“I don’t know how you do it,” Kara said to Justin as they loaded out after the Miami show. “I’d want to beat the snot out of him for all the things he’s done to you. If we were a regular band and this was any other tour, I’d beat the snot out of you both. Only…”

“Only the band is more successful now than it’s ever been and we’re selling out every show,” Liam chimed in.

Kara pointed at Liam. “What he said.”

Justin shrugged. “It’s the way it has to be,” was all he said before turning to head back to the bar.

“Xander doesn’t have to be a monster,” he heard Kara say in his wake. “And you don’t have to be the whipping boy.”

Liam caught up with Justin. “But if you weren’t, we wouldn’t be as flush as we are right now. So, keep up the good work. We’ve got your back.” As if to illustrate, the drummer clapped Justin on the back reassuringly as they reached the stage door.

If it weren’t for the constant stress and anxiety of having to jump through Xander’s flaming hoops every show, Justin would be amused by the popularity the antics had brought to the band in such a short time. At first, the crowds had grown as rumors of “the cursed tour” began to spread. It didn’t take long for them to realize that all the mishaps occurred at the end of the show, after Xander left Justin on stage to his own devices.

They had sold out of every CD, t-shirt, and sticker by Tallahassee, but when they arrived in Jacksonville, five enormous boxes of freshly printed graphic tees were waiting for them at the venue, courtesy of Fairy Godfather Donny. Justin, feeling cocky, had anticipated Xander that night. He’d spotted the megaphone in the valet stand and borrowed it, hiding it on stage where Xander wouldn’t notice it. There had been no time to practice, and he never would have been able to pull it off had it been another dive bar and not an open-air amphitheater, but it worked. Liam had jumped in on drums, as Justin had hoped he would. The result was something strange and amazing and fun.

And viral.

At least three phone videos of that performance were still being shared all over the internet. According to Kara, 10mm Conspiracy’s song downloads went through the roof. The bar had to turn people away tonight…but those people still bought merchandise. And the money kept rolling in.

Justin felt rather proud of himself. He hoped all the success they’d reaped thanks to his performances was driving Xander insane. He also hoped that Tetra had been watching tonight.

Before he picked up the last few stands, he checked his phone. There had been two messages from Tetra: one sent before the show, and one after. The one before the show was a ridiculous selfie of her and Lupe that made him smile. The one after the show only said “WOW” followed by a single heart emoji.

Justin felt a pressure in his chest—the nice kind—the kind that meant he had done something right. Something good.

“Hey. Excuse me. Justin?”

Justin looked up to see the outstretched hand of a shaggy-haired guy in a vintage Cure tour shirt. Mentally giving him points for the shirt, Justin shook his hand.

“I’m Carl from Free Time Miami. I just finished interviewing Xander—great set, by the way—and I wondered if I could ask you a question.”

“Only one?” Since when did reporters want to ask only one question?

“It’s pretty much the question on everyone’s mind right now: Who’s the girl in the song?”

Justin felt that pressure in his chest again and grinned. He didn’t want to blow his relationship with Tetra out of proportion, and he certainly didn’t want to out her to the world as the object of his affection when everything between them was still so new, so he just said, “Someone very important to me.”

“Well, that’s certainly obvious…and honestly, a more romantic answer for our readers than an actual name. But should you ever decide to go public with that, or anything else”—Carl handed Justin a business card—“give me a call.”

Justin slipped the card into his pocket, shook Carl’s hand again, and grabbed the stands. For the first time in a very long time, he felt like he was on top of the world. Right now, he was in control of everything.

And then Xander intercepted him at the stage door. Kara and Liam were both on their way back in, but with Xander blocking their path they had no choice but to listen to the exchange. A move that Xander had no doubt planned. God, he was good.

“The lock on the trailer is busted,” said Xander. “It’s too late to fix it, and I’m worried about leaving our stuff out all night.”

Justin resisted the urge to roll his eyes. “I’ll sleep in the van,” he said. Because the easiest way out of this conversation was giving Xander exactly what he wanted.

“We can do it in shifts,” Liam suggested. “I’ll get a few hours’ shuteye and switch places with you.”

But Xander was already walking away.

“I’ll sleep in the van,” Justin repeated to Liam. “It’s no big deal. I’ve slept in worse places. Besides, if you don’t get your beauty sleep, who else is going to have my back?”

“I don’t know how you do it,” Kara muttered under her breath.

Sleeping in the van wouldn’t be the most physically comfortable situation in the world, but the night wasn’t too warm. Plus, now Justin had a reason not to stay in the hotel room sharing close quarters with Xander— ultimately, this situation would be less stressful for everyone. And he could stay up texting Tetra as late as he wanted. Better than that, he could actually call her!

