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“Well, if you know, show it. I better not hear again you’re dodging your trainer. And dear God, if I hear you haven’t been keeping up with your meds…”
Like I needed another thing to worry about. Especially because I tended to flare when I was stressed out. I gripped the bed. “I have, okay?”
“Okay.” Mom sounded busy, moving around. “I get it. You’re in a stressful situation, but you will make that situation worse by not taking care of yourself. That means eating well, doing your workouts, taking your meds, and keeping up with your self-care. All these things affect your playing ability, honey, and you know that.”
I knew my mom meant well. She did. She wanted the best for me. She cared even if that care made me feel like I was drowning…
Which it did more often than not.
I said nothing about that, of course. Never did. I just let my mom continue on, and my ears perked up when she started talking about my cello.
“Speaking of your playing, I know you’ve been keeping up with your practice, so I’m not even going to address that,” she said, and I nearly laughed. I hadn’t played in weeks let alone practiced. “And with this charity concert, I expect you’ll be doubling if not tripling your practice time. I’ll contact Deborah?—”
“No, I’ll do it,” I said, the both of us referring to my teacher. Deborah Hays also hadn’t heard from me in a while, but fortunately, she didn’t have to. She sent my practice music and expected me to just do it.
They both did.
“Fine,” Mom said, and my heart settled a bit.
That was until she mentioned…
“I have been working with the police, and we haven’t found anything regarding those letters. That sicko who threatened you is still unfortunately out there, but best believe, honey, we will get him. We will, and when we do, we’ll make him pay for detouring your life.”
I blinked, my eyes closing slowly after. I lowered my head. “Mom...”
“And then we’ll get you back on tour,” Mom said, her voice changing, different. It swelled with something, and I only heard it when she was talking about the future. My future. “We’ll get you back on track and things will be just like they were.”
I was sure they would be, and I thought about that long and hard after my mom finally got off the line. She let me go so I could practice. So I could be perfect for that charity concert, and eventually, things could go back to normal.
I stared at my cello for a long time that afternoon, the case still on it. I stared until I couldn’t anymore.
In the end, I got up, taking a hoodie with me, and when I left my dorm that afternoon, I failed to tell my security.
I guess it slipped my mind.
CHAPTER
SIXTEEN
Aspen
I had to give it to my security. It took about two-point-five seconds for Phil to realize I was gone, and apparently, he did his job too well.
I didn’t care. I felt overwhelmed as fuck and needed to get out. I ignored Phil’s texts and just drove.
I could do that now that I had a car.
Something else I corrected after everything with Thatcher was getting a vehicle. I wouldn’t be stranded anymore at the mercy of someone like him.
I feel like I’m going to throw up.
Honestly, being behind the wheel was a stupid decision. I felt dizzy pretty much the entire time, but that certainly hadn’t stopped me from keeping my foot on the gas pedal of the Range Rover. I kept the car moving and ended up on the highway. I drove through miles upon miles of cornfields and had no idea where I was going.
Again, I didn’t care.
I was frustrated that my mom got me like this. She got me in my head sometimes and thinking about my cello, playing it after what happened…
I kept the Range Rover cruising, and eventually, I came across a sign ahead. It came up really freaking fast.
