Free Buried Notes (Brothers of Rock #4) by Karolyn James, K James Page A

a few chords and
Chris writing some stuff about the night before.
    Nobody said a thing to Chris until
they were off the bus at the small arena in Reno.
    “Dude, those were good lines,” Rick
said to Chris.
    “They were decent,” Chris said.
“Johnnie made them lyrics.”
    That’s how the band generally
wrote. Someone would bring something to the table and it was up to Johnnie to
perfect the lyrics. Just as it was Davey and Danny’s job to perfect the music
of it all. Chris followed with his bass lines, adding fills when needed. Then
it went to Rick, who added that last little bit of Chasing Cross with catchy
drumbeats.
    After seeing the small arena and
the stage setup, the band had a quick run through of a few songs for a sound
check. Chris was relaxed as he played, watching the world spin around him. From
there the band had an interview on a local radio station that included playing
one of their songs acoustic. They took pictures in the studio and five lucky
Chasing Cross fans won a contest to meet the band at the radio station. It was
a filled day, a day that showed Chris again and again just what kind of impact
the band had already made. Meeting fans was always fun. They acted as if the
guys in Chasing Cross were something greater then humans.
    Back at the arena, a small group of
people waited for Chasing Cross to get back. The band signed autographs for
almost an hour. Peter called them into the building, and two hours later, it
was time to take the stage. The two opening acts played hard and fast, but it
wasn’t until both of them mentioned Chasing Cross did the crowd finally come
alive. Chris listened and smiled, remembering that feeling. Standing on stage
for thousands of people who weren’t there to see you play.
    But that was the road to rock n’
roll stardom. It was paved with enough bumps to make the strongest stomach
sick. It’s probably why so many chose to be numb and out of it during some of
the ride.
    Rick passed a flask around for one
last shot before the show started. Everyone took a drink and Rick gave himself
an extra one, something he did way too often. The band huddled together and
Johnnie gave a quick speech. Chris didn’t hear a word. All he could think about
was Becky. There was no way she’d come from Houston to Reno. It was hopeless.
    The call came from Peter and the
band’s opening music began to play, sending the crowd into a fury of cheers.
The adrenaline started pumping through Chris’s body. Chills ran up and down his
spine listening to fans cheer for the band.
    This made it all worth it.
    Even if he felt a little empty
right then, the fans filled him right back up.
    Chasing Cross took the stage five
minutes after ten and played until midnight. From the first note to the last
one, the crowd was theirs. They danced, sang, and there was never a slow
moment. Even when Johnnie spoke, the crowd was right there, listening and
responding. The show was so good that Chris almost wanted to play the song they
wrote on the bus, but that didn’t happen, and once the show came to an end,
Chris found himself leaning with one foot against a wall, a bottle of water in
his hand. He closed his eyes and tried to capture the feeling inside him,
wanting to hold onto it all night.
    Someone took the water bottle out
of his hand and replaced it with a beer bottle.
    “Celebrate,” Danny said. “That was
a great show.”
    Danny threw the water bottle down
the hall and laughed.
    Chris lifted the bottle and drank.
    Peter gathered up the band a few
minutes later and hurried them to the showers at the arena to clean up. He
wanted to get on the road within the hour and drive all night. Chasing Cross
had a radio interview at eleven in the morning in Las Vegas, leaving them not
much time to get there on schedule.
    They showered. They drank. They got
on the bus.
    They drank some more and Chris
called it a night - or morning - around three. He crashed with his head
spinning and fell into a dreamless sleep. When