Page 95 of Kind of Famous
I pressed my fingers against my closed eyelids. “It doesn’t mean anything, Shane. It’s a fan forum.”
“I have more. Shall I go through them?”
He clicked another tab. He had an ungodly number of web pages open. Had he been sitting here all day saving my past infractions for this confrontation?
I gave him a pleading look. “Are you telling me you’ve never been a fan? The Police. The Who. David Bowie. You can’t tell me you wouldn’t lose your mind if you met them.”
“I admire those artists.” He waved at the monitor. “I don’t spend my time worshiping them. Lusting after them.”
“I don’t lust after anyone besides you, Shane, though you’re making me reassess even that. I’m just a fan.”
His cold eyes, barely visible through slits, cut toward me. “If that’s true, then you won’t mind staying away from Adam.”
Boom.
My head felt like it was full of cotton. Had I lost my hearing? “Excuse me?”
“Don’t go to their rehearsal Friday. Don’t hang out with Eden while I’m gone. In fact, steer clear of Jo. Show me how little they matter to you.”
Boom.
Every detonation blew a hole in my capacity to think logically. I had no name for what I was feeling. Confused, appalled, defensive, sorry, angry. It was new territory for me, and I didn’t like it one bit. I didn’t like the way he looked at me.
“Are you fucking crazy, Shane?”
He leaned in, uncomfortably close while wearing that sneer. “Me? I’m not the one desperately trying to sleep my way into a band’s inner circle.”
With that, my emotions crystallized into one single action: escape.
“Nope,” I said and stood, intending to walk away from him.
“What do you mean, ‘Nope?’ ” He followed behind me and tugged my elbow.
I wrested free and ran up the stairs where I shoved anything within grabbing distance into a suitcase. I didn’t know where I was going. I just had to get out.
“Stop, Layla.”
I stopped. “What?”
“What are you doing?”
“I’m walking away, Shane. You gave me an ultimatum, and I’m choosing not to play by your rules. You don’t control who I do or don’t see. I control that, and right now I’m choosing not to see you.”
“You admit it then. This was never about me. You’re done with me and now you just move on?”
I clenched my fist and fought back a scream. “This is aboutyoubeing a dick tomeright now. Nobody else. Just you and me.”
“Where do you think you’re going to go?”
“I don’t know.”
He pulled out his cell phone. “I’ll call Jo and tell her not to take you in. Then I’ll call Adam. He won’t want you to come to the rehearsal after I share all this. Who do you think they’ll side with?”
He was right about that. I sagged, hoping to make him relent. “It’s my job, Shane. If you make that call, you’ll jeopardize my career.”
“Fine.” He shoved the phone back in his pocket. “I won’t make the choice for you, but I find it really hard to trust your motives, Layla.”
“I find it really hard to give a shit, right now, Shane. You’re behaving like a total asshole.”
