Chapter Thirty-Nine
CHAPTER THIRTY-NINE
The first order of business was to secure the merch, T-shirts, banners, and commemorative glowsticks. Ivy took on the leadership role, delegating tasks to Amanda and Jon’s friend, whose name Kya hadn’t yet caught. Jon asked Kya to stay behind. He wanted to steal a few minutes to catch up. Only, like children, they had to swear they would not budge from the spot where Ivy left them.
‘We have to stick together,’ she repeated. ‘I’ve heard horror stories of girls having to walk home alone after losing their friend group.’
Amanda snapped open a fan. ‘Ivy, you drove us here. If anyone walks home, it won’t be you.’
‘Quinn and I left the car at the garage,’ Kya added. ‘We have it all worked out.’
‘So, you’ll wait for us here?’ Ivy asked.
‘We might head over to the frozen lemonade stand, but no further.’
‘No frozen lemonade!’ Ivy cried, exasperated. ‘No random sugary drinks. It’s plain water, sparkling water, vodka, or nothing.’
‘Plain water, sparkling water, vodka,’ Kya repeated. ‘Got it.’
‘Your anxiety is through the roof today,’ Amanda observed, dryly.
‘We won’t budge,’ Jon promised.
That promise was enough to reassure Ivy. It did nothing to calm Jon’s friend who tossed him an anxious look. Still, he went with the plan and left with the others.
Jon nudged her. ‘We’re getting that sugary drink, right?’
‘For sure,’ Kya replied. ‘She can’t tell us what to do.’
In line at the lemonade stand, Jon nudged her again. ‘So, you and Quinn have it all worked out?’
‘Don’t twist my words,’ she said. ‘It’s just a ride home.’
‘That’s not what it sounds like to me. How did you meet her?’
‘My brother-in-law dragged me out the night after I got the news. She was playing a set. The moment I saw her, I forgot all my problems. She was so beautiful. It’s anyone’s guess what she sees in me.’
‘I’d guess she thinks you’re sexy, smart, genuine, and cool.’
‘Thanks, but she’s unreal. Can we agree on that?’
‘Agreed, but so are you.’
Kya reached out and ruffled his hair. ‘This line isn’t moving. Should we skip the lemonade?’
‘Definitely.’
They returned to the designated spot. ‘Who’s this guy you’re with?’ she asked. ‘What’s his name? Why do I feel he low-key hates me?’
‘Shit! I didn’t introduce you?’
‘No, you didn’t. Now he probably thinks I’m your ex or something. Please clear that up.’
Jon laughed. ‘His name is Liam. He doesn’t hate you. He might be scared of you. If anything, he’s worried you’ll murder me.’
‘Is this the same Liam you met on the app?’
‘The same.’
‘That was a month ago. You’re taking trips together?’
‘A lot can happen in a month, Kya.’
‘Apparently.’
‘It’s good to see you,’ he said, quietly.
What he must’ve gone through, she wondered. And all alone, too. Jon’s family was in the Midwest. ‘How did you cope?’ she asked. ‘At least I had my brothers.’
‘I thought only one of your brothers lived in Miami.’
‘I got another one free when he got married,’ she replied.
‘I wouldn’t have wanted to see my family, to be honest,’ he said. ‘I needed to be alone. I locked myself in the apartment, and watched The Office on repeat.’
‘The UK version or ours?’
‘Both. Theirs then ours.’
‘That’s the only way to do it.’
‘I felt like crap, but I learned something,’ he said. ‘It matters who you work with.’
Kya agreed. ‘Absolutely.’
‘The worst was knowing I’d never get to work with you again.’
‘I feel the same. The others can kick rocks.’
‘Next time, I’ll be more selective,’ he continued. ‘I’ll vet the people I associate with.’
Kya didn’t think that was possible. ‘How?’ she asked. ‘Everyone I’ve talked to says tech is rotten to the core. All we can do is deal, sleep with one eye open, and expect to get knifed in the back at some point or another.’
‘I reject that,’ he said, firmly.
‘What can we do? We don’t live in Wakanda.’
‘You haven’t seen the movie, so please don’t.’
‘I haven’t seen it yet . I will, eventually.’
‘Well, eventually, the culture will change but we have to change it.’
Kya took a swig from her water bottle. ‘How do we go about that?’
‘Start our own company.’
‘Not you, too!’ she cried. Had everyone caught the entrepreneurial bug?
‘Why do you say that? Who else reached out to you?’
‘No one is checking for me,’ Kya assured him. ‘You make it sound like I’m some hot commodity. I’m not.’
Even Corinne, for all her enthusiasm, hadn’t made her an offer.
‘I think you should consider it,’ he said.
‘Consider what? I don’t have a single idea. What could I possibly offer that isn’t already out there?’
‘Girl Decoded.’
‘It’s just a blog, Jon.’
‘It’s a media startup.’
‘You’re not serious.’
‘You’ve got proof of concept, and you’ve got reach.’
‘Haven’t you been paying attention?’ Kya asked. ‘When they found out I got fired, they dragged me through hot coals. I’m trying something new, but who knows how that will go?’
Her readers were interested in the life of a twenty-something in a niche industry. That eagerness would wane the more time passed. She hadn’t dared to check the level of engagement of the Corinne Miller profile.
‘I’ve been paying attention,’ he said. ‘You got dragged, for sure. Then you told them where to go, got a hot girl, and partied your ass off in Miami.’
