A chorus of right went up, and Bailey glanced around at each of them. It was important they had a safe space to come and let loose, to be themselves, to feel safe. The school might have been the setting of their program, but they weren’t in charge. However, he did have a board of supervisors to report to, and with a majority of the kids as minors, he had to be careful what exactly was discussed within their group—at least while they were in the classroom setting.
“Okay, so one thing. Real talk,” he said, and leaned forward. “I love that this is a safe place for you all—that’s what I wanted when I was asked to take over the program. However, we have to keep it PG because some of you aren’t eighteen yet. I hope that you all carry the friendships you have in here to the outside world. But we have to be careful about exactly what we discuss in here. It has to be appropriate because I can’t hide anything from the board. Do you understand where I’m coming from? The last thing I want is for this program to get shut down.”
He couldn’t act as their therapist, no matter how much he wanted to help sometimes. It just wasn’t allowed, and if word got out that he was impressing anything onto them at their ages, it could possibly end the program.
They didn’t look fazed by his announcement. In fact, Frankie even smirked. “Uhm, if that’s the case, should you have brought America’s new favorite party boy rock star to the program?”
Heat rushed to his cheeks. The kid had a point, but he didn’t have to phrase it quite like that. Wincing, he glanced at Travis only to see a mask of indifference painted in place. As far as they could tell, the blunt words from the teenager didn’t even bother him. But the tic in his jaw said otherwise.
“Frankie,” Bailey started, but Asia beat him to it.
“Hey, don’t be an asshole, Frankie!” she called out and Frankie’s cheeks turned red.
“Sorry,” he said immediately, glancing at Travis. “That sounded way worse than I meant it. All I was trying to say was that it’s an open book policy here, and I don’t want you to be afraid to share anything if you want. That’s what this group is about.”
His chest swelled with pride. The kids he spent his weekends with might have been young, but they were smart, and he liked to think their program helped them in their own lives as much as they did his.
“Anyway, I think that’s enough talk for now,” Bailey interjected. “Let’s get to the music part.”
“No, wait, I still wanna know about—”
“Frankie, drop it,” Bailey warned.
“No, ah, it’s okay,” Travis said, and placed his hand on Bailey’s forearm. “I don’t mind answering, really.”
Bailey arched a brow at that. Travis didn’t seem like the sharing type, but… “If you’re sure.”
In lieu of answering, Travis faced the group and smiled tightly. “I’m sure rock star life sounds fun to you guys, but it’s not all a big party.”
Frankie opened his mouth, and Bailey could only imagine what he was about to say, but he must have caught the glare on his face, because he snapped his mouth closed and motioned for Travis to continue. They all turned their attention to the rock star.
“A lot of shit—ah, stuff— happens that’s out of your control. And people are always in your personal business. It’s not always fun. That’s what I needed a break from. I thought finding the most remote town in all of America would be safe. Private.”
“You guessed wrong. Hell, next to Caden Knight, you’ve got the most buzz in the media right now,” Frankie replied.
“Okay, but to be fair, Caden Knight is always in the media,” Nathan interjected.
“And now here we are demanding you give us the scoop,” Asia mumbled with a wince. “Sorry about him, he’s the nosiest of us all. You should see him at school, always up in everyone’s business,” she teased.
“Well, I’ve gotta have blackmail so the football players won’t come after me!” Frankie defended with a shrill cry. “If the rest of the team knew Billie Michael was giving Jake Deffers a handy after every game, they’d die. It keeps them off my back.” He crossed his arms and nodded as if he was proud.
“Oh-kay, that’s enough about that,” Bailey interrupted, cheeks flaming.
Travis chuckled beside him and he couldn’t help but smile in return.
“He’s right though.” Travis brought the attention back to himself. “I totally guessed wrong,” he admitted. “I just saw the population and assumed…”
“Assumed we were totally backwoods nobodies?” Bailey teased with a smirk.
Travis’s lips quirked up as he glanced at Bailey. He swore he felt his heart flip over in his chest. Those blue eyes were somethin’ else.
“Something like that.”
“Well, hopefully we can prove you wrong.”
Bailey didn’t know if the hum in response was good or bad.
TRAVIS
“What is the program called again?” he asked Bay as they put their guitars behind the seats of the truck.
“Miles County LGBTQ+ Music is the official name.”
“That’s a mouthful,” he responded. “When you called them kids, I assumed they’d be a lot younger.” The kids were only a few years younger than Bailey. He’d been surprised to find that Bailey was only twenty-one, eight years younger than Travis himself. And only slightly embarrassed that on his birthday Baily had taken care of Travis. “But they’re teenagers. You’re not much older than they are, you know,” Travis mused.
The sideways glance he sent made Travis hide his grin as they got inside the truck.
“I know. I think that’s why they feel so safe. I’m not some stuffy old guy trying to tell them it’s all gonna be okay.”
Travis remembered those days, long ago as they were. He hadn’t been an easy teenager, just ask his mom. “So instead you teach them to play music?”
“Yep,” he said, popping the p. The truck came to life with a growl as cold air blasted out of the vents. Shocked by the assaulting chill, Travis reached forward out of reflex, bumping his knuckles into Bay’s. And just like he was one of the damned teenagers they’d just left, his cheeks flamed and he jerked away. Bay barely reacted, his lips twitching as he shut the heat off.
“Not very good music,” Travis dared to say, hiding his smile by turning his head to the side.
Bailey sent him a droll stare. “Okay, so they’re not all rock stars in the making, I know. But like I warned you, it’s not about the music so much as it is the program itself. Bringing them together so they know they’re not alone.”
Travis thought back on his high school experience. The rumors, the teasing. He really would have loved to be a part of something similar. Maybe things would have turned out… differently.
“It’s great, really,” he stated solemnly. “And I mean that.”
“Thanks. I enjoy it,” Bay replied, and then they fell silent as they waited for the truck to heat up. They’d also waited as the kids’ parents had either come to pick them up or as some of the older ones had driven away. But now the parking lot was empty besides a few straggling faculty, and them.