"HI, RAVEN, MARSHA." Sky appeared fortuitously saving me from answering those thorny questions. I didn't really relish putting into words the thoughts that had me so unsettled. Marsha knew all about the issues with my father, but I wasn’t ready to share how conflicted I was about Sky's boyfriend.
“What’s up with you two?” The brunette shifted her feet. Her sapphire gaze swung back and forth between my best friend and me. She seemed nervous about how we would react to her.
She shouldn't have been. Not really. After all, she wasn't the problem. Guys like her boyfriend were. I felt a sudden affinity with her. I wondered how Lucky managed to keep stringing her along. I glanced over to where I had last seen him kissing two inanely giggling leather and fishnet groupies. He had caught me watching him. My cheeks had flamed when our eyes had connected, I had quickly glanced away. He had me feeling like a fool, misreading his intent and seeing virtues that weren’t really there. Sky as well, apparently. Could she not see that Lucky wasn’t a one girl kind of guy?
"Nothing much going on right now.” I threw my arm around her too thin shoulders. “But hey, why don't you hang out with us for a while?
"I’m not sure I should." She seemed to shrink into the pretty fit and flare dress that hit at mid-thigh and matched her eyes.
"Why not?" I queried.
"Lucky might not like it," she admitted, her pale cheeks flushing.
“Oh, really?” My eyes narrowed. "Why not?"
"I think he would say you might get me into trouble."
My spine snapped straight. "And who made him lord and master over you?"
Her eyes widened at my ire.
"We're only planning to have a little fun. Seems to me that’s exactly what he's doing. Why should you be left out?"
"Alright then." Her eyes brightened. "I’ll come along."
"Great. Glad to have you on board." Marsha took her hand and squeezed it. "You’ll have to pardon us if we gush over our favorite band first. We're probably going to act like dorks. I doubt we’ll be even remotely cool, so if you’d rather avoid the embarrassment, you can wait for us by the door.”
Smiling empathetically, Sky nodded. Beautiful even without any makeup, she was reed thin and seemed painfully young. I felt a trickle of concern about having her tag along with us, but decided if she were old enough to be involved with four men we probably weren’t going to corrupt her.
Marsha tugged my arm. I spun forward, suddenly unsteady. I sprawled inelegantly into the stack of glossies on the table directly before 2 Rows Back’s lead singer before I managed to gather myself.
"Are you alright, darlin’?'" I could read the genuine concern in his expression and hear it in his easy Mississippi drawl.
"Yeah,” I replied, a nervous smile forming between my reddened cheeks. “Just a little clumsy.” I grasped Marsha's steady arm. "I’m so excited to finally meet you." My gaze slid to include Kris. “Your music means so much to us.” I hugged my bestie’s arm tighter. “We've been friends since we bonded over ‘Always by My Side’. It’s our sisterly anthem. We just wanted to say…” I stumbled.
Marsha picked right up where my foggy mind faltered, always there to complete my deepest thoughts. “We know you've made sacrifices for your careers, but we wanted you to know that you made a difference for us. Your music pulled us through a lot of tough times. Gave us something we could cling to until we could make it to the other side. So thank you."
"Thank you, darlin’,” Brady said. “Let me assure you it’s a privilege for us to do what we do. And that it means something so significant to you humbles us. My hope is that you find a way to make your own dreams come true like we have, because if you love what you do for a living, it’s never work." He took one of my hands and one of Marsha’s and put them together. "But more importantly I hope that you two stick together because friends are a true blessing this world conspires to tear apart."
"Thank you.” I let go of Marsha’s hand to hug the photo he had signed for me.
“You're welcome,” he replied. "And Raven." He knew my name. I saw the recognition in his eyes. Had anyone not seen my tequila rant by now? "Please think carefully before you make your choices. Sometimes control isn’t all it seems to be. Sometimes it’s just a matter of knowing who you can trust to get you safely home again. "
"HOW DO I LOOK?"
Marsha studied me, tapping a finger to her cheek. "Like five hundred thousand bucks."
I laughed as she quoted my counteroffer to WMO. Their vision for the project most closely matched our own. A reality type series. Each show a different city. Each focus a different guy. But Marsha's role, remained the nonnegotiable sticking point. “I’m ready now.”
“You’re sure?”
“Yeah.” I nodded. “Always ready for whatever with you beside me.”
Marsha smiled. "Ladies and gentlemen." She spread her arms wide, commanding the attention of the after-party crowd as effortlessly as she had in Dallas. I assumed my stance, arms raised with my diaphanous cape held like a curtain over me. The rumble of noise in the packed room quieted. The partygoers tuning in to see what would happen next. "Raven Winters is in the house. The beautiful and talented Rock Fuck Club president is ready to find her conquest of the night. Only one will be chosen." She used the flashlight function on her phone to illuminate me. I knew the feather boa barely shrouded my breasts and that my favorite pair of jeans shorts showed more than a tantalizing hint of my ass. I set my reservations aside. I didn't care for the way the evening had progressed so far with my father or Lucky. My embarrassment from the meet and greet with 2 Rows Back still lingered. But it was time now to turn the page. "Women are not trash," Marsha continued speaking the words we had scripted. “We aren’t merely objects to be used and disposed of at a man’s whim. And in the end, it’s your loss if that’s the way you see us." She doused the light. I dropped the cape and spun around.
"What's past is behind me,” I sang. “What’s ahead is all new. Possibility burning bright. Beauty taking flight. A pretty dream tonight. If you can see me right."