As much as I loved the Fiery Boys, I had to admit that I hadn't followed their individual careers since the band broke up. Kira and Jo had to fill me in on the past eight years. They told me that Chuck was the only member of the band who continued to perform. He lived in Las Vegas and played a solo act that he called the Fiery Boy, a one-man tribute band. Although I'd never seen his show-that's how little I cared about him-Jo had seen him three or four times, and even Kira had seen his act. Their rock-and-roll crushes still ran strong.
The one I longed to see, of course, was River, the drumming hottie. Like Gabe and Buck, he'd pretty much dropped into obscurity after the band broke up. But I remained faithful. In my fantasies, he was still the same as in that poster, sitting on his drum throne with his arms in the air and his sticks blurred on their way to strike a cymbal. His bald head still glistened with sweat, and he still had a sparkle in his eye, just for me.
Back in high school, I knew everything about River and read every piece of gossip I could find. Six feet tall, solid and built, he was a Native American who grew up in Minnesota. His last name was Locklear, but he didn't use that in the band. Instead, he made a joke of his name and called himself River Sticks. Back then, I even imagined marrying him, and I would doodle my new name during boring classes. Annalisa Locklear.
In the past month, I'd learned some new things about River, including the fact that he had a girlfriend who he'd been with for years. River didn't want another fiasco like what Buck and Danielle went through, so he kept his relationship quiet-nobody knew anything about this woman. Some reports suggested that he was with Talia Dare, a famous rocker. But other reports denied that rumor. In any case, the fact that he protected this woman so well made me like him even more. I couldn't wait to see him again.
But River wasn't on the television today, only Chuck. The crowd in the audience quieted down and we knew something was coming. "Oh my God!" Kira squealed as she flapped her hands in the air.
Chuck warmed up the audience like a true entertainer, owning the space as if this was a concert. "Let's see, are there any Fiery Boys fans here?" The crowd cheered and whistled while Chuck bathed himself in their love.
After a few seconds of this, he held up his hands to quiet them. "Okay. So the good news is, we're back." As expected, the reporters erupted again, and more flashes sparkled Chuck's dazzling face. He stepped from the podium to hug a female reporter who hugged him back with a little scream. The lead singer of the Fiery Boys knew how to work a crowd.