Everybody Knows

  Everybody Knows

  by

  Kyra Lennon

  Everybody Knows © Kyra Lennon 2015

  E-edition published worldwide 2015 © Kyra Lennon

  All rights reserved in all media. This book may not be reproduced or transmitted in any form, in whole or in part, without written permission from the author.

  All characters and events featured in this book are entirely fictional and any resemblance to any person, organisation, place or thing is purely coincidental and completely unintentional.

  Also by Kyra Lennon

  Nobody Knows (Razes Hell Book 1)

  Praise for Nobody Knows

  "This was a fabulous read. Touching and full of insecurities and trauma. And feelings. Lots of feelings. Seriously, I defy you not to be moved by this beautiful story, especially the ending. Bring on #2." - Jo Evans, A British Bookworm's Blog

  "This is a satisfying, well-written, undemanding read - pure pleasure! The characters are likeable and realistically complicated , the story completely believable and there's a good scattering of the sexy stuff! Immensely enjoyable - I was sad to say goodbye to the characters, so am very glad to see it's only Razes Hell Book 1..."- LindaK (Amazon)

  "I loved how realistically Kyra dealt with the issues in this story. Also, I loved how Ellie finally found her balance between the two brothers, which wasn't an easy process at all." - Cece (Amazon)

  The Game On Series

  Game On (Game On Book 1)

  Praise for Game On

  "Loved this book! Radleigh might be loathsome, but he's magnetic! Kyra has a witty style and excellent character development." - Elizabeth Seckman, Author of Past Due

  "Game On is a moving, emotional, very real contemporary romance filled with fun, friendship, laughter, and a look on the human condition" - Clare Dugmore, Writer

  Blindsided (Game On Book 2)

  Praise for Blindsided

  “Once again, Kyra Lennon has brought some fantastic characters to life, and as with Taylor in Game On she hasn't shied away from a love-to-hate character Mischa.” - Annalisa Crawford, Author of Cat and The Dreamer and That Sadie Thing

  “I absolutely loved this book! It was such an easy read, had it done in two sittings, and the love story was so cute and sweet. I think it was a perfect fit for Jesse, because he deserves this kind of love story.” - Becca Ann, Author of Reasons I Fell For The Funny Fat Friend

  Sidelined (Game On Book 3)

  Praise for Sidelined

  "I've always loved Kyra's no-mess writing style. She lets you into her character's heads that it didn't matter what the clothes they wore looked like, or where they lived, how they sat, and all those details that tend to get overdone at times. I pictured everything because those characters felt so real to me it's like I could call Bree up on the phone and beg her to take me shopping." - Cassie Mae, Author of How To Date A Nerd and Switched

  "It goes without saying Kyra Lennon is a fantastic writer. She manages to keep an intricate plot exciting and fresh." - Confessions of a YA and NA Book Addict

  Play On (Game On Book 4)

  Praise for Play On

  Kyra Lennon's writing makes it so easy to slip back into the world of the Westberg Warriors - it's like meeting up with old friends. This time the focus is Freya, slowly coming to terms - or not - with the death of her boyfriend. The characters are so well drawn, with flaws and redeeming features - and Lennon gets right to the heart of their emotions. Once again, I'm looking forward to the next book in the series, because I need to know what happens next! - Annalisa Crawford

  Acknowledgments

  As always, I want to thank Clare Dugmore for the unwavering support, and for being my first beta reader. When I wanted to give up, you were there talking me down and I can never thank you enough!

  To my incredible PA, Jade Simcox - without you my book releases would be a disaster! Thank you for everything you do!

  I know I said this in Book 1, but it bears repeating, because without Fozzy, I would never have found the motivation to publish the Razes Hell series. Chris, Rich, Frank, and (Fifty Shades of) Billy Grey – thank you!

  To all the bloggers who took a chance on my book, and who work so tirelessly for very little reward – I appreciate you!

  And to you, the readers who have hung in there while I took a whole year to get this book sorted, thank you – your faith in me blows my mind every day.

