Cross Me Off Your List (16 page)

“Fuck,” Benji mutters. “This is the dream
right here. Intimate setting, small audience, cheap lights. It
makes me wish I was back in the coffee shop.”

Noah shakes his head. “Nah, bro. We’re living
the dream. Sold out stadiums, thousands of fans singing our words
back to us, full band and light show behind us. We’re living what
people dream of,” he says.

Nat smarts off about how not everyone has the
same dreams, but Benji keeps his mouth shut, watching the stage in
awe. I wonder what kind of music he played before he got on board
with Spaceships Around Saturn. Boybands are such a commercial
thing. I never stopped to think that maybe this isn’t exactly what
they wanted for themselves – aside from Noah, obviously.

Jace thanks everyone for coming out tonight,
introduces his band – along with his meowing bassist, Alex Stone –
and then plays a rocked-out version of a Bruno Mars song. All of
the drunken boys and bikini-clad girls make their ways from the
shoreline up closer to the deck, treating this like a real concert
and not just a band at a party.

A breeze sweeps up from the ocean, sending a
spray of summertime vibes over the crowd. The palm trees sway,
rustling against the night, and the lights twinkle around us. Nat
freaks when the other SAS covers a Katy Perry song, even though I’m
certain Nat’s never kissed a girl or liked it.

I’m not sure why anyone would ever go to a
night club around here when Sapphires and Sunsets could just set up
a huge show in Kale’s backyard. I’d be here every time there was an
opportunity. Song after song, I lose myself in the nighttime air,
dancing around with new friends and a gorgeous green-eyed boy.

“We’re about to shut this thing down,” Jace
announces, “but I’ve been working on a cover song this week that I
haven’t quite been able to pull off yet, and I’m hoping someone can
help me out with this one.”

He plays a few chords, and Aralie jumps up
and down next to me. I glance at her, and she looks at me like I’m
a complete idiot.

“Music up, windows down, hello?” she asks.
“It was the anthem of the summer last year.”

I shrug my shoulders. “I don’t know that
one,” I say. “Who sings it?”

“Oh. My. God!” Nat shouts in my ear. “Who
sings it? Who freaking sings it? Spaceships Around the freaking
planet of Saturn sings it.”

Jules hugs Aralie tightly to him, and Noah
shrugs at me, but Benji is on stage faster than I can even scan the
crowd for him. For tonight, maybe he can pretend to be someone else
and live a different dream.

I toss and turn in Noah’s bed, willing my
body to get up for the day, but last night’s strawberry mango buzz
still lingers today. I didn’t realize I was such a lightweight, but
apparently, three mixed drinks are enough to make me feel like crap
the next morning. Or afternoon. What time is it anyway?

Noah stretches out next to me. “You’re
leaving when? Sunday? So that leaves…four full days to finish your
list,” he says, answering his own question before I can.

“Mm-hmm,” I hum. I close my eyes and settle
back into the pillow. “Maybe I’ll eventually get up and we can
knock something out today.”

I feel his movement next to me and open my
eyes, but I don’t move from this position. I could literally just
stay here all day. The nightlife is better anyhow.

“I sort of have this thing tonight,” Noah
says. “I was going to skip it, but Milo begged me to go along. But
you can come too.”

“What sort of thing is this?” I ask, forcing
myself to sit up.

“This album release thing,” Noah says. His
eyes shift, and I know there’s more to this than he’s letting on.
“It’s, um, for Sebastian’s Shadow. Chloe did the artwork for their
album, and with all the rumors and lies in the tabloids, Milo just
really needs some support to smile through it.”

This little twinge of excitement makes me
feel like an absolutely horrible person. But this is real Saturn
stuff – drama, cameras, paparazzi. And for one night in my life, I
have an opportunity to be in the center of it. It’s exciting, even
for a non-fangirl like myself.

“We can go,” I say, already debating what I’m
going to wear. “Is it like a formal thing?”

Noah seesaws his head, back and forth like an
uncertain kid. “Well, the girls are dressing up because there’ll be
a lot of cameras, and I think the guys are just wearing slacks with
a button-down shirt,” he says. “Matching ties, though. I don’t know
why Milo insists on making it feel like a prom.”

