Page 13 of Fame & Chaos

Between school and Staked, starting to gain real momentum, my life felt split in half. Mum was adamant that I finish school properly before diving fully into music, while Dad sat somewhere in the middle. He believed I could make it in the industry, but he also thought having an education behind me mattered.

So despite everything, I stayed at my regular school.

Mostly because of Indi.

The rest of the band were homeschooled for safety and privacy reasons, especially as paparazzi grew worse around the Slade family over the years. Still, Dad knew I wouldn’t leave Indi behind.

Not willingly.

I was halfway through reading about the Roman Empire when frantic banging rattled my bedroom window.

My heart nearly stopped.

I rushed over and froze.

Indi stood outside, completely hysterical.

Her face was streaked with tears, her eyes swollen red, panic radiating off her so violently it hit me through the glass. I shoved the window open instantly.

“Indi, what the hell happened?”

She practically fell through the window and straight into my arms. I barely had time to catch her before she grabbed onto me desperately, burying her face against my chest while sobs tore through her body.

Instant fear slammed into me. “Indi,” I said sharply, holding her face gently so she’d look at me. “Talk to me.”

Her breathing hitched violently. “It’s Dad,” she whispered.

Every muscle in my body tightened. “Did he hurt you?” The darkness in my own voice startled even me.

If that bastard laid a hand on her, I swear to God I would have killed him.

She shook her head quickly.

Relief hit me for maybe half a second before she whispered the next words, “He’s dead.”

I blinked at her. “What?”

“He o-overdosed.” Her voice cracked apart completely. “Mum locked herself in her room and won’t come out. I don’t know what to do, Caleb. Everything’s falling apart.”

Fuck.

I pulled her against me, holding her so tightly I could feel her heartbeat hammering wildly through her chest. “When did this happen?”

“Just before.” She struggled to breathe through the tears. “Mum and I found him in the living room, then she ran to her bedroom and locked the door. She left me there with him, and I didn’t know what to do.”

Jesus Christ. My mind raced instantly.

“Okay.” I grabbed her shoulders firmly. “We need to go back there right now.”

She nodded numbly.

We climbed back out my window and ran. Luckily, her house was only a block away because Indi was barefoot and still wearing a thin nightie. I remember thinking vaguely that her feet had to be shredded from sprinting over the pavement, but neither of us slowed down long enough to care.

I didn’t even stop to tell Mum or Dad where I was going.

All I could think about was Indi.

About making sure she didn’t lose both parents in one night.