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“Me please, Mrs Parker,” Arlo called from behind his drum kit. Like me, he preferred to escape his house as often as possible. Kai’s parents had agreed to let him store his kit here, encouraging him to stop in as often as he liked.
I didn’t know much of his story, but I knew a beaten kid when I saw one. It was there in the shadows in your eyes. The tense way you held yourself, like one wrong word would lead to pain.
The band was our safe space. An escape. A hope and a dream.
“Luca? Kai?” Di asked.
Kai shook his head as Luca shot her a charming grin. “No thanks, Mrs P.”
Di rolled her eyes, her hands going to her hips as she glared at our drummer and singer. “How many times do I need to tell you to call me Di?”
Kai and I locked eyes and smirked. Arlo and Luca would learn sooner or later that shealwaysgot her way.
“Si, door!” Mike, Kai’s dad, shouted through from the front of the house. I jumped up, my heart racing as butterflies exploded in my stomach.
“Hey.” Kai grabbed my hand as I rushed past, pulling me to a halt. “You invited someone over?”
“Umm…” I rubbed at my hair sheepishly. “Yeah, Sarah. That’s cool, right?”
Sarah and I had been dating for a few weeks now. She was one of the popular kids—always in short plaid miniskirts paired with fishnets. With dyed bright-red hair, a lip ring, and dark-lined eyes, she was way out of my league. But by some miracle, she liked me back.
Kai’s face darkened, making me frown. “Shit, should I not have invited her here? I didn’t even think to ask. I can’t invite her to Frank’s place…”
Kai still wasn’t speaking, just staring at me woodenly like I’d whacked him over the head with something.
Di’s hands fell on my shoulders before she spoke. “Of course it’s okay, Silas. This is your home too. You’re very welcome to have your friends here.”
Kai found his voice. “She’s not his friend. She’s hisgirlfriend.”
Arlo and Luca exchanged a confused look.
“We can leave,” I blurted out. “I’ll take her to the café, and we can hang out there. I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to overstep.”
“No, wait.” Kai leapt to his feet, towering over me. Even with my growth spurt, I still hadn’t caught him up. “Sorry, I’m being a dick.”
“Language, Kai,” Di snapped. But she patted his arm as she passed, shooting a worried look at us both.
That was…weird.
“She can come in,” Kai said gruffly, shifting on his feet. “Mum’s right. It’s your house too.”
But it wasn’t. Not really.
“I don’t want to make things uncomfortable…” Why was Kai looking so…angry? What had I done?
“You aren’t,” he said, shoving me on the shoulder. “Go get her before she freezes on the doorstep.”
I hovered for a second, torn between pushing Kai on what was wrong and greeting Sarah.
“Silas! You lost?”
Mike’s booming call made the decision for me. With a final confused look at my best friend, I tore out of the garage to meet Sarah.
I couldn’t wait to show her our stuff. She might be the only person outside Kai’s family to hear our music, but it was a start.
Part 2
NOW
