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“Cheater!” I whisper yell at him before taking the phone from Willa.
“Hi, Mom.”
“Bellamy! What are you doing with your brother and that band? Is Brad with you?” My mother’s shrill voice comes through the phone, and I wince. I haven’t spoken to her in months, even before I left Brad. We’re not exactly close.
“No. I left Brad. I actually just decided to join Cal and Shattered Halo permanently.”
Kai is fully smiling now, and I briefly return it before my mother ruins any good mood I even thought abouthaving.
“You have got to be kidding me! You need to fly home and make things right with Brad.”
“No. Brad abused me, Mom. I’m not going back to him,” I choke out, keeping the lump in my throat down.
“I’m sure he didn’t mean any harm.”
Cal is stiff next to me, Kai is glaring at the phone like he can tell my mom off with his mind, and Willa looks like she’s about to swim across the ocean to beat some sense into her. I can’t see Mav from where I’m standing, but I doubt his reaction is any less violent. The immediate support from everyone around me gives me the strength I need to finish this conversation.
“This isn’t up for discussion. If you called to discuss my relationships or my career, then I think we’re finished here.”
“You’re making a mistake,” she argues.
“I’m not. Even if I were, it’s my mistake to make. Goodbye, Mom.”
“Wait! That’s not why I called. Your aunt Valerie died.” Valerie is my mom’s sister and our only cousin, Millie’s mom.
“What? When?”
“A few weeks ago. Neither of my children’s numbers worked, so I couldn’t get in touch with you.”
“You clearly have Willa’s number,” I point out.
“Yes, but I just realized that.”
“Thank you for letting us know. Please text her address to Willa’s phone,” I tell her and hang up.
“We need to fly out immediately after the show tonight.”
“What? Why?” Cal asks, surprised.
“Aunt Val died. Weeks ago. We need to see Millie.”
Cal’s face goes from shock to anger. Millie was not only our only cousin, but she was also one of our closest friends when we were kids. Kai and Willa know her too. A phone call won’t be enough.
“Fuck. That’s Millie’s mom? I’m sorry, guys. She was really amazing,” Kai says.
My mom and her sister couldn’t have been more different. My mom is snobby and opinionated. Aunt Val went with the flow and could make me laugh so hard I’d feel it in my abs for days.
“I booked us on a private jet out of Dublin. We’ll be cutting it close, but we should make it to Germany in time for the show,” Cal says. I nod in agreement.
I plop myself back down on the couch next to Mav, and he throws his arm around me.
“That was a rollercoaster of emotions in a really small amount of time. I could use a drink or a nap. Maybe both,” he says.
I laugh humorlessly in agreement.
seventeen
BRAD
