I laugh. “Well, thank you. So are you.”
She smiles. “It kind of sucks, though, doesn’t it? Everyone should be treated with respect, no matter what. Not just pretty girls.”
“I agree.”
“Good. I’ll let the guys know you insist on being treated exactly the same as any other opener.”
“Well . . . I don’t know if that’s necessary.”
She laughs, and I join her. And just this fast, I know we’re going to be great friends.
A noise at the front of the plane attracts my attention and makes my heart lurch. Is Savage here? But, no. The sound is the front door of the plane closing, without Savage appearing. And even though I swore to myself Savage’s name wouldn’t pass my lips during this entire tour unless he broke the seal and spoke to me first, I can’t resist asking Ruby what’s going on.
“No Savage?” I ask.
Ruby shakes her pink head. “He’s been in Chicago this week, visiting family. He’s flying to Philadelphia today on his own.”
“Ooooh.” I smile. “That’s good news. This whole time, I was thinking he was pulling a ‘rockstar’ by making an entire flight of people wait on him.”
“Oh, trust me, Savage is perfectly capable of doing that. That boy is many, many things, but punctual certainly isn’t one of them. It’s really annoying, so brace yourself.”
“If you’re constantly annoyed by his lateness, why don’t you ever slap the shit out of him for it? You’re not the opener.”
“Meh. We pick our battles with him. In the end, it’s hard to say which parts of Savage’s personality contribute to his mad genius. So, we let him be, in case messing with the shitty stuff will mess with the amazing stuff. We all benefit from Savage being happy and carefree and left alone. That’s when he’s at his best.”
“So, you think if you slap the shit out of him, you might slap some of his genius out of him?”
“Exactly.”
I smile and nod. But I’m not sure I could hold my tongue like that with a bandmate. Aloha is a genius in her own right, too. An icon in the music industry. But during my tour with her, she never kept anyone waiting. In fact, she was usually early for everything. I remember Aloha telling me, early on, “We’re the lucky ones who get to go onstage and experience all the adulation and praise, but never forget it takes a village of crew and staff and musicians to make a tour happen for the thousands of fans who pay their hard-earned money to watch you perform. So, in the end, even if it feels sometimes like it’s all about you, never forget you’re there to create happiness for your fans and hundreds of jobs for your crew and staff. Make art when you make your album, Laila. Make happiness for the fans and money for the machine when you’re on tour.”
I distinctly remember Aloha’s words blowing me away. They were a revelation to me. A whole new way of looking at things. And to this day, I’ve kept them close to my heart at all times. Has nobody ever sat down Adrian Savage to give him a similar speech? Obviously not, based on what Ruby said a moment ago. And that’s a shame. I bet Savage would benefit from hearing Aloha’s thoughts on the importance of humility and professionalism in our industry.
About twenty minutes after the plane takes off, as drinks and food are served, Ruby and I settle into an easy, interesting conversation.
“Is it weird being the only girl in your band?” I ask.
“Nah,” Ruby replies. “You know Titus is my twin brother, right? So, being in a band with him feels totally natural to me. And then, with Kai and Kendrick being brothers, they feel like a single unit, too. So, I don’t really feel outnumbered there. And then there’s Savage, who feels like an extension of Kai and Kendrick, because he grew up with them. So, I guess I don’t often feel like one girl in a band with four boys. I feel more like part of a duo that’s merged with a trio.” She makes a cute face. “Does that make sense?”
“It makes perfect sense. Does Savage have any siblings?”
“No, he’s an only child.” She snorts. “Which, trust me, will make perfect sense to you once you get to know him. If you get to know him. He’s a tough nut to crack.”
I bite my lip. I haven’t exchanged a single word with the man and I already knew that. Which, unfortunately, is only making him more intriguing to me. Savage is a tough nut to crack? Well, guess what? I just so happen to consider myself an expert at busting balls and cracking nuts.
“Hey, ladies.” It’s Kendrick. With a huge, handsome grin on his face, he plops himself down across the aisle from Ruby.
I take in his surfer-boy handsomeness, his wavy blonde hair and bright eyes, and, immediately, I’m filled with warmth and happiness at the sight of him. It’s the same way I felt when I met Kendrick weeks ago at Reed’s party. Warm and safe. The same way I felt when we exchanged texts these past few weeks, regarding the progress on my album.
“I hope you don’t mind me hanging out here with you ladies,” Kendrick says. “Kai’s already annoying the fuck out of me.”
“We’re happy to have you,” I say.
“Speak for yourself,” Ruby says. But it’s clear she’s joking.
“So, Miss Fitzgerald,” Kendrick says. “Congrats on the release of your album last night.”
“Thank you. Phew! It was a tall order, but we did it.”
“I’ve already listened to it twice and it’s a-maaaazing.”
I’m floored. “You bought it? You didn’t need to do that! I have it on my laptop.”
“Of course, I bought it. And then, I stayed up late listening to it, twice. And I can honestly say it’s a masterpiece. I loved your first album, but this
