Page 104 of Spark

“Don’t talk to her!” the guy says. “Come here right now!”

Even though I’ve got a free pass to leave Cooper hanging in suspense thanks to this PA, I can’t help replying honestly. Suddenly, I realize I don’t care about Cooper anymore. Or his song. Or the past. I’m only excited about the future. About my feelings for Kendrick. And nothing Cooper could possibly say or do to me, or sing about me, matters anymore.

“I’m not mad,” I say, as he walks toward the door of the dressing room. “Annoyed? Yes. But I’m happy for your success and ready to move on.”

Cooper pauses at the door, exhaling with relief, while the PA loses his shit that we’re having this conversation off-camera. “Thanks, Ruby. I appreciate that.”

“Come on, Cooper,” the PA says. “Please. If you don’t stop talking and come with me right now, I’m going to hit you over the head with this Coke can and drag you away.”

Cooper laughs. “Okay, okay.” He turns to me again, his expression earnest. “I really loved you, Ruby Tuesday. But you know what? If forced to choose, I’d honestly much rather have a hit song than you as my girlfriend, anyway.”

30

KENDRICK

“How many cards, KC?” C-Bomb asks, his green eyes trained on me.

It’s poker night at C-Bomb’s massive beach house in Santa Monica. In addition to C-Bomb himself, the players seated at a round table in his game room are Kai and Savage, Fish and Colin from 22 Goats, and me. Behind us, there’s a bar stocked with every imaginable kind of booze; half the table is smoking cigars; and the rest are smoking joints and blunts. In other words, it’s a typical C-Bomb poker party.

“Three,” I reply, throwing down my discards, and C-Bomb slides over some replacements with one of his tattooed, insanely talented hands.

C-Bomb’s sandy hair is shaved close today, and he’s wearing his beard long. He’s shirtless for this poker game, which means his muscles are on full display, along with the ink that covers every inch of him, literally, other than his face. To top off his legendary-rockstar vibe, he’s got a blunt hanging out of his mouth and a bottle of Jack sitting next to him on the green card table.

I’ve known C-Bomb for years now, and he’s always been afriend and mentor to me and our whole band. But even so, it’s hard not to stare at him in awe, even now, as he sits across from me. The dude’s a legend. The guy we all want to be. Minus his anger management issues, anyway. Also, if you ask Ruby, his substance abuse and addiction issues. Ruby’s been vocal she thinks C-Bomb needs rehab, badly, more than anyone we know. But C-Bomb always scoffs at the idea, and he seems to be doing pretty well in life, so we leave him be. But, yeah, other than those things, the man’s pretty much life goals. A towering figure to all of us at this table—a beacon of what’s possible to achieve as a musician in this world.

“How many cards for you, Fish Taco?” C-Bomb asks the bass player of 22 Goats.

“Zero,” Fish says with confidence.

“You sure about that, kiddo?”

“I’m sure.”

C-Bomb arches an eyebrow and inhales from the blunt hanging out of his mouth. “Very interesting, Fish Taco. Can’t wait to see how that pans out for ya, kid.” He addresses Colin Beretta, Fish’s drummer, next. “Colinoscopy? How many cards, my friend?” Those two have become particularly close lately, I’ve noticed, ever since Colin married C-Bomb’s favorite former PA, Amy.

“Three for me,” Colin replies, laying down his discards.

All discards handled, it’s finally time to play the game. Betting starts, and our usual, light chatter begins.

“Why couldn’t Titus make it tonight?” C-Bomb asks, after inhaling from his blunt.

“He’s meeting his girlfriend’s parents tonight,” Kai replies.

“Sounds serious,” C-Bomb mutters. “Is she cool?”

“We don’t know,” Kai says. “They met right before we left on tour, and she only came to visit him once. After that, they were long-distance the whole time.”

“He likes her a lot, though,” I interject. “He didn’t seemeven tempted to break things off during the tour, even though she could only come visit him that one time.”

“What about you, KC?” C-Bomb asks. “Are you dating anyone these days?”

I shake my head. “Other than my fake relationship with Ruby for the show, I’m single as ever.” With Kai sitting here, and with me knowing C-Bomb’s little sister is Miranda, a close friend of Ruby’s, I’ve got no choice but to stick to the story.

“In that case, ask my sister out, would you?” C-Bomb says, as he throws some chips into the pot. “Miranda’s newly single again, and I don’t want her getting with another douchebag.”

Kai interjects, “I’ll ask her out.”

“Fuck no, you won’t.”

---