“Womenandmen.”
She nodded.“I can see that.”
I choked back my laughter.“I don’t know if I should be flattered or offended.”
“Whatever floats your boat.”
I narrowed my eyes at her.“Have you been talking to Jesse?”
“What?No.Why?”
“Nothing.Never mind.”I changed the subject desperately.“So you and Parker Webb, huh?How did that go?”
A steely look came over her face.“You seriously want to compare exes?”
“Sure.Tit for tat.You go first.”
She shrugged.“Okay.What do you want to know?”
“Why the hell would a woman like you fall for Parker Webb’s bullshit?”
“I can’t tell if I should be flattered or offended.”She smirked as she threw my own words back at me.
“Touché.”I shrugged.“How long were you guys together?”
“Too long.”Alice turned and watched DJ walk around the yard, stopping here and there to mark his territory.“We got together in high school.He’s the one who taught me how to play guitar.He was…god, he was my entire world there for a minute.I would’ve done anything for him.Pretty much did do everything for him.But he saved me too.”She said the last part almost like she was talking to herself.
I leaned closer to her.“How did he save you?”I asked softly.
Alice jerked like she’d been lost in her thoughts or maybe forgot I was standing next to her.She shrugged like it was nothing big.“Ah, you know…he helped me run away.”
“And that saved you?”I shook my head.I’d always thought of teen runaways as the delinquents, wanting a life of no rules.
My judgement must’ve been clear because she scowled at me.“What would you call it when your foster dad tried to come into your room at night?What would you have done?Stayed and let him touch you?”
“I…” I sighed.“I’d get the hell out of there too.”
“Parker was the only one who believed me.My foster mom thought I was lying.My case worker didn’t have time for me.Parker got me out of there.”
I nodded like I understood, but I really didn’t.I couldn’t imagine being so powerless.Not being able to trust the people who were supposed to be there for you.
That was nothing like my childhood.I’d had parents who loved me.Who supported my stupid garage band.Who didn’t mind when I spent all hours over at Chase’s house in high school.Who put up with me playing my drums all weekend.Who came to our shows.
At least until recently.
I cleared my throat as the memories of that last phone call with my mom came back to me.I hadn’t talked to my dad in forever.“So what killed it then?How’d it go from him saving you to you guys breaking up?”
“That part is practically a cliché.”Alice rolled her eyes.“I think he hated the attention I got as the lead guitarist.I always stood centerstage, and since I was a girl in front of the boys, it looked like they were my backup to some industry people we’d talked to.So he started belittling me.Telling me my heart wasn’t in it.I didn’t want it enough.I was getting sloppy with my chord transitions.He talked so much shit that he eventually led a mutiny, and the rest of the guys voted me out.”She shook her head slowly like she still couldn’t believe it.“Out of the bandIcreated.Iwas the one who found our drummer.Iwas the one who wrote most of our songs.Me.”She stabbed a thumb at her chest, anger lining her face.“And then they kicked me out like I was nothing.A month later, they signed with a label.And used my songs on their album.”
“What the hell?Why didn’t you sue them?Told someone—anyone.Fuck, I’ll help you now.”I pulled my phone out to call my lawyer, but Alice grabbed my arm.
“You have to have proof.Parker took all my notebooks the night before the vote.He said something about wanting to look through them for new song ideas.And I let him.”She scoffed.“He’s probably torched them by now.”
“That’s bullshit!He stole your songs.He’s making money off your hard work.You gotta do something.That’s not right.”
She made this sad little laugh that absolutely broke my heart.“Life’s not fair.Believe me, I know.”She shrugged like it was nothing.Like her whole existence hadn’t been obliterated by this asshole.“I couldn’t afford a lawyer at the time, and I don’t have any proof anyways.It’d be my word against him.Againsttheirs.You better believe the other guys will back him up if it means keeping their livelihood.Now I have a new band.Songs I’ve written.And we’ll get there too.Only we’ll stay there and not be some bullshit one hit wonder, like Alien Attraction.”
“Hell yes you will.”I grinned down at her.
