AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“You wanted me to lay low,” I remind her.
“For a few days, until things calmed down. But what did you do instead? You set on fire everything we worked for and checked yourself intorehab.And then, instead of coming home after it, you just disappeared without a trace.”
By the way she says rehab, you’d think it was some kind of dirty word or something.
“I wasn’t okay,” I say softly.
That feeling of shame I’ve been fighting since I’d entered rehab slams into me, threatening to suffocate me.
“You were fine before. I know what happened with Christian was unfortunate, but that boy was always trouble. You and he are nothing alike. I understand that you had to deal with his loss, but…”
“Unfortunate?” Penelope asks loudly. “He lost his friend!”
My head snaps up to find Penelope glaring at my mother across the table. She’s been so quiet I almost forgot that she was here, and I wasn’t the only one. Mom looks almost as surprised as me as she stares at Penelope. Her fingers are wrapped too tightly around the fork in her hand, knuckles white.
“He lost a friend,” she repeats. This time her voice is softer but no less stern. “He was suffering in silence, and he needed help, and you were more concerned about the tour?” Penelope shakes her head, unable to hide her disgust. “Did you know that he was sick?”
“Sick?” Mom asks, her gaze darting toward me. She’s clearly thrown off by the change of subject.
“Yes, we were out in the rain one night, and Sebastian got a fever. He was burning up, but he was so worried about relapsing he didn’t even want to take a damn Tylenol. That’s not somebody who’s just “dealing with the loss” of his best friend. That’s not somebody who’s okay and just looking for attention. He needed help, and you ignored him when he needed you the most.”
“Birdy…” I call out, trying to get her attention, but she’s on a roll.
“What happened to Christian was tragic, but it was the catalysis Sebastian needed. Something to push him in the right direction to ask for help, something Christian didn’t have time for. Because nobody noticed. Nobody cared enough to notice. You’re hismother. You should have done better, paid more attention. Hell, if you just listened and took his concerns seriously…” Another shake of her head. “I, for one, am grateful that he stood up for himself. Because if he didn’t, God knows where he’d be today. Maybe he would have ended up the same way as Christian, and I…”
She hiccups, and I realize that she wasn’t shaking her head. She’s the one shaking.
Damn, this woman.
Her chest is rising and falling rapidly as she tries to calm her breathing, and I’m pretty sure I can see tears glistening in her eyes under the dim light.
When was the last time somebody stood up to my mother like this? For me? She stood up to her to defend me.
We were done here.
I gently reach for her hand, disentangling Penelope’s fingers from the fork before I take her hand in mine. “C’mon, Penelope.”
She turns to me, those dark blue eyes blinking. It’s like she was in a daze, and just now, she’s waking up. Her tongue slides out, running over her lower lip.
“Sebastian…”
“Later.”
I tap the side of my leg, calling Henry as I help Penelope to her feet.
“Sebastian, we’re not done here,” Mom grinds softly, making the hairs at my nape rise.
“I think we said everything that needed to be said, Mom. I’ll sign the contracts you need me to sign. I’ll go to the awards show and play the part, but after that, I’m going back to Blairwood. What happened with Christian wrecked me, and I’m not ready to go back. You, better than most, should know what that’s like.”
Mom staggers back, clearly thrown off by my comment. Bringing up my father’s death was a low blow, but I don’t even have it in me to care right now. There is a moment of silence as she collects herself.
“Fine,” Mom says finally. “Contracts, AMAs, and the charity concert.”
“I told—”
“It’s just a few songs, thirty minutes of your time, and all the money is going to help people dealing with drug addiction.” Mom raises her brows as if she dares me to tell her no. “If you agree on those, I’ll deal with the label and give you time until you’re ready to get back to recording, but I need you to do those three.”
“Fine,” I mutter, not in the mood to fight her on this.