In the end, though, the vigorous day got to him, and he fell asleep the minute his head hit the balled up hoodie he used for a pillow. He woke to the sun streaming in the window and Liam tapping softly on the glass. When Justin slid open the door, Liam handed him the hotel key and told him to hit the showers.

As he hit the elevator button for the third floor, Justin seriously considered sleeping in the van every night. It really hadn’t been so bad. If Xander conveniently forgot to get the trailer lock fixed, Justin would be out in the van again tonight anyway…better that he make a preemptive strike and offer before that happened.

Poor Xander. It was almost unfair how easy it was for Justin to stay one step ahead of his predictability. Yes, it was a good morning, Justin thought. He was prepared for everything.

He was not prepared for Juliette.

Ft. Lauderdale was another sold out show, at a dive bar called “The Dive Bar,” appropriately enough. She didn’t wait until the very end of the show but walked on stage one song into the second set and danced to the music as if she belonged there.

Juliette hadn’t changed at all. Her hair was still bleached too blonde—a feature that fit right in, there in South Florida—and she was still too thin, which meant her “guilty pleasure” habits hadn’t changed since Justin. She wore black from head to toe—black corset top, black mini skirt, black platform boots with buckles to her knees and black eyeliner, smudged to achieve that smoky effect that he no longer found sexy. Not on her, anyway.

She undulated her way across the stage like liquid mercury, crazy and poisonous. Justin tried to focus on his anger and not the weakness deep down that yearned for another hit. How easy it would be to fall. She was right there, swaying to the beat, offering herself up to him in front of everyone in this bar filled with flowing taps and free beers for the band. In front of…everyone watching at home.

Tetra.

Justin missed the next chord, but only Kara noticed. Kara’s eyes shot daggers at Juliette. Oh, if only those daggers could draw blood.

Xander, for the most part, ignored Juliette, right up until the time came for the encore. Before Xander could announce that he was handing the final song off to Justin, Juliette grabbed the microphone from him.

“Most of you don’t know me,” she said in that high-pitched, all-too-familiar voice. “Those of you that do know”—she turned to look pointedly at Justin—“that I’m the girl in the song.”

The crowd went wild. Someone started chanting “The girl in the song!” Soon the entire bar had chimed in. Juliette turned and surprised Justin with a passionate kiss. He wanted to push her away, but they were on stage, and he was not about to perpetrate violence upon a woman where it could be recorded for the whole world to watch on repeat. So he stood as still as a stone, pulling back from her far before she was prepared.

“Hello, lover,” she whispered to him.

“Go away, Juliette,” he whispered back. “You are not wanted here.”

Juliette waved her hand in the direction of the screaming crowd. “I beg to differ.”

“Get off this stage,” he said to her. “Get off this stage and out of my life. Forever. We are done.”

“You’re not done,” she countered. “You have to play first.”

“I will. But not with you.”

Thankfully, Kara had been astute enough to read the situation and marched across the stage to where they stood. “How can I help?”

“Get her away from here,” Justin growled. “Far away.”

“Done.” Kara grabbed Juliette’s arm and dragged her off the stage.

Juliette blew kisses at him the whole time.

Since all bets seemed to be off now, Justin grabbed Xander’s acoustic guitar and stepped up to the microphone. The crowd continued to chant, “The girl in the song! The girl in the song!”

“Hey, everybody,” Justin said into the microphone, making sure that Xander hadn’t had a chance to sabotage that yet. “You know, I didn’t have a name for that tune I played back in Miami. I think from here on out it should be The Girl in the Song. How’s that sound?”

The crowd cheered in response.

“There’s just one thing,” Justin said before he started playing. “That”—he pointed in the direction of where Kara had dragged Juliette off stage—“was not the girl.”

There was laughter in the crowd as he started fingering the first chords of the song. The microphone and the amps were all working. Miracle of miracles. He’d actually be able to sing the song properly now, as it was meant to be sung. Only, he had no idea if Tetra would still be watching.

If it had been her up on stage kissing the ex-boyfriend that ruined her, he would have stopped watching long ago.

After the set was over, the band packed up in silence and drove to the hotel. Justin offered to spend the night in the van before Xander could even make up a shoddy reason. Xander tossed the keys to Justin without a word and walked away. Liam patted Justin on the back before following. Kara took his hand and squeezed it sympathetically.

Justin waited until they had all disappeared into the hotel. Then he unhitched the trailer, hopped in the van, and drove straight back to Mimosa Key.