Page 28 of Uriah's Orbit
ULDR: It is totally our new sound.
GigaMega: YES! YASSSSS! If any of you were gay, I’d kiss you. I might even kiss you despite you being straight.
That hit me in the gut, and I didn’t expect it to. At all. My fingers hovered over the keyboard, totally blank on what to write. Taylor grabbed the phone.
ULDR: We welcome all comers. *wink wink nudge nudge*
There was a pause on the other end, the little dots bouncing as he typed and retyped something.
GigaMega: …is one of you gay? Because I can’t even tell how awesome it would be to have you as a voice for the community.
Both Taylor and Grant stared at me, but Taylor answered.
ULDR: We’re totally allies, man. [pride flag]
GigaMega: Wicked! I’m totally glad to hear that. And I cannot wait for the new album! Two weeks?
ULDR: Keep your eyes open. There might be a surprise at midnight.
“Hey, you’re not supposed to tell people that!” Taylor said.
Grant shrugged. “Whatever. It’s four hours.”
“We’re there, guys,” Hailey called. “Stop effing around on the phone and let’s get going. It’s time to reveal the bigger, better Up Down Left Right!”
We were in the underground garage, and I could see the gate was down behind us. I glanced over at Angela. “Are they that bad tonight?”
She shook her head. “Precaution, and we had the idea that you coming in from the back would be better. More dramatic. This is a whole new direction for you all, and so that’s reflected on the way you enter.”
Bryce lifted an eyebrow. “Are we for real? Do people pay attention to stuff like that?”
“Totally,” Hailey said. “TMZ is going to be watching, and you know how they are. I’m glad that you all dressed well for this.” She pulled up her phone. “Siri, make a note: look into a wardrobe consultant.” She smiled at us again. “Not that you can’t dress, but we can take it to the next level.”
Angela nodded.
I looked down. I was wearing my usual charcoal gray cargos, a printed T-shirt, and a suit jacket. It was nothing spectacular, but it was comfortable.
“Wait…” I said. “Did you say wardrobe consultant?”
“I did.” She nodded.
“I…might actually know someone.”
She perked up. “Really? You think he’d want the job? I mean, the sooner we have one, the sooner we can start shaping the wardrobe for the tour.”
“I’ll talk to him.” I nodded.
“Good!” She smiled.
Luis leaned against the car as we climbed out. “I didn’t know you were a full-service producer.” He laughed. “I thought you were just going to make our music sound good and that was it.”
“You’re changing what you are, moving away from what you started as, and into something new,” Hailey said. “It’s not just the music. It’s you all. You’re not kids anymore. And we want to make sure people see that. You’re some of the most affable guys I’ve ever worked with and I want you to be able to survive the fickle world of preteen pop obsession and grow. So Angela and I are working together on that.”
Grant and Taylor nodded, and I was pleasantly pleased. Luis and Bryce seemed the same.
“All right then, let’s get this party started.” I headed for the stairs that wound up into the ballroom we’d rented.
“Are there tapas?” Luis asked.
