Dreamspinner Press Year Seven Greatest Hits Page 4

  Don’t be a moron. It’s only been a week.

  But he still felt different. He pictured himself as the Danny who was with the guys, not Danny who was Katie’s boyfriend and in the school choir.

  “You said you had something to tell me?”

  Danny didn’t know where to start. He hadn’t told her about the audition because he’d been so sure it was a pipe dream, but now that there was something to tell, something big to tell, he knew he’d look like an asshole for keeping it from her.

  “So,” he laughed softly and grabbed her hands. “This is kind of weird.”

  “Did you meet another girl?” Katie pulled her hands away.

  Danny reached for them again. “No, no, no. It’s not like that. I actually met four other guys.” Katie’s eyes widened and Danny laughed. “Just let me finish. A few days ago I met with a talent scout. Babe, he put me in a singing group. We’ve been practicing, and I guess they thought we were good enough. We just signed a contract today.” He hadn’t hesitated. He’d called his parents’ lawyer, who’d looked over the contract and proclaimed it sound and run-of-the-mill. Danny had signed on the spot and taken it back to the studio right away. It wasn’t like he was going to change his mind anyway. Freshman classes at UCSD could wait.

  “Wait, you signed a recording contract?”

  Danny nodded. “Yeah. With Blue Horizon. They’re hoping we’ll be the next big boy band.”

  Katie shrieked. “You’re kidding! You? In a boy band?” She laughed and hugged him and hopped around still holding on.

  “Sorry I didn’t tell you. I just wanted to wait until there was something to tell.”

  “It’s okay. Holy crap, you’re in a boy band. What are you guys called? When do you start recording? Can I meet the other guys?”

  Danny laughed. “No name yet, we’re working on it, I’ll see what I can do about the other guys… and recording? Well, there’s a bit more to it than that.”

  He went on to explain about the TV show and moving to Santa Monica and how he wouldn’t see her much for the next few months. Katie was amazing about it. Danny felt like a shit. He hadn’t even factored her into his decision at all. Not even once. Nor had he told the guys about her. And he’d had chances, when Tate was going on and on about Felicia, when he and Elliot had stayed up all night talking. There had been so many chances. But he hadn’t taken any of them. A hard lump of guilt congealed in Danny’s belly.

  THE morning Elliot left for Santa Monica and the Band Camp set dawned unusually cool and cloudy. He hoped it wasn’t a bad omen. It couldn’t be. There was too much riding on this for it not to go well. They’d been in the studio nearly every day, getting better with every session. Elliot loved how their voices worked together. Tate’s was pretty and smooth, Webb’s sexy and low. Reece’s voice was mellow like his accent, and when he and Danny sang together with his low growly voice and Danny’s sweet pure one it was like… perfect. He really didn’t have another word for it. As much as he’d never thought singing was anything more than a secret hobby, after the past few weeks, Elliot couldn’t think of anything in the world he wanted to do more. It had to work. It had to.

  Tate, Webb, Reece, and Danny with his flashy black sports car had all pulled into the parking garage where they’d been told to meet. Everyone greeted each other with hugs. If Elliot hugged Danny a bit too enthusiastically, well, maybe nobody else noticed. They were all jittery, giddy, worried, and happy.

  “You guys ready for this?” he asked.

  Reece laughed. “How the hell should we know what to even be ready for? I’m going with none of us have a fucking clue.”

  “Reece,” Tate whispered.

  Elliot chuckled. Tate was already on Reece about his mouth. He didn’t think swearing was good for the nice-guy image. Reece had already told him to shove it about a million times… in the nicest way possible.

  “Guys,” Webb said. “We still need a name.”

  “Damn, we do.” Danny looked around. “Anyone have any more brilliant ideas?”

  They’d been tossing names back and forth in between practice sessions. Nobody had come up with anything they liked.

  “How ’bout Total Symmetry?” Webb said.

  Danny snorted. “Are we a gymnastics team?”

  “Southern Charm?” Reece said.

  “That works for about one fifth of us,” Danny muttered. “Next?”

