Page 6 of Fame & Rhythm

I manage a weak half smile. “Truth.”

“Your mum’s pretty upset. When I left, your dad was with her. She looked close to tears.”

Guilt hits hard.

“I don’t know why I do that,” I admit. “I get angry and just… go for the worst thing I can say. Mum doesn’t deserve that.”

He’s quiet for a moment, his fingers moving slowly over my shoulder.

“I get why you were upset,” he says. “They should’ve been there. That part? You’re right.”

I glance at him. “But throwing the adoption thing at them like that…” he continues, his voice steady. “You know that cuts deep. Especially for your mum.”

I wince, looking away. “I know.”

“They love you, Lennox. Both of them. You know that,” he adds. “And yeah, they screwed up tonight. But it’s not the end of the world. There’ll be more shows. Bigger ones. And when that happens, they’ll be right there.”

I let out a slow breath, wiping at my cheeks again. “I know it’s not the worst thing,” I say. “But it still hurt. Dad choosing… that… over us. It just… yeah. It sucked.”

“I know,” he says simply.

There is no argument.

There is no dismissal.

Just understanding.

“And I knew the second I saw them leave that this would blow up,” he adds. “But you’ve gotta start thinking before you fire off like that. You can’t keep going straight for the jugular every time something hurts.”

I turn to look at him.

Those blue eyes don’t miss anything.

“You went too far,” he says, not unkindly. “Even for you.”

I swallow, nodding. “Do you think they hate me?” I ask quietly. “That everyone in there thinks I’m an idiot?”

He snorts softly. “No. They don’t hate you. And no one thinks you’re an idiot.”

I raise an eyebrow.

“They probably think you went a bit nuclear,” he adds. “But they also know why.”

That pulls a small laugh out of me. “What would I do without you?” I ask.

He grins, that easy, confident smile that always gets to me. “Probably fall apart.”

I nudge him lightly, and he chuckles.

“Hey,” he adds, his tone shifting slightly. “You’re stronger than this. Don’t let one bad moment take you down.”

I nod, reaching down to pat Sassy as she settles in my lap.

“We’re good, you know,” he continues. “The band. We’ve got something. And yeah, support matters right now, but when it really counts? Your parents will be there. Your dad didn’t teach you guitar all these years to miss your big break.”

I exhale slowly.

I know he is right.