and I haven’t even gotten to the worst part yet,” Gen continued. “Jet’s apparently gone into some kind of hiding, and no one knows where he is or how to get a hold of him. Gavin’s even freaked out, and you know him. Mister Stoic.”