Dreamspinner Press Year Seven Greatest Hits Page 25

  “I have an idea,” Tate said quietly.

  Danny pulled back a little and turned to look at their bandmates. Elliot didn’t unwrap his arms though. It seemed like the second he was done being mad over nothing he turned back into a needy little octopus. Danny didn’t seem to mind. He just put his hand back in Elliot’s hair and smiled at Tate.

  “We need to get the hell out of here,” Tate said. “Just for a few days. Somewhere that nobody can find us, no fans, no managers, nobody.”

  “You’re not seriously thinking of disappearing and not telling anyone, are you? They’d kill us.”

  Tate sighed. “I guess not. We can let Peter know where we’re going, and our family members, but nobody else. We’ll just go somewhere quiet and hang out. It’s been a long time since we got to do something like that.”

  “It has,” Reece agreed. “We need it.”

  The others nodded, Elliot included. It sounded like heaven, to be honest. Just a few days with the guys and no worries before they left for months of touring. They did need it.

  “I’m in,” he said.

  “Me too,” Danny added.

  Webb nodded. “I’ll just tell my mom. She’d freak out if I took off completely.”

  “Of course, man.” Tate clapped him on the shoulder and grinned. “I’ll find somewhere tonight and text you guys tomorrow. Start packing.”

  “THIS place is dope, especially for last-minute planning,” Webb murmured as he looked around the lake cabin Tate had found for them out in the middle of nowhere. They were nearly an hour outside the closest town. There was nobody around. It was exactly what they all needed.

  “I’m really glad we did this. Who exactly knows we’re here?” Danny asked. He hadn’t wanted to be the one to make phone calls. Nothing he said to Rebecca or any of their other team members would’ve been pleasant after the week he and Elliot’d just been through.

  “Just Peter. And I’m assuming people told family?” The other guys nodded. Danny didn’t. It wasn’t that his parents were horrible, but they hadn’t exactly cared where he was when he still lived at home, and he hadn’t lived there other than for a few weeks since before the show. They were like mostly pleasant acquaintances at that point. Elliot’s mom knew where they were. That was enough family for Danny.

  Danny rubbed the small of Elliot’s back. He realized he’d barely taken his hands off Elliot the whole drive up to the cabin, when they’d been in the backseat of Reece’s Land Rover. He hadn’t stopped touching him in the grocery store where they’d stopped or at the last coffee shop before they left civilization.

  Danny supposed he should care about someone seeing them together or taking their picture, but he didn’t. Chelsea and he were over, at least as far as contracted time went. As far as the public knew, they’d break up sometime when Danny was on tour and The Pixies were getting ready for their own smaller version of the same—not enough time for a relationship, would be the official story. The unofficial story was Danny had never been so relieved in his life. It felt like he really had it back, the Danny and Elliot that existed at the Band Camp house, the ones who couldn’t stand to be in separate rooms for more than a few minutes. Danny wanted that to be the reality everyone knew. Maybe someday. For the time being, he had to be happy that at least there wasn’t anything in the way.

  “It’s beautiful here,” Elliot murmured. He dragged the orange sweater he’d been wearing over his head. Morning had been cool, but the sun heated the lake and the cabin, and the day was balmy and gorgeous, clear, clean.

  Everything felt cleaner.

  “What are we going to do, lads? Four days on our own, no babysitters…. I can barely believe it.” Reece’s accompanying grin made Danny smile in anticipation. “And don’t think I forgot about youngling’s birthday tomorrow.”

  Danny cuddled Elliot close. They’d been so busy all year, but each of their birthdays had been celebrated with as much misbehavior as they could get away with. Elliot was the last of them. They had to do it right.

  “We don’t have to do much,” Elliot said with an embarrassed smile. “I’m just happy to be here with you guys.”

  “Yes, we do.”

  And they did. No club, no B-list celebrities, just the five of them, swimming, drinking, dancing like dorks in the cabin, falling in love with each other again as they hadn’t had the time to do for months. The nights were late, the mornings even later. It was perfect.

