Rocked to the Core Read Online Free Page B

in."
    "Thanks."
    I stepped inside and felt surprisingly calm. The small bar was full, but many of the faces were familiar. I made my way between two scantily glad girls dancing by themselves who both eyed me like I was a piece of gum on the bottom if their shoes.
    "Some things never change," I muttered under my breath as I reached the bar. "Can I get a beer? Whatever's on tap."
    "You got it," the bartender said. He poured my drink and handed it over.
    "How much?"
    "Open bar for the party," he replied. "Including gratuities. No cash allowed."
    "Wow." I sipped the beer and looked around some more. The guys were definitely moving up in the world. Last year they'd never have gotten Ryan to spring for such an expensive night out.
    My eyes scanned the room constantly and I pretended I was just curious about the crowd, but it wasn't true. My heart skipped a beat every time I saw a dark head that could be Joe. But after a few passes of the space I realized he wasn't there. It was a relief and a disappointment.
    That disappointment deepened when the first person to walk over to me was Ryan, the band's manager and all around asshole supreme.
    "Melissa," he said, sipping on something green and faintly glowing. "I wondered if we might see you here."
    "Hi," was all I was willing to offer.
    His beady eyes bored into me but I refused to flinch or look away. He'd completely humiliated me in public once, and hastened my departure, and I wouldn't give him the satisfaction again.
    "I suppose you're in search of Joseph. He was around somewhere but it can be difficult to keep track of him. As I'm sure you are aware."
    "Actually I'm looking for Dex. He came by my work to invite me."
    "Oh. Interesting." He said interesting but I could tell the fact that he wasn't upsetting me meant he was bored with our conversation already. Which was fine by me. The fewer word we exchanged the less likely I was to knee him in the balls and get arrested. My typical aversion to crowds was feeding my anger at Ryan and the more furious I got the calmer I seemed on the outside.
    Finally he gave up and walked away without another word, slurping on whatever disgusting concoction he'd been drinking. He strode over to a group of girls and slithered between them. They looked about as grossed out as I'd expect, but allowed it because they knew who he was.
    Proud of the way I'd handled that encounter I turned back to the bar and ordered myself a shot.
    "Make it two. Or rather, four."
    I looked to my left and there was Dex.
    "Four?"
    "Two for each of us, of course."
    "Hey, go easy on me there. I've been living a civilian life for months, remember."
    "No mercy, Liss. We've got a lot of catching up to do and I expect it will go much better if we're both sloshed for it."
    "Well, when you put it that way." I grabbed two of the just-poured shots and handed one over. We clinked glasses and downed them. The liquor burned going down but warmed my insides, calming the last of my nerves.
    "So, what do you think of this shindig?"
    "Not bad," I admitted. "Ryan isn't really paying for all of this, is he?"
    "Nah, it's a gift from our label. Recording here is way cheaper than in Chicago so this is a bonus for changing our mind."
    "Nice bonus."
    "Yup."
    "So, I see most of the old gang, but where's Beth? She's someone else I owed a goodbye to."
    Dex slammed back his other shot and gestured to the bartender for a refill. This time he left the bottle and wandered off to the other end of the bar.
    "You didn't hear?"
    "Hear what?"
    "Beth got fired."
    "What? Why? She was awesome." And a good friend to me. I hoped that didn't lose her the job.
    "Oh it was all very dramatic," Dex intoned. One day we got on the bus and found her and Ryan yelling at each other. He called her some rather inappropriate names and told her to get off."
    "No shit?"
    "I swear. And she called him a dickless control-freak and left."
    I clapped my hands together with glee.
    "That was pretty much our reaction too," Dex continued.