Being at Paper Planes after running his mouth to Gabby caused a strange feeling to settle in the pit of Sawyer's stomach. Everything looked the same but it felt different inside, like the entire existence of the place rested solely on his shoulders. Ludicrous, he knew, but that's how it felt.

Robbie sat down in one of the wheelchairs that sat along the hallway, promptly making it do a wheelie and spinning the thing around in circles. “I wonder if they'd let me stay here. Am I batshit crazy enough?”

“Dude, totally uncalled for,” Sebastian said. “And where'd you learn to drive one of those things?”

Robbie continued to spin around. “My parents and I were in a car crash when I was a kid. Busted both my legs.”

“That's gonna look like a day at the spa if you don't stand up,” Sawyer said. His voice was short and clipped but it was the first time in his life he'd ever had nerves before a show and he wasn't doing so well.

Robbie drew his brows together and stood. “I was just trying to have a little fun, man.”

“We're not here to have fun,” Sawyer said. “We're here to collect my sister and put on a huge show.”

Huge it was. They'd seen the set up when they'd come in. Somehow, Bennett pulled off a miracle. Massive scaffolding was erected, home to a stage of epic proportions. He'd managed to get a couple of opening acts and Bach's Revenge was the headliner. Aside from a couple merch booths, a beer garden for the adult crowd and a couple of washrooms, the acres of land that Paper Planes sat on was open to anyone who would buy a ticket.

Sawyer figured he'd at least tripled, maybe even quadrupled the number of ticket sales and that was why Bennett, despite being a total douche ninety percent of the time was a good manager.

Robbie put his hands out, palm forward in defensive. “No fun at all. Check.”

“Don't be an ass,” Lane said. “He's got a lot on his mind.”

“We all have a lot on our mind,” Robbie said. “No excuse.”

“Whatever,” Sawyer said. “Can we please just get Sadie?”

Robbie made an obscene gesture involving a certain finger. “Lead the way, Sir Sulky.”

Sawyer whipped around, ready to clock Robbie sqaure in the jaw. “I swear to God...”

“Ignore him,” Sebastian said. “Robbie seriously, shut the hell up for once in your life. It isn't your sister in here.”

“Holy hell! Tell you what I won't speak unless spoken to,” Robbie said. “How's that?”

“Good,” the other three said in unison.

They reached Sadie's room and Sawyer shouldered the door open but it was empty. “Where the hell is she?”

“Out for a walk?” Sebastian suggested.

“She doesn't leave her room, says there's monsters outside her walls.”

Sebastian nodded and Sawyer was sure he saw a flash of something close to sympathy cross his face. “Maybe not, but Sadie's been doing a great deal of things she doesn't usually do as of lately.”

Sebastian had a very valid point. In the last couple of months, Sawyer had been witness to Sadie making more progress than she had her entire life. Something to be said for a privatized institution like Paper Planes, he guessed.

He spun on his heel and headed in the direction of the kitchen, deciding Babs may know where Sadie was. Sebastian, Robbie and Lane followed him but Sawyer stopped at the door to the common room.

There were about ten people, maybe fifteen in cheap orange and gold plastic chairs set in a circle. Sadie was on one of the orange ones with her feet stretched to rest on Lindy's lap. Dr. M was speaking. A group therapy session?

He brought his hand up and rapped his knuckles on the door before shoving it open. “It's a beautiful day, yeah?” he said.

Sadie grinned. “Sawyer!”

“Hey M and M,” he said. He gave Dr. Montgomery a pretentious salute. “Dr. M. It's a slice, as usual.”

“Mr. West,” she said in a tight voice.

The others entered the room and Lindy sprung from her seat like there was a fire under her ass. “Oh My God!” she screamed. “All of Bach's Revenge!”

A super skinny girl stood up and began to brush her hair frantically with her fingers. “Jerry, do I look okay?”

The tall guy next to her sighed. “You look fine, Amanda. Why? What's the big deal?”

Sadie came to stand in front of Sawyer and stated proudly, “only the biggest band in the world, duh. And he,” she pointed to Sawyer, “is my brother!”

