She nodded. “I think he did.”
“You and me, we’re really over, aren’t we? There’s no going back.”
A part of her wanted to say they could eventually find their way to each other—once she was out of school—but the larger part knew it was best kept in the past, a good memory. “Not if I want to be friends with Logan.” And she did. She really did. She couldn’t explain the compulsion, but something drew her to Logan, and she wasn’t prepared to give that up.
To her surprise, Sebastian smiled and pulled her into a hug. “Thank you.”
“For what?”
“For choosing Logan.” He pulled back. “Wyld Child, I thought I loved you. Sometimes I think I still do, but I love it even more that you came for Logan. My brother is broken right now, and I’ve been trying my hardest to put him back together, but I need help. I need you.”
“You have me. We won’t let this destroy him. I should go before Nicky gets tired of waiting.”
“Yeah, I need to make sure Luke doesn’t think he’s dying from one punch.”
“Tell him…” What? She was sorry? No way. Stupid thought. “Tell him if he ever makes fun of my brother to my face again, it’ll be much worse for him.” Yeah, that sounded more like her.
Sebastian’s smile widened. “It would be my pleasure.”
With a final laugh, Wylder ran down the rest of the drive, rounded the car, and threw herself into the driver’s seat.
Nicky stared at her, a smile slowly curving his lips. “Wylder…” She waited for his admonishment for giving Sebastian the time of day. Instead, he laughed. “I’m going to play the image of you hitting Luke on repeat in my mind for the rest of my life.”
She leaned her head back against the headrest and looked down at her stinging knuckles. She hadn’t noticed the pain before with adrenaline surging through her veins. “Becks is going to be so mad at me.”
“For punching Luke?”
“No, because I didn’t record it for proof.”
6
“Next time, hit this button.” Becks held his phone in front of Wylder, pointing to the red dot that would start it recording. “Seriously, Wylder, if you’re going to do extraordinary things, make sure we have it on video. We can put it with all the home videos Dad has.”
“Yes,” she deadpanned. “I’m sure he wants to see his little girl in a fight.”
“Can you and Nicky at least re-enact it for me?” It wasn’t the first time he’d asked.
“I’m not letting her hit me.” Nicky flopped onto the opposite couch.
“What about me, babe?” Becks fluttered his eyelashes. “Can I play the part of Wylder?”
“No.”
“You guys are no fun. At least tell me what you said to him.”
Nicky started laughing and couldn’t stop as he wheezed out the words. “That’s for my brother’s hats.”
Beckett sat frozen for a moment before lunging toward Wylder and tackling her in a hug. “You’re the best sister ever.”
“Ew, Becks, get off me.”
“Seriously… defending my honor. Wylder, you deserve something special for joining the war.”
“I didn’t join any war.”
“I’m going to buy you a new car!”
“Absolutely not.” She pushed him off her. “You already pay for my schooling. There will be no rewards for punching someone. The act was reward enough.”
Becks sighed and looked to Nicky for help. “Babe?”
“Don’t look at me. I’m in total agreement.”
“Ugh.” Becks flopped back. “You two always team up against me.”
“As lovely as this conversation is.” Wylder stood up. “I have a secret rock star to stalk.”
“Don’t think he’s so secret anymore.” Becks held out his phone. “You see how many hits the video is up to?”
“I haven’t checked in the last week.” She took the phone, and her eyes widened. “Crap on a crap stick.”
“You’re famous now, sis. Might want to get more eloquent.”
“Hate to break it to you, Becks.” Nicky leaned forward. “You’d already made her kind of famous.”
“No.” Wylder shook her head. “One time on stage at a Beckett Anderson concert didn’t make me famous. Maybe famous adjacent.”
“An almost rock star?”
“Yeah, that’s it.” She handed the phone back. That was a good word for Logan too. He’d been a secret rock star before the world knew. Now, he was a sort of almost rock star.
Wylder walked into the front hallway and toed on her shoes before slipping her arms into her jacket. “I’m heading out. Don’t wait up.” She didn’t give them a chance to respond before stepping into the dreary evening. Rain drizzled down from a gray sky. A freezing wind blew the hair from her forehead, and she pulled the jacket tighter around her.
Logan better be home this time.
Once she reached the sanctuary of the car, she pulled out and drove the few blocks to the Cook house. She’d never tell Becks, but she found it hilarious his self-proclaimed enemy lived in a much bigger house in the same neighborhood.
Pulling up outside the darkened house, she cut the engine and sucked in a breath. “You can do this, Wylder.” He had to be here this time, right?
She opened the door and stepped out onto the curb, straightening her shirt and running a hand over her messy hair. The rain came harder now, but she didn’t care. It seeped into her clothes, dampening her skin, and still, she hesitated. A chill raced up her spine, spurring her into action. She darted forward, sprinting up the drive and not stopping until she was under the protection of the overhang by the door.
From what she could tell, there were no lights on inside the house. But that didn’t stop her. She rang the doorbell and waited.
And waited.
Once again, no one came, so she hit it again, fully expecting a defiant Luke to yank open the door.
He wasn’t there.
