Miles of Pleasure (9 page)

"Good, everyone's here," Cody said, closing the door. "I have some news. Some may think it's bad, some may think it's good." He looked around at all the blank faces. "I just got a very interesting call. A producer from the MTV Music Awards called, and it seems one of the bands in the Best New Artist category have gotten themselves into quite a bit of trouble, so much trouble that they need to be removed from the nomination. They would like to put you guys in their place. It seems the makeshift video we put out has caused quite a stir with the audience, bad for the suckers who couldn't stay out of trouble, good for you guys."

Everyone looked at each other for a long moment. It was almost as though no one wanted to break the silence. Was this good? Was this bad? Colton was the first to voice his opinion.

"No way! That video was shit. All it shows are clips from our past concerts. How can anyone even call that a video when most of these artists spend serious bucks on their videos?"

"Well, your popularity is growing faster than we'd imagined. All the rest of the shows we have you booked to play are sold out now. It seems like you guys are better received than any of us had predicted," Jayden, always the publicist, told them. "That makes the format of the video irrelevant at this point. The fans have spoken and they really like you. To MTV, that's really all that matters. Besides, when you guys play, you're captivating, and people can't help but watch and enjoy what they're seeing and hearing."

"So, essentially in two weeks you will be in Miami at the Video Music Awards," Cody said. "This is a really big break for you. Even though you have a growing fan base, we still need this kind of publicity to launch you guys even further into the mainstream. That means you will be on your best behavior, and you won't cause any problems," Cody warned and looked at Ashton.

"Hey! Why're you looking at me?" Ashton asked, offended. "I always behave."

Cody actually rolled his eyes. Kaylee hid a grin behind her hand.

"Listen, Ashton, we know you're a 'playboy', and that's the image that you want to portray, but do you think you could keep it clean for one night? It's great if you have a date, but there are certain behaviors that don't belong at the awards ceremony," Cody explained.

"I get it, keep it PG-13," Ashton said. He thought for a moment. "Wait, do I know anyone PG-13?"

"Can we all bring dates?" Noah asked, unable to hide the smile spreading across his face. He couldn't believe that this was actually happening to them.

"Yeah, I'd actually recommend it. It'll give you guys more of a sexy, untouchable vibe, which will drive the women crazy," Jayden said. "Besides, you guys are going to be nervous as hell, and a lady by your side might just help to calm you down."

"Hey, not only does she have to be PG-13, but she also has to be a lady. You're in big trouble now!" Colton teased, knowing well the type of girls that Ashton usually went for.

"Not a problem. I can just take my pick," Ashton answered, the smile not faltering for a minute. He was confident that he would find the perfect date. He even had someone in mind already.

It seemed as though Cody's meeting was coming to an end, so the guys were finally able to show their excitement. They were laughing and passing out man hugs to each other, while Kaylee sat to the side. She was so happy for them that it eclipsed all the other emotions that had been swirling around her head and heart today.

"I'm so proud of you guys; you're going to have a great time there." Kaylee smiled as she was pulled into a giant bear hug from her brother. "I can't believe I'm going to get to watch my big brother on MTV at an awards ceremony!"

"Wait, you're not going?" Colton asked.

"Well...I'm not actually part of the band," Kaylee said.

Cody froze for a moment as the room got quiet. He hadn't even thought about Kaylee. "Sorry, guys. They only offered tickets to the band and their dates. Jayden and I aren't even going."

"It's okay, guys!" Kaylee put on a brave face. "You're going to have a great time. I don't need to be there to be able to share the joy of your success."

"You can come with me," Noah said, as if that settled the matter.

"That kills the vibe you want to give to the fans," Cody said quietly. "Your sister as your date isn't really a date...there is no sex appeal in that."

Noah turned sad eyes to Kaylee. He wasn't sure what to say.

"You will have a good time," she assured him with a bright smile.

"It won't be the same without you, kiddo," Noah assured her, ruffling her hair.

"You'll get over it. Trust me," Kaylee told him with a teasing cuff to the chest.

She backed away from Noah, allowing him to get back to his bandmates and finish their celebration. She quietly slipped out of the room without anyone noticing and went back to her room. It wasn't that she wasn't happy for the guys, but for the first time, she felt like she was just a hanger-on, someone who didn't really belong, but was tagging along anyway. She hated feeling as though she wasn't an integral part of the band, but it was true, wasn't it? She was just the singer's sister.

Over the next few days, the band was on a high. Their concerts were all dead on, and they were getting more publicity since the nomination for Best New Artist had been made public. The fame machine was in full swing.

Kaylee started to distance herself from the group, even from her brother. She spent a lot of time with Cody and Jayden, which led to spending time with Brandon.

They were rebuilding their friendship slowly, and Brandon was working really hard to regain her trust in the time that he had left with the band. His assignment had been extended for a while longer, from writing a simple piece to writing a weekly diary about the trials and tribulations of an up and coming new band.

"You're kinda like the guy in
Almost Famous
," she told him one night as they were watching the band play.

"Did he get the girl in the end?" he asked with a teasing smile.

Kaylee blushed. "I think he did..."

Brandon twirled one of her curls around his finger and leaned in close. "Maybe I'll get as lucky as he did," he said into her ear, and her blush went from pink to red hot.