His heart did a little somersault in his chest. No one had ever been proud of him before. Ever. But Sadie's pride was clear and unhindered by false pretenses. He put a hand on her shoulder. “I wouldn't go that far, M and M.”

“Oh,” Sebastian said, “she can go that far. Thanks, Sadie!”

Sadie blushed just as Dr. M cleared her throat. “Mind if I ask what you're doing, Mr. West?”

Now that he'd found Sadie, he knew Devin and Lex were going to be there soon and the fact that they were hours away from playing one of the biggest gigs ever, adrenaline surged through his veins and gave him the jolt he needed to feel normal again.

“Don't mind at all, doc.” He crooked a finger, “Come here, yeah? Look out the window.”

The tall guy who had sighed rose to his feet. “Hang on a second,” he said. “Who are you?”

“Jerry,” Lindy said. “You're oblivious. That,” she pointed to Sawyer, “Is Sadie's big brother, the lead guitarist of Bach's Revenge and Alexa's boyfriend.”

“Thanks for the help clearing that up darlin',” Sawyer gave her a wink.

“No problem.”

“Hang on, hang on!” Jerry said, sticking his chest out. “Alexa doesn't have a boyfriend.”

“Yeah,” Sawyer said. “She does. Who told you any different?”

The look on the guy's face said it all. He had the hots for Alexa. If he were any other guy alive, Sawyer's' fists would be at work already but the dude had it rough enough. He lived in a mental institution.

“Mr. West,” Gabby's voice was louder and much more demanding. “What are you doing here? Aside from interrupting our session?”

Sebastian stepped forward. “We're putting on a benefit show, kind of, out there.” His arm shot out to the side toward the window.

Gabby blinked. “I beg your pardon?”

Charlie was waiting outside standing next to a limo. She didn't look like herself. She wore short shorts and with gladiator wedges, a t-shirt that had been shredded in the back, wristbands and black army boots. Her hair was backcombed and probably had enough hairspray in it, that Sawyer lighting a smoke would be a fire hazard for sure.

Alexa looked down at her own attire, wondering if her skin tight jeans and lime green tank top would be enough to fit in. Rachel had even given her Madonna style lace gloves with the fingers cut out and a million different rings. Her hand held some serious weight to it but even so, she wasn't sure she'd fit in.

“You look great,” Rachel said as if she were reading her mind. “Green looks wonderful on a redhead. Plus that scarf,” she nodded to the zebra print scarf she'd tied on the arm of Alexa's clutch, claiming that she was channeling the greatest rock God of all time, “that scarf could make a burlap sack look good.”

“I feel like a Christmas tree,” Alexa muttered.

“You look fantastic,” Devin said. “We all do.”

“Ah, hell yeah,” Rachel said. “We do, don't we?”

Devin nodded.

“A limo?” she asked.

Charlie smiled. “A limo. I was bored. Plus we,” she motioned to Devin, “decided you should get the full on experience.”

“I did,” Alexa pointed out, “at the pool.”

Charlie shook her head and laughed. “Um, no, that was kind of a small little show. This will probably be a little more like it is when they're on tour.”

“Oh,” Alexa said. “Okay.”

Rachel stuck her tongue out, stepped around Alexa and scooted into the limo. “Told ya,” she said. “Wait until you see it.”

“I've seen it,” Alexa mumbled. She had, hadn't she?

“Please,” Rachel said as Alexa climbed into the car. “You don't know how to search a video on YouTube. You don't have a clue. No offense, hun,” she quickly added.

“It'll be fine,” Devin said quietly. “Don't let them scare you.”

Alexa forced a tight smile. “Yeah,” she said. “No worries, I won't.” As the limo pulled away, Alexa wondered what the hell she was in for.

When they arrived at Paper Planes, the first thing she noticed was that there was simply no parking. None. Cars spilled out from the parking lot, onto the street on the grass like they'd fallen from the sky and landed where they may. She had no idea how their driver was able to maneuver the limo around with such ease.