  “CAN you believe it’s about to start?” Tate asked.

  Sure, they’d been rehearsing and planning and learning stage positions and the dance steps they all sucked at, but there was something final about that night. The next day, they’d all pack up and head back to the city, play Anaheim, get on a tour bus, and head out to who knew what.

  “Remember when we thought that the Band Camp house was everything starting?” Webb asked.

  It was nearly a year ago by that point that they’d all unpacked their things at the Band Camp house. They’d been so naive. Elliot remembered how he’d felt that day, the first day they all met, the day he signed his contract. He remembered how it was to be that guy, that kid really, and it didn’t feel anything like that anymore. He wondered what he’d do differently if he had to do the past year over again. Would it have been easier if he and Danny had just stayed friends? Would that have even been possible? Danny’s hand was warm against his lower back. While he could still feel that kid inside of him, the person who he used to be, he couldn’t really remember what it felt like not to be with Danny—almost like his whole body had settled into ElliotandDanny and there was no more just plain Elliot anymore. As much as the rest of it got to him sometimes, that part he was content with. He didn’t need to be himself alone. Danny was part of him, and that was more than fine.

  “Do you remember what it was like to go to the store? Just go to the store and buy food and go home?” Reece asked. “I kinda miss that.”

  Tate nodded. “Yeah. I miss taking Felicia out and having my mom be the only one who knew about it.”

  Elliot understood. “I miss people thinking I was just a kid from Palmdale. I don’t like that my name comes with quotations around it, you know? And most of the stuff that comes after those quotations? Pure crap.”

  All the guys nodded. If nothing else, that they understood.

  “But there’s good stuff too,” Danny said. He’d been quiet for a while, just petting Elliot’s back. Ever since rehearsal the other day, they’d barely stopped touching. “We’ve got each other. I don’t want my life back from before I knew you guys.”

  “Me neither,” Reece said. Webb and Tate and Elliot nodded.

  Reece finally chuckled. “Jesus, we’re like a bunch of fucking chicks.”

  “Reece…,” Elliot warned.

  “You have to admit that was sappy as hell.”

  They all laughed, and punches and hugs were passed around the campfire. “I’m serious, though,” Danny said. “Love you guys like brothers.”

  “Brothers?” Elliot snorted.

  “Not you… at least not in California.” Danny grinned. Reece, sure that his heritage had somehow been slighted, reached across the fire and punched Danny in the arm.

  Another chorus of “love yous” and hugs and fist bumps was apparently enough corny emotion for the guys, ’cause they started to laugh, and pretty soon it was back to sipping beer and telling creepy stories and talking about what they expected for the next few months.

  Truth was, none of them knew what to expect, and that was just fine. New horizons were good, right? As long as they had each other. Elliot decided that was enough sappiness for him too. He leaned his head against Danny’s shoulder and listened to his bandmates’ banter. He didn’t need to talk. Everything important had already been said.

  EVEN in a different bed hours away from their house, Elliot felt like he was at home in Danny’s arms. It really didn’t matter where they were, Danny had been home to him practically since the day they met. He almost said it out loud, bu
t then figured at the last moment they’d probably had enough sappy stuff for one day. He lay with his head on Danny’s chest, Danny’s fingers brushing up and down his spine.

  “Today was awesome, wasn’t it?” Danny finally said quietly. “I don’t want to leave and go back to reality.”

  “I don’t either.” Although their reality was about to change, and Elliot had no idea what was in store for them.

  “It’ll be fun singing together again, though. Rehearsals have been awesome.”

  Elliot scooted up and kissed Danny. “They have.”

  Danny looked at Elliot for a while, quiet. “We’re good, right?”

  There were about five hundred answers to that. Yes, no, maybe, who the hell knows what any of us are anymore? Elliot went with the right one, the one he was feeling at that moment. “Of course, D. We’re fine.”

  And for that moment, in that cabin by the pretty lake they were fine. And for at least the foreseeable future there wasn’t anything coming their way to harm that.