Great. They’ve probably already picked out
all of their matching outfits, and now Noah and I will look like we
weren’t even planned. Maybe it’ll drive the tabloids away from
Chloe and Milo for a few minutes, but I don’t know if I really want
to take their cover shot on the hottest tabloids in America.

“Chloe and Aralie actually invited you to get
ready with them,” Noah says. “Our stylists are on hand, and they’ve
brought a hair and makeup team with them. They’re going to set up
down the hallway in one of the empty rooms. You don’t have to do
it, but I’m supposed to relay the message.”

I take the idea into consideration. It’d be
nice to have a girl session, all about hair and makeup and what to
wear. That’s the kind of thing I love, the kind of thing I used to
share with my friends before it all blew up.

“You know what? I think it actually sounds
like fun,” I tell him.

He gives me the details of the album release,
what time the girls are going to start getting ready, and tells me
to let him know what color tie he needs to wear because he doesn’t
want to look like we missed the memo. Besides, if he makes a
fashion mistake, Nat will never let him hear the end of it.

I head back down to room 322 so I can shower
and clear my head – and hopefully this mild hangover – before
meeting up with the other girls. I know I’ve already met the
Branson sisters, but Chloe hasn’t gotten a full impression of me
yet, and I don’t want it to be a bad one. I don’t really care what
Darby thinks since Noah doesn’t really care for her, but I still
feel this need to prove myself with the Saturn girlfriends. I may
not be dating Noah. I may not really be part of this Saturn world.
Still, I have this crazy need to prove I belong to be here with
them, on his arm, going to this event. And I will.

An hour later, I knock on the door of room
417, where Noah said the Branson sisters were already getting
ready. Aralie pokes her head out and happily invites me inside.
Chloe sits in a chair across the room with a stylist capitalizing
on the natural volume in Chloe’s hair. I’d wear flats if I could
have that kind of volume in my hair, and I’m not the biggest fan of
flats, so that’s saying a lot.

“Noah talked you into coming along?” Chloe
asks.

I nod and try my best to smile. She seems so
wholesome and sweet, and I fear that she’s heard all the
not-so-wholesome details of my week here in the cove.

Aralie closes the door behind us. “It’s a
pretty laid back thing,” she says. “I mean, Sebastian’s Shadow
isn’t an orchestra or anything. They’re a rock band. We’re only
dressing up because the cameras will be there, and we have to keep
up appearances.”

Keeping up appearances seems to be the thing
around here. I wonder what would happen if they all dropped the act
and said what they were really feeling.

Someone knocks on the door behind me. I move
out of the way so Aralie can intercept whoever it is. She laughs
and opens the door for some young guy with light brown hair. A
gummy worm hangs from his mouth.

Aralie sighs. “Is it some Tate Kingsley
standard that you must enter a room with candy in your mouth?” she
asks.

“Technically, it’s hanging out of my mouth,”
he corrects her. Then he looks at me like he knows who I am, even
though we haven’t officially met. “Gummy worm?”

He holds the bag toward me, and I start to
decline to offer, but eating an insect is on my list. I don’t know
what the hell they plan on eating in LA, but this counts as
mine.

“Yes,” I say, reaching into the bag. “Eating
a bug is on my list, so I have to document the moment.”

I reach into my pocket for my cell phone and
prepare for the goofiest selfie ever, but Tate jumps over next to
me, throws an arm around my shoulder, and grabs my phone from my
hand to take the selfie of us together.

Tate admires the photo. “Best selfie you’ll
ever take just because I’m in it,” he says. “And you know, gummy
worms. Who doesn’t love gummy worms?”

He hops back over to Aralie to discuss
tonight’s plans, so I take it upon myself to sit with Chloe and try
to get to know her a little bit.

“Are you excited about tonight?” I ask,
hoping she’ll take the reins and lead the conversation.

“Nervous,” she says. “I’ve played around with
some designs for Spaceships Around Saturn, but none of those have
actually gone to print. This one has, and it’s for my favorite band
ever, so it’s a pretty big deal.”

I lean back in the chair as the stylist
unravels the curls in Chloe’s hair. She shakes them free to give it
a ‘beach hair’ kind of look. She examines her hair in a hand
mirror.

