Page 46 of Unbound

“Hey,” I say as soon as he answers the phone.

“Hey, bud, how’s it going?” Nick answers, seeming happy to hear from me. I wasn’t sure how it’d go when I texted him and asked what the rest of our schedule looked like. He said he’d call and we could talk about it.

After everything that went down with the boys, I wondered what Sam and Nick’s thoughts would be on it.

“It’s going,” I mumble, picking at the edges of my notebook. “Have you heard from the boys lately?”

He’s silent for a moment and I wonder if he’s going to tell me the truth or feed me a line of bullshit. “Well, I haven’t heard from Beck since Saturday morning.”

“Okay.”

“You’re home for your brother’s wedding, right?”

“Yeah, I’ll be back next week, I think.”

“You sound off, Rawley… what’s going on?”

Okay, maybe he doesn’t know everything. Maybe Sam didn’t tell him.

I snort, shaking my head. Is he just playing dumb with me or did the boys lie about what they said to me the other morning? “I don’t know. I thought the guys would have talked to you about everything. Apparently they’re tired of my shit.”

There’s a rustling sound in the background like maybe he’s sorting through papers. “Beck mentioned you were having some problems and said you needed a couple weeks off.”

“That’s what he told you?”

“Something like that. Hey, listen, I wanted to talk to you about five more shows after our original contract ends in November.”

I doubt, judging by Beck’s reaction to me, he’s gonna want to do anymore shows. “Have you talked to the boys about it?”

He’s quiet for a minute and then clears his throat. “No, I mean just you.”

“Just me?” I’m taken back by his statement. Why in the world would he just want me? Beck, Lincoln, me… that’s Torque. That’s the band he wants. Without them, there’s no Torque. I don’t care what they say, replacing one of us ends the band in my mind, and honestly, I’ve never once considered a solo career. It’s not something I want.

“You’re who the crowd wants, Rawley. They don’t come to see Torque. They come to seeyou.”

I sigh into the phone, my eyes on the notebook, and then I think of Sophie and Lyric and leaving town again. Something stirs inside my chest remembering the look on her face when she asked if I wanted to be a part of his life. “I have a son I didn’t know about.”

Nick draws in a breath and then chuckles. “I’m not surprised. You’re not the first artist who’s had that come up.”

I don’t say anything to that because as far as I’m concerned, I’m nothing like any other artist out there.

“With who?”

“Who do I have a kid with?”

“Yeah.”

“My high school girlfriend, Sophie.”

“I can take care of that for you. Are you going to make the show in Portland at the end of the month?”

I nod. “As far as I know but I haven’t talked to Beck or Linc yet… not sure how they feel about it.”

“You guys are under contract,” he points out, as if I didn’t realize it. “I can’t just cancel the shows.”

And here it is. Reality.

I regretted signing with Nick and Sam the moment we did. Dylan warned me and I didn’t listen. I thought it was the only way to get my music out there so I did it.

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