Angel springs to his feet—as quickly as he can with his limp—and the two of them pull each other into a rough hug.
Arms around Jon, Angel looks at us over his shoulder. “And you two. Shit. I know I wasn’t cool on tour, and I know I lost my shit, and that messed with you both. I’m sorry about that, too. Fuck, I’m sorry about all of it.”
“It’s okay,” says Ruben. “But thank you for the apology.”
“Yeah, thank you. You shithead,” I add with a grin.
Angel steps away from Jon. “The thing is, the drugs, it wasn’t even for fun. It started out as a way to stop feeling so criticized and controlled all the time, but it got out of hand, and I couldn’t stop. Once you get a break from it it’s so hard to go back to dealing with it sober.”
I don’t want to do drugs, but I get it. If I could take a pill and stop the feeling of constant, overwhelming pressure, if only momentarily? I can see the appeal.
“Hey, serious question,” I say, turning to Angel. “When you were high, you said something about wanting to be called Reece. Is that what we should be calling you? Because we can?”
He seems taken aback. “I did?”
“Yeah.”
He considers this, then shrugs. “I don’t know. I actually like being called Angel. I just don’t love that I didn’t get a say in picking it. I was just told I had to.”
“Are you sure?” asks Ruben. “We can call you whatever you’d like.”
“Oh, no, I’m sure. What kind of pop star is called Reece? But anyway, let’s watch the video now, no more confessions from me.”
Jon laughs, and he hits play.
The camera zooms past the word “Overdrive,” showing a sleek, neon-drenched city at night. And then there’s a shot of Jon, Ruben, and me, in our futuristic racing jumpsuits, getting ready for the race to start. Jon is talking to a ridiculously hot racer. Ruben is sitting in his front seat reading a book called How to Win at Racing, while I am tinkering with my engine, my jumpsuit hanging down so I’m just in a black tank, and I have grease smeared on me.
“You look hot,” whispers Ruben.
“So do you.”
He snuggles against me as it cuts to Angel, who has just reached the racetrack, seemingly late. His suit is all white.
“First time?” asks a guard, whose eyes are obscured by a shiny visor.
“Um, yeah,” stammers Angel.
“Boy, you sure you’re in the right place?”
“Er, yes?”
“Well, you better hurry up, the race is about to start.”
Angel rushes past a lineup of cars, to an all-white Mercedes. The camera lingers on the logo for a beat. Angel climbs inside, and closes the door, just as the flag girl walks out.
Angel makes eye contact with her, there’s a beat, and then the song starts.
I watch the rest of the video in a kind of awe. It’s amazing. They’ve edited all the individual pieces we shot together into one sleek, cool piece of art. It’s the perfect Saturday video, fun and exciting and, let’s be real, a little silly. The CGI is also seamless, which makes me wonder how much they spent on it. It’s got to be a fortune. They usually spend the most on the video for the first single, but this might be the most expensive video we’ve ever made.
The video ends on the “candid” scene we shot at the end of the race, and they used the take where Ruben and I totally avoid each other. It’s the one moment I don’t like in the whole video. Would it have been so bad if we had stood next to each other?
I see a glare settle in Ruben’s eyes. I know what he’s thinking. I know how upset he is about this, that any hint of intimacy between us has been completely cut out, yet again. And how, even though it’s maybe our best video, there’s still a sting at the end.
I’m getting really sick of that sting.
TWENTY-FIVE
RUBEN
Tue, 4:46 p.m. (3 days ago)
David <[email protected]>
To: me, Zach, Jon, Angel, Erin, Geoff
Hi all,
Boys, an update. TBC, but two possible options for the remaining part of the Months by Years tour are:
1. We return at the end of next year for a special mini-tour. We allow attendants to keep their tickets or return for a full refund (we still anticipate this will be sold out, so nothing to worry about here), with an eye to adding in some additional bonus shows/countries to “make up” for postponing the shows.
2. We offer a full refund and provide anyone who missed out with a code for special pre-sale access to your next tour (tentatively scheduled for 2023. Will confirm at a later date).
Nothing is finalized yet, so no mention of either option to anyone outside of this chain.
In the meantime, there will still be plenty for you all to do. The focus for the next few months will be to promote “Overdrive” and The Town Red overall. Early buzz is promising, and we want to capitalize on this. Which leads me into a piece of good news: we can confirm that your scheduled live appearance on Good Afternoon United States will be going ahead as planned prior to the drop of “Overdrive,” with some alterations. Being mindful of Angel’s recovery, there will be no choreography during your performance, but I know the four of you have the stage presence to put on an amazing show regardless. This will be the public debut of your new single, and we’re extremely excited to utilize it as our official kickoff into promo season! Teaser scripts and assets for social media to follow shortly. As usual, any questions, feel free to shoot them through! (And enjoy your break while it lasts: we have a busy few months coming up.)
Best,
David Cranage
Publicity Director
Chorus Management
Tue, 6:13 p.m. (3 days ago)
Ruben <[email protected]>
To: David, Zach, Geoff
Hey.
Zach and I actually have some questions (not strictly about the above, but more in relation to the fact that we’re not going to be touring Europe for another year at the earliest). Can we organize a time to speak? I don’t think this concerns Jon and Angel (not yet, anyway).
Thanks,
Ruben
Wed, 10:21 a.m. (2 days ago)
David <[email protected]>
To: me, Zach, Geoff