Everyone noticed Kaylee slowly shrinking into the background, but it never seemed like there was a right time to confront her about it. The band's appearances throughout the days before the shows kept them constantly on the go, then after the shows, they were all too busy partying to have a serious conversation. By the time the party was over, they were all too exhausted to do anything but fall into their bunks and sleep like the dead while the drivers took them to the next town.

One morning, Kaylee returned to the band bus after spending the night on the manager's bus, to find Ashton waiting for her. The other guys were still asleep, and Ashton looked like he was going to fall asleep at any moment. The rough nights had taken a toll - his usually handsome face looked older, the five-o'clock shadow made him look tired rather than sexy, and the dark circles under his eyes told the story better than any bottles of booze or lines of women ever could.

"Finally," Ashton said when he saw her. He sat up on the couch and patted the seat next to him, letting Kaylee know that he wanted her to sit there.

"You look like shit," she said.

Ashton shrugged. "I will get a few days of sleep and be my fine self again."

Kaylee slowly went to the couch and sat down sideways at the far end, bringing her feet up on the couch, sitting so that she was facing Ashton. "What's up?"

"You haven't been around lately," he said, making her aware that it was obvious to the rest of them. "I've been wanting to talk to you."

Kaylee nodded her head. They hadn't really said anything since that morning at breakfast, when he told her nothing happened between him and Ryver. She wasn't sure she was ready for this talk, no matter what it was, but she had no idea what he had wanted to say.

"Look, you don't owe me any explanations..."

"I don't have an explanation," he said, confused. "I have a question."

Kaylee blinked at him. She watched as Ashton folded his hands, then spread his fingers wide. He cracked his knuckles. He looked toward the window, then back at her, then down at the floor.

"You look nervous as hell," she said, pointing out the obvious.

"This thing with the music awards, I was kind of wondering if you'd be my date," he asked in a rush.

Kaylee looked stunned. Whatever ideas about the unavoidable conversation she had in her head were so far off base as to be on another planet, and she was in no way prepared for the words that came out of his mouth. She wanted to be smart and hit him with a zinger, but there wasn't a single thing that came to her head.

"Huh?" was the only thing she could think of.

"Well, you're pretty classy, and they don't want me making a fool of the band's name. So I figured you'd do pretty well to keep me out of trouble," Ashton told her.

Well, at least he's honest. She wasn't sure whether she should be offended or not.

"And you're really beautiful," he said. "You...well, you look the part."

"I look the part," she echoed.

"Yeah. You're...well, anyway. Would you go with me?"

Kaylee took a deep breath. Was this really happening? "I don't know how well it would go if we went together. We'd just end up fighting the whole night. Besides, I thought you had a stable of women that you could pick from."

Ashton smiled. "Yeah, that's true, I do have a bunch of women to choose from." His eyes glazed over, as if he was lost in thought. He was mentally flipping through the women he'd been with lately. Sure, they were pretty hot, but he couldn't think of a single one who he would be proud to be walking next to. All they were good for was one thing, and it wasn't to be on his arm in public, and especially not on television.

Kaylee asked, "If you have so many to choose from, then why me?"

"Because I can't see bringing any other woman."

Kaylee thought for a brief moment she saw some sort of spark in his eye when he said that, but it was gone in an instant. When he realized what he said, he immediately fumbled with his words. "All they would want is to be in the spotlight. This is my night, not theirs. I need someone who will let me bask in the limelight without trying to steal my thunder."

"Well, I'm not so sure..."

"Please?"

Kaylee sighed. She really wanted to be with them that night, but she didn't want to go out of pity.

"Are you sure you aren't asking me just because you feel bad that I can't go?" she asked. As soon as the words were out of her mouth, she laughed. This was Ashton she was talking to, a guy who didn't do anything nice out of pity. If it had been Colton or Jayden, even her brother, then she would know it was a 'pity date'. But she knew better coming from Ashton.

"I really want you to go," he said again. "Please?"

"Fine, I'll go."

Her abrupt change of heart caught Ashton off guard. He stared at her for a moment before he smiled again, relaxing into the news.

"Cool!" he said and stood up. "I'm going back to bed now." Ashton walked back to the bunk area, and stopped just before he got to the hallway. He turned around slowly, looking back to where Kaylee was sitting. "Thanks," he said softly, and disappeared into the bunks.

Kaylee smiled for the first time in days. She told herself she was only excited because she was getting to go to the music awards, not because she was going with Ashton. She was excited about the pretty dress and the high heels and the hair done up in a gorgeous upsweep. She was excited about the cameras and the stars on the red carpet and all the new things she would see there. She was downright thrilled to be able to say she was able to see a little part of music history. It had everything to do with that and nothing to do with Ashton.

She was determined to convince herself of that.

The night of the awards ceremony, Kaylee rushed around her hotel room. She had only another 15 minutes before they had to leave for the show, and she wasn't nearly ready. She was trying to put the finishing touches on her hair, but there were a few strands that just wouldn't cooperate. She had sprung for a professional hairstylist to take care of it for her, but that was hours ago, and the strands were doing weird things. Her hands were shaking so much that she could barely hold the bottle of hair spray while pumping the nozzle at the same time.