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flyer, shaking my head. I glanced up at Jenny and she grinned.
    “WANTED: VERY MUCH ALIVE -- Nicholas Kilmain, Singer, sought for new band forming in California. If you have any information regarding his whereabouts, call Brandon Ashwood --” I frowned at her. “That’s your number.”
    “Didn’t think you’d want Adam to get the phone calls. Do you?”
    “Hell no. Thanks, Sprout.” I leaned back against my pillows. “What did you tell your friends?”
    “Just the truth. That you want him to be in your band. Nothing else.” 22 Carolyn Gray
    “Sprout ...” I hesitated.
    “Yeah? What is it, Bean?”
    I shrugged, looked down at the flyer again. “I ... I never asked you. How did you --” I glanced at the open door to my bedroom. I had no idea how my parents would react if they knew their youngest son was gay, and I sure didn’t want them, or even worse, Adam, to find out now. My oldest brother, Jonathan ... I had no idea what he would do. “How did you know --” I gestured at my chest. “That I’m --” My face heated.
    She cocked her head to one side and contemplated me. “I don’t know, Brandon. It wasn’t any one thing, really. Just the way you are around girls, how whenever we went to the movies it’d be the guys you’d talk to me about, not the girls. I don’t think you even realized it.” At my deepened blush, she grinned.
    I groaned, not believing what she was saying. “That’s it? That’s all? I wasn’t even sure myself, you know, that day.” I huffed beneath my breath. “I still can’t believe you figured it out, even before I did.”
    “I wasn’t completely positive until I saw your reaction to Nicholas. When you were watching him ...” She touched my hand. “You should’ve seen your face. That’s when I was really positive I was right.”
    I buried my face in my hands. “I feel like such an idiot,” I said.
    “Why? He’s beautiful. If I were a guy, I’d probably like him, too.” I burst out laughing at that and wrapped my arms around her shoulders, pulling her tight. “What would I do without you?”
    “You’ll never have to find out, I promise.” We pulled back. I couldn’t wipe the grin from my face. “It’s good to see you smiling. You don’t do it enough,” she said.
    “Maybe I’ll have more of a reason to soon, thanks to you. I want him so bad, Jenn.”
    “I know. We’ll find him this time. I promise.”
    “Hey guys, what’s up?”
    Jenny yelped, and I coughed and pulled back, shocked as I looked up to find Adam in the doorway. Grabbing my water, I took a deep swallow, praying Adam hadn’t heard anything. Once I’d regained my composure I looked up -- and stilled when he wouldn’t meet my eye.
    “What’s wrong, Adam?” I asked.
    “Um, Brandon, I don’t know how to tell you this, but --” He looked down at the ground. “Shit.”
    “What’s going on,” I asked again, pushing my covers back. I only had boxers on, but I didn’t care. I stood, feeling slightly dizzy, and had to grab hold of the bed to steady myself.
    “Our new singer? Well, he left.”
    I groaned. “Harvey quit? I didn’t even get to play with the guy. Why’d he quit?” A Red-Tainted Silence
    23

    Adam grimaced. “It’s worse than that, Brandon. He stole everything.” I gripped the bed harder. “What do you mean, he stole everything?”
    “Keyboards, drums, he cleaned us out. There’s nothing in the studio. Nothing.”
    “No,” I said, thumping the bed as my anger soared. My guitar was safe at home, but my keyboards? I had hundreds invested in them. Hundreds. And I was still paying on one of them, too. “Did you call the police?”
    “Yeah, I did. Just got done with them.”
    “Shit!”
    “That’s what I said. Sorry, Brandon.”
    I collapsed onto the side of the bed, burying my face in my hands. I felt Jenny’s hand on my shoulder. Then horror soared through me, twisting my gut so hard I gasped. I looked up at Adam, my mouth working soundlessly. He hadn’t