The Rockstar Chronicles

Rain

When I woke the next morning, it was still raining. The outside world was gray and dark. I wanted nothing more than to pull the covers over my head and drift back to sleep, but Mom was having none of that.

“Lindy! Wake up!” Her voice echoed down the hall, bright and cheery. I groaned.

“Lindy?” Mom was standing in my doorway. I could sense it. She waited patiently until I couldn’t ignore her any longer. I pulled the edge of the comforter down and peeked at her.

“Lindy, it’s time to get up.”

“Why?” I asked. My voice was hoarse with sleep and I cleared my throat.

“You’re going to come with us today.”

“What?” I sat up, throwing the covers away. “But why?”

Mom shrugged, avoiding my gaze. “You can’t tell me you wouldn’t enjoy seeing the boys again. Any girl your age would kill for this opportunity. Now, get up and get dressed. We’re leaving in half an hour.”

I laid back down, dozing for at least fifteen minutes. Finally, I knew I couldn’t delay the inevitable any longer and I got up, pulling on a pair of tights and low boots that matched a loose, lacy top. I pulled my hair back roughly into a loose ponytail and then ran down the stairs, my boot laces trailing behind me.

“Lindy, you couldn’t take a little time to look presentable today?” Mom asked as she waited by the door, shrugging on her expensive raincoat.

“She probably went back to sleep,” Grady mumbled. He stood by the door with his hands shoved deeply into his pockets. His eyes were half-closed and he yawned.

“Here.” Mom shoved a raincoat into my arms and then swung open the door. I was expecting a bit of the lingering heat of yesterday, but the blustery wind was chilly and wet. I tugged the coat on and lifted the hood over my head, feeling at once as if I were in a sheltered and safe place apart from the regular workings of the world.

A huge bag and her purse swung from Mom’s crooked elbow and she lifted a large umbrella over her head and walked towards the waiting vehicle slowly, her rain boots sending splashing ripples through the puddles. I waded along behind her and Grady as the wind ripped at my coat and coated every bit of exposed bare skin with a fine mist.

I was expecting more time to wake up before seeing the boys, but both Hardyn and Ryder were already in the SUV. Ryder fiddled with the air conditioning vents while Hardyn leaned back in his seat, his head tilted at an awkward angle as he slept.

Mom took the front seat and I climbed into the backseat next to Grady, staring at the rain swept world as we drove down the street. I listened idly as the driver talked to Mom, who feigned half-interest as she scanned her phone. The car was silent besides their quiet, one-sided conversation.

“Quite a storm last night,” the driver’s head nodded as he spoke. I could just see the tip of his hat from my position.

“Mmm,” Mom nodded, her lips pursed as she scrolled through messages.

“Did a lot of damage. Did you take cover during the tornado warning?”

I noticed every head raise at this. Even Mom looked up, her eyebrows raised in alarm. “Tornado warning?”

“Yep,” the driver said, his voice full of satisfaction. He glanced in the rear view mirror at us, making sure he still held our attention. We were his audience. “I took cover. Nothing like a good strong basement when a tornado is brewing.”

“I…,” Mom was at a loss for words. “I… didn’t know there was a warning.”

“Really?” the driver tore his gaze from the water-logged road to stare at her in surprise. “Well, you may want to be more careful in the future. Weather isn’t something to take lightly.”

“No, I suppose not,” Mom agreed.

“Anyway, it didn’t touch down, but the wind did some damage all over the place. Flooding in spots, too.” I thought I detected a note of regret in his voice as he pulled into the drive in front of the studio. “Looks like we’re here.”

Leaping from the car, he went around to open the doors. I waited in my seat as the boys scrambled out and into the building with Mom hot on their heels.

“So it didn’t touch down?” I asked.

“Nope,” the driver grinned at me. He was older, with slightly yellow teeth and friendly brown eyes in a suntanned face.

“Are you always going to be our driver?” I asked.

He wrinkled his nose in thought. “Most times, I’d say. I do get time off every now and then.”

“What’s your name?”

“Ronald. And yours is?” He still held the door politely and I noticed rain was dripping down his collar.

“Lindy. Sorry to keep you. I didn’t notice you were getting wet.” I leapt from the car and under the awning and he slid the door shut smoothly behind me.

Tipping his hat at me, he grinned again. “It’s nice to meet you, Lindy. And thank you for noticing.”

Without another word, he turned and retreated to the dry warmth of his car. I shivered in the cold as I watched him drive away. The tail lights glowed a foggy red as he stopped at a turn.

“Lindy!” Mom broke me out of my reverie. I turned and saw her standing behind me, one hand holding the door to the building open. She looked exasperated. I hoped it meant she wouldn’t drag me along anymore, but I doubted I would be that lucky. “Have you been out here all this time? I wouldn’t be surprised if you don’t end up sick and that’s the last thing I need right now. Come on!”

I sighed and followed her. It seemed colder inside the stark glass entry.

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