‘Hold on!’ Kya said with a start. ‘That’s not how it went down.’
‘But that’s how it played out, and that’s all that matters.’
The group returned with the T-shirts, flags, and glowsticks, and any discussion of turning her blog into a multimedia empire was parked.
Liam approached them with caution, as if Jon were petting a wild animal, a killer who would kill again. He was handsome, though, with light eyes and freckles on the bridge of his nose. Jon looped an arm around Liam’s neck. ‘This is Kya,’ he said. ‘When she’s not blocking my calls, she’s pretty cool.’
‘I really am,’ Kya said, knowing she’d made a terrible first impression. ‘Maybe we can all hang out sometime.’
‘We’re staying at The Standard for a couple more days,’ Jon said. ‘Come through. We’ll talk over my idea.’
Kya gave him a kiss on the cheek. ‘I will. I promise.’
A second later, the promise was forgotten. Music erupted and the ground started rumbling under their feet. Amanda unfolded a printout of the schedule. The plan was to hop from stage to stage and catch the best DJs from each line-up. She’d circled the names of her favourites and mapped out an itinerary. No one objected.
They made their way across the field. Kya and Ivy fell in step. Ivy sprayed SPF on her face as they walked. ‘That Nick, right?!’
‘Right,’ Kya cried over the music. Conversation was getting increasingly difficult the closer they got to the action.
‘What do you think?’ Ivy asked.
She was still trying to puzzle him out. Kya had given up. She’d rather forget Nick, altogether.
‘That man blew up my phone, begging me to introduce him to Quinn. And when it doesn’t work out, what does he do? He trashes her online! Who does that?’
‘Guys with no ideas of their own.’
That’s what she thought of Alek and the others, back at Ex-Cell HQ, secure in their jobs. For once, she was glad not to count herself among them.
Amanda shushed them. ‘Not one more word about that man!’
She was right. It was time to delete Nick from their minds. The sun was setting in a veil of soft colours, and something electric was moving in the air. Smoke machines pushed out great tufts of purple haze. They were close enough to one of the stages to feel the music. The only thing left to do was dance.
Kya had spent countless hours hanging out at bars and coffee shops with Jon. They’d gone hiking and bowling. They’d watched movies and played video games. They’d never gone dancing, not to a club, a rave, or a house party. Here they were, together, feeling high, getting down. They had the best time, until the lights of the main stage sparked, signalling that the headline acts would begin soon. Quinn was third in line to perform, the only woman on schedule. Which explained why the boys had got so worked up. It wasn’t easy to be the first at anything, let alone the first woman, a woman of colour, a woman of colour who was unapologetically queer. But Quinn was going to show them all. Nick would have to eat his words.
Amanda let out a cry. ‘It’s starting!’
Ivy rallied the troops. ‘We’re done here! Let’s move!’
This time, Kya led the way, forging a path through the crowd until they made it to the main stage.
Smoke gave way to fire. Long flames burst out of cannons and faded into the darkening sky. It hit Kya all at once. Her girl was about to take the stage. Her best friend was here to witness it. New friends would share the experience. They would never forget this night. How had she gone from crying in her brother’s spare bedroom to this in a matter of weeks? It was all going by so fast, but now wasn’t the time to look back in wonder. It was time to get messy.
Ivy made sure they were all accounted for. Liam was recording a vlog. Amanda was laughing at something a stranger had said. Jon got Kya to climb onto his shoulders. They bounced about, risking serious injury to themselves and everyone around them until Ivy ordered her to get down. The first act took to the stage, then the second, then finally, finally , it was time.
In the crackling silence between sets, Quinn was escorted onto the stage. She took position behind the decks. Kya took in her hair, her skin, the flash of gold of her outfit, but also a hesitancy in her walk that maybe no one else saw. While the sound technicians buzzed around her, she took a moment to scan the crowd. In her heart, Kya knew that she was looking for her. Also, deep in her heart of hearts, Kya knew she loved this woman. She loved Quinn with everything she had inside. It had happened so fast, in a matter of weeks, she’d gone from I like you to I can’t live without you .
Everything had been leading her to this. There was nothing she could have done to stop it. From the day they’d first met and instantly clashed, Kya was head over heels, madly, deeply, irrationally in love. It was the only reason she’d stayed in Miami, reached for every possible excuse not to return to her life in California – a life that no longer held any appeal. It was as if that life belonged to someone else. Some other girl had set the alarm clock at six every morning, not her. She’d dressed in office-appropriate outfits and commuted to work, ordered the same latte day after day after day, eaten breakfast at her desk, taken meetings, laughed at the stale jokes, nodded, pretended to listen, hung out with the guys, ordered takeout, slept in on Saturdays, folded laundry on Sundays, run a mile or two, and got up to do it all again on Monday. Could she ever be that girl again?
‘Don’t just stand there!’ Amanda cried, shaking Kya out of her love-induced stupor. ‘Get onto Jon’s shoulders. Wave this banner. Maybe she’ll see us.’
Kya did as she was instructed. She raised the banner, which was identical to every other banner raised. The crowd began to cheer. In the frenzy, it was a miracle Quinn spotted her at all. Her beautiful face lit up. She waved, blew kisses, and brought her hands together in the shape of a heart. Kya could do none of those things. She was hopelessly in love. Her only hope was that Quinn could feel it, and that feeling would carry her through.