“On the way over. We talked last night but agreed we’d wait till you got back to get into what we’re going to do.”
“What are we going to do?”
Perry and Dru exchange a look, then he shrugs.
“We’re kind of fucked then,” I say, straightening up.
“He should be kicked out for what he did.” Dru stares at her husband’s black eye.
“Not that easy, baby, I told you.”
She folds her arms and huffs. A sentiment I can get behind. No one wants to see the band fall apart over this. Problem is that is what it might come down to.
When the twins, our rhythm guitarist Caden, and lead guitarist Grayson arrive, Dru leaves us to talk shit through. None of us would have kicked her out, but Perry explains she is pissed and upset. She’s already threatened to kick Christopher’s ass.
“We won’t be the first band to switch out lead singers,” Gray says. He’s tossing a baseball between his hands, leaning back on the sofa.
“How often has that worked out?” Caden asks.
When we first met, it was impossible to tell them apart. Now Caden’s hair is long, everyone can differentiate. Although I like to think if he cut it off, I’d still be able to tell. I’m 95 percent convinced I could.
“He’s right.” Perry nods. “Gray, I mean. Caden, you can sing as well, if not better than Christopher. You pick up most of the overlay and backing vocals on the recordings.”
“It’s different.” Caden shakes his head. “I’m not a lead singer.”
“Fuck off.” Gray elbows his brother. “You’re a million times more a lead singer than he is right now.”
“Ourmomis,” Caden quips.
“Let’s get serious, huh?” Perry takes a seat on the coffee table. The rest of us are facing him. “We have to decide. You know the label is going to want to do something drastic. He’s pushing their buttons way too much, causing a headache.”
“You brawling with him in front of the paparazzi last night didn’t help matters.”
“He swung on me,” Perry snaps at Gray, who holds up his hand.
Last thing we need is more in-fighting.
“Let’s go downstairs,” I get up. “Play some music. Get this shit out of our system. Then Cade you can take the lead on some tracks, see how it feels. What do you think?” I look around.
“I don’t have any better ideas.” Gray shakes his head.
No one wants to think we’re going down here intending to prove we can do this without our lead singer.
He’s gone too far. We’ve put up with this shit for over two years now. He makes everything difficult. And about him.
He says shit to the press that none of us have discussed. He argues with our management. And now he’s trying to take the music in a direction none of us want to, writing shit songs which make no sense musically or lyrically.
We’ve reached the point of no return. Punching Perry, the gentlest guy you’d ever meet, was the last straw for all of us.
Fuck knows how this is going to go down. Badly. Very badly.
cora
. . .
I’m sodeep in edits for a maternity photoshoot, I don’t hear the knocking on the door to the studio. It opens out into a hallway from the main reception, so whoever it is, has managed to get past that gatekeeper without alerting me.
There is nothing on my calendar for the rest of the day. A quick shiver of anxiety goes through me. It could be the management company for the building. So far, I’ve got away with living here. It’s only a matter of time before I get found out.
