at least turn out good for her, Grace thought. She’d lost hope for herself.
Tommy was visibly nervous as well. He kept fisting the steering wheel so tightly, the skin on his knuckles pulled tight and turned white. He didn’t say two words the whole way to Bountiful. Every few minutes, Emily glanced at Tommy, smiling from ear to ear. “Proud girlfriend” oozed off her in possessive waves. Grace tried nonchalantly to peek out the back window, wondering if she would see Quentin tailing them. Luckily, no one in the car appeared to have noticed as everyone else was lost in their own thoughts.
The Board Shop was in the middle of town in an old theater that had been renovated. Tommy parked his Blazer across the street, but didn’t move too quickly from his seat, instead tilting his head and focusing upward. They all followed his gaze, settling on the lit-up marquee as flashing lights ran laps around the edges. Large red letters at the top announced the night’s main attraction, Falling Down. The name on the bottom in slightly smaller red letters spread across the center of the marquee like a giant bull’s eye—Distant Echo. Tommy leaned back in his seat for a moment, his eyes shining and his smile a mile wide, obviously enjoying his band’s fifteen minutes of fame.
They all piled out of the car, everyone quietly smiling. The heaviness that had covered them like a blanket in the car seemed to dissipate with every step closer to the building. Grace tried spying with her little eye a certain someone as she inconspicuously glanced from left to right before crossing the street. That certain someone was incognito, but she wasn’t stupid. Her Guardian was there … somewhere.
Tommy left them once they were inside to go find the rest of the band, while the three girls looked around for the nearest bathroom. Twirling around like a hyperactive ballerina, Leah spoke up. “Found it. It’s over there!” She pointed toward the back of the large, open room. Grace finally saw the restroom sign above the door to the left of the stage. Leah beelined for the sign, with Grace and Emily following after her.
Soon, all three girls stood in front of the mirror evaluating their reflections, trying to determine if they appeared concert-ready. Since it was still early, the restroom was blessedly peaceful and they didn’t have to jockey for space in front of the mirror. Later in the evening would be an entirely different story.
“Well,” Grace said, yielding to the image. “Trust me, I don’t get any better than this. Ready?” Emily bounced up and down on her toes, visibly excited enough to pee her pants. Leah’s face paled. She was worse than in the car.
Leah’s gaze fell to the floor for a moment as she took a steadying breath. She looked up, her eyes pained with insecurity, and asked plaintively, “Do I look alright, you guys?”
“Absolutely,” Emily said.
“Of course,” Grace assured her. “You always do.”
Leah was cute and petite with a sweet, innocent Alice In Wonderland vibe, except she had a fashionable blonde bob rather than Alice’s long locks. Her hair was short, almost jaw length in the back, coming to a longer collarbone length in front. She was totally adorable, and Grace tweaked her hair and gave her a grin to remind her of that. With another deep breath, Leah walked briskly out of the bathroom. Emily shot Grace a knowing, exasperated glance as they picked up the pace in order to keep up.
The lights outside the bathroom were turned up more than when they had first entered the building. The walls were painted black, adorned with skateboards of every imaginable shape and color, and the carpet was blood red. Red curtains fell from above the stage, pooling in organized disarray atop the wood below. Stage lights hung from iron posts above. Round white lights bordered the wood platform from left to right. The music from arcade games reached Grace’s ears, encouraging her to guess what games they were. In the corner was a small coffee bar. Grace looked around, impressed with the venue. She didn’t know there were so many different types of skateboards a person could buy. She liked the place. It had a funky but fun vibe.
Grabbing Grace and Leah by the elbow, Emily ushered them forward. “Come on. Let’s get a seat up front before they’re all taken.” Emily was so predictable: she always sat in the very front row whenever Tommy played,