  “Surf Boys?” Elliot said. The second it left his mouth he knew how stupid it sounded. Everyone burst into laughter, and Tate crouched as if he were on a board.

  “Dumb idea. Sorry.” Elliot laughed too though. That was probably the worst one yet. At the rate they were going their name was going to be No Name.

  “How about Fahrenheit?” Tate offered.

  Webb looked at him and rolled his eyes. “Uh, how ’bout no?”

  “Then you come up with an idea, genius. Something that’s easy to remember and will stick with people. We kinda need it, like, nowish.”

  “Stick to people?” Elliot said. “Like Static?” He figured the name was dumb and they’d shoot it down as they had all the rest, but four sets of eyes shot his way.

  “Static…,” Danny muttered. “I actually kind of like it.”

  “So do I,” Reece added.

  “Static?” Webb asked Tate.

  Tate nodded. “I’m good with that.”

  “Then it’s done. We’re Static.”

  “Just like that?” Elliot asked. He was shocked they hadn’t bickered about it for another fifteen minutes… or two weeks.

  “We had to pick something sometime, didn’t we? Static is good. Let’s go check out our new place, boys.” Danny slung an arm over Elliot’s shoulders and led him and the other three guys into their temporary home.

  WELCOME TO BAND CAMP

  MEET THE CAMPERS!!

  A Candy Scoop Exclusive

  We here at Candy Scoop are thrilled to be your number one source for gossip and scandal on the new show Band Camp. The house is super gorgeous, right near the beach in nearby Santa Monica, and filled to the brim with hot new musicians hoping to make it in the tough music industry. Good Luck, guys!! Be sure to give us something fun to gossip about ;)

  It’s time to meet the campers:

  We have the lovely ladies of THE PIXIES: CHELSEA, ANDREA, SAVANNAH, and GRACIE. Their great looks and soulful sounds are sure to have you couch dancing in no time!

  No music house would be complete without a few Alterna-hotties! OCD members JEFF, TYLER, and BRENT fill that role. If you like your boys tatted and complete with eyeliner, this band is for you!

  Our two fantastic soloists are the guitarist with a voice from above CHRIS COLLINS and dreamy hip hop soulman ISAIAH PHILLIPS. Can’t wait to see what these two have in store for us.

  And last but not least is the Band Camp boy band, STATIC. We’re screaming and crying already!! There’s sexy southern REECE, brooding gorgeous WEBB, cute boy next door TATE, funny and adorable DANNY, and pretty boy ELLIOT who might look like an angel but has a voice like sin. Tell us who your favorite is! Picking a favorite member is boy band tradition after all….

  We can’t wait for you guys to get to know the Band Camp cast. We love them already!

  —CS

  “OKAY, guys, come along this way. I’ll show you to your rooms first, and then I can introduce you to the other artists in the house. I think most of them are hanging out in the rec room downstairs.”

  Elliot nodded and gave Valerie, head production assistant, a nervous smile. His stomach fluttered violently at the thought of cameramen lingering around the corner ready to capture the awkwardness. He still couldn’t believe thousands of people were going to be watching him every week. It was better not to think about it. It helped to have the others there. Especially Danny. Elliot would’ve never even attempted it on his own. He had no idea what Sasha had seen in him. He really wasn’t cool. He had to try pretty hard just to not be a big dork all the time.

  “We have two rooms re
served for you guys,” Valerie said. “This one is the bigger of the two. There are three single beds in here. The entrance to the small room is that last door over there. That one has two beds. They’re connected by a bathroom, which the five of you will be sharing. Cool?”

  All of them nodded. How could any of it not be cool? Except him. He’d have to work on that.

  Elliot trailed after Reece and Tate and set his duffel and backpack in the corner. Danny gave his arm a reassuring squeeze when he set his belongings down on the floor beside Elliot’s. Elliot smiled at him and went back out into the hall, trying to pretend like every inch of his skin hadn’t freaked out and gone all shivery when Danny touched him. It was getting harder to hide it, but he knew he had to. No way did he want all the guys to know about his crush, especially when it could never go anywhere.

  Danny had a girlfriend, after all. A girlfriend.

