Page 4 of Wylder & the Rising Rockstar
“Oh, that’s real funny.” Wylder shot back, charging the next funny guy with a crack about Logan and ignoring the girlfriend comment. That definitely wasn’t true. “You record any albums lately?” The more she ran at the swarm of jerks, swinging her arms wildly, the more they dispersed until Killian and Diego were able to get Logan out of the thick of it.
“They’re leaving.” Diego patted Logan on the back. “You’re okay now.”
“It’s not okay.” Wylder’s face flushed with anger. “They can’t do that to him.” She refused to look at Logan. They hadn’t talked at all over the break, and she really wasn’t sure what they were to each other. They were friends for sure, but more than that? She still didn’t know. Probably not. Did she want to be? No. Gah, she didn’t even know.
“You good, man?” Killian asked him.
Logan nodded. “I can usually handle the jerks, but when they’re all coming at me like that…” He shook his head, sinking down to sit along one of the courtyard fountains.
Logan didn’t like crowds almost as much as he didn’t like being the center of attention. Wylder sat beside him, not saying anything. She took his hand and was rewarded with a squeeze as he threaded his cold fingers with hers.
“I’ll go get us coffees. Be right back.” Diego shuffled off to the cafe.
“Those guys are really pushing it.” Killian scowled. “You’d think they’d have something better to talk about.”
Logan’s phone beeped with a push notification, and he glanced down at it. “It doesn’t help when the media has nothing better to talk about than me and Luke.” He gripped his phone so hard, Wylder thought he might crack the screen.
“Turn the notifications off. You don’t need to see that crap.” She tried to pry his phone from his hand, but it lit up with a bunch of messages.
“They all want their pound of flesh.” Logan shook his head.
“Are these all reporters trying to reach you?”
“Yeah.” Logan stood up. “They won’t leave me alone, and since they can’t find Luke, I’m their golden goose.” His phone beeped again. “Ugh!” He groaned and tossed his phone into the fountain, running his hands through his hair in frustration.
“Well, that’s one way to shut them up.” Wylder watched the phone sink to the bottom of the fountain. “Come on, let’s go get snackies.” She tugged on his hand. “Mom baked cookies, and she’s decorating my room as we speak.”
“Snackies?” A smile tugged at the corner of Logan’s mouth.
“We have pretzels and cheese dip and tons of fresh-baked cookies.”
“And I get to see your mom again?”
“Yeah, she’ll be happy to see you.” Her stepmom always loved mothering the kids she thought needed it the most. And Logan was definitely one of those. Wylder glanced back at Killian. “You and Diego come on up when he gets back with coffee. I’m going to walk with Logan so no one bugs him.”
“We’ll be right behind you.” Killian grinned. “And if anyone bothers him, you just run at them and windmill your arms. It’ll freak them out so much they’ll never come back.”
“You’re not funny.”
“No, but you certainly are.” He chuckled and went to look for his boyfriend.
“That was pretty hilarious.” Logan turned to walk with her, shoving his hands in his coat pockets. She missed the warmth of his hand in hers.
“No one messes with my friends.”
“Good to know. I wouldn’t want to be on the receiving end of whatever that was.”
“We’ll call it the Wylder Windmill.” She tugged on his arm. “You know … I know exactly what you need to distract yourself.”
“And what do you have in mind?” He looked down at her with a smirk, leaning in close.
“Not that.” She shoved his face away. Not that she would be opposed to a little kissing distraction herself. “Something way better. Come on, we have to get rid of my mom first.”
2
“What’s wrong with you?” Wylder stretched her leg out and nudged Logan with her toe. He sat on the other end of her bed, staring down at an empty page in his notebook like it held all the secrets to the universe.
He only shrugged in answer.
