Page 156 of Next to Everything We Wanted

Somewhere in the Sky

Was now the appropriate time to scream my head off?

Somewhere in the Sky indefinitely broke up. No more Friday night performances. No more Saturdays at Moonlight Lounge. No debut album. In a bang of a drum, it was over.

All because of me and my stupid mom.

I knew I shouldn’t blame myself since they’d been having issues for a while, and they were grown adults who could make their own decisions, but it started with Gavin telling me his real name. Things wouldn’t have spiraled out of control if we’d never kept talking.

Now we had to face the music.

Alone.

I tucked my phone under my pillow and got up to study myself in the mirror. I looked even worse than I felt—my hair was a tangled mess, my eyes were red and puffy, and my cheeks had tear stains. I washed my face in the bathroom before heading to the kitchen.

Dad was sitting in his chair in the living room, reading a book, and he looked up when he saw me.

“Good morning,” he said softly, warmth in his eyes. “How are you feeling?”

I rubbed the back of my neck. “Like crap.”

He frowned. “I’m sorry, Sea. Will breakfast make you feel better?”

“Some waffles would be nice.” I mustered a smile.

He got up from his chair, and I followed him into the kitchen. After preparing the waffles, he placed two plates on the table.

“Thank you.” I took a slow bite of my waffles.

He nodded, sitting across from me. “I know you had a rough night.”

“Rough would be an understatement.” I’d explained the whole Ruby Estrella ordeal to him last night between crying sessions while he held me in his arms on the couch. I knew Gavin didn’t want me to tell anyone his secret, but I had to tell Dad what I’d been going through this month. “Somewhere in the Sky broke up this morning.”

“They did?” Dad’s face fell. “I’m so sorry, Sienna.”

“I ruined everything.”

“Don’t blame yourself.” He reached for my hand. “I wish I’d known what you’d been going through. It hurts me that you were alone in this, though I understand why you kept everything to yourself.” He closed his eyes and let out a breath. “I feel like it’s my fault for pushing you to read your mom’s letter and telling her about your life.”

The ache in my chest expanded. I was less than thrilled that he’d told Mom about my boyfriend’s band, but he hadn’t known. “It’s not your fault, Dad. Gavin and I . . . We just weren’t meant to work. We had too many secrets.”

“I’m sorry you guys feel that way.” His voice was heavy, though hope still glimmered in his eyes.

Hope was too dangerous in a situation like this.

“Your mom called me last night while you were sleeping,” Dad said when I didn’t respond. “She said she’s sorry for showing up and causing issues between you and Gavin. She’s here for the whole week, and she says she’s open to talking about everything if you want to.”

I held back a scoff. “Yeah, that’s not happening. I already told her how I felt.”

“Yeah, she said that too.”

“Gosh, do you two tell each other everything about me? Don’t you have anything else to talk about?” Once the words slipped out my mouth, I immediately regretted saying them.

Dad winced as if I’d struck him, and he straightened his posture. “You are our child.”

“Yeah, but Mom just now decided—” I closed my eyes and drew in a sharp breath. He didn’t deserve for me to lash out at him because his wife only made things complicated. “Never mind.”

Dad sighed. “I understand your frustration, Sienna. I’m sorry that I told her about Somewhere in the Sky. I won’t make youtalk to her if you don’t want to, but she’s there waiting for another chance.”