  He’d told the group during their first rehearsal after signing their contracts, laughing over the way his girlfriend had reacted to hearing he’d just signed a record deal to be part of a boy band. Elliot had pretended to smile and laugh along with everyone else, even though he felt like he’d been punched in the gut. Luckily, none of the guys seemed to notice. And he’d gotten used to the idea. Sort of. Still hated it.

  “Let’s head to the rec room,” Valerie said once they were all out in the hall.

  They obediently trailed behind her, back down the stairs and to a door which led to yet another set of stairs. Once they reached the bottom of those, they were in a finished basement with a closed door on the left and an open recreational area to the right.

  “That’s the laundry area,” Valerie said with a vague wave toward the door. “You’ll all be expected to do your own laundry, just as you would at home. Please be courteous to the others and don’t leave messes.”

  Elliot and Danny exchanged a look. Danny? Laundry? He tried not to laugh at that prospect.

  Elliot’s nerves resurged as they approached the crowded rec room. They were introduced to The Pixies, the resident girl band; OCD, the alt boys who barely held back eye rolls at Elliot and his friends; Isaiah, a hip-hop artist whose effortless cool intimidated the hell out of Elliot; and Chris Collins, the indie musician who intimidated him about ten times more.

  Elliot knew of Chris. He’d heard him play a few times in coffee shops and at open mics that he’d gone to with his friends. The guy was flat-out amazing. Part of Elliot hated that he was about to get swallowed up by the mainstream machine, but he couldn’t help but be happy for him. If anyone deserved the big time, it was him.

  “Okay, you guys can mingle or go unpack if you want,” Valerie announced to the crowd. “Be in the dining room for lunch at one.”

  Elliot looked around the room filled with people he didn’t know and four he wanted to cling to for safety. Danny and the others looked like they wanted to hang out though. They were already talking to others, Webb flirting with The Pixies, Reece making a beeline for Chris. Of course they wanted to get to know everyone. They weren’t social morons like he was. Elliot was about to go back upstairs to unpack, if for no other reason than to escape his own awkwardness, when Chris suddenly piped up.

  “Hey, Static guys. You wanna jam for a bit?” he asked with a grin. “We could go up to the den. I’d like to see what you’ve got.”

  Reece, who’d been on his way over to Chris, laughed. “That’s exactly what I was hoping for. Let me go grab my guitar.”

  Elliot chuckled a bit apprehensively. Well, that decided that. No escaping. At least Chris seemed really nice. Deep breaths. Deep breaths.

  Danny, who seemed to have a sixth sense for Elliot’s discomfort, slung an arm around his shoulders and grinned back at Chris. “We’ll show you what we’ve got. This boy right here not only looks like an angel, he sings like one too. You’ll see.”

  Jesus, Danny. Elliot’s cheeks warmed and he ducked his head to hide the reaction. “I’m n-not that good.”

  “You really are,” Tate said simply. Elliot had learned he wasn’t the type to beat around the bush. When Tate spoke, he meant it. That didn’t stop Elliot from being embarrassed. He wasn’t used to being the center of attention. But he knew he’d have to get used to it—and soon.

  Chris leaned down to pick up his guitar. “Let’s go find out.”

  A FEW minutes later, Elliot and his friends were sitting in an awed circle, just listening to Chris. They’d sung with him at first, joining in a few covers everyone knew, but Reece had asked him to play some of his new material. It seemed like no matter how many times Elliot heard him sing, the effect never diminished. His voice was like light. Like moonlight. Unedged and limitless and just… beautiful. Elliot didn’t know how else to describe it.

  They were all staring openmouthed when Chris finished. He’d sung a love song, something original Elliot was betting, since it sounded like nothing he’d ever heard before. Romantic but not corny, totally unique. He loved it.

  “Your voice is perfect,” Elliot whispered. He didn’t even try to keep the awe out of his tone. “Every time.”

  Chris smiled shyly and shook his head, raking his hand through an unruly, spiky mop of bright blond hair. “Nah. But I love to perform, you know? I never feel happier than when I’m on stage. It’s like… freedom, I guess.”

