Higher Octave (Heavy Influence #2.5) by Ann Marie Frohoff Read Free Book Online

CORNER
     
    I spotted Bobby walking
briskly toward the front door, smoking a cigarette. He looked a bit
more put together than he normally did, as in…not homeless, in torn
and fraying garments. I’d never seen him in sweatpants before,
these were the fashionable kind of peg-legged pants, black with a
white strip going down the side of each leg. He wore new black
Converse tennis shoes and a fitted white v-neck tee shirt. I
smiled, amused; Marshall finally got to him. He stopped short,
throwing down his cig, stomping it out. For a second, I thought he
was going to leave the butt there, but he picked it up and tossed
it in the city trashcan on the corner – good boy.
    When he arrived at the table, I couldn’t
help but give him a hard time. “Isn’t it against the law to smoke
on these streets?”
    He looked around. “Fuck’em,” he murmured,
dipping his head and chuckling. “They can sue me.”
    “You’re lookin’ snaz,” I smirked, crossing
my legs.
    “You like?” He tugged at his v-neck. “I
thought I might as well wear the clothes Marshall keeps buying me.
He left me no choice when he packed my bags and didn’t put any of
my old shit in there.” He shrugged. “I actually don’t mind lookin’
good.”
    He’d mentioned it to me several times after
he moved up north that he’d have to invest in a new wardrobe if he
wanted to fit in with Marshall’s friends. Not that he really cared,
but Marshall did.
    “What? Time to grow up?” I teased. “And
throw away the sneaks you’ve been wearin’ since high school?”
    He clutched his chest in mock pain. “My
babies? Who have carried me a million miles all over the world?
Never!” he threw up his arm and pointed to the sky in animated
conviction. “I’ll never grow up.”
    I laughed. “Me either, man.”
    Bobby yanked on the chair pulling it out and
sat down. “So what’s this all about?” He leaned in intently. “We’re
going in to record those songs, right? In a couple of days?”
    “Yeah, and some journalist wants to
interview me, and I thought you should be here, too. I know he’ll
probably be more interested in the past, than my future.”
    “I wouldn’t say that, man.” Bobby tried to
be optimistic.
    A guy named Glen Lim, a
Huffington Post and Rolling Stone contributor, met us a short while
later. A fortyish, athletically slender white dude with blonde hair
– Huh? His last
name threw me off. I was expecting an Asian dude. Glen reminded me
more of a pro-golfer than a music journalist. I’d read many of his
articles, but never knew what he looked like. He was nervous,
jittery in fact, and I found it odd, considering his long list of
exclusives with music greats. Maybe he’d had too much
coffee.
    He introduced himself to Bobby and I with a
damp hand, and for the first fifteen minutes, he stuck to talking
about the video Marty produced from the Hotel Café show. Then Glen
began treading lightly on my rocky road, and I was as gracious as I
could be with answers, until he asked about Sienna and if any of
the rumors of our affair were true.
    I stiffened and cast a
glance to Bobby, who scowled at Glen. Poker face , I thought before I
spoke . “Sienna and
I were very close, Glen. People can assume what they want about
us.” I shrugged. “I haven’t seen Sienna in a few years. We
primarily keep in touch by texts here and there. She knows where
I’m at if she ever needs me.”
    “I recently met with her to
discuss her book deal. You must know she’s written a book
titled, With the Band – it’s about her life and time with Rita’s Revolt .”
    No, I didn’t know, and all the tendons in my
body tightened. I nodded and forced a smile. “Good for her. I’ve
heard embarking on a project like that can help you heal.” I
sighed, crossing my legs. “You know, Sienna and I went through a
few rounds of rehab together. We were, unfortunately, each other’s
enablers for a while, until we parted and got serious about our
recovery. I love