Rock Me

Toby: "Toby, we have to do something. He is going to end up dead, and I don't know about you, but I don't want to be the one making that call to his family." Wit was right. Logan couldn't keep going like this. But what are we supposed to do? We can't force him to change, and he seemed so far gone into his addiction that not even I could see the light at the end of the tunnel for him. "What do you suggest?" I asked, looking at our band's lead singer and our best friend since elementary school. My heart ached for him. "Whatever it is, you better figure it out quick. Weston has surgery on his elbow next week, and on top of having to find a drummer to replace him before your tour begins, we can't have Logan this way. Either a plan for intervention gets put into place, or you will be looking for a lead singer to replace him, too." Stanley, our band manager, rolled his eyes, looking at a puke-covered Logan. "What the f.u.ck are we going to do?" I grumbled, rubbing my aching forehead. Since Logan and his ex-girlfriend separated, he has been on a bender and showed no signs of backing out soon. "What we should have done months ago." Wit spoke. "Tell his parents? Yeah, that blew over great last time, didn't it?" I growled, spewing my hate into the open. His parents had abandoned both him and his sister Sophia since they came of age, claiming they had prepared them both for incredible futures that neither of them wanted any part of. "No, not his parents. You know Sophia was the only one who could do anything with him." My stomach churned thinking of calling Sophia. I hadn't spoken to her since prom. There was no way she would agree to be anywhere near me. "Great, get ahold of her. Offer her whatever figure she asks for to get her here, and then get on the search for someone to stand in for Wes until his arm is healed. You have nine days before you have to get on the road." Stanley snarled, shaking his head at his last look at Logan before storming out of the room. "Calling her is as bad of an idea as trying to call his parents was. She hasn't spoken to Logan since she left for Julliard." I hadn't told anyone what happened between her and me, and I likely never would. I feel nothing but regret and shame when I think of her and our time together in secret. How could I ask her for anything now? "Do you have a better idea, Toby? If we don't get her here to straighten him up, we are going to be burying him. How do we explain that to them? Besides, we are posting up in New York in three days to get ready to start the tour; she is still there, according to her social media pages. We can find her and ask her for help." When Wit stormed off, leaving me with Logan, I sat on the couch, letting my jealousy bubble into my throat. Sophia had blocked me on everything long ago, but if Wit is still active on her socials, that means it is just me that she hates, and… who could blame her after what I did? Sophia: "Wake up, my love. It's time for school!" I tickled Elias, trying to hurry him along for breakfast so I could get some sleep before work tonight. "I made pancakes, handsome. Come on." I begged my sleepy-headed boy, who sat up quickly at the mention of his favorite breakfast. He ran into the bathroom, peeing and brushing his teeth before quickly rushing to the kitchen. He turned three last week, and I still can't believe how much time has passed. "Do I have to go to school?" he asked, offering puppy dog eyes to plead his way into playing hooky today. "Sorry, little man. You do. But how about I pick you up early and get ice cream before I drop you off at Uncle Sean's house for the night?" Again, his eyes lit up. I hate having to work so often, but looking around at the beautiful home and life I had been able to give him on my own by working so hard made it easier to swallow the time I had missed with him. Even working nights and sleeping while he is at school leaves us with too little time together, and I only hoped he didn't grow up resenting me for it. Within thirty minutes, he was full and dressed, and we were out the door and after dropping him off, I quickly showered and fell into bed, falling asleep before my head hit the pillow, only to wake up four hours later to the sounds of my cell ringing repeatedly. With one look at the screen, I was quick to realize I didn't recognize the odd number, so I assumed it was a telemarketer and tossed my phone to the bed with a groan and decided to go ahead and get up so I could get my workout in before picking up Elias for ice cream. I was so excited to spend time with him that I went ahead and packed his overnight bag, got dressed for work, and headed out so I could take him to the park before dropping him off at Sean and Les's house. Thinking of my best friends and the love they show my son made my heart warm. I don't know how I would get by in this city or this life without their love and support. They say it takes a village to raise a child, but only some are fortunate enough to have a village. After I left home almost four years ago, I cut off ties with my family two weeks after finding out I was pregnant with Eli. I knew they would disown me anyhow if they found out I was dismissed from Julliard. Choosing never to let anyone in my family know about my son made it easier, and having Sean and Lester made my life feel more complete. They are my village. "How was school today, baby?" Elias looked at me with a chocolate-covered smile and just nodded. Like my brother and I, the kid is brilliant and loves school once he gets out of bed and gets there. After dropping my boy off, I huffed and puffed the whole way to work, wishing I could be anywhere but here tonight. Lester and I walked there together since he was working tonight, too. "What is it? You have sighed like six hundred twelve times now." I paid no mind to his mockery and just shrugged. Elias is the only thing that makes my life feel like it is worth living, and even then, some days are just harder than others. Work took off quickly, thankfully. Being busy with my hands silenced my mind like music used to. I missed playing more than I cared to admit, but it took two jobs and some extra shifts to pay for Elias's tuition plus everything else, and my music took a back burner because of it. "Excuse me, I am