More than Music

16

“All right then,” Ray said and turned to us. “It’s up you now. Whose team do you want to be on? Take a moment to talk it over.”

The crowd erupted with shouts, and we huddled together next to the drums. “What do you guys think?” Jared asked. “I think we should go with Angel.”

“I don’t know,” Hector said. “She hasn’t won before. Lance has won three times. Seems like a sure deal.”

“That’s why he won’t win again this year. Viewers are tired of it. They want someone else to win, with a new sound.”

“What about Dan?” Kyle asked. “Loaded River was my favorite band as a kid.”

“I don’t know. He didn’t seem that excited about us,” Jared said.

Kyle snorted. “He was more excited than Lance.”

“Maddie, what do you think?” Jared asked.

The three of them looked at me. I’d kept quiet until now because I wasn’t sure I’d get a vote. I was brand-new after all.

“Um.” I turned back to check out the mentors again. Definitely not Lance, but I couldn’t decide between Angel and Dan. Both of them thought we could go far in the competition, and both seemed to be good mentors from what I’d seen on previous seasons. The crowd chanted names, but it was hard to tell which name was the loudest.

“Time’s up,” Ray said. “Who do you pick?”

“Angel,” I told the guys. “I’d go with Angel.”

Hector rolled his eyes. “You only picked her because Jared did.”

“No, I picked her because she seemed the most enthusiastic. We need someone who will fight for us ‘til the end.”

“My thoughts exactly,” Jared said.

“Fine,” Hector said, and Kyle nodded.

We turned back to the mentors and the crowd, and Jared grabbed the mic. “We pick Angel.”

“And Team Angel gets another band!” Ray yelled.

One of Dark Embrace’s songs started playing through the speakers while Angel jumped up and cheered. She rushed onto the stage and hugged each of us before I knew what was happening. Her hair smelled of cigarettes and very strong perfume, and I nearly gagged.

“I’m so happy! Welcome to my team,” she told us before going back to her seat. She stuck her tongue out at Dan, who just shook his head.

The stage turned so the next band could audition. Bright lights flashed in my eyes as we were taken into another room, and as soon as the door shut, we all erupted.

“We did it!” Kyle wrapped an arm around Jared and Hector’s necks, bringing them in for a squeeze. “We actually did it! Alexis is going to be so jealous. She loves Angel.”

“I can’t believe it,” Hector said, his eyes wide. “Did that really happen?”

Jared laughed and clung to the other guys. “I told you we’d make it!”

I stood apart from their guy-bonding moment. It was fine—they’d been together for years, and I was the new kid. But then Jared pulled me over with an arm around my shoulder. “Get in here. You’re a part of this band, too.”

His touch sent sparks through me, as it always did. I had so much I wanted to say to him—to thank him for taking a chance on me and convincing the others to let me join the band. To tell him how much it meant that he’d believed in me. But this time, words failed me. Kyle looped his arm around my other shoulder, and the four of us stood together in a huddle, grinning ear to ear.

“That’s cute,” Ray said, speaking to a camera guy. “Make sure you get a shot of this.”

We pulled apart at the reminder they were still there. I’d completely forgotten about the interview they did with everyone who got on the show, when they asked how the band got started, what kind of music they liked—that kind of stuff. Hopefully one of the other guys would do all the talking since I’d been in the band for, oh, less than a day now.

Ray arranged us so that Jared and I stood in front, with Kyle and Hector slightly behind us and to the side.

“This will be quick,” he said. “I’ll ask you some questions and you’ll look straight at the camera when you answer. Don’t worry if you mess up, we’ll edit it together so you look good. Ready?” He launched right into it without waiting for a response. “I’m here with Villain Complex from Los Angeles, who just joined Angel’s team after a fierce battle between her, Dan, and Lance. Tell me, why did you pick Angel as your mentor?” He shoved the mic in Jared’s face.

“It was a tough decision, but she seemed like she wanted us the most.”

“You’re the singer, yes? Can you each state your name and what you play in the band?”

“Sure. I’m Jared Cross, and I’m the lead singer and bassist.” He flashed his stage smile, and Ray thrust the mic at me next.

“Oh, um.” I yanked at the bottom of my dress, worried the camera was getting a view. “I’m Maddie Taylor, and I play the guitar.”

“And sing backup,” Jared added, much to my dismay.

The other guys said, “Hector Fernandez, drums,” and “Kyle Cross, keyboard.”

“Great,” Ray said and then asked Jared, “So what does Villain Complex mean? Who came up with that?”

“I did,” Jared said. “It’s a play on the phrase ‘hero complex,’ which is when someone always wants to save the day and get recognized for it. I figured someone with a villain complex would crave the opposite—they’d want to be noticed for the bad things they do. Fame through villainy and all that.” He laughed. “Basically, we all love comic books, and villains are cool.”