23. Río
RíO
Following another fantastic gig, I trail my brothers off the stage. Bennett goes to Jenna, while the rest of us get towels from Nese and her crew. Hayden’s nowhere to be found. No worries—I’ll catch up with her later. I won’t let her slip through my fingers now.
Riding the high, we all enter The Closet. Using the towels Nese handed me, I wipe the stage sweat off my upper body. Because no one in here cares, I strip out of my pants and underwear.
“Geez, Río, give a guy some warning before you whip that thing out!” Coop slams his shades back over his eyes.
“If you don’t like it, don’t look,” I quip. Hayden didn’t mind. To humor my best friend, and not cause any additional problems for the band today, I pick up another pair of jeans and put them on. Zipping up, I say, “Better?”
Coop slides his sunglasses down his nose. “Much. How about adding a shirt? We are flying out to Ireland from here, you know.”
Perfect. I can use the time on the plane to get Hayden to talk to me again. Then we can be the ones using the bedroom in the back. This will work out just fine.
Luke calls us over. “Guys, I have something I need to tell you before you get on the plane.”
Like good little soldiers, we surround our manager. Per usual, Bennett speaks for all of us. “What’s up?”
“I have some good news. The label isn’t putting up a stink following Río’s failure to stay dry this afternoon.”
My shoulders relax. I didn’t even realize I was worried about whatever Platinum Records could do to us, but it’s good to know I didn’t cause any lasting harm to the band. I raise my fist. “That is good news.”
“Yeah, well, you might want to keep that praise to yourself. There’s one more piece of news I just learned. Nina was able to placate the label. But the fact is, they wanted to be placated.”
My head rears back. “Huh?”
Coop whacks my back. “Means ‘pacifying,’ ‘calming,’ ‘pleasing.’”
I give him the finger. “I know what placating means, douche.”
“So does Hayden,” Luke interrupts.
The guys stare at me. I lift my hands in surrender. “What? What do you mean, Luke?”
“I mean, Nina had to fire Hayden for your escapade. She was assigned to watch over you, and obviously failed this afternoon. She’s no longer with the tour.”
The room zooms in on me. No. No. No. This can’t be happening.
A chorus rises from my UC brothers—“This sucks,” Tris mutters.
In a low voice, Bennett announces, “She was so good.”
Coop puts his sunglasses on his forehead. “That’s bullshit.”
007 goes quiet, jaw tight.
Luke doesn’t give me time to process. “Tracey will be coming back on tour with us in Hayden’s place. She’ll meet us in Ireland tomorrow, well before our gig the next night. The jet’s fueled and ready for us, so get a move on.”
Coop puts his hand on my arm. Which, for once, isn’t banging out a rhythm. “Are you alright?”
My head shakes. “Where do you think she is?”
“I don’t know. Maybe back at the hotel?”
“That makes sense.” I look Coop in the eye. “I’m not leaving without her.”
“Are you sure? Is she worth it?”
I stand taller. “Damn straight she is.”
Coop takes a deep breath.
Luke claps his hands. “C’mon guys, let’s get to the jet.”
Leaving my best friend, I approach our manager. “I’m not going anywhere without Hayden.”
“I understand where you’re coming from, but it was the only way to shut down the label due to your antics. Nina feels awful about this.” His stressing “your” sinks into my bones. “However, if you’re not in Ireland by showtime, UC will perform without you.”
“Then they can get another drummer.” I pause. “I can’t get another Hayden.”