Breaking South (Turner Artist Rocker #3) - Alyson Santos Page 0,85

meet you too…” He pauses, fishing for a name.

“Genevieve,” I respond.

“Genevieve,” he echoes, waving.

They straighten and take off, high-fiving each other and talking in animated tones the entire walk back to their car.

Oliver raises his window again. Adjusts his mirror. Latches his seatbelt.

“Can’t believe I’m dating the Oliver Levesque.”

We grab Hadley, and Oliver helps me down the stairs to my studio when we arrive back at the house. I’ve been bursting with excitement to listen to the final cut of the song since Joel sent it over, along with a note that nearly stopped my heart. It was so hard to resist the temptation to listen right away, but I wanted the first experience to be in its best form, shared with the most important people in my life.

Oliver must guess what’s about to go down when his smile grows into a grin as I position us by the console and fire up the studio monitors.

“New song?” Hadley asks, and I draw in a deep breath to face her. “Yes, but not just any new song. This is Viv Hastings’ first single.”

“Who?”

Oliver points to me with a smug look, and Hadley’s eyes widen. “Wait… all that time you’ve been spending down here with Joel was for a new artist?”

I nod, squeezing her arm. “It’s top secret. No one knows except Oliver, Joel, and now, you. We’re going to release it on the down low and see what happens.”

“But… wait… what… hold on…”

“It’s a long story,” I say with a laugh. “I’ll give you the long version later, just trust me. You’ll understand when you hear it.”

I click the link Joel sent me, my hand shaking as I press play when it loads. Gosh, I’ve never been so excited in my life. If there was any doubt that this new journey is the right one, it’s erased by one look at my expression in the mirror. Oliver sees it too and reaches over for my hand as the song starts.

“Unremarkable.” Goosebumps breakout over my skin. A whisper echo and reverb has been added to the breathy vocal, giving it an edgy depth.

Boom-boom.

“Unsustainable.”

Boom-boom.

“Unreliable, deniable, holy hell, I’m shakable, replaceable, untamable. I’ve heard it all.

Heard heard heard it all.”

Hadley’s mouth hangs open, her gaze swinging to me in disbelief. I nod back, my lips curving into a grin.

“Oh my goodness,” she mouths.

When the electric guitar and drums hit, all three of us are on the edge of our seats.

“Such a shame your endgames

Don’t concern me anymore

Yeah, see, I’ve heard heard heard it all before”

“Oh, she’s a one-trick pony

Though no one knows she

Rides beyond the phony

Tracks they only see”

The tight drone harmony we recorded fills out my lead vocal on the second verse, sending chills throughout my body. Gosh, I love this so much, and we haven’t even gotten to the good part.

“Cuz I’m no princess

And if you think I’ll miss this

Better get the message

I won’t”

I literally screech when I hear the strong male harmony come in on the chorus. Joel told me who he tapped to feature on this song, but I didn’t want to let myself believe it. Now, there’s no denying it. Twisted in intricate perfection around my lead vocal is the distinctive voice of Mason West from Burn Card. How Joel got him for this low-profile project is anyone’s guess, but it warms my heart to know Joel believes in it enough to cash in so many favors.

“You can keep me on the guestlist

Cuz I’m about to mess with

The secrets you’ve been left with

Just broke”

“Such a shame your endgames

Don’t concern me anymore

Yeah, see, I’ve heard heard heard it all before”

“Wait, who’s that? Sounds familiar,” Oliver shouts over the music.

“Mason West!” I shout back, bouncing in my chair.

“No way!” Hadley cries, clapping her hands. We exchange an excited look as Oliver shrugs.

“Who?”

“Burn Card,” Hadley explains to him, and his eyes widen.

“Oh yeah. Now I hear it.”

“No, this damsel doesn’t need your confession

These cries aren’t desperate

Just more leverage

Against the broken ties

Of sheltered minds

Hypnotized eyes

Bleeding lies

That no longer shake me”

There’s no more conversation during the manic end to the song. Joel went over-the-top on the production, adding strings, synth, and other effects to the violence of the bridge and final chorus.

“Make me sing while

This castle wall is coming down

Around old fears

These tears are just the fucking years spent getting here.”

Despite my ankle, I’m on my feet. How can I stay seated with this masterpiece echoing around us? I want to run to a stage. Grab a mic. Pour out my soul for an