Page 58 of Becoming Us
“Do you want to do something after the audition?” I asked, changing the subject.
“Like key Shane’s car?”
I laughed. At least Holly was always on my team.
The day passed in a blur. Maybe the pills were working, or maybe my mind was just stuck racing over the audition. Either way, I had to force Holly and Colin to stop trailing behind me and let me go alone after class.
The band’s practice space was usually in one of their apartments, but since this was a one-time thing, we were meeting in one of the school’s music rooms. It was quiet at this hour. When I got there, the door was slightly ajar.
You can do this, Noah. If you fuck it up, you just go back to playing alone. No harm, no foul.
I took a deep breath and grabbed the handle.
“I just don’t get why we have to go through with this,” someone said inside.
I went still.
“Because we need a drummer, Perry. How many times do we have to go through this?” That was Jake’s voice—the guy Colin knew. The other one must’ve been Xander Perry. He was the only other one I knew went here.
“Yeah, but Noah Rossi? Come on,” Xander complained.
I shifted back a step. I should probably knock. Make my presence known.
But I didn’t move.
“Colin said he’s a decent player?—”
“He’s a fucking junkie. He’ll leave us hanging the first chance he gets,” Xander cut in.
The feeling came back, sharper this time. The one that whispered,You’re fucking this up.
This is your fault. Made your bed, lie in it, Noah.
“Junkie?” another voice asked.
“He’s just pissed because Noah pulled Hanna last month,” Jake said.
Hanna?As in Hanna Trevor? She’d been the one looking for me in the first place. As far as I knew, she wasn’t with anyone.
“That has nothing to do with it!” Xander snapped. “Being in a band is about image. And he’s just gonna ruin it.”
“I think he’d actually help on that front. Plus, his mom is hot as fuck.”
“Oh yeah? Everyone knows Rossi’s new money. His dad’s a fucking hack who made it by ripping people off. They just haven’t caught him yet. He’s trash, just like the rest of his family. The only reason that guy married up was probably because he paid for it.”
I pulled my hand back from the door. My heart was pounding, anger pressing hot against my ribs, begging me to walk in and punch him straight in the face.Who the fuck does he think he is?
“Oh yeah? I had no idea,” someone else said, voice thick with interest. Of course. Give them gossip and they’ll chew it to the bone.
“What the fuck does that have to do with the band?” Jake asked, tired.
“He’s not just a junkie. I heard from a friend he was selling pills last year at a party—Adderall or something like it. We can’t have that.”
Silence.
My stomach dropped. The sweat on the back of my neck turned cold, sliding down my spine.
“He’s a dealer?” a voice asked.
