Page 63 of Fame & Rhythm

“How long has this been going on?” Dad shouts again.

“I’m sorry. Nothing was going on. I swear,” Aston says, sounding terrified.

Dad laughs at him. “Kid, I just saw you snogging my seventeen-year-old daughter. To me, that is certainly something!” Dad is still glaring at Aston like he wants to kill him.

I sit up on the bed and fold my arms across my chest. “Dad, we weren’t doing anything wrong.”

“Annie, while you’re under my roof, you will abide by my rules. That means no boys in the bedroom… ever! Now get out, Aston, before your dad pulverizes me because I’ve hit you.”

“Dad, stop it! Aston, you don’t have to le—”

“Aston, if you want to stay friends with my daughter, then you will leave. And you won’t ever think about touching her in any way ever again, not even a hug, until she is at least… I don’t know… thirty. Then we can talk again, but for now, get out!” Dad yells.

I glance at Aston. He looks terrified, his body stiff as a board. He meets my gaze and offers a half smile before walking toward the door where Dad is standing. Dad turns sideways, and Aston edges past him, careful not to get too close in case Dad decides to lash out. He squeezes by my unmoving father, then casts one last look back at me. Dad’s head snaps toward him, and Aston flinches before hurrying down the hall and away from me.

“Are you proud of yourself?” I ask.

Dad looks back at me, brows furrowing. “Annie, you’re too young for thi—”

“You can be such an overprotective arsehole sometimes, you know that? That was my first kiss, and you ruined it. Just like you ruin everything. I hate you. Get out!” I yell, heat rushing to my face. Embarrassment burns through me—being caught, sure, but mostly because Dad just kicked Aston out like he was nothing. Tears sting my eyes before I can stop them.

Dad winces, shaking his head. “You might hate me, but it’s for your own good. I still love you anyway. Now stay in your room and don’t come out until Anna and Johnny have taken their grubby-handed son home.”

Anger surges through me. He’s taken something that felt beautiful, perfect, and twisted it into something I’m now embarrassed and ashamed of.

“Get out!” I yell, grabbing a pillow and hurling it at him.

He ducks, letting out a frustrated huff. “See? If you can’t act grown up when I reprimand you, then you sure as hell aren’t grown up enough to be doing whatever was happening between you two.”

A strangled scream rips from my throat. I snatch up my water bottle and throw it, then anything else I can reach. Some things hit, most miss, but I don’t stop. I keep going, blinded by the heat burning through my chest.

Dad stands there, taking it, glaring at me while I lose it.

When I run out of things to throw, I grab the last pillow and launch it at him. It smacks him straight in the face.

“Are you done now?” he asks.

The fight drains out of me all at once, and I collapse onto the bed, tears spilling over. “I hate you,” I choke out.

He huffs and tosses the pillows back onto the bed. “Get some sleep, Annie, and we’ll talk about this tomorrow when you’ve calmed down.”

I turn my back on him and flip up my middle finger. “Fuck off and get out!”

He huffs, and a second later, I hear his footsteps retreating before my door slams shut.

I roll over once I know he’s gone, relief washing through me. I can’t believe he ruined everything. Aston will probably never come near me again, just as I realized that being near him is exactly what I want. I reach down, grab the two pillows from the floor, and pull them back onto the bed before sinking into them.

My phone vibrates in my pocket. I pull it out, and my heart stutters, then starts pounding when I see Aston’s name.

What if he doesn’t want to kiss me again?

What if Dad really did scare him off?

I swipe the screen, holding my breath as I wait for the message to appear.

Aston: Best kiss ever! A1 xo

Is all it says, and I laugh. At least he still cares. I hit reply.