The Hush Society Presents... by Izzy Matias (best desktop ebook reader .txt) 📕

a promotional message: Come see me and my band The Fortunate Only tonight at 8PM. #TheHushSociety.

It sounds so bloody pathetic. I slam my Blackberry on the seat and huff. I’d rather read a book.

It’s a bumpy ride getting out of Brighton with the cobbled streets and holes on the ground.

"If I were driving, it wouldn’t be this bouncy," Amber says.

"You are not driving again," Eric replies and swerves to avoid another pothole. "You’ll get us killed."

"Or worse…" Cassie begins and then completes the Hermione Granger reference. We burst out laughing.

"Says the lad with sharp swerves." Amber tuts.

"And curves," Eric quips. "Boom!"

Amber grumbles.

"Are they going to go on like this the whole trip?" I say to Cassie in a low tone.

She giggles. "That’s just Amber. Wanting to get her way."

It should only take us two hours and fifty-three minutes from Brighton to Bristol. That’s if we don’t run into any traffic jams. But if Eric and Amber don’t stop arguing, I dunno how I’m going to make it out of this sane. I could tune them out with my earphones, but I’m not one to pass up this opportunity to talk to Cassie.

Cassie props up her knees and uses them as a makeshift desk for her sketchpad. She tucks her hair back, pulls it into a messy bun, and grabs a pencil from her sling bag.

I observe her as she sketches the Brighton pier from memory until she clears her throat and faces me with a shy grin. "You might as well poke a camera at me."

"I’ve always wanted to see art as it’s being made," I say.

"It’s a tad distracting," she admits.

"Oh, sorry."

"It’s different when you know there’s a person watching you sketch."

"I get it," I say. "I’ll go listen to music and let you do your thing."

Bugger. I was hoping to launch into some sort of conversation with her.

"Thank you." She puts her hand on my arm a few seconds longer than necessary before going back into her art. "I’ll show it to you when it’s done."

I smile at her.

We are lost in our creative worlds when Cassie taps my arm, and I slide my headphones to my shoulders. Her eyes are wide. She waves her mobile with a massive grin. "So Callum Ford had loads of good things to say about The Fortunate Only."

"What?" I shout. "No way!"

Eric and Amber are yelling at each other and Benji’s deep into editing our video for them, so they don’t even notice my reaction.

"I posted snippets of each performance the other night and sent him the links," Cassie continues. "He just replied to me and he particularly loved how you guys wrote a song for Lily to help her with her anxiety. He’s so into that idea."

I open my mouth to respond, but nothing comes out. A massive grin overtakes my face.

"You lads did a great job." Cassie beams at me. "See what happens when you take a risk?"

"It’s all thanks to you for giving us an opportunity like this," I say then nudge her arm.

Before I’m able to process it any further, Eric takes a sharp turn to the nearest exit. Can’t say his driving is any better than Amber’s if he’s going to continue this way. He stops the car by the road and puts on the blinkers.

"What’s going on?" I ask.

"There’s a weird red blinky thing on the dashboard. I’ve never seen that symbol before," Eric says, panicking.

"Oh calm down, would you?" Amber says and strains her neck to take a look at the board.

She curses. Eric squeals. We all jump and comment if we should get out of the car. He yells the car’s going to burn up in flames.

"Just kidding." Amber laughs. "There’s water in the gas tank, but I need a second opinion. Benji!"

"You mad woman," Benji grumbles from the backseat and he is in the most uncomfortable position—his headphones askew, his limbs in odd positions, and his laptop on his face—we all laugh and he gets out the van to inspect the damage.

"Yes. That means there’s water in the petrol tank."

"We’re going to have to bring it to the nearest auto repair centre," I say. "Wherever that is."

"Great," Amber says. "They’re going to have to empty the tank, clean it, and change the fuel filtre."

Benji gives her a look.

"What?" Amber asks Benji. "I like cars."

"Me too!" Benji replies with excitement as he turns the ignition on. "Vintage ones, to be more specific. I used to work at an auto shop before. I know what to do to remedy this, but we don’t have the equipment for it."

"We could look for a handy shop, but that would take time," I say.

"Shouldn’t we get it towed or something?" Eric asks, hopping inside the first row and slams the door.

"Too costly and there’s no need," I say. "Benj, can you check where the nearest auto repair centre is?"

"Already on it," Cassie says. "It’s up ahead. Turn left on the first junction, then right on the second street."

Benji and Amber launch into a detailed discussion about cars, so I put my earphones back on. Cassie plays navigator and Eric props his legs on the armrest as he takes a break from driving.

"Hey, how come when Benji is behind the wheel you don’t insult his driving?" Eric calls out to Amber.

"I like his driving."

"Not just his driving," I mutter.

Cassie laughs.

As we enter the driveway of the auto repair shop to park our car, I pause the music. Amber gets out to talk to the nearest mechanic.

"Are we far from Bristol?" I ask. "How long is it going to take?"

"We were an hour and a half away," Eric responds, not looking up from his iPhone. "But that was fifteen minutes ago."

I snap my attention to Cassie. There’s panic in her eyes.

"We hadn’t factored this in," she says. "I thought we’d be there an hour early for sound check—even with traffic—but now, who knows?"

"Mechanic says we’re third in line to be serviced," Amber says. "But once it’s our turn,