Page 36 of Don’t Love the Boy Next Door (Hotties Next Door #2)

Chapter Thirty-Two

Phoenix

“Are you sure you don’t want to go to the concert?” I ask Katie through my phone for the hundredth time. I stick the key in the lock and push open the door to my house. The familiar smell engulfs me. I haven’t been home in forever. I didn’t realize how much I’ve missed it.

“That’s a hard yes,” Katie says.

I get it. It must suck that she had to quit the band—something she loved—because of what happened between her and Eric. Not that I get it, since Eric refuses to talk about it. I could shake him until tomorrow and not get a peep. Even Ethan doesn’t know.

“Okay. Maybe I’ll buy you a T-shirt or something.”

“Please don’t,” she says. “Have fun tonight. I know the band will do well with Ethan’s good luck charm supporting them.”

“Me, his good luck charm? Puhleeze.”

“And say hi to your family for me.”

“Yep. Talk to you later.”

As soon as I hang up, Natalie jumps into my arms. “You’re finally home! Why do you hate us so much?”

“What?” I ask as I lower her to the floor. “Who said I hate you?”

“Because you’re never home. Charlie said it’s because you hate us. Because we’re so loud and you can’t make videos.”

Guilt crashes over me like a tidal wave. I didn’t mean to hurt her or anyone else.

“I don’t hate you,” I promise. “And don’t listen to anything Charlie says. He’s going through that thing called puberty, and it makes him say and do all these crazy things that make no sense.”

“Pru—what?” she asks with wide eyes.

I laugh. “You’ll learn all about it when you’re older. Where’s Mom and Dad?”

“Mom’s in the kitchen making the yummiest stupendous cookies in the whole world! And Dad’s reading the paper in the kitchen, too.”

So that was that delicious smell. Natalie takes my hand, tugging me all the way to the kitchen, where Mom is crouched at the oven. Dad is at the table with the paper.

“Hey, Mom and Dad,” I say.

Mom closes the oven and smiles at me, though it seems strained. “Hi, Genevieve. It’s nice to see you home for a change.”

Dad nods to me.

Again, guilt chokes me. I just wish they’d understand me a little better. Then maybe I wouldn’t have the need to move out.

“Have a cookie,” Mom says, offering the tray.

“Thanks.” I take one. “I should probably eat something before I leave for the concert.”

“Are you talking about the Rock E’s?” Natalie asks with a gaping mouth. “They’re so cool! I wish I could go. But Mom says I’m too young.”

“Well Mom is right,” I tell her.

“It’s nice that you acknowledge that,” she mutters.

“Mom, please don’t be upset with me. I never meant to hurt you or Dad, or any of the kids. I just…I just needed space to make my videos.”

She nods, but I know she doesn’t really get it.

I look down at Natalie. “Can I speak to Mom and Dad alone for a sec?”

She raises her chin. “I’m big enough to understand.”

“Sorry, kid, but this is something I need to talk to them alone.”

“It’s not fair,” she grumbles as she marches out of the kitchen. “Adults have so many secrets and they don’t have to tell anyone. But I’m not allowed to keep any secrets because it’s not safe for me…”

I glance at Mom. “Can we sit?”

We settle down at the table near Dad, who closes his newspaper.

“Mom, Dad,” I say, “I’m sorry for moving in with Katie. I’ve missed all of you like crazy.”

She doesn’t say anything. He nods again.

I puff out my cheeks. “I don’t want any of this to put a strain on our relationship. I love you guys and want you to be part of my life. But sometimes—okay, all the time—I feel like you don’t see me. Or you don’t want to see me.”

“What are you talking about?” Mom asks. “Of course we see you.”

I shake my head. “I’m really serious about my online channel. I’ve gotten really popular the last few weeks. I want to make a career out of it.”

Dad sighs. “But what kind of future is that? You need something stable. How can you make a living on something so unpredictable?”

