Surrendering (41 page)

“Shit, man, this seems like a lot of stuff I know nothing about. I’m in unchartered territory here. You got people to do this?”

“I have a few people I can put you in touch with. This is a critical piece to the puzzle and you need to make sure you pick someone you trust.”

This is the perfect time for me to speak up. “Um, guys, can I break in?” All heads turn to me.

“I was going to talk to you about this later after Jay left, but he gave me the perfect segue. I’m in a new business class and my group project is to present evidence about the effects Social Media has on business. Webpages, Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, Online Marketing tools, etc. So I’ve been thinking how to come up with a presentation and I thought of Sayge. You absolutely fall into the entertainment business category. What I’m offering is to completely create your social media presence. My whole group would participate in getting you on the internet. It won’t be anything like a professional marketing team, but I think we could put something together that would help get your band noticed. You can accept or reject any of our ideas. Our goal is to prove that the presence of social media is a critical tool in today’s operational objectives.”

It’s so quiet; I get nervous. All five pairs of eyes are staring at me. Nate stands up and kneels in front of me. He lifts my left hand and holds it to his lips. “Raven, you have officially become the love of my life. Give this tool back his ring and I’ll replace it with one twice its size. You and I will get married and have beautiful and brilliant little babies. You are the most perfect girl in the world.” He starts to kiss my hand, but Declan kicks him in the stomach.

“Yo Douche, get your hands off my woman.” He jokes back.

Nate lifts his hands in surrender and laughs. “Hey, man, I had to try; this girl is the SHIT!”

“I know. Next time you put your lips on her, you’ll find them busted.”

The room comes to life and they love my idea. Jay compliments me on the whole thing and asks for an outline. I suggest inviting my group over this afternoon to discuss the details. My classmates already discussed doing our project on Sayge, but we had to wait for the bands approval before going any further. I’m working with the same group from last semester since we all ended up in the same class together. I text them and everyone says they can make it here in an hour.

The guys talk about all the cities they will be going to in the upcoming months. There’s a festival in Jacksonville Beach that falls over my spring break. I mention to Declan that maybe we can stay for a few days.

At 5:00, Anna, Brent, Kyle, and Mari all crowd into the living room. I get out my laptop and pull up a few websites to review.

“Okay, before I get started, on a scale of one to ten with ten being the highest, how familiar are you guys with social media?” I ask Declan and the rest of his band.

“To be fair, let’s say five.” Cooper answers for the group.

“Okay, here’s what we’re going to do. Each of us has an individual responsibility and we get together each week to analyze the data we’ve collected. First things first, we need footage of you. Not just performance video. I want backstage, practice sessions, maybe even some stuff when you go to the studio. Kyle and Brent are going to do the actual videography. When we get what we want, it’ll be uploaded. We’ll need a lot because I don’t want to have the same clips everywhere.

“Anna and I will create your Facebook and Twitter Accounts, and Mari is going to start a blog. All of these sites will carry similar information, but the goal is to get followers in every area. The webpage is our biggest project. We’ll have tabs that will showcase all things Sayge. Bios, show schedules, upcoming events, pictures, video, all of it. What we’ll do is create the platform and you can be involved with all the creative processes. Once we turn in our data, and the project is over, we’ll know what your biggest success was. Then you can keep it going. I’ll help of course because it’ll just be maintenance by that point. What do you think so far?”

“So what do you need from us to start?” Declan asks.

“We need your participation immediately. As a matter of fact, we need to start tomorrow. Anna is going to contact each of you for bio information and I need your schedule. Tomorrow after class, we’ll get started on opening all the accounts. I have enough pictures from Atlanta to upload right now, but I’ll want more by the end of the week. Kyle will be with us on Thursday night and we need backstage access to film your set up. Then he’ll get the show too. I plan to have the Facebook, Twitter, and blog site up by Friday. If this goes as planned, you’ll be announcing that you’re going to be recording the show and to visit Sayge on Facebook during your last set on Thursday night. That should start the ball rolling. Did I miss anything?”

I look at my school friends, but they shake their heads at me.

