Page 80 of Two Hit Wonder

"He wasn't like that."

"Clearly he was exactly like that." Ellie gestured at the tablet. "Maeve and Iona's relationship. Details about the album. Quotes that could only have come from someone inside the band. Someone who was there for all of it."

"I never told him any of that." Cam's voice cracked. "I was careful. I never said anything about Maeve and Iona, I swear. Except…" She swallowed. "Except maybe I left my phone around sometimes or something. I don’t know."

"You don’t know?" Iona asked. She was trying to keep her voice level, but her hands were shaking. Their faces, hers and Maeve's, splashed across the internet. Something fragile and new, ripped open before they'd even had a chance to figure out what it was. "How does he know about any of this, Cam?"

"I don't know! Maybe he figured it out, maybe he saw something, maybe—" Cam pressed her hands to her face. "I trusted him. I actually trusted him and he did this and I don't know how to fix it."

"You can't fix it." Shepherd threw the tablet onto the amp with a clatter. "It's done. It's out there. Every music blog, every gossip site, everyone who's been waiting for us to fail has exactly what they wanted. It’d be like putting toothpaste back into the bloody tube. You’re not even back on the circuit and you’re already a scandal."

"I'm sorry." Cam was crying now, mascara running down her cheeks. "I'm so sorry, I didn't mean for any of this to happen."

"Sorry doesn't help us, does it?" Maeve's voice was cold. "Sorry doesn't take the article down. Sorry doesn't give us back our privacy."

"Maeve," Iona said quietly.

"What? She did this. She brought a journalist into our lives, and now we're all paying for it."

"I know, but…"

"But what? We should be understanding? We should forgive and forget?" Maeve laughed, sharp and bitter. "I came down here against every instinct I had. I opened myself up. I let myself…" She stopped. Shook her head. "And now I remember why I spent fifteen years hiding."

Cam wrapped her arms around herself. "I just wanted to help."

Iona frowned. That didn’t make sense. Help what? "What do you mean?" she asked.

"Nothing." Cam wiped at her eyes. "Forget it."

"No, you said you were trying to help. Help with what? How is dating a journalist helping anyone?"

Cam's mouth opened. Closed. She glanced at Ellie, quick and panicked, and then looked away.

"Cam." Iona stepped forward. "What are you talking about?"

Silence. Cam stared at the floor, jaw set, refusing to speak. The rehearsal space felt smaller suddenly, the air heavier. Shepherd was frowning. Maeve hadn't moved, but her eyes had narrowed.

"She was trying to help me." Ellie's voice was barely audible. Iona turned. Ellie was sitting on the edge of an amp, hands clasped between her knees, head down.

"What?" Shepherd asked.

"She was trying to help me." Ellie looked up, and her eyes were wet. "This whole thing. The reunion. Getting the band back together. It was about me. Not Cam. She’s not thrown away her money, at least not as far as I’m aware."

"I don't understand," Iona said.

Ellie took a breath. Let it out slowly. When she spoke again, her voice was steadier, but only just. "About a year ago I started… dropping things. Being clumsy. I…" She stopped, cleared her throat. "Then one morning I woke up and… I couldn’t move my legs. Just for a few minutes. But it was terrifying and…" She took another breath, looking at the floor. "It’s MS. Multiple sclerosis." She held up her hand before anyone could speak. "Jake knows. Cam knows. That's it. I didn't want anyone else to find out because I didn't want…" She stopped. Swallowed. "I didn't want pity. I didn't want everyone looking at me like I was broken."

Iona felt the words land in her chest, heavy and cold. Ellie. Calm, steady Ellie who had always been the sensible one, the rock, the person who held everything together when everyone else fell apart.

"It might progress slowly," Ellie continued. "There’s treatments. Drugs. I might be fine for ages. Or not. No one knows for certain. But I wanted—" Her voice wavered. "I wanted to do something. While I still could. I wanted to play music again, with the people I love, before I can't anymore. And I thought maybe if it worked out, if the reunion actually made money, I could set something aside for my family. For later. When I might need it. But I didn’t want to tell you. And then Cam said she’d deal with it and she came up with a story and, well, I went along with it. And I shouldn’t have."

No one spoke.

Iona crossed the room and pulled Ellie into her arms. Ellie made a sound, half laugh, half sob, and her shoulders shook.

"I'm sorry I didn't tell you," Ellie whispered into her ear. "I was scared. I'm still scared."

"It's okay." Iona held her tighter. "It's okay. We'll figure it out. Whatever happens, we'll figure it out together."