Devin clapped her hands together. “Ooh, it's getting busy, look.” She extended her pointer finger to the window.

Knowing she couldn't avoid it indefinitely, Alexa followed the direction Devin had pointed. It was more people she'd ever seen in one place in her entire life. They were packed against each other like sardines in a tin. It was hard to tell where one body ended and another began. Knees were wedged against legs and elbows against backs. How the hell could anyone breathe in there?

The people extended about two thirds of the way across the main area of the grounds. There was still room for more and she hoped they wouldn't be part of the unfortunate lot that ended up at the back.

“That's more like their tour,” Charlie said.

There simply was no response to that so she nodded. “Where do you think they are now?”

Charlie smiled. “Follow me.”

When they got through the front door of Paper Planes, she let out a sigh of relief. It was familiar here. Comfortable. Charlie was looking at her phone, texting like crazy and the rest of them followed her like ducklings might their mother. She was a seasoned professional at being the girlfriend of a famous person and when everything was overwhelming, she never seemed to lose her cool.

They headed to the staff room, the place where Alexa and Sawyer had first flirted, the place she'd first spoken to him in a decent conversation. The place where the truth about his past exploded to the surface. The place where she realized Sawyer West was like fire; beautiful but risky to be around, to touch.

They opened the door and that's when he turned and smiled. “Hey sugar.”

He wore a black sleeveless shirt which showcased the ink that ran the length of his arm and black cargo pants. His dog tags were secured around his neck, along with some other jewelery she'd never seen before. A shiny silver chain was wound over his wrist and he was, like her, sporting fingerless gloves only his were leather. In his hands was a black and white electric guitar which he was fiddling with.

His hair was tousled with purpose and Alexa was pretty sure she'd never seen him look so much like a rock star. “Hi.”

He set the guitar down, arched a brow and the curve of his lip at the exact same moment and walked toward her. Tucking his fingertips into the waist of her pants, he tugged and brought her closer to him. “You alright, darlin'?”

She smiled. “I am now.”

“Good,” he said. “That's good. Sadie's getting ready.”

“Is she excited?”

Sawyer nodded and placed his lips against her neck. “Are you?”

“I'm nervous.”

“Why, you comin' onstage to sing with us?”

“That depends,” she said. “Did a pig fly by on your way here?”

“Feisty today, Lex. That's good. You might need it.”

“I have no intention of surviving a mosh pit at your concert.”

“Are you kidding? I wouldn't let you anywhere near the pit. You are going to be on the side of the stage with my sister, her friends and Devin and Charlie where I can keep an eye on you.”

“Keep an eye on me?”

“Mmmhmm,” he said. “Keep an eye on you.”

She could smell his cologne and the scent brought back the night before. She desperately wanted to be there, at the piano, in his bedroom before they were interrupted. “You don't need to keep an eye on me,” she said.

Sawyer finally took her mouth in his. He didn't care that they were in a room full of people and she loved that. “That's not what your pal Jerry says,” he told her when he pulled away.

Alexa blushed. “Jerry's harmless.”

“No doubt,” Sawyer said. “Harmless but quick as a whip. Guy knows a good thing when he sees it. I gently stated that you were mine.”

She cringed. “How did that go over?”

“Like a lead balloon. I think Jerry may try to kick my ass.”

“What about my aunt, how did she deal with the news of Paper Planes being turned into a concert venue?”

“She took it better than I thought she would,” Sawyer allowed, “granted after I told her you staying with me for the rest of the summer so I can do unspeakable things to you, the whole concert thing didn't hold much of a shock factor.”

Alexa widened her eyes. “You did not tell her that.”

Sawyer shrugged. “Maybe you better go and talk to her.”

“Sawyer!” Her voice raised more than she intended and she slinked away as if that could take it back.

“Relax darlin', I didn't say I was gonna do unspeakable things to you. But I did suggest that I wouldn't mind so much if you spent your last week with me so you really should talk to her.”

“Was she mad?”

“Naw,” Sawyer said. “I mean, not really.”