Monday, July 11 (It’s one AM!!!)

LOCATION: On the tour bus outside El Tortilla Factory Restaurant in Miami Beach, Florida—POST-VICTORY PARTY!

Operation Take Down Bad Kitty was a total success!

We were so excited, we had to celebrate, which is why, after Perfect Storm played a SOLO concert, we headed to El Tortilla Factory. The restaurant was near closing, but Briggs persuaded them to stay open. He even got the mariachi band to keep playing, and Perfect Storm jammed with them. None of us wanted to go back to the hotel yet. Mom, Briggs, Mikey G., PS, Jilly, me, some of the roadies, and even Cody were still ordering guacamole and eating tortilla chips and fried ice cream. Briggs was finally taking Iris’s advice and having PS go on The Morning Mash Up in the AM to talk to Nicole, Ryan, and Stanley T. so they could give them the full scoop on what happened with Thunder and Lightning. We were all in a celebratory mood because WE WON!

Heath, in an oversize straw hat, was leading a conga line with a pair of mariachis, when Kyle pulled me out of the line to talk to me.

“I have a present for you,” he yelled over the singing and rattling from the mariachis.

“WHAT?” I shouted back because I couldn’t hear him well at first.

Kyle took me to a corner of the outdoor seating area where there was a fountain and hanging twinkling lights. It was really pretty.

“I said, I have a present for you,” Kyle repeated, and then he offered me a box wrapped with polka-dot paper.

Kyle had bought me a present? My knees felt like they might give out and not because the small rectangular box was heavy. What could it be? “Thank you!” I quickly unwrapped the box and gasped. It was a silver case with an electronic keypad on it. “You got me a lockbox for my journal?”

“Actually, it’s a lockbox that is a journal,” Kyle said. “It has a safelike coating that keeps anyone from cracking it open, and you seal it with a combination that you change every month. I know you love the journal you had, but I thought you might feel safer with this one.”

I stared at my new journal (which is what I’m writing in now!) and was in total awe. “This is the nicest thing anybody has ever given me. Thank you.”

“I’m sorry we were so hard on you about Thunder and Lightning,” Kyle said. “I know you would never do anything to hurt our band, Mac.”

Now I was feeling misty. I would not cry in front of Kyle. I would NOT cry in front of Kyle! “You guys are the most amazing band in the world,” I said, and he blushed. “I would never EVER do anything to hurt you guys. I want to see you take over the world.”

“Well, maybe with this new song, we can,” Kyle said, and he whistled to someone. I watched Cody walk toward us with the mariachi band in tow. “Now, it’s pretty rough, since Cody and I just wrote this a few hours ago, but I still think it’s brill. I’m calling it ‘Unstoppable,’ because that’s what you are.” Kyle took a guitar from one of the mariachi guys while Cody took a pair of maracas. Then the two sang the most beautiful ballad I’ve ever heard. Briggs, Mom, Zander, Heath, and Jilly walked over, too.

“Looked across the room that night

I saw you standing there beneath the light,

A shadow cast across your smile.

Took a chance, walked up to you,

Looked in your eyes, and it was then that I knew

We’d be standing here together.

Together we’ll be unstoppable

Anything we wanna be

Together you’ll see we’ll be unstoppable

You and me.”

They sang one more verse, but I was in such shock that I don’t think I heard it. All I heard were the words “together” and “unstoppable.” Together. Did that mean Kyle could see a future in Paris with me, too? I glanced at Mom, who was smiling. There was no way this dream would happen tonight, or tomorrow, or a hundred tomorrows from now, but it could happen someday.

“So? What do you think?” Kyle looked nervous.

“I think it’s aces and brill all wrapped into one,” I said breathlessly.

“Me too, man!” Heath clapped. “That’s the song we’ve been looking for.”

“Me too, but, um, Cody’s not actually going to sing on it, is he?” Zander asked, trying to sound nonchalant.

We all laughed.

“No, man,” Cody said. “We’re waiting to hear back from the label on what’s next, but I know for me, I want to be a songwriter, and writing for you guys is the best gig I could ever get.”

“This calls for a toast!” Mom announced.

“To Perfect Storm!” Jilly held up a glass. “Their new single is going to be the hottest thing on the charts!”

“Here, here!” Briggs seconded.

“And to friends like Mac and Jilly, who always have Perfect Storm’s back!” Zander added.

“Don’t forget Scarlet and Iris,” Heath added. I knew they’d love hearing that.

“And Cody,” Kyle added. “You’re a good writing partner.” The two clinked glasses.

“Let’s conga!” Heath declared, and the mariachi band encouraged everyone to join in. The others jumped in line, but I was lost in my own thoughts. Ones where Perfect Storm was the hugest boy band in the world and I spent the next few years touring with them, just like I was right now. Together we would be unstoppable, just like Kyle’s song said. Maybe Paris wasn’t so far off in the future…

“Mac?” I looked up and saw Kyle reaching out for my hand. The conga line was heading our way. “Want to dance?”

“I’d love to!” I grabbed Kyle’s hand and let him lead me to the back of the conga line.

When it came to Perfect Storm, I knew we could weather anything that came our way.

 

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