Starstruck (Heartstrings Duet #1)

7. find my way home

[ 7 ]

FIND MY WAY HOME

LENNON

Six Weeks Later

March

“MAYBE TOMORROW” BY STEREOPHONICS

“ S o, have you found a headliner for the benefit concert yet,” Isa begins from her spot on the couch beside me. “Or are you finally going to take my advice and ask Baxter?”

I huff a laugh over my sip of wine. My unforgettable night spent with the man in question is what gave me the idea to host a benefit concert to honour my parents. Isa knows that, which means that since Jeremy gave me the go-ahead for it, she’s mentioned asking Baxter to headline no fewer than ten times. And every time, I’ve given her the same response.

“Is, I told you, that’s not happening. Even if he was the last person on Earth, I wouldn’t ask him. We both agreed it was just one night, I can’t find a reason to make it more than that.”

She rolls her eyes with a smirk. “I know what you said. But like I said, I think the fact that he gave you eight motherfucking orgasms ?—”

I smile, rolling my lips together. It was actually nine, but I don’t bother correcting her.

“—in one night is reason enough. Plus, he’d be perfect as a headliner.”

I cock a brow. “Yeah, and he knows it, too. He’s a cocky son of a bitch, and truthfully, that’s why I can’t include him. He would make the show all about him , and I need the focus on my parents.”

She sighs. “If you say so, Lenny.” She finishes off her glass of wine before heading to the kitchen to get more. As she returns with a new bottle, she adds, “For real, though, Baxter aside, have you found one?”

I wait until she’s seated again, holding my glass out for her to pour me some. Then I smile as I share the secret I’ve been keeping. “Actually, yes. I booked one last week.”

She whips around to face me. “Bitch! And you’re just telling me this now?!”

I flinch, holding up my hands in defense. It’s been almost two weeks since I secured one, and it’s my fault for not telling her sooner. “I’m sorry! You were gone last week and then in the studio this week, and it’s been a bit hectic on my end, too. It slipped my mind.”

“Well, way to bury the lead.” She narrows her eyes at me, though she’s smiling. “Who’d you get?”

I smirk, pulling my lower lip between my teeth as I meet her eyes. She watches me with rapt attention, patiently waiting for me to say, “SON!C.”

As the band’s name comes from my mouth, hers falls open. “No. Fucking. Way.”

“Oh, yes way.” I smirk. “Still think I should’ve asked Baxter?”

Isa shakes her head in awe, and I laugh.

SON!C is the first band that was signed to my parents’ record label. The band was older and had been producing music independently for years, but despite all the interest they had, they’d never signed with a label. Until Revolution Records was born.

I’m not entirely sure what their reason for finally signing was. I’ve always assumed it was because of my parents, and I know I’m at least halfway right, because with their help, SON!C became overnight sensations. They’ve remained one of the label’s most popular acts, though they don’t sell out crowds the way they did when they first got signed.

But I think SON!C being my parents’ first sign also put Revolution Records on the map. I mean, a record label created by the world’s biggest rock duo was enough to grab people’s attention, but said label signing an already established band who had previously never shown any interest in being signed?

It blew them up.

Revolution Records becoming what it is today was a team effort between my parents and SON!C, so it doesn’t surprise me that they agreed to headline. Though when their manager told me they were in, the relief I felt was instantaneous. It was the first time since the idea of a benefit concert for Mothers Against Drunk Driving came to me that it really felt tangible—like my five-million-dollar goal was within reach.

It feels an awful lot like my life has purpose…like my parents’ deaths weren’t all for nothing.

And that feeling is everything.

“So, how many performers is that?” Isa asks, grabbing a handful of popcorn from the bowl on her coffee table.

“SON!C makes eleven. I have you—thank you again, by the way—right before them, and then the rest of the acts will be spread throughout the day. I’m still hoping to get that number up to fifteen or sixteen to draw more interest, but I’m really happy with the list so far.”

I pull up the list on my phone, holding it out for her to read.

She shakes her head in disbelief. “I can’t believe you got fucking SON!C to headline. And I can’t believe that you have me opening for them. That’s insane.”

