The Rockstar Chronicles

Nightfall

“Didn’t work, huh?” Grady said from the doorway. He was lounging against the frame, arms crossed. His voice sounded sympathetic, but the sarcastic smirk on his face told another story.

“What did you hear?” I asked. Grady had never been a tattletale before and I hoped he wouldn’t start now. The last thing I needed was for Mom to know I had tried to go behind her back.

Grady laughed and straightened up, walking into the room slowly. Though he tried to act as if he were at ease and full of confidence, I could tell he felt just as uncomfortable being in Mom’s office as I did. He walked behind the desk, his fingers trailing over the wooden surface, and sank into the plush office chair.

“Let’s see,” he said, his fingers steepled under his chin. He twirled the chair slowly. I stared at him from my position on the floor. Please, please….

“I heard you try to get Dad to live here with you. And an interesting bit about the whole family living off my money.” He smiled. Turning, he stared at the calendars. I thought I saw a shadow cross his face. His busy future was hanging just above him, mapped out carefully. Looming over him, I thought. But then he turned, laughing in my face. “You also mentioned learning to schedule like Mom?” he said, one eyebrow raised condescendingly. I scowled at him.

“If I wanted to, I could,” I said. He found that even funnier.

“You know,” He leaned forward, elbows on the desk, “you’re probably the only teenage girl around who wouldn’t love to go on tour with a band.”

“Why would I want to?” I shot back. “They’ll probably all be like you.”

Grady spun the chair in a slow circle, his face flashing in and out of view. “We can only hope,” he said.

Despite his laughter, he remained so carefully controlled I felt as if I were talking to a stranger. What does he think about all this? I thought. Does he want to go?

“They’re probably going to sell the house,” Grady said, breaking into my thoughts.

“Yeah, Dad mentioned that,” I said, slumping against the wall. “Grady, do you really want to do this?”

The chair stopped. Unfortunately, it was facing away from me, towards the window, and I couldn’t see Grady’s face. “Why wouldn’t I want to do this?” Grady scoffed. “It’s the chance of a lifetime.”

We sat in silence as day turned to night. Shadows lengthened over the floor, crawling slowly towards me as the light outside gave way to dusk. Finally, Grady shifted, his chair wobbling slightly.

“Mom’s home,” he said. His voice sounded funny, as if he had been sleeping. He turned the chair away from the window, facing me.

“I’m sorry you have to come,” he said softly. He stood quickly, leaving the room before I could think of anything to say.

The door slammed below and I heard Mom call out, “Kids? I need some help with the groceries.”

Sudden fear of being discovered in Mom’s office struck my heart and I rose quickly, my limbs stiff and sore as if I had just had the flu.

Well, I consoled myself as I followed Grady down the stairs, at least I have a few more weeks. The wooden banister felt familiar and comforting under my hand.

****Please remember to vote if you enjoyed this section of The Rockstar Chronicles. It means a lot to me to get your feedback!****