Page 492 of Rock Me All Night
36
Kara refusesto return my phone. For my own good, supposedly. She arranges everything with Tom. He's set to arrive at eleven a.m.
I sleep in fits. Come morning, I'm too nervous to do much more than brush my teeth, shower, and dress. Of course, I manage to pick out a particularly low cut top and short skirt combination, so I'm not that out of it.
Drew makes coffee and breakfast. Scrambled eggs with vegetables. They have a taste. Mostly hot sauce, but it's something. The coffee too. I can smell it. It's nutty, robust, bitter. I fix it with sugar and almond milk until it's sweet.
Kara distracts me with another round ofCrash Team Racingwhile Drew sulks in his room. Or sharpens his blade. Or prepares some plan to kill Tom and get away with it. There's no telling what my brother is doing.
I give up on the game at a quarter to eleven. The minutes pass slowly. My skin is flushed, slick with sweat. It's summer in Los Angeles. Warm. But not warm enough to justify this.
The doorbell rings.
That must be him.
I remind myself to breathe. In. Out. Easy. No big deal.
Drew descends the stairs with a serious look on his face. He motions for us to stay then answers the door.
Sure enough, Tom is standing there. He looks normal in jeans and a t-shirt, his sunglasses pulling down the v of his v-neck.
He doesn't wait for Drew's response. "Do whatever you have to do. Hit me. Declare you're never speaking to me again. Hand me the paperwork your lawyer drew up about quitting the band. I don't care. I'm not here for you. I'm here for Willow."
"I'm not going to hit you." Drew's voice is calm, unreadable.
Tom stares back, tapping his fingers against his thigh impatiently.
Drew presses his hand against the doorframe, blocking my view of Tom. "Doesn't mean I'm going to let you make my sister cry again."
"Last thing I want is to hurt her."
I can't see Tom but his voice is sweet, earnest.
"Intentions aren't always good enough," Drew says.
"If we're gonna have this conversation, let's do it privately," Tom says.
Drew looks back to me as if to ask my permission. When I nod, he steps outside and closes the door behind him.
Kara plays with her cell phone with a not quite calm expression. "I haven't been this nervous in forever. Are you okay?"
I nod.
She unlocks her cell phone and navigates to the browser. "I probably shouldn't show you this, but—"
She's interrupted by the door opening. Drew steps back inside.
He looks at me. "Do what you want to do, Wil."
Kara hides her phone and makes eye contact with Drew. "You shouldn't phrase that like she has to earn your permission."
"No, it's fine," I say. I asked Drew to be my first line of defense. He's only doing as I ask. "I'll see you guys later."
"You need anything?" Drew asks.
I shake my head.
He hugs me on my way out the door.
