Read Accidental Rock Star for Free Online Page A

band
reacted with excited drama. Voices pitched high to top one
another.
    Ethan grunted and
shoved a box up against one of the others. “Why do the girls get
new uniforms before us?”
    Dylan kicked the corner
of Ethan’s delivery. “Why not? You big Ewok-lover.”
    Ethan flipped him off.
He wore a movie-geek T-shirt and faded jeans. He didn’t have a
right to raise a stink over style.
    “We’ve ordered them,
but they’re going to send them in parts as we make payments.” Bent
over the large shipping box, Aria shuffled through the folded brown
paper bags. Tyler dug the view, but didn’t care for the fact that
half the room had the same shot of her ass. He maneuvered behind
her as if to help. Aria shoved some packets into his hand, her
expression eager and intent. She bent back over. Tyler forced his
gaze away. He weighed the light bag in his hand and then tossed it
toward the bleachers. “Benita.” He called out the name on the label
as he threw, uncaring whether or not the package headed in the
direction of its owner. “Cassidy.”
    They scrambled toward
the brown bags like Jerry diving for coke on a glass tabletop. He
threw out more. “Baylee.” He aimed hers. The rest he tossed two or
three at a time.
    “Give it.”
    “Over here.”
    “That one’s mine.”
    Bags crumpled. Paper
ripped. Plastic packing and the smell of new replaced the smell of
sunscreen and aloe vera spray they’d brought with them from
practice.
    Gasps followed.
    Then snickers.
    Aria lifted her head
from the box, narrowing in on the discordant sounds.
    A short girl on the end
put her hands on her hips. “Are you kidding me? Where’s the
rest?”
    Aria ripped open one of
the packets herself. She widened her eyes and frowned, reaching
into the paper bag. She withdrew her hand slowly.
    Boy-cut cotton shorts
dangled from her index finger.
    Aria tilted her head
and pulled papers from a plastic square on top of the box. Her gaze
skimmed the packing slip. “As we pay down the bill, they’ll send us
additional pieces.” Her voice tapered off. Only Tyler heard the
last part. “This is what I get for going with the lowest bidder.”
She folded the shorts she was holding.
    Tyler wanted to see her
in them. Them and nothing else. Them and nothing else on a
king-sized bed with the drapes open and the California sunshine
highlighting her skin. He attempted to stifle the thought.
Eighty-six sets of eyes would see him sneak her out of the room for
privacy. He didn’t know her well enough to know if she’d mind. His
fingers twitched. Only one way to find out.
    Aria tossed the square
toward the bleachers. “These are yours, Megan.”
    Megan caught the
briefs. She used all ten of her fingers to stretch the fabric and
then peered at the label. “These are panties.” Revulsion curdled
her voice. “To wear. Under the uniform pants.”
    Aria’s eyes grew
shiny.
    No. Was she going to
cry? He’d seen chicks lose it over less.
    “They’re practical.”
Aria’s gaze rose toward the ceiling as if thinking up more praise.
Her giggle destroyed whatever she was going to say next. She
pressed her lips together and pulled on a serious expression.
“People need panties.” Her voice broke with laughter on the word.
“They’re like Spankies, like the cheerleaders wear—great for
changing on the bus and stuff.”
    His heart thudded at
hearing her say ‘panties,’ at hearing her laughter, and he smiled.
Panties had winged their way to his feet all summer. Lace had to be
swept from the stage between sets. Tyler tore open a bag and
checked out the contents for himself. Heavy. Rough cotton. Sturdy.
These were as far from a thong as he could imagine. If he found
these on the floor of his hotel room… God. He read the label and
tossed them toward the chairs. “Katy.”
    Aria tossed a pair
toward the wind section. “New uniforms are coming. This is simply a
first step.” She blinked rapidly, and a bizarre optimism layered
her words.
    Katy pulled hers