15. Scott #3
From where I’m standing, I can see almost everyone in my periphery.
Most everyone is still, keeping their heads tucked low, being unusually quiet.
Movement to my right has me cocking my head, and I notice Dez pull Alonso to his side, one arm draped over his shoulders, whispering in his ear too low for anyone else to hear.
Averting my gaze, I wonder if that’s part of their bit.
Nothing about it seems forced or even rehearsed about it, though.
It looks natural, like they might already be close.
Knowing what I do about Shawna having gone out with them both, I can’t help but have my curiosity piqued at their dynamic.
Automatically, my eyes dart to see if Naz noticed what I did, but he’s not looking at me.
He’s staring straight ahead, more than twice the normal distance between us even in the crowded elevator.
My phone buzzes just as we’re stepping off the elevator and following Emmy to the conference room closest to Blake’s office.
Unknown: I need Blake Holland’s laptop and access card.
Scott: How the hell do you expect me to do that?
Unknown: I’m sure you’re smarter than you look, figure it out.
Unknown: Text me when you have it and I’ll send further instructions.
Emmy leads the group to a large conference room with the opaque glass walls. Opening the door, he escorts us in, pulling a rolling tray from a corner near the front of the room.
“Mr. Holland will be with you all shortly. Help yourself to any refreshments. I’ll be back in to check on you momentarily.”
I sit as far back as I can, trying to keep control of my nerves.
“Hey, don’t stress. This has been smoothing sailing so far,” AJ whispers, leaning into my personal space. At my serious look, he sets a hand on my bouncing knee which is giving away my agitation.
I manage to stop my knee, but it manifests into grinding my teeth so hard I worry I might lose a crown.
All the guys are snickering at the fake conversation the guys recorded for the occasion. It would be funnier if this wasn’t such a serious situation.
“I’m serious about this, I really think what our fans need is a parody record. We can re-record all of our fan favorite tracks, but switch up the lyrics. They loved it when we did it for the resistance tour.”
“But Jesse, that was changing the lyrics to things that made sense to current events, not just making up some nonsense for laughs,” Will says robotically. If the conversation wasn’t stupid enough, his bad acting would surely be enough to give the whole charade away.
“Remember My Lane would be played in bowling alleys across the world for years to come! It’s timeless.”
“That’s probably the worst one yet,” Ari giggles.
“It was better than Remember My Game,” Luc says, barely managing to sound the slightest less awkward than Will.
“Oh, come on, baby. Everyone loves a crossover. It’s how we’ll build the bridge between our two fandoms.”
“I kind of liked Stretch Me,” Ari says.
“Way to let everyone know how slutty your ass is, little bro.”
“Will!”
Most of the room is cracking up, laughing so hard they wouldn’t be able to talk even if they wanted to.
Even Naz has his head thrown back, eyes closed, shoulders shaking.
I can’t help but smile. Seeing him happy and carefree, even if only for a few minutes, almost makes me forget where I am.
A brief reprieve where we can drop some of the weight we’ve been carrying and just be in the moment.
That moment, unfortunately, is cut short when the door opens and Emmy sticks his head in. “Cory, Scott? Mr. Holland would like to see you in his office if you don’t mind.”
However cheery and natural his voice sounds, I feel like I’m going to be sick.
Cory walks ahead of us, purpose in his steps as he makes a beeline for Blake’s office.
“Hey,” Emmy says, pushing his shoulder against my arm as we walk. “You’ve got this.”
“What if I just make things worse? What if I’ve unintentionally made things worse and put Naz and the others in danger?”
It feels like I’m being marched to my execution. My legs falter, a slight wobble in my gait. I’m sweating profusely. My breath feels short. I’ve never had a panic attack before. Is this how they start?
“Hold up.” Emmy stops, wrapping his hand around the crook of my elbow to keep me back. Cory turns to spare us a look just as he reaches the door. “Mr. Holland would like to speak to you alone first. Scott will be right in.”
Once the door shuts behind Cory, Emmy takes me by the shoulders and faces me directly. “I know this is stressful," he says quietly. “But what’s done is done. All we can do is do better from this moment forward.”
“I can’t lose this job, Emmy.”
He sighs, and my shoulders stiffen at the defeat I hear in his exhale, like he knows something I don’t. This is no regular meeting. This is make or break. I’ll either walk out of here with a warning and a mission, or I’ll walk out without a job.
What will I do if they fire me? Especially with Naz not speaking to me, how can I keep him safe if I’m not by his side?
“I’ll do whatever it takes to protect him, Emmy.”
Whatever it takes.