“You technically aren’t opening for them,” I argue. “You’re just going on right before them. It’s a festival, it’s not the same as having an opening act. ”

“Potayto, potahto. I’m performing on the same stage as SON!C. Let me fangirl for a minute.”

I laugh. In today’s industry, Isa is more famous than SON!C, which is partially why her little freak-out is so funny to me.

“This is a good list so far, Lenny.” She examines the eleven names again. I have it laid out in time slots so I can get a good idea of how much time should be allotted to each set. “I don’t know who half of them are, but if we signed them, I’m sure they’re great.”

I can’t help the laugh that bubbles out of me.

If I’m being honest, I don’t know most of them either. When I brought this idea to Jeremy back in January, he was immediately on-board. The only condition he had was that everyone who was signed to the label in the past six months had to be included, of which there are eight. He said it would be a good way to get their names out there and boost their image, and assuming it’ll be as successful as I’m hoping, he wasn’t wrong.

I was happy to oblige his request and thankful that some of the stress of finding artists to perform was relieved for me. No one tells you when you decide to host a benefit concert that one of the hardest parts will be finding artists willing to donate their time. You’d think people would jump at the chance to perform for a good cause to honour the people who started the label and the biggest rock duo of all time, but the number of artists at Revolution who are just in this industry for fame and money is remarkable.

It’s sad, but also completely unsurprising.

Couple that with the expectations I’ve set for this concert, and it’s been a bit of a mess, to say the least. So far, I’ve only received confirmation from the eight new signs, one of the label’s long-time alternative artists, Isa, and SON!C. So really, I’ve only managed to get two artists to agree, because the new signs were practically forced into doing it and Isa was a given the moment I told her.

It pays to have a best friend who’s also a rock princess.

But if nothing else, I have a decent genre mix. And on the bright side, I have a headliner now, so I know that with time, the rest will fall into place.

I managed to book Tidal Waves—a lakefront concert venue—for the whole weekend, so set-up and take-down won’t be an issue. Considering I set a fundraising goal of five million dollars and am hoping to have around sixteen performers, I knew I needed a space that could hold at least ten-thousand people. The capacity of Tidal Waves is sixteen-thousand. I’ll sell some VIP tickets, and with merchandise and the other fundraising I plan to do, I should have no issues hitting my goal.

I smile to myself, proud of how nicely things are coming together. The benefit isn’t until August, but there’s so much to do between now and then, it’s nice to be able to check another thing off the list.

I look up at Isa. “This is gonna be good, isn’t it?”

“It’s gonna be so good. I’m proud of you, Lenny.” Isa smiles as she places her hand on mine. “And so are your parents, even if they aren’t here to tell you so themselves.”

I smile, tears welling in my eyes.

It’s been almost five months since that horrid day, and though it has gotten easier, they weren’t lying when they said grief comes in waves—whoever they is.

One day, I’ll wake up and it’ll be like the accident never happened.

The next, I’m back to wishing it was me who died instead.

But this concert has been a decent distraction from the prison that is my mind lately. And I know Isa’s right—my parents would be proud of me for this. I still feel like their deaths were my fault, and I don’t think that feeling will ever go away, but this feels like a good way to remember them.

Not that anyone has had a hard time doing that on their own. Every coffee shop, every bar, even every radio station is playing Thorned Roses lately. It’s becoming less so as more time passes, but even the top-forty and country stations have had some of their stuff in rotation. They were a rock duo, but there’s so much one can do within just that genre that even people who aren’t fans of rock music like some of their stuff.

My parents wrote songs for the people. They wrote songs that make people feel heard, make them feel seen. They wrote songs for the hurt, for the healed, for the healing. Their words have touched the lives of so many individuals, and it’s because of that I’m confident that even though they aren’t here anymore, they’ll never fully be gone. They’ll continue to live on in the words they shared with the world and the hearts of all the people they touched.

I miss them every day, but knowing that makes things just a little bit easier.

“Thank you, Is,” I tell her, squeezing her hand holding mine. “I think they would be, too.”