  Chapter 1 – The Next Kurt and Courtney

  Chapter 2 – Gigantic Steely Balls

  Chapter 3 – Eiffel Tower Selfie

  Chapter 4 – Swoony McFangirl

  Chapter 5 – Schnitzel With Noodles

  Chapter 6 – You Couldn’t Kick My Ass

  Chapter 7 – You’ve Never Been To My Man Cave

  Chapter 8 – All The Time In The World

  Chapter 9 – Lockdown

  Chapter 10 – I’ll Take You To The Top

  Chapter 11 – From Zero To Horny

  Chapter 12 – I’ll Always Catch You

  Chapter 13 – More Than Enough

  Chapter 14 – In Sickness and in Health

  Chapter 1 – The Next Kurt and Courtney

  I stared at the two suitcases that lay open on my bedroom floor, both of them now unclosable due to the amount of clothes and other essentials stuffed inside them. I’d tried everything. I’d sat on them, pushed them, jumped on them, repacked them, and still they bulged at the seams. I had a weight limit to comply with which I was already way over, but the idea of taking anything out made me want to cry. A girl can’t go away for over a month without taking everything she needs.

  One more try.

  I rose to my knees and pushed hard on the freshly washed and ironed clothes in the suitcase in front of me, a burst of sweet cherry blossom dispersing in the air around me. Pressing one arm firmly on the contents, I used my other hand to flip the lid of the case over, quickly yanking my arm out then pushing down before everything sprang up again. I tugged at the zip, holding my breath in the hopes that this time I’d win the battle with my luggage, but again, it defeated me and I growled and leaned back against my bed, wiping beads of sweat from my forehead.

  “Do you need a hand?”

  I snapped my head towards the doorway where my sister stood, trying to conceal a smile at my struggle. Of course, she never had this problem. That girl was an expert at travelling light.

  “Ellie, this is ridiculous! How am I supposed to fit everything in?”

  She shook her head. “You can’t. You’ll have to suck it up and take out everything you don’t absolutely need.”

  “I’m sorry, I don’t understand what you just said. I need everything.”

  Chuckling, Ellie stepped over the case I’d just fought with and gestured for me to shuffle over so she could sit. She took a hairband from her wrist and pulled back her mane of dark hair; she was ready to get down to business. “I bet I can find at least ten things in this one suitcase you could live without.”

  I raised an eyebrow at her challenge then extended my hand for her to shake. “Loser buys dinner.”

  “Done.”

  Over the next thirty minutes, Ellie was like a whirlwind, yanking everything out of my cases and inspecting each item, occasionally throwing out comments like, “Lucy, seriously? Ten bikinis? When do you think you’ll have time to wear them?” and, “A box of five spare phone chargers? You’re going to Europe and the US, not a third world country. You can buy replacements if you need them when you get there.”

  As she sorted through my luggage, I leaned back against my bed, thinking about what was to come.

  While many students spend the summer before going back to university at home, slaving away to earn some extra cash to get them through their second year, I was about t
o embark on the kind of adventure most music fans could only dream about.

  Over the last year Razes Hell’s increasing popularity had landed them a number one single in the UK and a number one album in several countries. Now they were about to embark on a month-long tour that would take them to France, Germany, and many cities in the U.S.

  What did this have to do with me? Well, as a journalism student at Sheffield University, I’d been offered a chance to go along on the tour as a sort of… summer project. The idea was for me to report on the tour, plus experience life on the road. Technically, the “project” had no real relevance to uni. I’d gain no special credit for anything I wrote on my travels but it would look cool on my CV. It was an incredible opportunity, one I couldn’t pass up, especially since I’d known most of the band for my whole life. I knew I’d be safe with them. It was a no risk, huge gain kind of holiday, and I couldn’t wait for the adventure to begin.

  Well. When I say “no risk” that wasn’t the whole truth. There were risks. Not to my physical safety, but to the safety of my young, inexperienced heart which had tied itself to the band’s lead singer, Jason Brooks.