  Elliot nodded. “I haven’t really been on stage except when I auditioned, but I get what you mean. Once I let go of the fear, it was like love at first… whatever. I wanted to do it again and again.”

  Danny, who sat beside Elliot on one of the smaller couches in the wide, comfortable den, bumped his shoulder and grinned at him sideways. “You’ll get your chance. We all will.”

  “I can’t wait,” Reece said excitedly. He strummed his guitar and smiled. “I’ve been working toward something like this for years. People always assumed I’d want to do country, but that was never my thing.” He chuckled and added, “’Course, I never thought I’d end up in a boy band either. ” He rolled his eyes, but he grinned at the same time.

  They all laughed at that, and Elliot shook his head. “I know what you mean.”

  “How did you get your contract?” Tate asked Chris, who’d relaxed back into his plush chair with his guitar in his lap.

  Chris smiled. “I actually got discovered by this rapper in a club in LA. Trace Evans, you heard of him?”

  The five of them nodded. Of course. The guy was a huge name in hip-hop.

  “I moved down here from Seattle last year when I turned twenty-one,” Chris continued. “I started doing gigs in bars and clubs, small festivals—wherever they’d let me perform. I can beat-box too, and I have a few more hip-hop tracks. I started getting a following, and eventually, I landed a gig at Trace’s club. Afterward, he approached me backstage, offered to hook me up with a couple of producers. I got signed by Revolution a couple of days later.”

  Tate looked impressed. “Wow. And how long ago was that?”

  “Almost three months. Trace told me about this show a few weeks later, said he’d mentioned me to the creators, and they wanted me to be involved. I said cool.”

  “Cool,” Danny repeated with a grin. Chris was so casual about everything, like it were no big deal. It was almost funny how easily he took it all in stride. Elliot couldn’t help but smile too.

  Cool.

  ONE thing they could all agree on: it was going to be hard to get used to having the cameras around almost constantly. The only things that were off-limits were bathroom breaks, showers, and bedtime. Aside from that, they’d be watched. Constantly. All areas of the house besides the bedrooms and bathrooms had mounted cameras, and the deck area of the pool outside as well. They’d been warned that the cameramen could and probably would follow them into the bedrooms during daytime hours, and that in general they should behave like they were being filmed most of the time unless they were away from the house.

  With his parents being absent the majority of his life, Danny was used to privacy. Sharing a house smaller than his o
wn with thirteen other people and a bunch of cameramen was going to be weird. As excited as Danny was to be there, the idea was a bit off-putting. But he’d have Elliot and the other guys. Already they were starting to feel like their own little band of brothers. Well, everyone except for Elliot. He felt like… something new and indefinable and maybe even a little scary. Not like a brother at all. Danny didn’t want to examine his feelings for Elliot too closely.

  “Hey, it’s getting late. Maybe we should go pick beds and unpack.”

  Almost as one, the four of them turned to look at Tate. Danny glanced down at the watch on his wrist and then arched a brow. “It’s 9:45. You are so lame.” He flashed Tate a smile, though, to say, “I still love ya.”

  Tate flushed a bit. “Well, yeah, but Valerie said the crew will be here at eight. I want to be up so I can shower and stuff before they get here.”

  Reece snorted and turned his attention back to the video game he and Webb were playing. Chris had tried to play with them at first. Tried. Chris might have been brilliant with his guitar, but he was total shit at video games. He’d given up with a good-natured smile before going upstairs hours before.

  Danny liked Chris’s low-key presence, and the girls from The Pixies were sweet. The jury was still out about Isaiah and the OCD guys, who all seemed like they thought they were too cool to hang with the likes of a boy band, but it was still too early to tell. Danny sighed.

  “Okay, guys,” he said. “Let’s listen to Papa Bear. Probably a good idea not to have our bags lying all over when the camera crew is trying to get around in the morning.”

  Elliot smiled and got to his feet. “Yeah, probably, but I doubt I’ll be able to sleep tonight anyway.”

  Danny shrugged. “Me either. I guess we can just come back down here when we’re finished if you guys are up for it.”

  Reece didn’t take his eyes from the television screen. “Just pick a bed for me. I don’t care. I can sleep anywhere.”