Page 177 of Next to Everything We Wanted

After a few moments, my phone buzzed with a text.

Oliver

Let us know if you need anything

We’re all worried about you

Sienna

Just give me a few minutes

I paced around the room until the tears stopped flowing. I couldn’t perform here again. Not when it only reminded me of what I’d lost.

While I calmed myself down, I caught myself in the mirror. My mascara and eyeliner were smudged, and my cheeks were red and puffy, but I still looked like how I usually did. Same cute outfit, same red lips, same gray beanie.

While I fixed my makeup with a wipe, someone opened and closed the door. I sprang forward, nearly jumping out of my skin. The person appeared in the mirror’s reflection, and I whirled around to make sure I wasn’t losing my mind.

Everett leaned against the wall, crossing his arms with a small smile on his face. “Good performance tonight.”

“W-What are you doing here?” I hadn’t seen him in the crowd.

“Decided to watch you perform,” he said casually, like we were friends or something. “I need to talk to you.”

I sighed, dread looming over me. “You don’t have to worry about me anymore. Gavin and I are done, sealed deal. And if this is about my mom, I’m not talking to her, either.”

“Screw them.” He came off the wall and put his hands in his pockets. “I came here to apologize.”

I arched an eyebrow. “Is this a trap?”

He shook his head. “I’m sorry about how I’ve treated you.” He let out a breath, his gaze heavy with an emotion I couldn’t pinpoint. “You’re not the pain in the ass I thought you were.”

“That’s good to know.” My voice fell flat. “But I still messed up—I should’ve told Gavin about my mom when I found out about her.”

The door that connected to the stage opened. Arielle gasped and slammed the door, her footsteps trailing away.

“Yeah, you should’ve, but we all messed up,” Everett said, his gaze back on me. “Have you seen our newest post?”

I nodded, biting my lip. “I’m sorry you guys broke up.”Because of me.

“Yeah. We tried doing what we loved while protecting ourselves, but it failed. Gavin’s long gone—he drove back to his hometown in the middle of the night. Nick had to contact one of his ex-bandmates just to hear that he’s alive.”

I swallowed the lump in my throat, imagining Gavin speeding down the desert to get away from us. From me. “Is he moving back there?”

Everett rolled his neck. “Given that he hates my guts, I think so. He packed most of his things.”

My insides deflated. “I’m sorry.”

“It’s not your fault.” He stepped closer to me, crossing his arms again. “You know, this isn’t our first time falling out. We were best friends for a few years back while he was in his band. Then I went down a dark path, and he didn’t stick around to go down with me.”

“Really?” I swallowed again, thinking about Forrest Tansel. Even with Everett in front of me, I couldn’t see the resemblance.

“You know who I am?” he asked, raising an eyebrow.

“Nope. I know about none of you.” I didn’t even know Celeste’s real last name, let alone her role in the music industry.And for Nick and Eli, I had not a single clue about who they were. Either I lived under a rock, or I was a terrible detective.

“Anyway, I wish you and your band the best.” Everett started walking away, then stopped in his tracks. “You know,” he said, facing me again, “you aren’t like your mom. At all.”

“Gavin said I was,” I muttered.Maybe even worse.