Blame it on the Tequila by Fiona Cole (the reading strategies book txt) 📕

tired. “Grant fucking Sommers. How cool.”

“We’re on the edge of making it. I can feel it,” Parker declared.

“Thank god. I don’t want to go to college,” Ash said.

“If it takes a while, what will you do?” I asked, always looking at the practical side.

“Probably football,” Brogan answered first, not sounding happy.

“My dad wants me to play basketball, but I don’t fucking think so. He can fuck off with that,” Ash grumbled. He didn’t talk about his dad much, but when we did, it rarely sounded anything like love.

“What about you, Oren?” I asked. He was back to playing ball, this time with an imaginary ball. Just bouncing side to side, whirling around to fake out an opponent that wasn’t there.

“Don’t know,” he answered, coming to a stop. “I kind of like Physics. Maybe I’ll shoot for the moon. Literally. NASA sounds like a badass job.”

Somehow, I forgot that Oren was the smartest one out of all of us. His mind was just like his body, working in overtime.

“I don’t want to do anything but this,” Parker said beside me.

“Solid,” Oren agreed, holding his fist out to Parker.

Ash turned my question on me. “What about you?”

“Probably art school. I’d love to go to the Art Institute in Chicago.”

“Not that you need art school,” Parker muttered, bumping his shoulder to mine with a smile.

“I can always learn more.”

Before we could say anything else, Oren shouted, making my heart jump up into my throat.

“Holy fucking fuck. Holy fuck. Yes. So much fucking yes.”

“Dude, what the fuck is going on?” Brogan asked, looking just as alarmed as me.

“Someone uploaded a video to YouTube of us tonight—like less than an hour ago and look at all those fucking likes. Look at them!” Oren shoved the phone in our faces.

Ash snatched his wrist to hold him still. “Holy shit,” he muttered.

Brogan shoved him out of the way. “Is that fifty? Fucking fifty?”

“Fifty shares?” I asked.

“Fifty thousand,” Oren exclaimed. “We’re fucking viral, motherfuckers.” He abandoned his phone with the guys who still stared in awe and ran a victory lap, shouting for joy the entire way.

“They’re talking about you too, Nova. About how amazing your voice is,” Parker said with pride.

I pulled the phone over and scrolled through the comments. I saw the good ones, but I also saw quite a few others. “These are…kind of creepy. This guy commented seven times. Ew.”

“I’d like to see her open her mouth that wide for me,” Brogan read one of the comments, cringing with me.

“The internet is a weird place,” Ash explained, brushing off any concern. “You just got to block those sociopaths out and focus on the majority.”

Thankfully, Oren came back to claim his phone, removing the temptation to give in to my morbid curiosity and read all the others.

“I can’t believe this. Not that it means anything, but it’s kind of huge,” Parker rambled.

“I’m happy for you guys. You’ve been busting your ass this past year.”

“For us,” Ash clarified. “We have been busting our ass.”

I held up my hands, taking a step back. “Uh, no. I’m not part of this.”

“Hell yeah, you are,” Brogan explained, hooking me back into the circle with a burly arm around my shoulders.

“I don’t think so.” I ducked out from under his arm, the thought a little overwhelming. Okay, a lot overwhelming. I just couldn’t quite decide if the overwhelming was good or bad. I stood closer to Parker, hoping he’d back me.

“Don’t go running to brother-dearest. We’ll have him kidnap you and take you with us when we go on tour,” Ash threatened.

“And I’ll do it,” Parker confirmed.

I turned to him with a dropped jaw. “Traitor.”

“Come on, Supernova. You have to sing with us again. They love you,” Brogan cajoled.

“Yeah, come on,” Oren added, winded from his run. “We need you.”

“You guys will be fine without me.”

“Nah,” Ash said. “You’re like the glue that keeps us grounded.”

“Truth,” Parker agreed. “Brogan and Oren would be arrested ASAP if they didn’t have you to be concerned about.”

“They’ll be arrested anyway.”

“Maybe,” Parker agreed.

“Probably,” Ash confirmed.

“But,” Parker said. “They will be less likely to be arrested as they will be on their best behavior because you expect nothing less.”

“Come on, Nova,” Oren whined, brushing his hair back and flexing. “I’m too pretty for prison.”

“Me too,” Brogan added.

“Say you’ll be in the band,” Ash pleaded.

“Nova. Nova. Nova,” Oren started chanting, and the guys quickly joined in.

“Oh, my god,” I groaned, laughing. These guys were crazy, and I couldn’t imagine not doing this with them. “Okay. Okay. Fine. You win. I’ll sing a few songs. Occasionally.”

This time when Oren did a victory lap, he tossed me over his shoulder and took me with him.

I laughed, and the guys followed behind, my hair flowing all around me. All of it played out—surreal but amazing.

I’d had such an exhilarating time on stage. I loved it.

Parker reached out, and I latched on to his hand. He pulled me from Oren’s shoulder and wrapped me in his arms.

Why not give in to the intensity a little bit longer?

Besides, I had Parker to keep me safe.

Twenty

Parker

P A S T

“Do you really think I should do this?” Nova asked me when we stood outside the apartment door.

I was just about to unlock it but stopped, giving her my full attention.

Even after hours of sweating under the spotlights and being exhausted, she still looked more stunning than ever before. I loved the way her hair curled along her hairline, the way her freckles showed more from where her makeup faded. Her bare lips, puffy from where she chewed the lipstick off all night.

I loved it all.

I framed her face in my palms, brushing my thumbs along the freckles I always loved to map, and stared into her emerald eyes, trying to remember why I couldn’t lean down and kiss her.

“Nova, I can’t imagine doing this without you.”

Her cheeks pinkened up, and her teeth came out to chew on her lip again to hide the smile I couldn’t get enough of.

“I’ve imagined