  “EL, YOU’RE gonna be great out there,” Danny said, his voice soothing.

  Elliot listened to the dull roar of the crowd on the other side of the curtains. “You don’t know that,” he groaned.

  Danny rubbed his back. Webb looked around the corner, concerned. “You okay, bro?” he asked.

  Elliot thought he might puke. Puking could only help, he reasoned. “Not okay. Can’t you guys just go on without me?”

  “El, these people love us. They love you. You’ll be fine. It’s just like that radio show we did three weeks ago only a few more people.”

  Elliot rolled his eyes. “There are hundreds of people out there.”

  “Close to a thousand,” Webb said with a grin.

  “I hate you.”

  Danny’s touch helped a little though. It always did.

  “You love me,” Webb informed him. “And you’re gonna love performing as soon as we get on stage.”

  “Aren’t you nervous?” Elliot asked. He had no idea how Webb could look so freaking cool when he felt like he were about to tremble out of his skin.

  “Of course I am. We all are. But that’s how you know you’re alive. You ready?”

  Ohgodohgodohgod…. Noooo. “We’re on?”

  Just when he said that, the lights went down and the screams rose. Bile shot up in Elliot’s throat. He wasn’t gonna make it. He sprinted for the closest trash can and threw up, head down, heart racing. Danny came up behind him and petted down his back, soothing him.

  I can’t do this. I can’t. A little too late for that….

  “Love, you okay? You’re amazing.”

  “Danny, I’m scared.”

  Danny grinned. “Me too. But it feels kinda cool, doesn’t it? Those people are screaming for us. Let’s go out there and make them happy.”

  Elliot didn’t remember walking on the stage, but he must’ve, ’cause the next thing he knew lights were on and there they were, in front of a huge black screaming mass. He couldn’t see the people beyond the spotlights, but he supposed that was a good thing. He could barely hear the intro chords for the first song on their set list over the screaming, but slowly adrenaline started to take over the fear.

  I think I can do this.

  THE audience loved their dorky dance moves, they laughed at their jokes, screamed when Reece took his guitar and strummed the intro for “One More Time” while they all sat on stools and grinned at each other. It was perfect. Even better with Danny smiling at him from across the stage. After a few songs, he started to love it. Being on stage made him forget all the shit they’d been through for months. It was all about him and his friends together making people happy.

  Elliot skipped across the stage during one of their faster songs, “Your Sun,” and even did a little jumpy twirl that wasn’t part of the choreography. Reece laughed, and Danny grinned at him like he was the best thing in the world. Elliot couldn’t help it. He saluted Danny and walked by him to tap him on the hip. Danny hip bumped him back, and his smile, if anything, widened. Elliot wasn’t sure if he was imagining it, but he thought the screams in the audience grew just that much louder. He loved it.

  “Fool for Love” was scary. They saved it for last. Elliot knew it was their first and biggest single, knew it was what the audience had been waiting for, but his solo made him nervous. It was a little high, and he’d always had a hard time staying on pitch when he pushed himself to the top of his range. Plus he was alone. Elliot liked it better when he got to sing with the other boys.

  When the crowd recognized the intro chords, they went wild. Here we go. Elliot started the song. It wasn’t his best moment, or his worst, and the crowd cheered and sang along with him so loud, he wasn’t even sure if they heard him. And then it was his turn to sing with Danny and they did their little dance move toward each other on the stage. Instead of just high-fiving and going their separate ways like planned, Danny slung an arm around Elliot’s shoulder and winked at him. They finished their part linked together and grinning at each other like fools. It was perfect. When they had to separate to give the stage to Webb, Elliot let his hand drag down Danny’s arm until their fingers dropped apart. Then he chuckled and moved away.

  There really was no way around it. He and Danny were flirting onstage. But the audience seemed to eat it up. They cheered and laughed when Reece flung his arms around Tate and gave him a loud smacking kiss on the cheek, laughed even harder when Webb feigned jealousy until Reece came over and kissed his cheek as well. When Static took their final bows, the screams were deafening. The boys hugged, one huge five-part hug, and waved to their audience as they jogged off the stage.

