EPIC (Book 1 of the Soundcrush series)

Chapter 12: Rock Stars Don't Comment

Trace

The band and  management are sprawled out in my suite. We've finished with the daily schedule, and the preview of the next venue, and the lead techs have left, and the label rep has signed off the conference call. It's just the five band members, and Dawes our manager and Marcy, our publicist. I toss my stress ball with Bodie as Dawes and Marcy discuss the spin we should put on Kat's exposure as Little Sister. They go round and round about it, neither one of them asking my opinion, or the rest of the band's. Dawes thinks we should capitalize on the event. He's got that old school perspective: all press is good press. Marcy is adamantly against that.

"The climate is different that it used to be, Dawes. This could turn really bad for Soundcrush."

"Why? Every girl in America wishes they were Katheryn Ballard right now. They all want to know her story. They all want to get inside it and imagine they are her."

"What do you think Trace? Should every girl in America want to be Kat Ballard?"

I can tell she's staring at me, waiting for me to say something. I just keep tossing the ball with Bodie. I don't have any desire to discuss my personal relationship with Kat. It's between me and her. The less I can get away with saying here, the happier I'll be.

"Are you even listening Trace? This is all about you, you know?" She steps between me and Bodie and snatches the stress ball.

Marcy is a tough lady—a former college basketball player who almost made it as a pro . When she didn't break the pro's, she used her marketing degree and started branding athletes, and eventually celebrities. She has other clients besides Soundcrush, but we've been slowly claiming more and more of her time. I like her. Generally I like Marcy better than Dawes, but she and I are about to have a problem if she's implying what I think she's implying.

"I'm listening. I just don't have a comment. Which should be our official position, Marcy. Kat is entitled to her privacy. She didn't ask for me to write a song about her. She didn't ask for Leed to out her."

"Trace, is there anything else she didn't ask for?"

I shoot her a deadly look. "You got something to ask me Marcy, go ahead."

She runs a hand through her cropped dark hair and looks around the room at the band members. Adam is eating a bagel, Leed is checked out on his phone. Mac is watching me, a little concerned, but also checking her phone. Bodie is reaching around Marcy, trying to get the stress ball back. She pushes him back into the chair.

"Maybe we should have a private discussion. The three of us." She gestures to between her, me and Dawes.

I shake my head. "Band stays. I got nothing to hide from my family."

"Fine," she tosses the ball back to me. "Katheryn Ballard is eighteen years old. The first lyric tracks of Little Sister were laid down over two and half years ago. Can you explain to me specifically how you 'hurt' this fifteen year old girl, Trace?"

"I could, but I won't. The specifics are between me and Kat."

"I'm sorry, Trace, but they aren't anymore. It's out there. We live in the #metoo era. As great as it is that harassment isn't tolerated and women are believed, there's the flipside, too. There are those who will look for a story where there isn't one to capitalize. I need to know what we are talking about here, in order to do right by you."

I toss her back the ball. After a long moment, I try to give her the briefest synopsis possible.

"Our families lived next door to each other. I've known Kat...hell, I've never not known Kat. She's like family to me. There was a bunch of teenage drama and family shit that happened over the course of the New Year holiday, two and half years ago. Right after Soundcrush got signed, but before the festival tour. Well before you and Dawes came on board. I was home. I was part of the drama, but I wasn't there for Kat like I should have been. I hurt her emotionally, Marcy, which I regret very much. But, I didn't hurt her physically. And fuck you very much for even thinking—"