“There are lots of people making a living doing what I do. All it takes is hard work and dedication. And I’m pretty good at it, too.”

Mom purses her lips. “I don’t know about this, Genny. It seems so…unrealistic.”

“I get that you’re worried,” I say. “But this is something I need to do.”

Mom and Dad exchange an uncertain glance.

“It’s something I love doing,” I tell them. “Why don’t you want this for me?”

“We do want you to be happy,” Dad says. “That’s all we want.”

Mom nods.

“Then please be supportive of my channel.”

They exchange another glance.

Mom nods again. “If this is so important to you, then we’ll try. As long as it doesn’t interfere with your schoolwork.”

“Or your chores,” Dad adds.

“Assuming she moves back home,” Mom says.

I bite my lip. “I don’t think I can move back home, sorry.

It’s just that the house is crazy all the time.

It’s hard to stream or make videos when the kids sound like they want to kill each other.

But I want to come home as much as I can.

Like a few times a week to eat dinner, spend time with you guys.

The family will always come first. And um… I have a boyfriend.”

Dad stiffens. “Who is he?”

“Ethan Palmer. From the band and he’s also the quarterback. You know, the one everyone’s crazy about.”

My parents exchange a glance. “We’d like to meet him.”

“I’ll tell you all about him after the concert. And I’m sure he’ll be happy to meet you.” I get to my feet. “I have to go now.”

***

So the concert is slamming.

Well, at least the place is. I don’t know about the Rock E’s yet, because they haven’t come on stage. Which is weird because they should have been on by now.

I gave Ethan a good luck kiss on the cheek before I picked my spot, but now I’m wondering if I should have given it to him on the lips.

I take out my phone and send him a text. You guys okay back there?

I’m surprised when his reply arrives immediately.

No. Amber’s not ready at all.

Oh no. Ethan told me he was nervous she wouldn’t be ready in time, but Eric was so sure she would be. Ethan’s been a little on edge because of that and because his dad suddenly dropped in on them out of the blue. Yeah, I definitely should have given him a good luck kiss on the lips. Maybe two.

Me: I’m sure everything will be okay. Just take a deep breath and relax .

I hate myself for sending that text, because how is that supposed to help? But I don’t know what to say, how to be supportive. I’ve never had a serious boyfriend before. I don’t want to mess this up.

He doesn’t respond, which either means he’s too busy or I said the wrong thing. Ugh, I don’t want to be the type of person who freaks out over every little thing in her relationship. Ethan will be okay. The band will be okay. They’ll give us a knockout performance.

The other guests are starting to grow restless. They busy themselves taking selfies, but how long will that last? Should I tell Ethan how it is out here? No, that’s dumb. It’d just freak him and the others out more.

I wish Katie wouldn’t have quit. I tried to talk her into waiting until after the concert, since Eric worked really hard putting it all together.

But she told me it hurts her heart every time she’s in the same vicinity as him.

She uses up all her energy during Beauty and the Beast rehearsals and has no more left for the band.

Who am I to judge? I mean, I was the jerk who blamed an innocent guy for trolling me.

And now he’s my boyfriend.

“Rock E’s! Rock E’s!” the audience starts to chant.

I wince. I doubt that’s helping them.

Finally after what feels like forever, they sprint onto the stage, causing the crowd to erupt in cheers. All of them look like they’ve seen a ghost, especially Amber. I feel really bad for her. It couldn’t have been easy learning all the songs in less than a week.

They start to play, and the crowd goes even wilder. I yell, “That’s my boyfriend up there on bass!”

But then everyone actually pays attention to what enters their ears. And it’s… horrible. They’re not in sync, Amber’s voice is scratchy and cracking, and Eric…is he even playing the right chords?

I gasp as I stare at them. No, no, no, no. I’ve heard them perform many times. I know how amazing they are. But right now? They’re not sounding very hot. Not one bit.

“What the heck is this?” someone yells. “Boo!”

