Page 29 of Hard Rock Love

When we arrived at the place the interview was being held, I was astonished to find dozens of people rushing around, a full blown photographer’s studio with a pure white backdrop, a handful of makeup chairs, and racks upon racks of clothing.

“What is all this?” I asked.

“Wow,” Everly said, taken aback. “This online magazine thing must be a lot bigger than I thought.”

“You said it was just a blog!”

“Oh good, you’re here.” A young woman with a clipboard dashed up to us. “You must be Ever, from Where Angels Burn,” she said, referring to my sister’s band and stage name. “And you are?” she asked me.

“That’s my sister, Abby,” Everly explained.

“I’m tagging along today,” I said. “I hope that’s okay.”

“Sure, no problem,” the woman replied. “Don’t get in the way of the photographer and you’ll be fine.” She nodded to Everly. “Makeup and wardrobe are over there. The assistants will help you get ready. Although I don’t think you need any help with your makeup. That smoky eye is on point.”

“I thought this was an interview?” Everly asked.

“It started out that way, but once our Editor in Chief got ahold of it, she decided to do a whole series on the topic, with photo galleries and everything. She wants to do a sort ofwomen of rockexposé thing.”

We followed the clipboard woman to one of the clothing racks, where she instructed Everly to pick out three different outfits.

“This is like a legit magazine photoshoot,” Everly hissed in my ear, panicked. “I didn’t think it was this big of a deal.”

“You’re going to do great,” I reassured her.

“Don’t be nervous,” said a voice from the other side of the rack.

Two hands with bright red-tipped nails pushed the clothes hangers to the side, revealing equally red lips curled into a smile.

“It might seem nerve-wracking, but these guys are great,” Cerise said as her face appeared between two leather jackets. “They’re not those kind of click-bait journalists who will try to trip you up. They want you to look and sound as good as possible.”

“You’ve worked with them before?” Everly asked, sounding more at ease.

“Yeah, they’re cool, I promise,” Cerise replied before going back to sorting through the clothing. “It’s hard trying to find something that won’t clash with my hair. I guess I’m stuck with black, like always.”

“I know the feeling,” Everly said, gesturing to her own colorful strands.

I spied a pair of ankle boots and snatched them up, along with hot pink skinny jeans.

“What do you think?” I asked my sister, holding them out to her. “It matches.”

“Love it,” she replied. “That’s one down.”

“Hey Abby, you’re taking English in college, right?” Cerise called out from over the clothes racks.

“I am,” I said.

“Do you ever tutor?”

My heart pounded in my chest. Did Cerise know about me and Seth? Had she found out his secret?

“Why do you ask?” I said carefully.

“There’s this youth center I sometimes volunteer with,” she began. “Their usual English tutor for the after-school program is going to be away for a few months, so they need someone to fill in.”

Relief swept through me. Cerise didn’t know. This was totally unrelated to Seth. Even though I’d been avoiding him for days, that didn’t mean I wanted his secret to get out. I understood how important it was for him to keep this from his band.

“It would be a temporary thing, only for a few months,” Cerise continued.