“You don’t like the waves?” I ask. “I’d kill
for volume like that. I think it looks amazing.”

She shrugs and places the mirror back on the
table next to her. “I’m just overthinking all of it,” she says.

After both Branson sisters complete their
looks for tonight, the makeup artist touches up my lipstick and
gives me a sample to take with me for touching up throughout the
night. Darby’s mom hovers over her, making sure the stylists don’t
let her baby girl look too glamorous for her age. What a downer.
I’m surprised she hasn’t volunteered to chaperone tonight.

I step into the bathroom-turned-dressing room
and slip into a sleeveless silver sequined dress. It’s cut just
above the knee and flows with my movements. I wonder if they’ll let
me keep it as a souvenir. If not, my dad’s credit card may persuade
them otherwise.

Item number nineteen – dress like a star. I’m
not sure if they meant super star or twinkling star, but right now,
I’m dressed like both. I’m officially crossing that off the
list.

Aralie knocks on the door and asks if I’m
dressed yet. I slip out of the bathroom to find far more people
than I expected crammed into the tiny hotel room. Milo leans
against the wall with his arms folded. He looks as though he could
spit bullets and is biting down on his lip to keep from injuring
anyone.

“It’s simple enough. I’m not going if you’re
wearing that,” Milo says, nodding toward Chloe in her red
dress.

I analyze her, as a fashion guru would, but I
don’t see the problem. It’s pretty simple. Yes, it’s short, but all
of our dresses are knee-length-ish. Plunging neckline, sure, but
it’s not like her boobs are hanging out. It’s sexy in a
sophisticated sort of way. It seems fitting of a Branson
sister.

When Chloe doesn’t react, Milo continues.

“Are you aware of how many cameras will be
there tonight? How many photos do you think will be taken out of
context? I’m not putting myself through that,” he says.

Aralie huffs and folds her arms over her
chest. “So you think if you don’t go, you’re making a statement?
You’ll be making the exact statement that the headlines are already
accusing you of, you idiot,” she snaps.

So this is Saturn behind the scenes. This is
how they deal with rumors and lies in the tabloids. Those smiling
magazine covers and nonchalant interviews dismissing rumors are all
just for the camera. It really does get to them.

“I’m not arguing with you, Aralie,” Milo
says. He pushes himself off of the wall, but he doesn’t leave. “I’m
not going to escort my girlfriend to some party so she can pose
with the guy everyone thinks she’s cheating on me with, especially
if she’s wearing that.”

It amazes me that Chloe doesn’t say a word
through all of this. If that was my boyfriend, I’d completely flip
out on him for acting that way. Then, for half a second, I wonder
if maybe there
is
something going on with Isaac Torrey since
she’s not reacting. Then again, maybe she’s had this argument so
many times that she’s decided it’s not worth having again.

“Okay, you know what? We can settle this,”
Aralie says. “Ties off. All of you. Except Noah. You can keep your
date.”

Tate and Jules don’t waste a second getting
their ties off, which humors me. I’ve heard that they’re both
pretty close to Aralie, but damn – they take orders quickly.

Milo hesitates for a minute but loosens his
tie and lets it drape over his neck. Aralie snatches it away.

“Alright, we’re playing musical dates,” she
says. She hands Jules the red tie that matches Chloe’s dress.
“You’re going with my sister. Milo’s going with Darby, and Tater
Tot is going with me. Now we all have a date we can get along
with.”

Darby pouts for a minute but accepts her new
date with a little encouragement from Tate. Jules doesn’t bat an
eye. He hugs Chloe and says something that no one else can hear.
Then she helps him with his new tie. Looks like Julian Rossi is
more loyal to the Branson clan than Milo is.

Milo twists his new tie around and around in
his hand. “You think this looks any better?” he asks, directing his
question to the ringleader known as Aralie. “What are we supposed
to say when the media asks why we’re all mixed up?”

A smug grin crosses Aralie’s face. “First,
you will laugh it off like it’s no big deal. Then you’ll tell them
that the media likes to create stories out of thin air, so we
decided to spice it up on our own,” Aralie states, as if she’s a
tour manager and not a Saturn girlfriend. “And you will smile when
you say it and tell everyone that you’re excited for this album and
you’re happy to be there supporting another band.”