Other people boo as well, though some still cheer. The band continues to play like everything is okay and normal.

The second song is slightly better. Only slightly, though. Oh my gosh, I can’t believe this is happening. Their first concert.

While others boo, I cheer at the top of my lungs. These people have to know that this is just a fluke. The Rock E’s are amazing. We have to give them all the support we can.

And the third song…gosh, that’s the worst. Amber forgets most of the lyrics and Eric’s hands are very shaky. Ethan’s got the most disappointed frown I’ve ever seen on his face. I can tell from the look in his eyes that he wants to bolt. But he forces himself to stay with his bandmates.

When it’s over, no one calls for an encore. Amber mutters thanks and the four of them flee from the stage.

“What a waste of money!” someone grumbles as everyone starts pushing and shoving toward the exit.

“They must lip sync at their other gigs,” someone else says. “Because that was the most awful thing I’ve ever heard in my life.”

“Sounded like cats were being strangled.”

“And what was with the girl? She can’t sing worth crap. Why did they get rid of Katie?”

“I heard she quit the band. Who knows what goes on over there?”

“Well, I’m still a fan,” a girl says. “Maybe they were just nervous or something.”

“I’m still a fan, too, but I can’t say I’m not disappointed.”

“They lost me as a fan.”

I push through everyone to get backstage, trying to block out all their comments. I really hope the band can overcome this little hiccup. Okay, it’s a big hiccup. Ugh, what a mess.

“I’m so sorry!” I hear Amber say as I draw closer. “I totally blanked on the last song.”

“It’s fine,” Ethan says. “It’s not your fault. We shouldn’t have gone on when we weren’t ready.”

“What am I going to tell my parents?” Cody asks. “They think I’m throwing my life away. Now that the band is done—”

“The band is not done,” Eric says. “We’ll pull through.”

Ethan’s eyes light up when he catches sight of me. “Phoenix, hey.” Then he scowls. “Were we really as terrible as we think we were?”

I press my lips together as I move closer. “Um…do you want the truth or should I lie?”

“Lie. Definitely,” Cody says.

“No, I want the truth,” Ethan says.

“Well…” I wrap my hand around his thick arm. “It was tough out there.”

He curses, rubbing his forehead and holding me close with his other arm. “I told you we weren’t ready, Eric. We put too much pressure on Amber. Now we’re the laughing stock of the whole music world.”

“I don’t think we’re the laughing stock of the whole music world,” Eric mutters.

“Our careers are going to tank.”

“Our?” Eric says. “I thought you don’t want a music career. All you care about is football.”

“If I didn’t care about the band, you think I would have showed up tonight?”

“Hey, it’s okay.” I rub Ethan’s arm. “Don’t turn on each other now. You’ll be okay. This was just a minor setback.”

He looks into my eyes, a relieved expression passing over his face. “You have any idea how happy I am that you’re here, Phoenix? You’re like a bright star in a dark sky.” He rests his forehead against mine. “You make all this seem not so bad.”

“Because it’s not. You’ll have plenty of opportunities to show your fans how great you are. Don’t give up on yourselves just because you made a mistake.”

“The girl is right,” a male voice says from behind. I turn around and find an older version of Eric and Ethan standing there.

“Dad,” Eric says.

“What’s he doing here now?” Ethan mutters.

“Musicians make mistakes all the time. We have bad days sometimes. You don’t know how many times I had to cancel shows because my voice just wasn’t up for it.”

“We didn’t really ask for your advice,” Ethan mutters again.

“Will we ever recover?” Eric asks his dad.

“You will,” he assures them. “Just never give up. Chin up at all times, okay?”

Eric, Cody, and Amber nod, but Ethan just scowls.

They pack their instruments into the van and drive back home, giving me a lift to Katie’s house. I keep my fingers locked with Ethan’s. He doesn’t say anything, but I know my being here means a lot to him. And it means a lot to me, too.