Page 148 of Before We're More Than Friends
“Why didn’t anyone tell us anything?” Arielle asked, hurt in her voice. “I think it’s great that Caleb wants to go to Apple of the Arts.”
“Thank you!” Caleb exclaimed. “Sheesh, it wouldn’t have hurt for the rest of you to?—”
“Stop it,” Sienna warned.
“Why is this turning into a fight?” Raina asked. “What’s the problem with Caleb wanting to go there?”
Hayden grimaced. “He can’t be in our band and in New York at the same time.”
“I can fill in for him,” Arielle piped up. “I mean, not that I want to replace him.”
“I like that idea,” Caleb said. “But can you play the keyboard by then?”
“I can learn.”
“There aren’t supposed to be any fill-ins!” Hayden snapped. “This isn’t what our band is supposed to be.”
“Here we go,” Caleb grumbled. “Let’s all bow down to Hayden as he tells us who’s meant to do what because heaven forbid that something isn’t about him and his failures.”
“What do you mean?” I asked. “What do his failures have to do with this?”
“Hayden wanted to enter the competition for his own motivations. Getting back at his parents, at Lana, at Eddie and Lauren?—”
“Get back at Eddie?” Arielle asked. “Is that why you wanted me to join?”
“NO!” Hayden shot up, throwing his hands up in the air. “Gosh, if you’re going to air my dirty laundry, at least air it right, Caleb.”
“You know what,” Oliver said. “I think this is a sign.”
“Of what?” Hayden spat.
“I don’t want to be in a band that can’t get their crap together.”
“I agree,” Sienna said. “We didn’t form this band to fight all the time.”
“It’s not supposed to be like that,” Hayden said, his voice shaking like he was going to cry. “It’s supposed?—”
“To be how you want it,” Arielle finished, her tone cold.
“No! It’s . . .” Hayden put his head in his hands. “Fine! If no one wants to believe me, then we’re done. Forget Battle of the Bands. Forget everything!” Hayden pushed past me and the twins.
“You need to move your drums out of here,” Oliver said.
Hayden shot a glare at him. “Have your dad sell them at his music store! He could use the extra stock.” He slammed the door, the wall shaking.
“Hayden!” Arielle opened the door and followed him out.
Raina bit her lip, looking around the room. “Um . . . How much have I missed?”
“I guess everything.” I drew in a sharp breath, fighting the tears that threatened to emerge. “I was starting to enjoy all of this.” I looked over at Oliver, Caleb, and Sienna, who were still standing up and heavily breathing. “We were going to show you a song for Battle of the Bands. But I guess our entire band was crumbling beneath us, and we didn’t get to know it.”
“Yeah, why didn’t we get to know?” Raina asked, her voice rising. “Why did you all hide it like it was under control?”
“W-We didn’t want to make things harder for you than they already were,” Sienna confessed, stroking through her dark hair. “We thought we’d be able to work things out on our own.”
“Oh.”A frown took shape on Raina’s lips. “So it was because you felt bad for us.”
“Raina,it’s not like that.”
