Page 17 of Wylder & the Rising Rockstar
He was teasing her, and the familiarity made her smile. Playing withAnonymouswere some of the best times of her life. Julian, Becks, Nari, and Wylder had been a force. When Becks and Nari went off to Nashville, Julian became a writer, a romance writer to be exact.
Wylder didn’t answer his question, looking around at his beat-up old car instead. “Aren’t you supposed to be a bestseller or something?” She pointed to the broken stereo. “What? Publisher stop paying you?”
He laughed. “No. My car is in the shop.”
“This can’t be a rental.”
“Borrowed, actually. Where were you headed?”
“My house.”
He nodded and drove across the bridge, his hands gripping the steering wheel especially tight until they made it to the other side. Years ago, Julian’s twin brother died when he crashed a car off the bridge. In fact, it was coming up on the anniversary. Julian had jumped into the water to save him, but Cooper never made it out.
Wylder reached over to grip his warm hand with her icy fingers. “Where were you headed in this elegant car of yours?”
“The diner.”
“Of course.” She laughed. Julian was a Callahan. His parents owned the place, and it was a well-known secrettheJulian Callahan wrote many of his bestsellers sitting in a corner booth drinking copious amounts of coffee and eating fries all day.
“So,” he said as he turned down the road that would take them to her house. “What has Wylder been up to?”
“You saw it, didn’t you?”
“Saw what?” He didn’t look at her, but she knew the tone.
“Everyone saw my YouTube video.”
“Leave it to you to get mixed up with Nashville’s newest scandal.”
“They’re more than a scandal, Jules.”
“Yeah?” He looked sideways at her, one corner of his mouth lifting.
“Ugh, stop. You’ve known my brother too long, and that look is totally his.”
“What look?”
“The ‘Wylder is so cute’ look.” She leaned back and crossed her arms.
He reached over and nudged her. “I’m sorry. It’s just… I was so happy when I saw that video. I think I watched it like ten times in a row. Seeing you playing again… it just felt right.”
“Yeah, well, it’ll be a while before I get another chance.”
“Why?”
She scowled when she thought of Ms. Jones’ edict. “I wanted to perform in this Winter Review thing. It’s like a talent show, but everyone who goes to the academy for music or theater is pretty talented so it won’t be like those lame ones at Twin Rivers High.” Except for the weird skits and dances some groups would do.
“You mean like the talent show we crushed?”
She smiled, remembering how they’d revealed whoAnonymouswas in front of their entire school. Not everything about her old life was bad, just once all her friends graduated.
“Anyway, they’ve canceled it.”
“Why?”
She sighed. “The video. Defiance Academy has all these important kids, or kids of important people. We have to sign NDAs and such to be there, and now they think it’s a risk because of the leak.”
They pulled up outside her house. She stared up at it. For a moment, she thought she saw the front curtains move, but no one was supposed to be home. She shook her head. “Anyway, my plan for a comeback for me and a friend is kind of trashed now.”
