While I flipped through the script, the director dude held his hand up. “Okay, in this episode, the main story line is Scarlet hooks up with Stix to try and forget about Ace.”
He pointed at me, and I nudged Anna in the ribs. “Fat chance of that, huh? I bet she cries afterwards. Sorry, dude,” I said to Cole. He flipped me off.
While Anna laughed, Harold approached her. “Excuse me, Mrs. Hancock, would you like to watch the completed pilot? It’s an amazing piece of work, if I do say so myself. And then I could arrange for a ride home for you. This is going to be a long day, and the actors need to focus.”
I bristled at that, I’d wanted Anna here for the whole thing, but Anna seemed content to let me work in peace. “Knock ’em dead, babe. See you tonight.” She gave me a kiss on the cheek before leaving with Harold.
I clapped my hands together once she was gone. “All right! Let’s kill this shit!”
When I got home after rehearsal wrapped up, I felt like my head was going to explode. It was a lot to remember, and I already felt like I remembered too much, what with all the D-Bags lyrics and rhythms spinning in my head. I supposed I could let myself forget those, now that I didn’t need them anymore. That thought made my chest hurt, like an elephant was stepping on my sternum. I didn’t want to deal with that feeling right now though, so I shoved it to the I’ll worry about that later section of my brain. It was a full section.
Mom and Dad’s place was chaos, with a half dozen relatives visiting for dinner; that happened a lot. Anna greeted me at the door with Onnika in her arms; her smile seemed forced, and I wondered what had happened since this afternoon. She’d been in such a great mood while touring the set with me. Onnie smiled and I reached out to take her. “Hey, baby girl, I missed you.”
Just as Anna was handing her to me, Gibson weaseled her way between us and unceremoniously shoved Anna away from me; Anna almost lost her hold on Onnika with the unexpected movement. “Gibson!” she snapped, “I almost dropped the baby. Be careful.”
Ignoring her, Gibson tossed her arms around my legs like we’d been separated our entire lives. “Daddy!” she exclaimed.
“Hey, kiddo,” I said, putting a hand on her back. “Be nice to your sister…and listen to your mom.” Anna’s smile turned genuine as she kissed Onnika’s head. She always liked it when I backed her up.
Lifting Gibson, I twisted her around so she could ride on my shoulders. Usually when I did this, she grabbed my hair and used it like reins, but I had a lot less hair now. “This is weird. I like your old hair,” she told me. She timidly patted my Denny-hair like it was some bizarre animal that might bite her.
“I know,” I sighed.
Mom barked an order from the kitchen to help her with dinner, so Gibson and I headed that way. I recited lines to her while I walked. “Kiki, I know we had a thing once, but it’s time to move on. The band comes first.” I pointed up at Gibson. “Now you say, “But Ace…besides bass, you’re my only love.”
“Ace bass.” She giggled.
I shrugged. “Close enough.”
Mom pointed to a bowl of potatoes when I got to the kitchen, so I moved to the counter to help her peel them. Anna stepped close to my side. “So…Harold showed me the pilot. Have you seen it?”
Shaking my head, I told her, “Nah, I was too busy promoting that stupid album.” A flash of something painful washed over me—that “stupid album” was releasing soon. Without me. I shook my head harder to shake out the feelings I shouldn’t be having. Didn’t matter what the D-Bags were doing. Gibson giggled as she wrapped her arms around my head to hold on. “Why? Is it awesome?”
“Um…well…” As I looked over at Anna, she was worrying her lip. I didn’t take that as a good sign. “It got picked up for prime time…so it must be good, right? I mean, they wouldn’t put a bad show on the air.” She said it like she was both trying to convince herself and encourage me. She was failing at both.
With a sniff, I grabbed a peeler and started peeling. “Nope, they wouldn’t. And besides, nothing that I’m involved with could ever be considered bad. Just look at us.” I flashed her a charming smile, but Anna only gave me a halfhearted grin in return.
Chapter 13
Welcome to Awesometown, Population: Me
It took an entire week, but eventually the four of us did find somewhere to rent. And just to show Anna that everything was going to be fine, I found a place that was even bigger than our home in Seattle. From what the real estate chick told me, one of the Spellings owned it; it was luxurious to the max, and it came with a monthly price tag that was close to what the average person made in a year. It was ridiculous, even I could admit that, but it was a statement I needed to make. We were headed for greatness.