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"They're my friends," Simon muttered

"They're your friends, and they're idiots"

"I want people I care about to know the truth about me"

"Oh?" Clary said, not very kindly "So when are you going to tell your mother?"

Before Sie door, and a ht pour inside Si It was a reflex, really, left over froer took his eyes ht

There was a boy standing at the garage entrance, backlit by bright sun He held a piece of paper in his hand He looked down at it uncertainly, and then back up at the band "Hey," he said "Is this where I can find the band Dangerous Stain?"

"We're Dichoto forward "Who wants to know?"

"I'htening up, he flipped back the brown hair that fell into his eyes and held out his piece of paper to Eric "I saw you were looking for a lead singer"

"Whoa," said Matt "We put that flyer up, like, a year ago I totally forgot about it"

"Yeah," said Eric "We were doing some different stuff back then Noe mostly switch off on vocals You have experience?"

Kyle-as very tall, Sied "Not really But I' diction, more surfer than Southern

The members of the band looked uncertainly at one another Eric scratched behind his ear "Can you give us a second, dude?"

"Sure" Kyle ducked back out of the garage, sliding the door closed behind hi faintly outside It sounded like "She'll Be Comin' Round the Mountain" It wasn't particularly in tune, either

"I dunno," Eric said "I'ht now 'Cause, I , can we?"

"No," said Sied "It's too bad We need a singer Kirk sucks No offense, Kirk"

"Screw you," said Kirk "I do not suck"

"Yes, you do," said Matt "You suck big, hairy-"

"I think," Clary interrupted, raising her voice, "that you should let him try out"

Simon stared at her "Why?"

"Because he is superhot," Clary said, to Simon's surprise He hadn't been enormously struck by Kyle's looks, but then, perhaps he wasn't the best judge of male beauty "And your band needs some sex appeal"

"Thank you," said Simon "On behalf of us all, thank you very much"

Clary uys Especially you, Simon" She patted his hand "But Kyle is hot like 'whoa' I' My objective opinion as a female is that if you add Kyle to your band, you will double your female fan base"

"Which means we'll have two female fans instead of one," said Kirk

"Which one?" Matt looked genuinely curious

"Eric's little cousin's friend What's her nas and tells everyone she's his girlfriend"

Simon winced "She's thirteen"

"That's your sexy vampire mojo at work, man," said Matt "The ladies cannot resist you"

"Oh, for God's sake," said Clary "There is no such thing as sexy vaer at Eric "And don't even say that Sexy Vampire Mojo sounds like a band na back up "Uh, dudes?" It was Kyle again "Look, if you don't want ed your sound, whatever Just say the word, and I'm out"

Eric cocked his head to the side "Coet a look at you"

Kyle stepped into the garage Sie what it was that had made Clary say he was hot He was tall and broad-shouldered and sliish black hair that tumbled over his forehead and down his neck in curls, and brown skin that hadn't lost its su hazel-green eyes reen T-shirt and jeans, and twining both his bare arms were tattoos-not Marks, just ordinary tattoos They looked like scrolling script winding around his skin, disappearing up the sleeves of his shirt

Okay, Simon had to admit He wasn't hideous

"You know," Kirk said finally, breaking the silence "I see it He is pretty hot"

Kyle blinked and turned to Eric "So, do you wantor not?"

Eric detached the mike from its stand and handed it to him "Go ahead," he said "Give it a try"

"You know, he was really pretty good," Clary said "I was kind of kidding about including Kyle in the band, but he can actually sing"

They alking along Kent Avenue, toward Luke's house The sky had darkened fro low over the East River Clary was trailing one of her gloved hands along the chain-link fence that separated the thethat because you think he's hot," said Simon