“I have a question, Angel,” Nate purrs at me, trying to get a response from Declan who glares at him. “Why aren’t you doing the bios? You’re with us all the time.”

“That’s exactly why. Anna hardly knows y’all and can write without being bias. I don’t think I could sit and conduct a serious interview with you at all.”

He shakes his head in understanding.

Jay likes every aspect of the plan and wants to be on our email chain for daily updates. He especially wants some footage so he can get more applications out. We order pizza and my group heads to the kitchen to outline our goals for the week. We also pull some ideas from blogging websites for background and colors. I choose a cool design with deep red and black colors. When I start to show off the design to the guys, they look at me like I’m crazy.

“New rule, Sparkle, you guys choose all the designs, colors, and content. We don’t give a shit about that. You show us the end product and we’ll tell you if we want any changes.” Declan tells me. “Basically, you’re in charge.”

“Okie dokie, are you going to be this laid-back when we plan the wedding?”

“Probably, I only have a few requirements. You and your mom can have carte blanche, unless you take me up on my Vegas proposal.” He wiggles his eyebrows at me.

I join the others in the kitchen and relay his message. Anna looks at me questionably, “Did you say something about a wedding?”

“Yeah, we got engaged over the holidays.”

“That’s so cool!” Mari reaches for my hand to see the ring and shows it off to Anna. Kyle and Brent look very much out of their element and join the others playing video games.

*****

Thursday night rolls around and I’m exhausted. With all my schoolwork, I’ve had to stay up until midnight almost every night so I could help create a social circuit for Sayge. Kyle’s getting the footage of the show tonight and he promised to have the edited versions to me by 10am tomorrow so we can add it to the sites we created.

Sayge is playing tomorrow night at a new bar. That means they’re playing three nights in a row this week. I promised Declan I would go tomorrow since it’s a new place, but I’m taking a much-needed break and having a girls’ night in on Saturday.

I invite Anna to come along with me tonight to The Steamroom. When we arrive, I lead her through the bar to our usual room. Kyle’s in the corner trying to be conspicuous. I know he’s trying to make everyone forget he’s there so the material is genuine. I give a slight wave and get a beer. I don’t see Declan anywhere so I head backstage where I find him talking on the phone.

“You don’t have anything? Really? This is getting too close to home, Finn.”

Silence.

“Yeah, I know, but I don’t want to worry her. She’s got a lot going on right now with school and she’s about to start traveling with us on the weekends. Thank Christ for that. I wouldn’t be able to leave town if she didn’t come with us.”

Silence.

“Listen, I wasn’t insulting your ability to watch out for her man; I’m just fucking going crazy thinking about how something might happen to her.”

Silence.

“She’s coming here tonight and I’m going home with her. I’ll take her to school tomorrow. Can you get her after class? Oh yeah, tomorrow night is a new place. I know the layout, but you might want to come with her.”

Silence.

“Yeah, I’ll bring it to you tomorrow morning. Thanks, man.”

He hangs up. When he sees me, panic washes over his face. I cross my arms over my chest and plant myself in place. I raise my eyes, waiting on an explanation.

He sighs loudly and throws his head back. “How much did you hear?”

“Start from the beginning and I’ll let you know where I walked in.”

“Sparkle, I’m not sure-”

“Don’t you dare! You tell me right now or I’ll turn around and leave.”

“I was talking to Finn.”

“That much I know.” I shoot back angrily.

“The threats haven’t stopped. This morning, I found a note on your car in front of my house.”

“What did it say?” I soften my tone. I’m starting to get crept out.

“’BITCH’ in what looks like fingernail polish. But the way the polish dribbled down the paper, it looked like something out of a horror movie.”

“What else aren’t you telling me?”

He lets out another breath. “I’ve been getting weird, suggestive text messages and hang ups at the house. None of them have been traceable so far.”

“Weird how? Show me.” I walk over to him and motion to his phone.

“I really don’t want to; they’re gross.”

I stare at him again waiting.

