Rise To Stardom

Bonus Chapter 1: Aubrey And Liam's First Kiss

Bonus chapter 1: Aubrey And Liam's First Kiss

Aubrey

"I need to be here when he goes so I can say goodbye."

Emory's voice wavered toward the end of the sentence. I think she was sobbing with her shoulders shaking and her arms crossed over her chest, but thanks to the tears building up in my own eyes, I couldn't tell. Mr. King was the father I wished I had.

Despite my dad's drinking problems, my mom and I were lucky. There were dads out there who were, not only alcoholics, but abusive alcoholics. The worst my dad has done was get two DUIs and ask mom to bail him out of jail. He never laid a hand on us.

Mr. King took me in and treated me like I was his daughter. He was there for me every time mom and dad were fighting and he kept me distracted by turning up the stereo in my room and having a dance party with me.

I found out his cancer came back and my world started collapsing all around me. I took Emory home. What would typically be Emory singing along to the radio was now a silent car ride with the occasional sniffles. We shared a hug goodbye before she trudged toward her front door.

It tugged on my heartstrings to see her look so deflated, but we made an unspoken promise to be there for each other. I drove back home and thankfully, no one left the party. Though I currently wasn't in the mood to socialize, I was relieved that the emotional scene didn't ruin everyone's night.

I peeked into the living room to see everyone still engrossed in their conversations. Satisfied that no one was paying attention to me, I leaned back against the door and slid down until my knees were hugged to my chest.

The tears I'd kept in for weeks were finally released down my cheeks and my body shook as I sobbed. It was as though someone punctured a hole in my lungs and breathing became a challenge. There was no stopping the pain that weighed on my chest, nor the tremor of my hands.

I was so lost in my emotions, I didn't realize that there was a hand on my shoulder. I lifted my head up to see Liam, the guy I had a crush on for months, watching the mascara drip from my lashes.

A red hue crept up my cheeks and neck at the idea of my crush seeing me looking like a train wreck. I was scared to start talking because I didn't want him to hear the somber laced in my voice.

"Hi."

Hi?

Really?

Pull yourself together, Aubrey!

My nightmare came true. My voice was thick with tears. The bundle of nerves that clung to me was settled when the edges of his lips twitched into a lopsided smile and a chuckle rumbled in his chest.

"Hi." He glanced at the party over his shoulder and helped me to my feet, leading me upstairs to my room. Simone, my little sister, was in my room watching TV.

She knew she was invited downstairs any time she wanted to socialize with Emory's friends. She had been a social bug since she was a baby. Tonight, she was worn out from human interaction and chose to hide in my bedroom to watch a movie.

She sat up straighter when she saw us. Instead of acknowledging my mascara streaks or the puffy eyes, her lips formed a mischievous smirk — a smirk that should never be seen on my sister's face.

"Are you the Liam my sister's always talking about?"

Liam snorted, but lifted his fist to his nose at the sight of my narrowed eyes. I was burning in embarrassment, but I wore my fakest smile and politely asked, "Please leave."