  They’d done it.

  “Holy fuck! That was amazing!” Reece crowed. And then he saw Elliot’s mom standing in the wings waiting to congratulate them. “Oh, Jesus. Mrs. Price. I’m sorry!”

  Elliot’s mom laughed and opened her arms to hug Reece, then Webb and Tate as they came off the stage. She saved her longest hug for Elliot, who was still buzzing on the highest high from the show.

  “You were wonderful, darling.”

  His face split apart in another huge grin. “Yeah?”

  “You know you were.” Danny came up and put his arm on Elliot’s sweaty back. “Hi, Anna.”

  “You were wonderful too, sweetheart. Come here.” Anna had become Danny’s surrogate mother sometime over the past year. Elliot was more than happy to share. The three of them hugged, and Danny pressed one bashful kiss to Elliot’s lips before he turned to follow the other three.

  “I’m gonna go change. See you back there?”

  Elliot nodded. He hugged his mother again. The hug was about more than the concert. It was the high of performing, yes, but also everything else. He’d missed his mom with everything that was going on. She knew the womanizing rumors weren’t true, and about the Danny and Chelsea charade—and wow, she’d really hated that—but she didn’t know exactly how hard things had gotten for him. He didn’t want her to worry.

  “How are you, El. Really?”

  Elliot smiled. “Better. Things have been good lately. I really like performing. I’m looking forward to this summer.”

  “I can’t believe that was my little boy up there. You’ve gotten so confident. I barely recognize you.”

  Elliot laughed. “I’m pretty sure I’ve changed a lot less than you think. I puked before I went on stage.”

  His mother shook her head. “Maybe it’ll be easier next time.” She cupped his cheek. “I just wanted to come back and congratulate you, love. I’m going to go find your father and let you get changed.”

  “Are you coming to the party?”

  She nodded. “Of course.”

  StaticBand @Official_Static

  Thanks to the fans for making our first concert great!!! Big Love <3

  Maya J @ReecesPiece

  OMG!! Last night was amaaaazziiinngggg!!! I <3 Static 5evah. Plz follow back @SouthernBoyReece

  Cara D @Dellyisreallove

 
Did you buy tickets @Ellysbaby @Rateisgreat?? @DannyBoy94 and @EPriceisRight were adorbs on stage. Flirty flirty pants :) #TeamDelly

  Staticgrl4life @Ellysbaby

  @Dellyisreallove Yessssssss!!!! July 17th baby!! I’m so excited!!!!! #TeamDelly

  #StaticFTW

  StaticFan#1 @Rateisgreat

  @Dellyisreallove @Ellysbaby Me too!!! I can’t effing wait. Ten days for me!! <3 #TeamDelly #StaticFTW

  Alyssa Jones @ILuvStatic

  @Dellyisreallove @Ellysbaby I was there last night too!! I never got it until I saw them together. They are SO omg in love!! #TeamDelly

  THEY’D just gotten on the tour bus to San Francisco when the call came. All of the boys were still riding the high of their first concert and already getting nervous for their second. Danny had curled into his bunk to do some reading and had been listening to Webb and Tate fight over the TV remote when his phone buzzed against his thigh.

  “Rebecca? What’s up?” Danny asked.

  “I saw the footage from last night’s concert. You boys were great!”

  “Thanks.” Danny still liked Rebecca for the most part, but he was wary of her. Her phone calls rarely brought good news. “Hey, I was about to take a nap, was there something?”

  “Just….”

  “This is about Elliot and me again, isn’t it? What did we do this time?”

  Rebecca sighed audibly. “You boys were wonderful on stage, entertaining. The fans loved the return of the bromances, we just need to watch it a little. And no more retweeting those girls when they take it too far. You’re encouraging them.”

  “Rebecca, I swear sometimes you believe your own propaganda. They’re not taking the ‘bromance’ joke too far. They’re right. El and I are together. Besides, the other three retweet jokes about their love affairs with each other.”