Learn to Fly by Heidi Hutchinson Read Free Book Online Page A

out the
window, enjoying the peacefulness of the prairie as it passed
outside. What a weird first day.

    ***

    During stage setup,
the band was sleeping and Lenny decided to learn as much as she could
about the equipment. She had never handled musical instruments
before; she came from a family of devoted athletes. She understood
gym equipment and sports gear; weight plates, dumbbells, sparring
helmets and gloves, various forms of physical protection and how to
utilize all of those items to the maximum benefit of the user.
Guitars, drum kits, amplifiers, mic stands and the like were
completely foreign to her. But she was a fast learner and applied
herself full force.
    She made sure the
band got to sound check and then she took her first official break of
the day. She changed into athletic shorts, a sports bra, and running
shoes. She texted Carl, telling him she would be back in two hours,
and went for a run.
    The fresh air helped
clear her head. The time went fast and she arrived back at the
venue. After a couple minutes of snooping around, she found a shower
in the stadium and took advantage of it. She dressed quickly in
jeans and a blue tank top and went backstage to make sure everything
was still on track.
    Sam, head of
security, greeted her first and pointed her towards Carl, in the
sound booth with the technician. Carl looked up and smiled when he
saw her. She raised her eyebrows in silent question; his smiles had
been few and far between for the most part.
    “ It’s
all good,” he said happily, “all according to plan.”
    “ Good.”
Lenny shifted her gaze to the band warming up on stage. “They
sound tight,” she looked at the sound tech, “Would you
mind if I sat in here with you during the show? I won’t get in
the way.”
    “ Fine
with me,” he replied.
    Carl dismissed
himself leaving Lenny and Greg, the sound engineer, alone. Lenny
paid attention to all the little switches and knobs, memorizing as
much as she could without asking questions. She didn’t want to
be a distraction.

    ***

    Mike could see
everything from his position behind the drums. He watched Lenny walk
back to the sound booth but, more importantly, he saw Luke staring at
her. His posture and playing changed just noticeably. It was like
he was trying to show off a little. Mike chuckled to himself,
realizing Luke’s crush. He made a mental note to ask him about
it later.
    When sound check
wrapped up, Mike took a long pull from his water bottle and followed
the rest of the band back to the Blue Bus to chill before the show.
    “ So,
I noticed that someone has eyes for the new hottie,” Mike
casually remarked as they relaxed in the main lounge.
    “ Who
doesn’t?” Sway mumbled, rummaging through the fridge.
    “ No
shit, that chick is smokin’.” Blake took a drink from his
water.
    Mike kept his focus
on Luke who shifted uneasily on his feet, looking anywhere except at
Mike.
    “ I
wasn’t talking about you horn dogs,” Mike replied.
    They turned to Luke
who still hadn’t said anything.
    “ You
like Lenny, Luke?” Leave it to Harrison to just be out with
it.
    Luke looked up,
pretending to be confused, “What? No, of course not.”
    “ So
you hate her?” Harrison was deliberately trapping him into a
confession of some kind.
    “ No,
I don’t hate her, don’t be ridiculous. She’s
nice,” Luke stammered, looking uncomfortable.
    “ So
you do like her.” Harrison wanted an absolution, his face the picture
of innocence.
    “ What
do you want me to say?” Luke was growing more agitated. “You
want me to say I think she’s good looking, she is. You all
think so, too. Why does it matter if I say it?”
    “ Whoa,
dude, relax,” Blake dramatically widened his eyes and motioned
with his hands for Luke to calm down, “We’re not the ones
in love with her.”
    Luke rolled his eyes
and stormed towards the door. “You’re a bunch of dicks,
you know that?” He left in a huff as the others burst into
laughter.
    “