My Brother's Best Friend (Shay Mooney)

Chapter 12

After school ends, Dan and I meet in his car. "Dan?" I ask as he buckles his seatbelt.

"What?" he responds bitterly.

"What happened to Shay?"

"What do you mean?"

"His cheek. There was a bruise. Did someone hit him? Is he okay?" I ask, concerned.

"Umm...I don't know. I didn't even notice a bruise." I can tell by the way his voice sounds he's lying, but I decide not to bother him with it. He has enough to worry about. "There's no way I'm going home right now. I'm probably going to sleep over at Shay's. But anyway, I'm meeting Shay at Starbucks. Wanna come or do you want me to drop you off at home?" Dan asks.

"I'll go." It's silent for a while. "Dan what was the fight this morning about?" I whisper. Dan hesitates. "You don't have to tell me if you don't want to."

"You could probably figure it out anyway, so I'll just tell you. Shay and I have been playing music with each other for as long as I can remember," he starts. I nod my head. "Last year, we started seriously talking about making a career out of it. It escalated into what's causing me to decide against going college. We're already in Nashville. Shay and I have the perfect opportunity to make it, so why shouldn't I follow my dream?"

"Wow. I didn't know you were serious about it. I say screw Mom and Dad. It doesn't matter what they want you to do."

"You're right. I need to do what I want to do. I need to make myself happy, not them."

We sit in silence as he drives the rest of the short distance to Starbucks. We enter the coffee shop and see Shay sitting at a small table on the opposite corner of the entrance. He has his laptop out and open and his drink in his hand. He catches my eye and his eyes light up. He shuts his conputer screen and waves us over.

"Hey man," Dan says to Shay.

"Hey," Shay responds. "Hey Em," he says to me, causing my face to turn bright red with embarrassment. I kissed him earlier. I can't do that anymore. We can't be together like that.

Dan, ignoring the awkwardness that's taken over the small corner of Starbucks, says, "Em, want your usual? I'll get in line and get our drinks."

"Yeah. Thanks Dan," I respond, taking a seat next to Shay. As soon as Dan walks away, I turn to Shay. "Look, about earlier-" I start.

Shay cuts me off with laughter. "Hey, it's okay," he says, gently taking my hand under the table. He laces our fingers together, causing my face to grow hot again.

I peer at Dan who is waiting for our drinks at the counter. Shay unexpectedly leans down and presses his lips to my forehead. He pulls away from me just in time. Dan collects our drinks and rejoins us at the table.

"One hazelnut latte," Dan says, placing my cup in front of me. He seems to have cheered up since this morning. "Oh, Shay, by the way, I told Emily about our plan. You don't have to avoid talking about it anymore," he says, laughing.

"Oh. Okay. Em, what do you think about it?" Shay asks me, squeezing my hand.

"I think it's a great idea. You're both so talented. Go for it," I respond, first smiling across the table at Dan and then up at Shay. "What do your parents think about it, Shay?"

"My parents don't give a damn about me or what I do with my life," he responds.

Dan and Shay tell me about the songs they've written over the years and about the one they're working on now. As they talk, their idea of making their hobby into a career sounds better and better.

Dan is interrupted mid-sentence by a girl entering Starbucks. Shay immediately drops my hand and his eyes light up the same way they did for me. "Hey girl!" he exclaims. The unknown girl walks over.

"Hey you," she says, leaning down and kissing Shay's lips. Who is she?