  Yeah. I wasn’t alone. Every woman who’d ever seen him on stage and heard that husky, sexy voice had fantasised about him. But none of them knew him. Maybe I didn’t really know him either. He was Ellie’s best friend, not mine. But I liked what I knew. I liked his passion for music, and his strength for overcoming the cocaine addiction that had almost killed him a year ago. He’d changed since then. Still crazy and willing to do almost anything to please a crowd, but he’d tidied himself up in more ways than one. His trademark long, multi-coloured hair had been cut and it mostly stayed black. His physical change didn’t dampen the legions of horny fans – in fact – for some reason they seemed to like him more for it. Women go crazy for a clean cut guy with a dangerous sparkle in his eye. And… well, what girl doesn’t love a man with sexy stubble and a chiselled jaw?

  “Luce?”

  Ellie nudged me in the side, jolting me out of my thoughts before I got carried away – again – in fantasies that saw Jason and I becoming the next Kurt and Courtney.

  “Huh?”

  My big sister gave me a knowing smile but said nothing. Instead she nodded towards my suitcases which were now zipped up and no longer bulging at the seams. “I guess you owe me dinner.”

  **

  Ellie wasn’t really cruel enough to make me pay for dinner. Just as well, because that evening, my parents had booked a table at my favourite Italian (read: pizza) restaurant as a farewell thing before I left with the band in the morning. All around us happy families and groups of friends chattered, the sounds mingling in with the gentle clatter of cutlery on plates, and soft jazz music. As I sat at a table with my mum and dad, and Ellie and Drew, the atmosphere was kind of… weird. Everyone was talking and laughing, but an underlying tension lurked, as if I was about to embark on a trip I’d never return from. Perhaps I should have been more nervous, but my stomach only fizzed with the excitement and anticipation of doing something so wildly unique with a band whose music I could sing and rock out to in my sleep.

  “Okay, seriously,” I said, after a long moment of awkward silence. “What the heck is wrong with everyone tonight?”

  “Nothing,” Mum said quickly, forcing a smile. She tucked a stray strand of her shoulder-length blonde hair behind her ear then took a swig from her glass of wine. “Everything’s fine.”

  “I know that, but you and Dad keep looking at me as if I’m never coming home again.”

  Mum’s eyes swivelled towards Dad then back to me. “Don’t be silly, Lucy. We know you’re coming home again. We’re just going to miss you, that’s all.”

  I didn’t buy it. I mean, I knew they’d miss me, but that wasn’t all. My mum had been acting like I was going to other side of the world, and my dad had been strangely quiet about the whole thing. For the past few weeks he kept throwing concerned glances at me, as if checking I was really sure about the travelling thing. I’d pointed out numerous times that our first stop was Paris for two nights, and if I hated it, I could hop on a boat, or the Eurostar, or a plane, and be home in no time. We didn’t leave for America for another nine days, so there would be plenty of chances for me to get home easily if I needed to, plus, Ellie would be joining us right before the American leg of the tour, so I wouldn’t even have to travel home alone if I decided not to go on the rest of the journey.

  I lowered my eyes back to my plate, the meat feast pizza in front of me suddenly unappealing. I guess I’d reached that age. The one where you feel like an adult, but your parents still can’t let go. They hadn’t been quite this clingy when I left for uni, although I’d had an unnatural amount of phone calls from them for the first three months. This was a little different though. This was me being exposed to life on the road. I didn’t have the heart to tell them that university life was filled with the same kind of temptations. Sex, drugs, and partying all night were what the first year was all about for many students.

  Drawing in a long, slow breath, knowing their eyes were still on me, I fixed a smile on my face that could have rivalled Mum’s for its fakeness.

  “I’ll miss you too. But it’s not like we’ll really be apart. We can talk on the phone every day, or more if we want to. I can see you through the magic of Facetime or Skype anytime.”