She refused to leave before she saw him. Tomorrow, she had to go back to school. Ms. Jones orders. But she had to give this one last shot.
Slinking back to the car, she slid in and cranked the heat, thanking the headmistress silently for the use of her car. The heat in Wylder’s car hadn’t worked since it went out last winter.
Maybe she should take Becks up on his offer.
No, she wouldn’t use her brother like that. She wanted to earn what she was given.
Time ticked by and still, there was no activity in the house. She checked the time on the car clock. Eleven at night. Were they all asleep? Probably.
And still, she stayed. Logan wasn’t getting away from her this time.
Rummaging in the back seat for anything Ms. Jones left in the car, she found an umbrella—which totally would have been helpful hours ago—and a blanket. Was Ms. Jones into picnics? Wylder realized she knew nothing about the woman running their school. Did she have a man? She pictured her canoodling with a faceless dude on a picnic blanket and almost threw up in her mouth.
Then the image was replaced by one of her and Sebastian in his truck. For the first time, she knew they were going to be okay. He cared more about his brothers than himself, that was for sure, and it made her want to be friends with him. True friends. Not teacher-student, not exes. What was it about these Cook boys?
The rain pounded harder against the roof of the car, and Wylder leaned the chair back and wrapped the blanket around her. Her phone chimed with texts from both Becks and Nicky.
Becks: Where are you? I’m worried.
Nicky: Your brother is freaking out.
Becks: Wylder, are you staying the night at the Cooks’ house? I’m not okay with that.
Something told her he’d be more okay with her situation than he thought. He assumed she was inside the house, not in her car like a creeper.
She typed quick messages back, first to Becks—I’m fine. Just stalking the Cooks.
Then to Nicky—Tell him I’m still team Anderson.
&nb
sp; That should shut Becks up. She’d taken a side in this weird Twitter war. Opening up Twitter, she fired off a tweet, tagging @TheRealLukeCook.
@Wylder: Ever been hit by a girl?
There, now Becks would be happy. With a laugh, she slid her phone into the cupholder and closed her eyes.
A tapping on the window woke her, and she didn’t know what time it was. Opening her eyes, she found the cocky face of Luke staring in at her. She knew it was him because of the smile. Logan didn’t have nearly as much ego or confidence.
Rolling down the window, she shivered as the cold air entered the car. “Can I help you?”
Luke held up two mugs with steam pouring off the top. “Peace offering?”
She sighed. “Fine.” Unlocking the door, she let him in.
Luke slid into the passenger seat and shut the door before handing her a mug. “I didn’t put any cream in it, but you seem like a girl who’d like her coffee black.”
“Honestly, right now I like my coffee any way I can get it as long as it’s hot.” She took a sip, holding in a sigh so Luke wouldn’t get the satisfaction of knowing how much she’d needed this. “What time is it?” She’d turned off the car in the night, thankful it stayed pretty warm.
“Six.”
She almost spit out her coffee. “In the morning? What are you doing up?”
“I’ve never slept well. I usually wake up around four. That’s when my brain is really firing, the best time for songwriting. I saw you out here a few minutes ago. Have you been here all night?”
She should have been embarrassed she practically staked out their house, but she wasn’t. “Yeah. I have to head back to Ohio today for school.”
“I thought you wouldn’t go back without my brother.”
“I never really had that choice. Most people write me off and expect me to break the rules. My headmistress let me come here, even gave me her car. I kind of don’t want to betray her trust.” She couldn’t believe she’d just said that to Luke of all people, but it was true. Ms. Jones had faith in her, and she liked that feeling.
“I get it.” Luke sipped his coffee in silence for a few awkward moments before speaking again. “You care about my brother, don’t you?”
“Sebastian and I are in the past.”
He laughed. “Good to know, but I meant Logan.”
“Oh.” She hid her embarrassment behind her mug. “Then yes. I do.”
Luke sighed. “Has Logan told you anything about our family?”
Wylder turned to look at him and got a view of the shiner for the first time. She winced. It looked like it hurt. Purple and yellow bruising circled his right eye.
“Examining your handiwork?” he asked.
“I’m sorry.”
“No, you’re not.”
She smiled. “No, I’m really not.”
He studied her for a moment. “I’m a jerk. I’ve always been a jerk. It’s not just a persona, it’s me. I don’t shy away from that. But my brother… he tries to be like me sometimes, but it’s not him.”
“I know that. He used to hate me, and even then, fighting with him was just kind of fun. I liked goading him.”
“I doubt that. Logan has never hated anyone in his life. Look, I know he must have told you some things. Or Sebastian did. Anyway, for a long time, it’s just been the three of us. Since our mom died, we’ve only had each other. We have an uncle, but he’s more of a business manager than a relative.”
He sucked in a breath, and Wylder waited for more. “What you said to Logan about him not messaging you back… it isn’t because he blames you like I said.”
“Has he told you that?”
“Well, no. He actually won’t talk to me about his time at Defiance Academy at all. I only know about your friendship from Sebastian and from watching that video of you two. It blew up our world, you know. My new tour was put on hold for the moment.”
“I know.”
“But it was kind of amazing.”
“What?” She turned her entire body to face him.
