his exit. “Brody, I’m so tired. Please forgive me. I didn’t mean to snap at you like that.”
I throw my arms around him and pull him close to me. “This tour is exhausting and I’m worried my mother is up to something with my band. The last time she made changes like this behind my back, I was a minor and she had more control.”
He sets me away from him and holds me at arm’s length. “But you’re an adult now, Sky. If you want to take creative and business control of your own career, you can do that. Nobody’s stopping you.”
“Nobody but me,” I say, defeated.
“What do you mean?”
“On some level, I suppose I’ve let my mother have control because I’ve never wanted it. I want to do the artistic stuff, but the business part of this doesn’t interest me. Not one bit.”
“That’s unfortunate because you have the most to lose. You have to be the adult and own this. You should have been taking a little of it at a time until you could eventually handle it on your own already.”
“I know.”
“You need to pay attention, Sky, because your mother’s not going to always be around. A manager more insidious than your mother could someday take you for everything you’ve got and you’d be none the wiser.”
“I am going to start paying attention, and I’m going to stand up to her. I promise .”
“How?” He asks.
“Well, first off, I’m going to let Nick play backup on electric or acoustic. He’s not sitting the next three concerts out. He’s been loyal to me.”
Brody smiles. “That’s exactly what I would do.”
“And I’m going to figure out why she’s coming here all of a sudden,” I say, my courage building.
“I think I know why,” Brody says.
“Why?”
“Your mother’s attempting to push me to perform on stage with you.”
“Did she tell you that when you talked to her?”
“Well, not in so many words, but she’s sending Pit Viper, a rock star, here either to send me a message, or to appeal to my vanity. But it’s not going to work because she has no idea what motivates me.”
“But you said this was a good move because the King of Pop did it.”
“And I meant it. It is a good move, but we’re going to make whatever scheme your mother is planning backfire on her. Get dressed. We’ll meet outside our suites in thirty minutes, okay?”
Brody’s look of determination galvanizes me. I want to be stronger and better in business because of him. Also, I knew without a doubt when I snapped at him and saw how dejected he was at my rebuff that I loved him. I’ll need to tell him, soon, but right now saving my tour is priority.
And I’m loving the idea of making my mother’s scheming backfire on her.
“Okay,” I say. “I’ll be ready.”
TEN
BRODY
“Are you sure you’re not still miffed at me?” Sky whispers, bringing me out of my reverie.
We’re on our way over to the restaurant to meet Pit Viper, and I’m quiet because I’m afraid the guy might recognize me. We met a couple of times when The Savages opened for his band The Snakes back in the day. We went on to eclipse The Snakes and, of course, he didn’t want anything more to do with us. The label had suggested they open for us, and Pit Viper had said, “The Snakes will open for this motherfucking junkie over my fucking dead body.”
Of course, I look nothing now like the skinny, overly confident kid he’d met back then who’d already developed a formidable drug habit. Cocaine, ecstasy, and occasionally mollies. I’d been physically exhausted from performing, too, so I could identify with where Sky was coming from. The more I worked, and the more exhausted I became, the more drugs I used. It was a vicious, never-ending cycle.
While Sky’s uncharacteristic snapping had hurt my feelings, I understood I’d woken her up from a deep, much-needed sleep. Her reaction took me back momentarily to how Kim had been in her final days. Sometimes she got like that during tours—surly, pissed
I throw my arms around him and pull him close to me. “This tour is exhausting and I’m worried my mother is up to something with my band. The last time she made changes like this behind my back, I was a minor and she had more control.”
He sets me away from him and holds me at arm’s length. “But you’re an adult now, Sky. If you want to take creative and business control of your own career, you can do that. Nobody’s stopping you.”
“Nobody but me,” I say, defeated.
“What do you mean?”
“On some level, I suppose I’ve let my mother have control because I’ve never wanted it. I want to do the artistic stuff, but the business part of this doesn’t interest me. Not one bit.”
“That’s unfortunate because you have the most to lose. You have to be the adult and own this. You should have been taking a little of it at a time until you could eventually handle it on your own already.”
“I know.”
“You need to pay attention, Sky, because your mother’s not going to always be around. A manager more insidious than your mother could someday take you for everything you’ve got and you’d be none the wiser.”
“I am going to start paying attention, and I’m going to stand up to her. I promise .”
“How?” He asks.
“Well, first off, I’m going to let Nick play backup on electric or acoustic. He’s not sitting the next three concerts out. He’s been loyal to me.”
Brody smiles. “That’s exactly what I would do.”
“And I’m going to figure out why she’s coming here all of a sudden,” I say, my courage building.
“I think I know why,” Brody says.
“Why?”
“Your mother’s attempting to push me to perform on stage with you.”
“Did she tell you that when you talked to her?”
“Well, not in so many words, but she’s sending Pit Viper, a rock star, here either to send me a message, or to appeal to my vanity. But it’s not going to work because she has no idea what motivates me.”
“But you said this was a good move because the King of Pop did it.”
“And I meant it. It is a good move, but we’re going to make whatever scheme your mother is planning backfire on her. Get dressed. We’ll meet outside our suites in thirty minutes, okay?”
Brody’s look of determination galvanizes me. I want to be stronger and better in business because of him. Also, I knew without a doubt when I snapped at him and saw how dejected he was at my rebuff that I loved him. I’ll need to tell him, soon, but right now saving my tour is priority.
And I’m loving the idea of making my mother’s scheming backfire on her.
“Okay,” I say. “I’ll be ready.”
TEN
BRODY
“Are you sure you’re not still miffed at me?” Sky whispers, bringing me out of my reverie.
We’re on our way over to the restaurant to meet Pit Viper, and I’m quiet because I’m afraid the guy might recognize me. We met a couple of times when The Savages opened for his band The Snakes back in the day. We went on to eclipse The Snakes and, of course, he didn’t want anything more to do with us. The label had suggested they open for us, and Pit Viper had said, “The Snakes will open for this motherfucking junkie over my fucking dead body.”
Of course, I look nothing now like the skinny, overly confident kid he’d met back then who’d already developed a formidable drug habit. Cocaine, ecstasy, and occasionally mollies. I’d been physically exhausted from performing, too, so I could identify with where Sky was coming from. The more I worked, and the more exhausted I became, the more drugs I used. It was a vicious, never-ending cycle.
While Sky’s uncharacteristic snapping had hurt my feelings, I understood I’d woken her up from a deep, much-needed sleep. Her reaction took me back momentarily to how Kim had been in her final days. Sometimes she got like that during tours—surly, pissed
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