Star-Crossed ✔️

26

i'm soooo sorry for the delay
this was a struggle to write ngl
i hope it's worth the wait
the end was so unplanned so
idk

- 26 -

I didn't want to see my dad.

If there was anyone in the world that just knew when I was at my weakest, it was my father. He had a sixth sense for it, feeding on the vulnerability like it was his life source. Even on my better days when something wasn't bothering me, he'd create an issue. It was part of the reason I felt so indifferent about him.

And now that I was truly vulnerable, he was going to feast.

I waited in the green room. Noah joined my family in VIP for my show and security was currently helping them backstage. It had been a while since my whole family attended a show together. Mom didn't like loud spaces and Dad just didn't care for me—or my music—very much. I cracked open a beer as a cheers to a solid performance and offered Kailey one, who was nursing a hangover from Hell.

"Your dad's here?" she asked, looking displeased.

There may have been some history between my father and Kailey. Since he was a known bigot and voiced his opinions loudly and proudly, she had no problem arguing with him. The first time they met, she called him out for his blatant racist comment so bad that his face turned tomato red and he nearly popped a blood vessel in his neck. It was funny at the time, but now I was wary of their coming interaction. While I was all for my dad getting his karma, I really didn't want any more drama.

"Behave, please," was all I said.

"Coming from you?" Kailey scoffed, just as Lina skipped into the green room. I just sipped my beer and watched as my sister hugged my drummer. Following behind her was Noah, then my dad, then my mom.

Mom liked Kailey. "Hey, you!" she said and hugged Kailey, who looked uncomfortable with all the hugging. I snorted as Dad made his way over to me.

"Theodore," he nodded in acknowledgment.

I nodded back. Hopefully that was the extent of our conversation for the evening. Mom started helping herself to the snacks on the table, Dad stood behind one of the couches and tried to make small talk with Ryan, and Noah sunk into the couch across from me. I really hoped my father hadn't spoken to him. Surely he'd have little kind words for Noah since his words in general were rarely the likes.

Normally after a show, I was down to party. With this crowd, however, I was willing to call it a night early on. With my mom on the brink of a mood switch at the drop of a hat, my dad being the biggest buzzkill I'd ever seen, and Noah being sober, it hardly felt like an appropriate call for celebration. Still, it was rare to have the family all together like this. Lina was probably over the moon since she was our designated middle man, holding unconditional love for all of us even though we were all equally terrible people. That was what family was all about, or so I'd heard. Guess I never got the memo.

"How about pizza and beer at my place?" Lina suggested, looking around with a big smile. "Kailey, you should come, too! Invite Chris and Oscar. It'll be fun."

Fun isn't necessarily the word I'd use to describe what was sure to turn out to be a shit show. Put some alcohol in my parents bellies and they'd do one, or both, of the following: blow up on each other in a fiery explosion, always pent up from the last fifteen or so years, or end up rehashing their age-old lust for each other, hook up, and go back to hating each other the next day. It was always something.

"I think Chris and Oscar are going to some bar in the city but I'll come," Kailey said with a smile.

Dad huffed. I shot him a look, the ice penetrating his entire being with just my glare, so much so that he felt it across the room. "What?" he said innocently.