  “Yeah.” Ellie straightened up. “Lucy’s right. You’ll hardly even know she’s gone.”

  “And we’ll take care of her,” Drew added, giving me a subtle wink across the table to let me know he wasn’t trying to patronise me, but to calm my parents. “She’ll be fine with us.”

  “Nobody’s going to dare to mess with her when there’s a group of rockers protecting her.”

  Mum nodded slowly, but Dad’s shoulders were still hunched. What I didn’t understand was, if they had such a problem with this, why didn’t they say so weeks ago? I’d gone to the effort of talking the trip through with them in the most grown-up way. I’d planned and considered, and I’d done everything a responsible person would do before making such a big decision. Okay, initially, I’d run around screaming in overexcited ecstasy, but then I did what I needed to do. We’d discussed what would happen if I needed to come home. We’d been over every worst case scenario we could imagine and agreed I could handle anything the trip might throw at me.

  Maybe the reality for them was a bit different to the hypothetical.

  “Mum, Dad, please. Don’t make this weird. Tonight is supposed to be fun and I can’t handle you two giving me those looks. I don’t want my memory of leaving to be of you being sad and me feeling like I’m letting you down by going away for the summer.”

  Mum’s blue eyes softened. “You’re not letting us down. We’re proud of you for doing this, but we’re your parents so it’s only natural that we’re going to worry. We know you’ll be looked after, and this will be a great experience for you, but no matter how old you get you’ll always be our baby. We can’t help worrying. It’s our job.”

  Ah, the curse of being the youngest. I hoped they weren’t about to launch into the, “One day, when you have children, you’ll understand” speech. I was definitely too young for that.

  “I know. But can you please relax a little so I don’t have to carry your worries around with me? I’m already over my baggage allowance.”

  Mum and Dad visibly relaxed and cracked smiles, and my shoulders sagged in relief.

  “Okay,” Dad said. “We’ll try. Now… who wants ice cream?”

  A genuine smile spread across my face at their understanding – and at the promise of dessert. We all reached for menus to choose one of the yummy after dinner treats, and while we were distracted, my stomach fluttered when Jason’s voice came from behind me.

  “Am I too late for dinner?”

  Suppressing a laugh, I didn’t turn around. I kept my gaze focused on the menu. I couldn’t wait to get a look at him but I’d trained myself not to act like a typical fangirl,
jumping every time I heard his voice. It didn’t stop my stomach gurgling or my pulse racing but I didn’t have to make my reaction to him obvious on the outside.

  Opposite me, Ellie smiled too while Drew rolled his eyes.

  “Yes,” Drew told him with a good-natured head shake. “You’re always late.”

  “You are in time for dessert though,” Mum said. “You’re welcome to join us.”

  My skin prickled as Jason reached for the chair beside me, and I had no choice but to look up – it would have been rude if I’d kept my head buried in the menu.

  “Alright, Luce?”

  Oh man. The flutters in my stomach multiplied as I raised my head and took in the stubble on his chin, and his scruffy/sexy t-shirt and ripped jeans. My mouth dried but I swallowed hard, and said, “Hey, Jason. Glad you made it.”

  He grinned. “I never miss dessert.”

  I bit the inside of my cheek to stop myself smirking. I was sure he hadn’t meant any innuendo, but with the way he made me feel, I couldn’t help wondering what his idea of dessert involved. Nerves mingled with my imagination and I had to look away before I spontaneously combusted, missing my one chance to go on tour with my favourite band.

  Maybe going on the tour was the wrong thing to do. Maybe it would result in my heart being crushed into a million pieces. But I knew I could get through it by shifting my focus to the opportunity of travelling almost for free, and not on impossible daydreams. This was the chance of a lifetime, and I intended to embrace every second, regardless of my adolescent feelings for the boy next door.

  Chapter 2 – Gigantic Steely Balls

  I spent my last night in the UK at Ellie and Drew’s place. I couldn’t stand another moment of overprotective parenting, so I said goodbye to Mum and Dad after dinner.