Bad Nymph Read Online Free Page A

head.
    “Nothing. I…I have to go and
take care of some stuff inside,” I said, turning to indicate to the stage door
behind me. The waters could wait. I needed to know how soundcheck went...and needed to squeal and moan to Sierra. It was too bad that I couldn’t
share the extent of my dilemma, but at least I could get some advice.
    “Right, of course,” he said,
stepping away from me with a sheepish smile. “I’ll see you after the show?”
    “Yeah,” I said, letting out
a deep breath. “Definitely.” I walked back towards the metal door, doing my
best not to look back at the masterpiece of a man behind me. I only failed in
this mission once, which was a hell of a lot better than I expected.
    But as soon as I got
backstage, I was swept up in all the little details—Martin was back but
he needed the spare strings I carried in my backpack. The stage manager needed
me to sign a release. Brandon kept sneezing thanks to the damn cat.

 
 
    By the time everything was
ready to go, I was ready to collapse. While part of me wanted to corral them
into a big group like in Orlando, I felt too defeated to do anything to raise
their morale. The stage manager, a guy about our age with gauge piercings, went
over a tedious checklist that I was sure the guys retained none of. I could see
the dread on their faces. This was it, and the journey had hardly even begun.
    I opened my mouth to say
something vaguely positive once the stage manager left, but Martin cut me off,
surprising everyone.
    “Hey guys,” he started,
shuffling his feet for a moment. Then he looked up and took in each of our
faces, as if expecting us to protest. I could tell by the way he sucked in his
lips for a moment that he was on edge.
    “I just wanted to say...well
I’ve been a total ass these last few days, and I’m sorry. But no matter what, I
think you all are awesome, and I just can’t believe this is over before it even
started. If you want to go on tour again...well, you know where to find me,” he
said, letting out a long exhale. Brandon beamed at him, and I couldn’t help but
suspect that he was the one behind this sudden show of affection.
    “Hey man,” Nick said, his
lips curling up in a sweet smile. “This isn’t the end. Just an unexpected
detour.”
    “Group hug!” Brandon called
out, throwing his arm around me and Sierra, pulling our bodies forward. I
laughed, throwing an arm around Nick, and we all formed a tight circle of
bittersweet hugs until we were broken up by the stage manager, warning us that
the house was open and that the guys would be on in five.
    “Break a leg,” I said as the
guys threw their guitars around their necks, kicking their cases to a dark
corner.
    “Or just kick major ass,”
Sierra winked. “You know, whichever.”
    Brandon laughed and I tossed
him two water bottles from my backpack to take with them onstage. “Make sure
you have a set list!” I called after them. Martin turned and waved me off with
a smile, like the nagger that I am.
    “You’re like their mother,”
Sierra laughed.
    “Trust me, you’re not the
first one to say that. Now let’s go set up the merch table early. I kind of want to watch the set from the back.”
    By the time we got the table
set up and all the shirts and CDs laid out, I realized with a nervous flutter
that Aamir was somewhere in the crowd. I scanned the
sea of tight pants, colorful hair and band shirts, but he was nowhere in sight.
    “So,” Sierra poked me in the
side and I jumped, pulled out of my thoughts. “Are you going to tell me what he
said or not?”
I sighed and scanned the area around us once more before
divulging to her the details of my conversation with Aamir .
    “Holy crap,” she said, her
jaw hanging wide open. “You are so lucky.”
“Um hello, weren’t you the one
that was telling me I should be patient with Trent? I have no idea what to
do!”   I moaned, dropping my head in
my hands.
    “Well...who do you want to
be with?” she