He shrugged. “Logan is talented. I’ve always known it. It’s why he sings on the albums instead of me. I haven’t written a song with him in so long, though, I forgot how good he is at that part too.”
“He’s…” Wylder searched for a word. “He deserves to be seen.”
Luke looked away, staring back at the house. “I’ve never disputed that. Logan is the one who wanted our arrangement.” He turned back, a striking honesty in his eyes. “How did you get him on stage?”
“I encouraged him.” Was it as simple as that?
“In the beginning, I wanted us to form a band together, but he wouldn’t sing in front of anyone. I tried everything. You have no idea how much I wanted my brother up there with me. And then you come along… a girl he’d known for a handful of months… and he performs no problem. I need to know why.”
Wylder met his gaze, her opinion of Luke softening at his words. It was obvious how much he cared about his brother. “It wasn’t without problems. The holograms were supposed to be what people saw, what they focused on. When they didn’t work, we had no choice.”
“There’s always a choice.”
“Logan and I…” How did she explain this to the person who knew Logan best? “We’re connected. I don’t know how or why. Maybe it’s because we get each other or that we’re so similar. I… for the last year of my life I hadn’t touched my drums. They used to be everything to me, and I couldn’t make myself give in to the music again. And then a music class forced me to write with Logan, and it was like it unlocked this part of me I’d thought gone forever.”
Luke held her gaze, clinging to her every word. “Are you in love with my brother?”
“I don’t think so. No. We’re friends, Luke. Can you understand that? He’d never go there after I dated Sebastian, and me, I’m not exactly a relationship girl. Whatever there is between Logan and me goes beyond attraction or love. It’s music. You’re a musician, surely you get that.”
He paused for a moment, his coffee completely forgotten. “He brought you back to music?” It was like he was in awe of his brother’s power. No jealousy. No anger. None of the patented Luke snark.
Wylder nodded.
“Now I understand.”
“Understand what?” she asked.
“Why he won’t contact you.”
“And why is that?”
“Because, Wylder Anderson, you terrify him. The minute Logan talks to you, he’s going to want to go running back to school against the wishes of our uncle.”
“What does your uncle have to do with this?”
“He thinks the Cook brothers need to be together to avoid making this PR nightmare worse, that my career is what matters here.”
“And what do you think?” She waited for him to turn back into the Luke she knew, the one who thought only of himself.
“My career will survive, but Logan will never get another chance to be normal. Who knows… more time with you and maybe he’ll be convinced music is his future like I know it is.”
“Then will you help me talk to him?”
He shook his head. “Wylder, he isn’t here. He’s at my uncle’s place across the city.”
Everything inside her deflated. She’d lost.
Luke bumped her shoulder. “But I’ll talk to him. And Sebastian. My career has taken so much from both of them. I won’t let it happen again.”
“Luke Cook.” She smiled. “You’re not as big a jerk as I thought you were.”
“Don’t tell anyone.” He winked and opened the door, stepping out. “Oh, and to answer your Twitter question.” He leaned down. “Yes, I’ve been hit by a girl, but she isn’t just a normal girl, is she?”
With that, he sauntered back to the house.
Wylder knew what she had to do. She’d tried. It was time to go back to school. Eventually, she’d see if she’d tried hard enough.
7
@TheRealLukeCook: Found a new hat for @SexyBecksy Check
out those feathers! Perfect for the #PrancingPeacock
@SexyBecksy: Yeah? How’s that shiner? #Burn
@TheRealLukeCook: At least I don’t have to tell everyone I’m #SexyLuke. It’s just a fact
@SexyBecksy: Whatever, my little sister has a mean right hook, doesn’t she? #WylderForTheWin
@TheRealLukeCook: Can’t help it if your sister wants me ;)
@SexyBecksy: Of all the Cook brothers, I believe you are dead last in that line, and that includes your ugly uncle. #LogansHotLukeIsNot
@TheRealLukeCook: #IdenticalTwinHotness
@SexyBecksy: From what I hear #LoganGotThePersonality
@Wylder: and I got all the sense. Keep me out of your little war, boys.
Wylder was going to kill him. Both of them. In fact, if she could line up all the Cook brothers beside hers, she wasn’t sure which one she’d shoot first.
“Beckett. Definitely Beckett.” She rolled out of bed, tossing her phone on her desk, and shoved the offensive Twitter war she’d been dragged into out of her mind.
It was too early to be awake. She didn’t have class for another hour, plenty of time to hit snooze a few times, but her stomach growled, and there was no way she was going to get Logan and her utter failure to bring him home out of her mind.
She tugged on a pair of jeans and a sweatshirt, shoving her feet into her boots. She didn’t bother with her hair before she headed to the dining hall for breakfast.
“O…M…G. Is that Wylder?” Devyn whisper-shouted.
“Do you think she’s sleepwalking?” Killian snorted into his protein shake.
“Ha ha, you guys are so funny.” Wylder flopped into a seat beside Will at their usual table. “Why didn’t you tell me they had an assortment of all the best cereals?” She glared at him like he was responsible for the oversight.
Wylder and the Almost Rockstar (Reluctant Rockstars Book 2) Page 5
