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“Wanna grab something to eat?” Iggy asked.
Andrej was immediately in, and José got his hoodie.
“Tris?”
“Maybe I’ll join you later,” he replied, peering down the hallway toward the dressing room.
José put a hand on his shoulder. “We were at Valerie’s earlier. Leaf got you a sandwich. Just grab it when you’re hungry.” He then glanced back and greeted Carol.
Tristan was glad he had filled José in on his efforts with Carol earlier that day. Although it had been too soon to draw any conclusions, things were still unclear. As Carol waited for him, she appeared to have news to share.
Andrej, José, and Iggy slipped out the back, and Carol walked up to Tristan.
“Let’s go outside,” she said, opening the door to the back alley.
It was already dark, the place dimly lit by a lone streetlamp. Hidden behind their cars, they could talk in peace without being visible from the main road.
“So,” Carol said, taking out her phone and opening the app where she kept her notes. She brushed her blonde hair back and cleared her throat as if preparing for a long speech. “I couldn’t postpone the gigs in Seattle and Portland. You still have to do those on Monday and Tuesday. But I found a spot for Wednesday after making some calls.”
“Wednesday.”
“Yeah. That’s good, right?”
Tristan nodded, forcing a thin smile. José’s words from this morning still rang in his ears — Leaf had almost died. “Yeah… Yeah, that’s good.”
“Tris? You’re going to tell him, right?”
“Yeah… Of course.” Tristan knew he wasn’t fully present and widened his eyes. “I’ll tell him.”
Carol scrutinized him. “What happened?”
A slight twitch of his mouth was all Tristan could manage. Then he sighed. “Leaf OD’d last night. He…”
He wanted to say something to get it off his chest, but somehow he couldn’t find the words.
“How…?” Carol asked, completely taken aback by the news.
“José was there and Nathan too. He had naloxone with him.”
They were silent for a moment until Carol spoke. “All the more reason for him to agree to the therapy.”
“I’ll talk to him.”
“Do that. They’re only holding the spot until tomorrow afternoon. He has a celebrity bonus, you know? I have to let the promoters know by tomorrow evening. If Leaf doesn’t start therapy, he’ll have to keep going on the tour, whether he likes it or not. We’ll also need to start looking for a replacement just in case.”
It was actually good news—they had the opportunity to reschedule a few concerts. But the idea of touring the world without Leaf loomed large and sent him into a panic, especially now that they had started to reconnect.
“Where is he anyway?” Carol asked. “Was he at the soundcheck?”
“Yeah, he…” Tristan ran both hands through his hair and breathed in the fresh air. “He’s with Nathan in the dressing room.”
38
–––––
Before The Storm
Leaf’s leg bounced nervously, his eyes darting repeatedly to the door. After the soundcheck, he had unexpectedly bumped into Nathan backstage. The photographer had just arrived through the back entrance, laden with his equipment, and was heading to the dressing room. Leaf had decided to accompany him. He wasn’t surprised that Andrej and José hadn't followed; they had a well-worn routine of heading straight to eat after soundcheck. But where was Tristan?
