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

I expect her to back off or make a snarky comment, but she grins back.

What? Is this real life?

She’s not rejecting me.

At least, not outright. I take this as a positive sign, but I won’t push my luck. "So any other hidden talents we ought to know about?" I tease.

"You wait and see," Cassie says back.

Damn, she’s flirting with me.

"All right, love birds." Amber calls us out. Benji chuckles from the back. My face warms. I don’t dare to look at Cassie’s reaction. "I don’t think we should stop for food since we’re running late."

"Buuuuut," Eric protests.

"You’re right. Let’s just grab something after we play," Benji says.

"All right," Eric grumbles in defeat.

"Can we still make it in time?" I ask Cassie.

In secret, I hope that we don’t make it. Then, Callum wouldn’t have to see us perform tonight. What if I mess things up tonight? I can’t have him witness that. Then, he’ll figure The Fortunate Only is nothing than a one-gig wonder.

"We’ll get there right when it starts," says Cassie. "So no time to sound check until right before your set…we’ll have to make the best of things."

"Will there be Internet at the venue?" Benji asks. "I’m trying to keep my usage to a minimum, but I really want to check how the video is doing."

"VIRAL!" Eric shouts.

My heart skips a beat. "What?" I ask. "You saw?"

"I don’t know, but I’m putting the thought out there, channeling the cosmos to deliver this thought as if it’s reality." His choice of words reminds me of Ella.

"You sound cray cray," Amber replies.

"Like using the phrase ‘cray cray’ instead of awesome?" Eric says.

"Oh, boy. Here we go," I say.

#

There’s a traffic jam on the highway and we’re crawling. We are less than an hour away from Bristol, but at the rate this is going, who knows?

"I just got off the mobile with Dan," Cassie says. "He and Ella are coordinating with Kai."

"The Pyschedelic Glitch Kai?" I ask.

"The jolly same one who is in charge of the gigs in Bristol. They’re okay with starting the event a little later than planned, but the max they can do is thirty minutes without the crowd getting rowdy."

Two back-to-back Hush Society gigs starting late. Not a good sign.

"They’re playing tonight?" Benji asks. "Mark’s injury can’t have healed that fast."

"They found a temporary drummer for tonight, but they still won’t be joining us on tour," Cassie says.

"Poor Mark. He must be dying to play," Amber says. "He really wants to play in Manchester though."

"If his doctor gives him the go signal then good. But it’s not smart to play if he’s not a hundred percent healed. He might worsen the injury," Eric says out of experience.

Cassie sighs. She rests her right cheek on her arm.

"Think positive," I say for the second time today, but still hold on to the hope that our gig will be rescheduled.

#

Cassie’s mobile goes off again and this time she puts it on loudspeaker.

"Cass, where are you lot? The crowd’s gettin’ narky." Dan’s voice is choppy, but we can make out most of what he says.

"We’re stuck on the M4. It doesn’t look like we’re going to make it on time if this continues."

"We shoulda checked Waze," Benji comments.

Dan curses and covers the microphone of his mobile with his hand. He relays the news to Kai and Ella. Judging by the volume of their voices, they are beside him. One of them says "cancel" before they start to quarrel.

Cancel? I never wanted them to cancel altogether…

"Call you back in a few," Dan says curtly before the line goes off.

We sit there in silence, stunned at the possibility of a cancellation.

"Have you ever cancelled an gig before?" I ask what everyone must be thinking.

"Never," Amber replies. Cassie’s face is ashen.

Great. This is just the trouble that Cassie needs.

I must have some unfortunate charm following me. Our first stop of the tour our host got a panic attack due to the stress of putting together her first ever Hush Society gig. And then our car had to get water in its tank—probably from the last petrol station we topped up in—the day we move to the next city. Traffic is horrible and there’s a possibility of a cancellation because two out of the three performers are stuck on the M4.

"Is it too far to walk to?" I ask.

"You’ve got to be kidding," Eric says. "I’m not walking that."

"We won’t be able to carry our gear and besides, we could get into trouble for unloading in the highway," Benji says, siding with Eric.

"It’s too far," Cassie replies and sighs. "Look, I don’t blame anyone for what’s happened tonight, okay? We’ve just had horrible luck today."

Cassie mobile goes off again and she answers before it hits two rings.

This time she doesn’t put it on loudspeaker. She doesn’t say anything at first and listens to whatever Dan has to say. She tries to keep a stony expression, but her face gives her away. "I understand. Thank you, Dan. Please extend my gratitude to Kai, Ella, and the whole team. Bye."

"So?" Eric asks, not peeling his eyes off the road. The pace picks up, but it’s not enough to get us on a continuous ride.

"Gig’s off." Cassie’s voice cracks.

My chest is a balloon floating into the atmosphere. At least we won’t have to perform in the presence of Callum tonight. I want to sigh in relief.

Cassie sneezes. Her eyes are reddish.

"Cass, this is awful!" Amber says, giving her a sad look.

Eric and Benji express their sentiments, too.

The tension and pressure of living up to Callum’s massive expectations have been lifted and is replaced with guilt.

I pull Cassie into a side-hug. "I’m sorry," I whisper into her ear.

A stain in her glowing reputation as an events organiser.

"It’s not the expectations of people that I’m glum about. It’s the experience that they’re going to miss out on." My eyes go wide at the way she thinks. Even if her reputation is on the line, she’s thinking about others.

It’s then I