I walk over to my dad’s giant skull-shaped liquor cabinet, pour a double whiskey, and shoot half.
“BABY!” my family shouts, and Luci howls from the next room.
I sit again and exhale for what feels like an hour. “That I… might want to be with someone else.”
My dad eyes his expensive whiskey in my hand, but doesn’t mention it.
“You figured that out in the middle of the party? Oh God. Please tell me it’s not Jude’s friend Zach you’re suddenly interested in! He’s quite possibly the most boring wanker I’ve ever met!”
“Dad!” Jude shouts, but Dad’s totally right.
I finish the rest of my glass and Lola takes it for me. “More like, the least boring person at the party, Dad. Other than you, Imean. I’d like to talk about … the idea … the concept of um, me dating Jett.”
I’ve never seen four people’s eyes fly wide open in unison quite like that before.
“Jett?OurJett?” Mum’s face drains of color like she’s going into shock.
“Baby! You’re fucking mental!” Jude throws Jimmy’s toy into the other room.
“Are you on drugs, Baby?” Lola asks, as if I’mher.
“Why would Ineed to be on drugs to want to date Jett? I’ve known him for eight years, and you’d rather have me date some random stranger from an app?!”
The stress ball bursts in Dad’s grip, and fine grains of sand fly everywhere, which he chooses to ignore completely. Everyone turns to look at him with bated breath.
“Baby, there are so many things Iwant to say right now, Idon’t even know where to fucking start.”
Lola starts pacing the living room like it’s a situation room. “You should start with, he’s a fucking manwhore! Baby, do you realize how many people Jett’s fucked? You would catch half an STD just from kissing him!”
Jude laughs. “What’shalfan STD?”
Mum throws a pillow at him. “Lola’s not wrong, Baby! He’s slept with more people than Dad at that age! It’s fucking dangerous to get in that boy’s pants!”
My dad chokes on his scotch, and Jude continues to find this hilarious until my dad chucks his slipper at him.
Jude sobers a bit and says, “Baby, when Jett dumps you, do you understand how fucked up his relationship with Dad would be? The relationship they did a fucking hour-and-a-half special about on ABC last year, if you don’t recall! Iget it, Jett’s hot now, but is it really worth the risk? The whole STD thing doesn’t matter; Ican have a full blood work write-up from his manager in a week or probably less. Unless he cheats on you and picks something up and—”
Dad stamps his foot. “Jude, Ilove you, but shut the fuck up!”
I glare at my brother, then get up and sit on the armrest of Dad’s chair, wrapping an arm around his shoulders and touching my head to his, just like Ialways have when Ireally want something. “Daddy…”
He sighs, and everyone in the room groans. “Baby, please just listen to an old man, humour me, all right?”
I nod, and he turns to look me in the eyes. Iattempt to make mine as puppy-dog-adorable as Ican. The way Jett looks all the time.
“Where Jett’s about to be in a handful of months, his firstrealearth-shattering, rock ‘n roll album, it’s … it’s going to hit number one and turn his life upside down. The press, the travelling, the world tour, literally, from New York to Japan, Australia, fuckingeverywhere.I’m concerned he won’t be able to make enough time for you. And Iknow this from experience, the horniest women, or womenandmen, in Jett’s case, because we all know he swings every which way, will be throwing themselves at him every night. His middle name certainly isn’t monogamy. Ilove Jett, Ido, but you’re my little girl, and you have to see why this could be the worst possible time to be with him.”
I hold my face in my hands and try not to cry because Iknow he’s right, but my freakin’ brain won’t let up.Just date him for a few months and agree to be friends again when he leaves for tour. You’ll probably be busy filming season three while he’s touring anyway. It’s worth the risk.
“God, I’m so stupid!” Imumble into my hands, knowing my brain is completely full of shit.
“You just got your heart broken, Baby. Do you really want to go right into another inevitable heartbreak? Risk getting your feelings crushed so you can, what, have a one-nighter with Jett? You’re smarter than this, sweetie.”
“I know, Mum! Fuck!”
“He hasn’t been able to keep it in his pants with any girlfriend so far, Baby.” Jude rubs his temples. “What makes you think he’s gonna start with you?”
Lola shakes her head at me like she thinks Ineed a straightjacket. “Baby, Jesus fucking Christ! This morning, you were perfectly excited to use that glistening,gorgeousGage as a rebound, and now Jett’s the love of your life? Ifuckingcan’twith you!”
