Falling Stars (2 page)

This
was different.

"Now
for the last bit of news for the tour, we have secured your opening act. They
will be joining us here in Seattle to get ready for the tour kick-off concert."
She paused. I glanced over at Nicholas.

So,
that’s what he was uneasy about.

"Since
when do we not get to decide on our opening act?" I spit out. Nicholas's
face took on a hard expression.

"Well,
Christopher, we usually let you have a say in the matter; however, the band is
an up-and-coming group that already has a decent following. We recently signed
them and just released their single. They have been climbing the charts
non-stop. To be honest, we haven't seen a group grow so quickly since
The
Forgotten
. So that should tell you what a good match it will be for the
tour." She smiled widely.

Before
I could say anything
,
Nicholas
stepped in.

"Not
to mention that Una here was the one to discover our new prospect." Nicholas
gave me a warning look.

Ah,
so that’s it
.
Daddy's little girl was the founder of
the band, so she has to place them on our tour to help them grow in the midst
of our fan base.
There is no way I’m going to stand-by being some
group’s springboard to fame.

"So,
have we heard of the band?" Jackson asked.

I
quickly looked at him in disbelief. He was just accepting the situation without
a fight. I would've thought they all would be as upset as I was. Looking over at
Elliott and Jimmy, all I saw was curiosity on their faces.
What the hell?

"I'm
not sure. As I said, they're fairly new. It's an all-girl band named
Hushed
Mentality
." Una beamed like the proud mother she was. "They're a
very talented band and their lead is really, really amazing. I think you guys
will enjoy the company on the tour and get along well."

A
girl band, she has to be kidding. They have a pop tart, giggling girl fest on
our tour. How does it make a good match?

I
was going to protest, but Una gave me a look, which told me my argument would
be pointless. Slouching back into my chair, I decided to bide my time. Once I
got Nicholas alone to talk, there would be changes.

* *
* * *

"Holy
shit, Mia, can you believe we are going on tour? Like a real tour!" Kat
screamed and excitedly punched my arm. "We’re on our way baby!” She
grinned at me and lifted her beer bottle in the air. I rubbed the spot she’d
hit before picking up my own bottle.

We
all tapped our beer bottles together. Sitting at our favorite local bar in
Whitbey Island and celebrating our band's new success, I looked around the
table.

 Kat,
our bassist, had her head tossed back. Laney, lead guitar, danced in her seat.
My sister and drummer, Serena, pulled her bottle from her smiling lips. Sara,
who was our occasional backup singer, caught me looking and winked.

"It's
so crazy!" Laney bounced in her seat.

"It's
amazing." Serena sat back in the wooden bar chair and sighed.

 I
have not been able to stop smiling since our meeting with Una yesterday. A few
months ago, she found us playing at the very bar we were sitting.

We
had just wrapped up a rehearsal in the bar when she approached us. We knew she
didn't belong in a bar like this. Her perfect, shiny light brown hair, clear
fair skin, and executive power suit screamed
high class
. Her presence drew
attention. She had this look, which sent out pulses that danced across your
skin.

As
the lead singer, Una introduced herself to me first and wasn't shy about
telling me why she was here. She asked Serena, Kat, Laney, and me to sit and
talk with her. I thought Kat was going to pass out when Una said the words, "Nobil
Recording". Una continued to discuss some things and asked us to think
about it. Leaving us with a business card and a lot think about, it only took
til the next morning to call and set up a meeting.

After
touring the place and introduced to Richard Nobil himself, we signed the intent
to commit. From that moment, everything started to fall into place for us. We
trusted Una, who had, from the beginning, ensured and showed she had our best
interests as a priority. We recorded our first single and Nobil rushed to get
it playtime.

Laney
was the first to hear our song on the radio. It came on while she was at work
in the coffee shop. She called all of us, screaming. From that moment forward,
we got more and more popular in requests and playtime.

"To
top it all off we are touring with
The Forgotten
! You all know how huge
they are. We are going to be playing to gigantic crowds. Ahhh!" Serena
stood and did a dance. Laughing, I watched.

Serena,
my sister and best friend, took on the role of mother after our mother died
when we were young. Even after our father, John, remarried to Linda, I was
twelve and Serena thirteen, she still felt my protection and nurturing was her
responsibility.

Serena
and I didn't look much alike. She had my mother's curly red hair and freckles,
along with her hazel color eyes and body build. However, Serena dyed her hair
to a much more vibrant red. I, on the other hand, had my father's black wavy
hair, extreme fair complexion, and eyes so dark brown they were almost black.

Serena’s
tall and built with curves while I’m average height and very slender. Where my
sister had a full C cup, I had a medium B cup. However, I inherited our mother's
singing voice, and after my school choir coach got hold of me, she made sure to
meet with me for private lessons in voice coaching. I was thankful for her
extra attention, even if her driving goal was simply for the school choir to win
a state championship.

When
Serena got drum lessons, I wiggled in some piano lessons, loving the way the
keys felt under my fingers. The piano led to me picking up a guitar and
learning the basics from a guy I dated in high school. I relentlessly practiced
so I could improve; after the piano, it wasn't too difficult to catch on.

"What
about all the rumors about the band, especially the rumors about the lead
singer? They say he is a real douche bag." Sara spoke softly, but it was
loud enough to break me from my thoughts again.

"Hey,
I vow that we wait to make any judgments about them until after we meet them in
person." I raised my beer, and everyone else joined me.

"I
still can't believe this. It's unbelievable!" Serena laughed.

