Read Online Reckless Abandon by Andrea Randall - Free Book Online Page A

asked this question of her before.
    Rae smiles and sits next to me. “Leave her alone. You’ve made your intentions clear—you want to right your wrongs. Get out of her face for five seconds.” She slaps her hand off my thigh. “Go to work Monday like a normal person, and don’t talk to her again till you see her up here on Wednesday. Just. Relax. She loves you, she’ll come around.”
    I know in my head that leaving it alone is the right and wise thing to do. My heart, however, is screaming, “Idiot!” It knows if I give her space, no matter how small, it could be too much.
    “Yo, Bowan, you in there?” Rae jerks my thoughts away from November’s hand in Adrian’s.
    “Yeah.” I pull Rae’s tiny body into a hug. “Thanks for talking me off the ledge.” I kiss the top of her head before releasing her.
    “Thank God! What the hell would you do without me, you basket case?” She giggles.
    “Ha! I have no idea, Rae.”
    She leaves me alone to gather my emotional shit. I’ll dial it down, but I refuse to turn it off. I love November, and I don’t intend to let her forget it.

 

    Chapter Eight
     
    Ember
     
    “All right boys, what’s our set look like tonight?” I hop on stage and take my seat on the stool. We don’t play for an other two hours, but my parents and Adrian will be here; I want to nail it.
    “Just a couple of songs with me, then you and Josh will do your folksy shit alone.” C.J. snickers. He wants to be in a rock band. I wish he’d go find one.
    “Oh, C.J., you know you love my folksy shit.” Josh slaps one of the cymbals as he walks past C.J.’s drum set.
    We decide to start with some 70’s and early 80’s rock to appease C.J. before Josh and I take it away with our “folksy shit.” By folksy, C.J. refers to Indigo Girls, Sheryl Crow, and artists like that. Josh is unbelievably talented at their guitar parts, and I can hold my own with vocals.
    “That was great guys,” Josh encourages as we finish our practice. “Keep that energy going later.”
    C.J. and I slip backstage. I don’t want to see my parents before I go on, or I’ll get too nervous. Josh is out front doing his manager stuff when Adrian sneaks through the backstage door.
    “Hey you, what are you doing back here? Talent only.” I smirk as I hug him.
    “Your parents are out front, I told them I’d come find you.”
    Josh and Monica walk backstage, and Monica gives Adrian a top-to-bottom once over before casting her eyebrow skyward in my direction.
    “C.J., this is Adrian. Monica and I went to college with him.” I deflect Monica’s impending judgment.
    “Nice to meet you, man.” C.J. shakes Adrian’s hand. “So, Rapunzel, is that dude gonna be here tonight?” Four of us in the room seem to stop breathing as C.J. absentmindedly flips his sticks through his fingers.
    “What dude ?” I ask.
    “You know, that one you sang with. That Bo guy—he wrote that song for you, or whatever.”
    Yeah. Or Whatever.
    “No, he’s not coming tonight.” I shrug, Adrian stuffs his hands in his pockets, and Monica shifts uneasily. C.J. finally catches on.
    “Ah, shit. Did a one night stand turn into an epic fail?” He chuckles while gesturing obscenely, like a teenager.
    “Shut the fuck up, C.J.” Josh growls through clenched teeth.
    “No, Josh, he didn’t know—” I start, but Josh cuts me off.
    “It doesn’t matter if he knows or not; he doesn’t have to be such a dick to you all the time.” The last time I saw Josh this angry, he was screaming in my face. Monica puts her arm around his waist.
    “Babe, let’s go outside for a few minutes,” she whispers to him before leading him out of the room.
    Turning to look at Adrian, I find him seemingly counting the floor tiles. “Um. So, tell my parents I’m not coming out till we play, but we’ll have drinks after.”
    “K. You all right?” He places his hand on my shoulder and lassos my eyes.
    “I am.” I don’t even have to fake a smile this