“Before you see them, I want you to know that none of them are real. I’m not sure where this sick fuck is getting them, but there’s even one with an apa. I know it’s not me because the piercing’s not the same. I have never changed my barbell and very few people have actually seen it.”

He scrolls through his messages and shows me at least a dozen pornographic images of different poses and sexual positions. He shows me the picture with the piercing and I laugh out loud.

“You’re right; that’s definitely not you.” I cover my mouth. This is not a good time to be laughing.

“You’re not completely freaked out?”

“I guess I should be, but I’m more pissed at you and Finn. I can’t believe you guys kept this from me. Don’t do it again.”

“I’m sorry; I wanted to protect you. I was hoping to find this fucker so you wouldn’t have to worry anymore.” I can hear the shame in his voice.

I lean in and kiss him to let him know we’re okay. I don’t want him to know how freaked out I am inside. But I’m worried about him, not me.

“Baby,” he says against my lips. “Out of curiosity, would you have known that wasn’t my dick if I hadn’t told you?”

“Yep.” I emphasize the ‘p’.

“Want to tell me how?”

I look around to make sure we’re still alone. The coast is clear so I jump on him and his arms go under my thighs to support me. I try to sound seductive in a throaty whisper, “Because, sweetheart, yours is huge with a visible vein at the tip. The space where the apa comes through has a little ‘v’ that I like to rub my tongue over. Also, when you’re hard, your cock is so thick that your skin stretches over the piercing.”

I feel him thicken against me and the moisture pool between my legs. He walks me back until I’m against the wall so he can use it to help support me.

“You have no idea what you just did to me. You’re such a fucking turn on. When we get home tonight, we are going to discuss every word you just said in detail.”

“Promise?”

“I fucking love you.”

He kisses me, mimicking the motions of his tongue with his hips pushing into me. I beg him to stop before I come against his leg- again. Then a vision of our stalker recording us pops into my head and I pull back quickly. He puts me down and we compose ourselves before going back to the stage room.

Sayge had another great night performing and Kyle left after the last set to start editing. Mari took some pictures with her phone and uploaded them to the blog. Anna and I waited for the announcement at the end of the show telling people about Sayge’s new Facebook page. I didn’t care if I looked like a dork; I laid out my laptop on the couch next to us and kept refreshing the page. The guys joined us and started drinking while the two of us watched for activity. Thirty minutes later, posts start pouring in. Snapshots are tagged, comments are left, and we have fifty new ‘likes’ on the page. We jump up and down, hugging each other.

“Girl on girl love, that’s what I’m talking about!” Someone yells from the crowd behind us.

“No, you idiots; come here quick.” I refresh the page and show the guys. Their ‘
Fan Page
’ now has fifty-five likes.

“That’s fucking cool, Rave! When will you load the pics from tonight’s show?” Nate asks.

“Tomorrow, my precious Natey.” I started calling him this after his mock proposal last week. He likes it, but Declan thinks it’s a little too touchy and rolls his eyes when I use it.

After an hour of watching the internet, Anna says she’s tired and leaves. I lean into Declan’s shoulder while he finishes his beer and end up drifting to sleep against him.

I stir awake to the sound of a car buckle clicking. Declan has carried me to his truck and strapped me in.

“Don’t forget my laptop, please.”

“Got it right here with the rest of your stuff. Go back to sleep. I’ll wake you up when we get to your place.”

“I’m sorry I fell asleep on you.”

“Don’t be, Raven; I’m so fucking proud of you and your friends. That Facebook site looks great.”

“Hmm, thanks,” I say as I fall asleep against his headrest.

*****

I set-up a meeting to take place today after school with Declan and Finn. I asked the boys if we could have it at Declan’s house because no one else in our group of friends knows about the threats. I have a theory about the stalker and I want to run it by them. Whoever this person is has been watching us closely.

Finn has turned colder towards Declan and I know it’s because of the sex video. Declan and I have discussed the upcoming out-of-town shows with Finn and he’s dead set against me traveling with Sayge. There’s been a few heated discussions among the three of us and I still haven’t decided if I should go or not. I have to tell them my theory and find out what they think before I make my final decision.