Page 33

“Hola, Andrejos.”

“Listen …” Andrej continued. “I would have suggested we meet up, but I’m here in Santa Monica, and this can’t wait.”

“What’s up?”

“I … uh … Carol called me and asked if we should get ourselves a backup.”

“What are you talking about?”

“Well, what happened is bad enough. But Leaf is a huge risk for us to let this tour fail.”

José became suspicious and snuck a glance at his brother. As the light turned green, he continued driving with an uneasy feeling because he somehow sensed where this conversation was heading.

“And why should that concern me?” Iggy asked, appearing bored as he tucked a strand of his black hair behind his ear. Despite the air conditioning, he was drenched in sweat.

“Carol asked me if I knew anyone who could replace Leaf. You’re the only one who came to mind. You’d be perfect for it.”

There was a moment of silence on all sides. José glanced at his brother and changed lanes. Shortly after, he pulled up at a liquor store; the first available parking spot he could find. He didn’t want to have this conversation while driving.

“Are you still there?” Andrej asked.

“Coño! You can’t just drop a bomb like that!” José exclaimed. “We’re talking about Leaf here!”

“Iggy! What do you say?”

José paused, irritated that Andrej was ignoring him, and glimpsed at his brother. Iggy seemed quite at a loss.

“Well, uh … I have a lot of work for university,” he hesitated, nervously tapping his right foot. “I have to write a paper.”

“Aren’t you on break already? And those last forever! You could skip a semester, no problem, right?” Andrej interjected.

“You seem to have thought this through pretty well,” José said, giving his little brother a warning look.

“I’m not saying it has to be immediate,” Andrej defended on the other end. “But come on, you’ve seen how Leaf is doing.”

“Tristan is back. He’ll handle it.”

“Tristan, yeah. With Leaf, I’m honestly not so sure.”

“I can’t just go on tour,” Iggy said. “I have to write a paper.”

“You study art!” Andrej exclaimed.

“What the fuck?” Iggy snapped, taking the phone and speaking into it as if it were a microphone. “I study art history, pendejo! You know that! What’s your problem, man?”

José snatched the phone from him, turned off the speaker, and put it back to his ear. “Got it, I'll think about your suggestion.”

“The clock is ticking, Martinez. And I’ll be honest. I don’t want to play in a band with a junkie that’s being hyped up from all sides. The higher you fly, the harder you crash. And Leaf is definitely a big risk that could destroy us all.”

José sighed. “Listen, I understand your concerns. I really do, but …”

“I joined this band because I believe in it. But I’ve got bills piling up too. Not to mention, I’m still paying off student loans. If this tour has to be canceled because of Leaf, then …”

“Nothing’s getting canceled,” José interjected. “Let’s not rush into anything. Let me talk to Leaf.”

“Do that,” Andrej remarked, not sounding thrilled.

“And you, chill out,” José warned. “Give Tristan at least a few days to get back on track.”