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A wall of screams and cheers thunders through the audience.
“Which is good,” Jackson smiles. “Because, unfortunately, Kurt couldn’t make it on stage tonight because he’s a child abusing piece of shit who was enabled bythispiece of shit.”
My jaw drops as he points right at Judy, who goeslividnext to me. She lurches to her feet, her eyes manic and wild and her shoulders heaving with rage.
“You!” She screams at Jackson, jabbing a finger at him up on stage.
“I will fuckingdestroy—”
“Yeah, go fuck yourself, Judy.”
The crowd erupts in cheers and laugher as Jackson’s eyes narrow on my mother.
“By the way, your book has a few typos in it. But don’t worry, my lawyer’s reaching out tonight to help you go over those.”
Judy goes white. Past her, the cabal of producers for House of Rock look equally as pale as they lean their heads together, talking quickly.
“You—! You—!”
“Door’s that way, Judy,” Jackson smiles thinly, pointing to the exit. “Try not to blow anyone famous on the way out.”
Howls of laughter fill the theater as Judy sways on her feet, looking like she’s going to be sick. She whirls to me, her face falling.
“Honey, I—”
But when she reaches for me, I jerk my arm away. I don’t say anything, because there’s nothing left to say. All I do is watch as the realization that she’s lost me dawns on her face.
“Melody—”
I turn away from her, my eyes locking with Jackson’s. And slowly, out of the corner of my eyes, I see her back away, before she turns and flees up the aisle and out the door.
My pulse hums as Jackson begins to strum the guitar.
“This is a new one, so, forgive the roughness.”
Yeah, as if the first crowd to hear Jackson Havoc play live in eleven years would care if he playedHappy Birthdayon a fucking kazoo. And predictably, they gonuts.
“But it being new and all, I’m going to need some help with it.”
He glances off-stage, where the sound of another guitar joins him. I frown as my gaze swivels to the figure stepping out onto the stage.
Immediately, my jaw drops through the floor whenJunelocks eyes with me.
She’s grinning from ear to ear, staring at me wide-eyed with glee. She drops her hand from the guitar and jabs a finger at Jackson’s back, mouthing “what the FUCK” at me as I start to laugh. She begins to play again, layering notes on top of Jackson’s strums as he looks out over the crowd.
Triumphant.
Relaxed.
Completelyin his element.
“Shit,” he chuckles, grinning widely. “It really has been too long, hasn’t it?”
A million decibels of “yes” hit him back, and he grins.
“Well, like I said, I’m gonna need some help with this new one. What do you say, Melody?”
I go numb. It’s like someone else is controlling my body as I slowly rise to my feet, my heart thudding in my chest as I stare at him.
