Page 35 of Fame & Rhythm

“You’re sorry?” he roars when I try to speak. The force of it makes me jump.

“Babe—”

“No, Dee. I will not take a breath.” His gaze snaps to Caleb. “Were you the one giving her the alcohol?”

He moves toward him quickly, and instinct kicks in.

I step between them, my hand going up to stop him. “No. It wasn’t Caleb,” I say firmly. “It was me. I took the drinks. I stole them. Caleb just helped me when I got sick and took me to the hospital. That’s it.”

Dad’s glare shifts back to me, sharp and cutting.

“I’ll deal with you later, Caleb,” he says coldly, before his full attention locks onto me. “But you… what the hell were you thinking? You could have killed yourself, Annie. Do you understand that?”

My eyes burn, tears spilling over as his voice fills the room. “I’m sorry,” I whisper.

“Sorry isn’t enough,” he snaps. “What if someone had taken photos of you? Did you even think about what that would do? To you? To the band? To everything you’re working so hard toward?” Each word hits harder than the last. “You think the world is going to be kind about this? The daughter of a former addict getting drunk at seventeen?” He drags a hand through his hair, turning away for a second before spinning back. “I cannot believe you’ve done this.”

“Why did you do it, Annie?” Mum asks gently.

I look at her, and that’s what breaks me.

“Because I was… uncomfortable,” I admit, my voice shaking. “I didn’t want to be there, and I didn’t know how to get out of it. I just… wanted it all to stop. I thought alcohol would help.”

Dad scoffs, the sound sharp. “If you were uncomfortable, you come to us,” he says, his voice rising again. “We would have taken you home. You don’t get to make reckless decisions every time something doesn’t go your way.”

I shrink slightly under the weight of his words.

“This is a big mistake, Annie,” he continues. “Do you have any idea how bad this could’ve been? What if you’d passed out somewhere? What if no one found you in time? You don’t think things through, and that’s what makes this dangerous.”

My chest tightens, shame curling through me.

“Well, that stops now,” he says firmly. “Do… you… hear… me?”

I nod, unable to speak, staring at the floor as his words settle over me.

I can feel his gaze on me, heavy and totally unrelenting.

But I can’t look up.

I’m too ashamed.

“Do. You. Hear. Me?” Dad snaps, his voice sharp enough to make me flinch, and this time, something in me snaps back.

“Well, I didn’t even want the stupid party in the first place,” I fire back. “All you care about is what people think. You don’t care about me at all!”

Dad’s head jerks back slightly before his expression hardens. “I don’t care about you?” he repeats, disbelief flashing across his face before it’s swallowed by anger. “What a load of bullshit, Annie. Do you think I’d be this angry if I didn’t care about you?”

His voice rises again, louder than before, his face flushed red.

I huff, folding my arms tightly across my chest, but this time I don’t have a comeback.

“Right,” he says, his tone turning cold and controlled, which is somehow worse. “No more parties. No more outings. Not until I can trust you again, and God knows how long that’s going to take.”

My stomach drops.

“You did this to yourself,” he continues. “And when you’re in the public eye, you don’t get to act however you want. The media could have turned this into a complete shit storm. Did you even think about that?” I stay silent, my throat tightening. “Do you have any idea what could have happened?” he pushes on. “Child services could get involved if they think we’re not taking care of you properly. Do you understand that? We fought too hard to have you in our lives, Annie, for you to risk that because you felt… uncomfortable.”

That word hits me like a slap.