Rise To Stardom

Chapter 8

Chapter 8

The vow I made myself to sleep in was already broken when I opened my eyes. While I had no idea what the time was, the sun that was barely out gave me the idea that it was early morning. My hand reached for my phone on the bedside table and I partly opened my eyes to check the time.

7:09

Underneath the time were messages from Aubrey. She was understanding about my decision and didn't pressure me into doing something that I didn't want to do. All she sent me were pictures from last night.

There was one she took with Liam's arm draped around her, another of her singing karaoke and another of the whole group, save for Lily who must've taken the picture, with drinks in their hands.

Puffiness lined her bloodshot eyes, but she put on a smile. She wasn't crying that hard when I left, but it was likely that she hid in her room to cry until her body could no longer produce tears. That was the kind of girl she was.

She would hold it together for those she didn't know that well, but once she was alone or with anyone she trusted with her feelings, she would emotionally shut down.

After scrolling through my social media for a half hour, I finally dragged my legs off the bed and allowed my feet to meet the cold floor. I moved at the pace of a geriatric toward the bathroom to brush my teeth and wash my face.

Splashing my face with water gave me the energy I needed to go downstairs and cook breakfast. A great amount of weight was released from my shoulders now that I wasn't going to that audition anymore.

Of course I was more confident with the support of my followers, but the small part of me that was nervous remained. I'd be throwing up and having panic attacks all morning if I was still going. I gathered the ingredients for two ham and cheese omelets and turned the stove on.

The sound of my movements must've woken up my dad because he took a seat at the bar, looking at me like I recited a whole speech in Chinese. "Morning, daddy," I casually greeted as I poured the contents of the bowl onto the frying pan. "Aubrey asked if I could host a viewing party for Rise To Stardom tonight. I said yes, if that's okay."

"Wh-wh-what do you mean?"

"Dad, you're getting worse everyday. I need to be next to you when you go." Once the bottom of the first omelet was fried enough, I flipped it over and prepared the next one. "Do you want pepper on yours?" I tried to keep the topic off the show. If we kept talking about it, he would argue with me about changing my mind.

"Emory, I'm being serious."

"So am I." I continued cooking breakfast with my back facing dad. I could feel his burning glare at the back of my head, but I ignored it. He should be proud of me. I was being just as stubborn as he always was. "Do you want me to add a side of salsa for you to dip it in? I remember you used to douse your omelets in salsa. You said it adds a spicy flavor to it."

Those were the last words spoken before silence permeated the room, save for the sizzling of the pan. It wasn't going to last long. Dad was scripting his next argument in his head.

The omelets were done and I served him his without making eye contact. The ham and cheese danced on my tongue while I waited for whatever argument he was going to fire back with.

At first, no words were exchanged. Our eyes were entered into a challenging staring contest, waiting for the other to crack. Seconds ticked by where we didn't say anything, but I ended it with a wink and a grin.

"Hurry up and eat it before it gets cold."

"Emory—"

"Save your breath... pun intended." I grabbed onto his hands with both of mine and rested my chin on top of them. "Daddy, I need to be the last person you see before you take your last breath. Not some stranger. I know I made a promise, but I'll audition next year."