Page 6 of Pack Me Up
Tommy grabs my shoulder. “Britt! This is it! We’re going on tour withtheOli Hart.”
Oli casually interjects, “And my mates,” but Tommy just keeps going.
“Do you know what this means? I mean, you know what this means, but-”
“Yeah,” I manage, but my voice comes out as a dry whisper. “I know.”
Oli doesn’t stop smiling, but there’s something calculating behind it, like she’s already aware I’m freaking out and planning how to convince me.
“We’ve seen your set, Britt. You and Tommy are a perfect duo. You get the crowd going, and then my mates and I will comeout and destroy what’s left.” Her fingers drum a restless rhythm on the table. “I want you on the road with us.”
I can’t look at her, so I look at Riley. She gives me the smallest smile, something gentle and understanding, and for a second, it feels like someone untangles the knot in my chest. “You’re not under any pressure,” Riley says, which is exactly what people say when you’re under maximum pressure. “But this would be a great launch, and you’d be surrounded by people you trust. If you want to give music a real try, then this is the best way.”
“Not to mention,” Tommy adds, “I’ll be there with you! Oh, Britt, please say yes.”
He’s squeezing my arm so tight I think I might have bruises, but I can’t make myself pull away. I can’t even get my mouth to form a no. I look at the table, at the shredded napkin, and the ugly bite marks in my thumbnail, and I try to figure out if this is the most idiotic thing I could do in my situation.
Tommy is so excited that he’s forgetting all the reasons I can’t do this.
“I’m not sure it’s a good idea,” I say, and there’s a little quake in my voice I can’t smother. I chicken out at the last second and leave my family out of it. “It’s a lot. We’re not… I mean, we’re not ready for this.”
Oli sits back, but her eyes never leave mine. She’s like a cat watching a mouse try to reason its way out of the trap. “You’re not ready?” she echoes, all lightness gone. “Britt, you did six original songs at the showcase. And you played to a crowd that loved you!” She lets it hang in the air, then adds, “Don’t sabotage yourself.”
“Yeah, but-” I can’t finish the thought. What am I supposed to say? That I’m terrified the people hunting me will see my face on a stage and know exactly where to find me? That all I ever wanted was to disappear, and now I’m about to be on displayacross every city? That I don’t trust myself not to screw up the only good thing I have?
“Hey,” Tommy says, and he’s softer now, all the showmanship gone. “You don’t have to do it for anyone but you. If it’s too much, we can say no. I’ll say it for both of us.”
His hand stays wrapped around mine, but there’s a desperation in his eyes that makes me hate myself for even hesitating.
He’s been working towards this dream a lot longer than I have.
“I just…” I start, then stop. I feel every pair of eyes at the table on me. “I don’t want to be the reason something goes wrong.”
Oli tilts her head. “You won’t be, and if you are, we will handle it because that’s what friends do.” She says it with such certainty, I almost believe her. “You’re not running anymore, Britt. You’re moving forward as your own person.”
The words hit me in the gut. I stare at my hands, willing them to stop shaking. I wonder if anyone else notices, or if I’ve gotten better at hiding the fallout over the past few months.
Riley catches my eye again, and her voice is so quiet I barely hear it over the sound of my own pulse. “We can make this work. It’s what you want, isn’t it?”
“I want to say yes, you three know how badly I want to say yes, but my family is still out there. They’re looking for me, and broadcasting where I’ll be on a tour doesn’t seem like a good idea. I’m not going back to them or the Loomer Pack.”
Oli’s face softens with sympathy. Oli got me away from my family and the pack they sold me to before she even knew me. Then, Oli, Riley, and Tommy became my new family.
“I would never let that happen. You’re going to have the best security possible. They kept me safe when my life was at risk, and now, they’re going to keep your family away from you so youcan achieve your dreams,” Oli says with such surety it’s hard to deny.
Tommy grabs my hand. “This is scary for me, too, Britt, but we can’t let people hold us back. You want this, and Oli is offering us a chance. I’ll be by your side the whole time. I promise.”
I can feel my resolve weakening before Riley leans in and adds her own encouragement. “The Phoenix security team will be there with us again, and the venues will have additional security. This might be the safest place you could be.”
I want to say yes, I really do, but I don’t trust myself not to ruin everything.
“I’ll think about it,” I say, but nobody believes me.
Oli grins, the bright smile back in place. “You’ll do more than that. You’ll say yes, and then you’ll thank me when you’re the next big thing. I’ll give you a week, but I already know what you’ll decide, so feel free to tell me now.”
I try to smile, but it comes out wrong. “No pressure, right?”
“None,” Riley says, and she almost laughs.
