Page 97 of Don't Love the Boy Next Door
“Lie. Definitely,” Cody says.
“No, I want the truth,” Ethan says.
“Well…” I wrap my hand around his thick arm. “It was tough out there.”
He curses, rubbing his forehead and holding me close with his other arm. “I told you we weren’t ready, Eric. We put too much pressure on Amber. Now we’re the laughing stock of the whole music world.”
“I don’t think we’re the laughing stock of thewholemusic world,” Eric mutters.
“Our careers are going to tank.”
“Our?” Eric says. “I thought you don’t want a music career. All you care about is football.”
“If I didn’t care about the band, you think I would have showed up tonight?”
“Hey, it’s okay.” I rub Ethan’s arm. “Don’t turn on each other now. You’ll be okay. This was just a minor setback.”
He looks into my eyes, a relieved expression passing over his face. “You have any idea how happy I am that you’re here, Phoenix? You’re like a bright star in a dark sky.” He rests his forehead against mine. “You make all this seem not so bad.”
“Because it’s not. You’ll have plenty of opportunities to show your fans how great you are. Don’t give up on yourselves just because you made a mistake.”
“The girl is right,” a male voice says from behind. I turn around and find an older version of Eric and Ethan standing there.
“Dad,” Eric says.
“What’s he doing here now?” Ethan mutters.
“Musicians make mistakes all the time. We have bad days sometimes. You don’t know how many times I had to cancel shows because my voice just wasn’t up for it.”
“We didn’t really ask for your advice,” Ethan mutters again.
“Will we ever recover?” Eric asks his dad.
“You will,” he assures them. “Just never give up. Chin up at all times, okay?”
Eric, Cody, and Amber nod, but Ethan just scowls.
They pack their instruments into the van and drive back home, giving me a lift to Katie’s house. I keep my fingers locked with Ethan’s. He doesn’t say anything, but I know my being here means a lot to him. And it means a lot to me, too.
Chapter Thirty-Three
Ethan
I drop down on my bed as I text my girlfriend. Phoenix is…she’s something else. She definitely keeps me on my toes, which is something I really love about her. She’s in the middle of telling me not to stress over the concert, that things will be okay. One minor setback isn’t the end of the world.
I want to believe her, I really do, but Eric’s been moping around more than usual. Cody’s second guessing his decision to follow us all the way to Virginia. And Amber? I think the entire ordeal traumatized her.
Dad was there and saw the whole thing, but I don’t give a hoot. Eric does, though. It was so important to him to perform well. Dad’s been pretty cool and understanding about the whole thing…not that it means anything to me. I still hate the guy.
As I continue texting Phoenix, telling her I’m logging into the game so we can play together, Eric steps into my room. He looks like crap—eyes are puffy, face pale, and his hair looks like it hasn’t seen a brush in years.
Sighing the heaviest sigh on the planet, he plops down on my bed, burying his face in his hands. He’s so bent over, as if he’s carrying the world on his shoulders.
“What’s up?” I ask, swiveling to face him.
He inhales a deep breath before letting out an equally deep one. “I messed everything up.” He lifts his head. Eyes are twisted in pain and guilt. He leans back, shaking his head. “Amber quit.”
“What?”
