Drea

Candace lies on her stomach in the middle of her bed as she searches the internet for Laz Rawlings. “Holy shit, Drea. You’ve got to see this.”

“Just tell me what it says. I’m running late enough as it is.” I slap the green trucker cap, which reads Taco Hut across the front of it, onto my head and then pull my thick ponytail through the hole in the back.

Staying out so late last night, celebrating the fact that Candace was the newest Hellcat, made it hard to get up today.

She dismissively waves me off. “Screw that job. Our ticket into the music business has fallen into our laps in the form of a tall, tattooed man named Laz. The guy is actually legit. Come see for yourself.”

My shoulders slump as I trudge toward her. “Candace, I really don’t—”

“Stop with the doubt.” She sits up and twists the computer so I can see the screen. “Laz Rawlings was a member of the Romeos.”

“Of the what?” I ask as I lean down to get a better look at the pictures she found on Google. I squint as I fix my eyes on a bunch of pictures of young teenage boys who can’t be more than sixteen years old. None of them appear to resemble the well-built man we met last night. “What exactly am I looking at?”

Her mouth drops open, and she points her French-manicured finger at the tallest kid in all the pictures. “That’s Laz. He was a singer. This group was popular, like, fifteen years ago.”

“Hence the reason I have no clue who they are,” I mutter. “This doesn’t make the guy legit, though. We watch enough music documentaries to know that most guys in boy bands end up as washed-up losers who have to get real nine-to-fives like the rest of us.”

“I would tend to agree with you if I hadn’t read his bio.” Candace clicks on another web page where it lists his most recent professional activities. “It says here, after the Romeos broke up, Laz went on to produce some of the biggest pop and hip-hop songs of the past decade. This guy is definitely for real, Drea, and he wants us—both of us. This could be our shot at jump-starting our careers. I’ll sing, of course, and you can write all the songs. It’ll be just like we dreamed about.” She clicks on the photo of Laz, enlarging it so we can get a better look.

I stare at the blue-eyed devil on the screen. He’s impossibly good-looking and knowing he’s the real deal only increases his appeal to me. There’s just something about a wild guy, the whole Rebel Without a Cause vibe that makes me weak in the knees. When someone goes against the grain of society, it’s a turn-on. I could never let myself go to be that free—to do whatever and not care about what anybody thinks.

It’s a good thing Laz would never pick me to be in his group. I’m nowhere near as good at singing and dancing at the same time as Candace is, which does make her perfect for an all-girls group.

“You should call him since everything checks out. This could be your big break.”

Her beautiful face lights up. “I think so, too, and I’m excited that we’ll get to do this together.”

My lips pull into a tight line as I sit down next to her on the bed. “I’ll go with you to the audition, but we both know I have zero dancing abilities.”

“That’s only because you refuse to let loose in front of people. I know you have what it takes, but your fear takes over, and you doubt your ability. You have to dance like no one is watching and not give a shit if you look ridiculous.”

I lean over and wrap my arms around her. “Not everyone is meant to be a star, sis. It’s okay for someone to be in the background.”

Candace pulls back, her blue eyes burning into mine. “Not when that someone is as talented as you are. You just need to grow a pair of lady balls and share your talent with the world because, when you sing, your gift is undeniable.”

I smile. She’s always been my biggest supporter, and I love her for it, but I know I’m not that good. She’s being kind.

I glance down at the time on my cell. “I’ve got to jet before I’m late for work. Call Laz to set up that audition, and I’ll go with you.” I shove myself up off the bed. “Don’t get your hopes up that he’ll want me in the group, too. You’re the real talent.”

“Laz invited you because he can see what I see in you. Don’t sell yourself short. Be confident.”

I shove my hands into the pockets of my black slacks. “I’ll work on that. Call him, and then text me all the details.”

“All right,” she answers as she reaches for the cell lying next to her. “Have fun at work.”

I roll my eyes and head for the door to go to a job I absolutely hate.

It would be amazing to have a career in the music industry, but I know the likelihood of that happening for me is a long shot, so there’s no point in allowing my hopes to rise. Good things don’t happen to people like me. Dreams coming true only occur in the movies, and my life is far from a fairy tale.

* * *

The minute I walk through the door of our tiny apartment, I spot Candace sitting on the couch, surrounded by a pile of used tissues.

“Oh, God. What’s wrong? Did someone die?”

“No,” Candace whines and then sniffs.

I toss my hat and car keys onto the floor and then sit down next to her. “Then what is it?”

“He hasn’t called back.”

“Who? Laz?”

She blows her nose. “Yes. He’s probably found a different girl.”

I wrap my arm around her shoulders. “Come on. Don’t think like that. You know guys play all those fucking head games when it comes to calling girls back. Don’t sweat it. He’s going to call. Confidence, remember?”

She sighs and opens her mouth to say something, but at the same time, her cell rings, causing her to scramble through the tissues in search of it.

She blows a big puff of air from her mouth and then hits the green button. “Hello?” she answers casually, hiding the fact that, only moments ago, she was a sobbing mess. “Yes.” She pauses, smiles, and then responds quickly, “Yes, we’ll be there. No problem. Okay. Bye.”

I hold my breath while I wonder what exactly she’s agreed to.

When she presses end on her cell, her eyes light up with excitement.

I hold my hands out, wearing my best “tell me what’s going on before I explode” expression. “Well?”

“Tonight at nine, Laz wants us to audition. He’s texting the address.”

“Tonight?” I question. “We don’t have anything prepared.”

She dismissively waves me off. “So what? We’ll wing it and use one of the Hellcat routines. You know those as well as I do. We practiced them for a solid week.”

“I … I don’t know, Candace.”

“Don’t you dare try to back out of this, Drea. You owe it to yourself to at least audition. I know this is your dream, and it’s never going to come true if you don’t put yourself out there.”

When my sister is determined to make something happen, there’s no stopping her. Besides, she’s right. Getting into the music business has always been a far-fetched dream of mine, and this might be my one and only shot at ever making it come true.

I’d be crazy not to grab this opportunity by the balls to see what comes of it.