I
was nervous about the chemistry between us and the other band. It was no secret.
The Forgotten
was one of the hottest bands around, musically,
professionally, and physically. It was also no secret the band had a
reputation, especially the dark lead singer often labeled the hot, arrogant
asshole. I only hoped we could all get along amicably and if not, then we could
at least fake it when necessary and ignore each other the rest of the time.

"What
about your dream to be a famous ballet dancer?" Serena laughed, winking at
me. Everyone else joined in. Rolling my eyes, I sighed.

Being
a dancer was a bad inside joke. Our stepmother, Linda, had been determined to
keep me dancing. Out of respect for my dead mother, who had started my lessons
when I was four. Deep down, Linda really was hoping she would have one girlie
stepdaughter. Imagine her disappointment when, after eleven years of dance
classes, at the rebellious age of fifteen, I quit. Pursuing our dream of
signing a contract became the full focus. Now, twelve years after quitting
dance, I felt justified. We’d signed a record deal.

"What
about your dream to be married with kids?" I shot back at Serena.

Laney
shot beer out her nose. Serena scowled at me. I knew it was unfair, but I had
to return the ill joke.

Serena
had gotten very rebellious after dad remarried and ended up pregnant at twenty-four
and unmarried, much to Linda's horror. Linda tried to convince Serena to get
married, but, luckily, it never went that far. The father disappeared from town
after Ryan's birth and hadn’t been seen or heard from again. Our father assumed
he was off in prison somewhere. Wishful thinking on his part. I knew somewhere,
deep inside; Dad hoped he was some big guy's prison girlfriend.

Linda
ended up taking to Ryan as if he were her own child. So much in fact that when
Serena told Linda she would be hiring a nanny and taking Ry on tours with us,
Linda wouldn't hear it. Therefore, they had worked out an arrangement where he would
travel with us some of the time and stay with Linda the rest of the time.

"Here's
to you, Mia, and your awesome voice and songs, to all of us, and to all of our
futures!" Laney raised her beer. My face warmed at the compliment.

We
all clanged our bottles before taking long sips. Our discussion then fell into
planning for the tour. The possibilities were endless. Our stars were on the
rise.

Chapter
Two

Serena,
Kat and I sat in the car waiting for Laney to be done with her final shift at
the coffee house. Today was her last day as a barista, and we had a meeting
with Una at the record label's main office in Seattle.

"I
hate March snow," Serena complained as a few flakes fell from the late March
sky. "Snow shouldn't be allowed after January." She continued with
her rant for about fifteen more minutes. The remainder of the ride was quiet.

We
entered the recognizable lobby with the familiarly annoying and fake
receptionist Tonya. Serena leaned in over the desk.

"Good
morning Tonya. How are you today?" With an exaggerated smile, Serena
fluttered her eyelashes.

I
snickered. Tonya rolled her eyes, clearly annoyed.

"Una
is waiting for you in the second level conference center." She turned back
to the computer and started typing.

"What?
No escort service today?" Serena's hand went to her chest in mock horror. "I
thought you were the 'escort' for the company." Serena winked.

Tonya
turned with an angry glare. The rest of us held our laughter until we got to
the elevator.

"You
know you really are a bitch." The doors slid closed as to emphasize my
comment.

"No,
Mia, she's the bitch. From day one she's been an asshole, so I choose to treat
her the way she treats everyone else." Serena shrugged.

"You
mean everyone she doesn't want to sleep with." Kat added with a giggle.

"Yes,"
Serena turned to Kat. "I amend my statement to include Kat's comment."
I smiled and shook my head while Serena and Kat gave each other a high-five.

The
elevator doors opened to the second level and we all walked off, looking both
ways to see which way was the conference center.

"Anyone
remember where this room is?" I turned to them.

"I
think it was this way," Laney pointed to the left and we started in that
direction.

"Mia?"
I turned. Una walked from a room we’d just passed.

"Hey,
sorry, is that the conference room?"

"Yeah,
didn't Tonya bring you up or tell you where to go?" She raised an eyebrow.

Kat
answered. "That bitch only told us second level conference center. She
wouldn't want to lose a press-on nail by pushing an elevator button."

Una
shook her head. "Well, if you would, please join me in here and have a
seat."

Everyone
found an empty seat while Una handed out folders. Each folder contained lists
of names, tour dates, papers that needed signed, and so much more. I didn’t
know where to begin.

"Okay
ladies, we are going to go over the tentative tour schedule. I say tentative,
because new dates could always get added." She looked around at us,
probably to see if we had any questions. "So far we have one addition to
your schedule and it will be after the kick off concert here in Seattle."
She pulled open a binder and pulled out the tour date listing. "As you
see, we added the date you’ll play at your old high school."

We
had graduated from the same high school. Therefore, when I’d received the
request from the high school student council to appear for one of their dances,
I forwarded it to Una hoping she could make it happen.

"We’re
going to make a stop there and you will be able to spend the night, play the
night of the dance, and then spend one more night at home before we head out on
the bus."

"Thank
you so much, Una, for working the school concert in." I said, smiling to
her.

"Not
a problem. I think it's a great thing to do for your school and from a manager
stand point its awesome free press." She winked and smiled.

We
continued to go over the schedule and other fine print of some documents. We
had to agree to press conferences, interviews, and to promotional photo shoots.
I understood the need for the photo shoots, but I wasn't too excited about it.
Laney and Kat were bouncing in their seats happy to get professional makeup and
hair artists.