said.
Angel grinned at me and rolled her eyes. I returned the smile.
I took my complaints back. This was way better than piano lessons.
After Rafe and Chris finished knocking each other around, we started to practice seriously. We’d been working on JamieX for almost an hour and I was having a total blast when Miss Jespersen stuck her head in the room.
My fingers immediately stumbled over the keys. Rafe shot me a questioning look, then he followed my gaze to the door and frowned.
Crusty walked into the room and sat down in the corner, folding her arms over her chest. I messed up and she made a grunt of disapproval. My throat tightened up and my fingers stiffened.
No! I would not let her ruin this for me! I jerked my eyes away from her and concentrated on the music, and then screwed up again.
“I need a break,” Rafe said suddenly. He tossed his drumsticks aside with a clatter. “Lily. Come with me.”
I clenched my fists and tried to calm down. Why did I let her get to me like this? So what if her disapproval was so thick I could barely breathe? What right did she have to judge me?
Rafe walked up behind me, his chest brushing against my back. “Lily.” His voice was quiet, for my ears only as he leaned over my shoulder, his cheek almost against mine. “Come on.” He wrapped his fingers around my wrist and tugged my hand. “I have soda in my car,” he said to the rest of the band. “We’ll be right back.”
Angel raised her brows at me, but I was too upset to worry about it. I let Rafe pull me out of the room, right past the prune-faced Crusty, and out into the parking lot.
Rafe held onto my wrist the whole way to his car, and I didn’t try to pull away from him. We were both dating other people (ahem) so his heroic move to rescue me from Crusty didn’t mean he wanted to be my true and forever love, but I still felt better with him touching me.
So sue me. It wasn’t like I was trying to break up his relationship or anything.
He released my wrist to reach into the back of the Jeep. “I’ll talk to my aunt and ask her not to come to any more rehearsals. Don’t let her get to you.”
There was no point in lying. He knew what was up with me. I groaned and sat down on the rear bumper. “How can I not?”
He retrieved a paper grocery bag and set it in my arms. “She likes you, Lily. That’s why she’s here.”
The bag was heavy, so I rested it on my lap. “I hate her.”
Darkness flickered on Rafe’s face, reminding me that this was his aunt we were talking about. Now I felt bad again.
“She’s just trying to support you,” he said.
“No, she’s trying to pressure me! Do you have any idea what it’s like to be called a failure all the time?” I blinked at the sudden moisture in my eyes. Oh, God. How embarrassing. I wiped my wrist over my eyes, turning away so Rafe wouldn’t see what a wimp I was. “She has no right to make me feel so awful!”
He brushed his fingers over my cheek, and I froze. “You don’t suck, Lily.”
I swallowed hard and let him turn my face toward him. There was no way to hide the tears in my eyes, and I felt one slide down my cheek. “That’s not what she says. Or my mother.”
Rafe swore under his breath. “Screw them, Lily,” he said quietly as he brushed his thumb over my tears.
I stared at him, too shocked to answer. His thumb burned across my cheek, and his voice was so nice. He wasn’t judging me for crying. Why was he being so nice to me if he wasn’t interested in me? “But she says it all the time,” I whispered.
“So?” His voice got hard and he turned away, his hand dropping from my face. “Who cares what adults say? You think they’re always right?”
I bit my lip while he fished another bag out of the Jeep, watching his tattoo ripple over his muscles as he hoisted the bag out. “You don’t think she’s right?”
He rested the grocery sack on his hip. “Adults have their own baggage and they take it out on us. The only
Angel grinned at me and rolled her eyes. I returned the smile.
I took my complaints back. This was way better than piano lessons.
After Rafe and Chris finished knocking each other around, we started to practice seriously. We’d been working on JamieX for almost an hour and I was having a total blast when Miss Jespersen stuck her head in the room.
My fingers immediately stumbled over the keys. Rafe shot me a questioning look, then he followed my gaze to the door and frowned.
Crusty walked into the room and sat down in the corner, folding her arms over her chest. I messed up and she made a grunt of disapproval. My throat tightened up and my fingers stiffened.
No! I would not let her ruin this for me! I jerked my eyes away from her and concentrated on the music, and then screwed up again.
“I need a break,” Rafe said suddenly. He tossed his drumsticks aside with a clatter. “Lily. Come with me.”
I clenched my fists and tried to calm down. Why did I let her get to me like this? So what if her disapproval was so thick I could barely breathe? What right did she have to judge me?
Rafe walked up behind me, his chest brushing against my back. “Lily.” His voice was quiet, for my ears only as he leaned over my shoulder, his cheek almost against mine. “Come on.” He wrapped his fingers around my wrist and tugged my hand. “I have soda in my car,” he said to the rest of the band. “We’ll be right back.”
Angel raised her brows at me, but I was too upset to worry about it. I let Rafe pull me out of the room, right past the prune-faced Crusty, and out into the parking lot.
Rafe held onto my wrist the whole way to his car, and I didn’t try to pull away from him. We were both dating other people (ahem) so his heroic move to rescue me from Crusty didn’t mean he wanted to be my true and forever love, but I still felt better with him touching me.
So sue me. It wasn’t like I was trying to break up his relationship or anything.
He released my wrist to reach into the back of the Jeep. “I’ll talk to my aunt and ask her not to come to any more rehearsals. Don’t let her get to you.”
There was no point in lying. He knew what was up with me. I groaned and sat down on the rear bumper. “How can I not?”
He retrieved a paper grocery bag and set it in my arms. “She likes you, Lily. That’s why she’s here.”
The bag was heavy, so I rested it on my lap. “I hate her.”
Darkness flickered on Rafe’s face, reminding me that this was his aunt we were talking about. Now I felt bad again.
“She’s just trying to support you,” he said.
“No, she’s trying to pressure me! Do you have any idea what it’s like to be called a failure all the time?” I blinked at the sudden moisture in my eyes. Oh, God. How embarrassing. I wiped my wrist over my eyes, turning away so Rafe wouldn’t see what a wimp I was. “She has no right to make me feel so awful!”
He brushed his fingers over my cheek, and I froze. “You don’t suck, Lily.”
I swallowed hard and let him turn my face toward him. There was no way to hide the tears in my eyes, and I felt one slide down my cheek. “That’s not what she says. Or my mother.”
Rafe swore under his breath. “Screw them, Lily,” he said quietly as he brushed his thumb over my tears.
I stared at him, too shocked to answer. His thumb burned across my cheek, and his voice was so nice. He wasn’t judging me for crying. Why was he being so nice to me if he wasn’t interested in me? “But she says it all the time,” I whispered.
“So?” His voice got hard and he turned away, his hand dropping from my face. “Who cares what adults say? You think they’re always right?”
I bit my lip while he fished another bag out of the Jeep, watching his tattoo ripple over his muscles as he hoisted the bag out. “You don’t think she’s right?”
He rested the grocery sack on his hip. “Adults have their own baggage and they take it out on us. The only
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