looking for someone I was told I could find here. Can you help me out?" I heard a voice that made my heart race from across the bar where Lester stood. "Sure, baby. Who are you looking for?" Lester shouted over the sound of the music pumping through the club. "I'm looking for Sophia Hyde. Is she here tonight?" I crouched to the floor pretending to look for glasses, hoping I could slip from behind the bar before he reached me. "She's right there hiding from you." Lester laughed, probably thinking this guy was someone I was trying to get with. He and Sean are constantly pressuring me to date, and it isn't something I'm interested in. I haven't been interested in dating in a long time, and I didn't see that changing any time soon. "Sophia?" I jumped up, looking into Wit's icy blue eyes with a hammering heart. "Hey, Wit. Long time no see." I forced a smile on my face but couldn't help but try to swallow the vomit rising in my throat. "Is Logan and Toby with you?" I asked the question that was twisting my stomach before addressing why, in the hell, he was here. "No, actually. It's uh… It's just me. I wanted to see if I could talk to you alone for a minute." Knowing Toby wasn't here made it easier to look at Lester and ask for a break, but it didn't stop my legs from shaking the whole walk to the side of the building where the employees snuck to smoke and complain. "You look amazing, Soph. It's really good to see you." Wit said softly, still having the same shy boy demeanor he has always had. "You too, Wit. What's brought you into the city for little old me?" He did look good. The shy boy may still be on the inside, but he looked like a whole new person on the outside. His pale skin was muscled and inked from one end to the other. I wasn't sure there was any skin that wasn't covered in tattoos, and his short blonde hair had grown over into his eyes, which was the typical rocker boy hairstyle. Not to mention the two silver hoops sitting on his bottom lip. "It's Logan, Soph. He isn't doing too good." The feeling of vomiting quickly rushed back at the mention of my brother. "What's wrong? Is he okay?" I asked, stepping toward Wit with an urgency to shake the answer from his lips. "Do you remember Jennifer? Well, she left Logan brokenhearted about two years ago, and he has spent that time trying to numb his broken heart with drugs. We've tried getting your parents to intervene, but they told us they didn't want anything to do with either of you anymore now that you are grown. We're worried about him. He… he is in horrible shape, Sophia." I didn't know what hurt worse, hearing my brother was in such a bad way or having to hear that our parents didn't care for us anymore. I guess I was right about them disowning me… us. "What can I do to help?" I asked, trying to speak around the knot in my throat. "We were hoping you could go on tour with us, maybe—" I held my hand up, stopping him there. "I can't leave, but I would happily talk to him. Is he here in the city, too?" Wit looked utterly defeated. But I couldn't just leave Elias, and I damn sure wasn't telling Wit I had a son. Toby would figure out the timeline when he saw how much Elias favors him, and I would never be ready for that mess. "Here is my cell number. We will be in town for the next few days. Our manager is offering you any amount of money you ask for to get you on this tour, Sophia. At least think about it." He handed me his card and disappeared into the smoky night, leaving me anxious and angry. I spent the rest of the shift feeling to ensure the card was in my pocket. I can't leave the city; no one can find out about Elias, but I wanted to see Logan and help him if I could. "What did he want that has you so rattled?" Lester finally asked. "He told me that my brother was in trouble. He asked me if I would go on tour with them and then said their manager offered me whatever amount of money I wanted if I would come." Lester's jaw dropped. "One, your brother is going on tour. Who is he? Two, you have to do it. You could ask for enough to pay off your mortgage, and then you could drop the second job and pick up another night or two with me to pay the extra." I admit, it was tempting. But the need to keep Elias a secret was stronger than anything else. I have to protect him from the people who never wanted him. "I can't. I can't do it, Les." How could I? "And why not little miss stick in the mud? You never have any fun." "Because my brother is the lead singer of Death By Arcade, and the guy on guitar is Elias's father." Lester and Sean are the only two people in the world who know who Elias's father is and everything that led to me keeping him a secret from Toby. "You have to go." He said after picking his jaw up off the floor. "You know I can't do that," I repeated. "You need to. Show that a.s.s hole what he lost and let him pay for your mortgage." He stuck his hip out with a smirk. "Wouldn't you agree, Nancy?" Nancy is our manager, and my heart nearly stopped when Lester mentioned her name. I love her dearly, but she sometimes takes her job and ours too seriously. "I will only say this once, so take it to heart, Sophia. You are fired until you come back from the tour thingy. Don't return to work until you return, or I will fire you for real." Now my jaw dropped. "Nancy, you can't be serious. You don't know the circumstances. You can't do this to me, please!" I begged, but she just blew me off and walked back to her office, leaving me on the brink of tears. "What do I do?" I asked Lester. I wanted to hug him for comfort and punch him in anger. This is his fault. "You go on tour, duh. Let Sean and I keep Elias for you. That way, you get the money, and the guy never finds out about him." He shrugged like he hadn't just offered me a foolproof plan. "I couldn't ask you two to do that. I couldn't stand being away from my kid that long, Les. He is my entire world." "Yes, he is, and could you imagine the time you could spend with him if you weren't having to work constantly? Let Sean and I do this for you. Elias is the closest thing we will ever get to having our own kids, and we would love to do it for you. Please, Soph!" I was baffled. I didn't know what to say or how to act, so I just muttered the only response I could. "I'll have to think about it."