“It smells amazing Lei Lei.” Lori expertly changed the subject. “It’s been way too long since I had your lasagna.”
“I made it knowing you love it so much.”
“Sorry we invited ourselves over for dinner.” She didn’t look the least bit sorry.
“Honestly, I was shocked. You never make time for us when you’re in New York,” Mom teased, glancing over her shoulder as she pulled out a massive baking dish from the oven.
“That’s because your husband doesn’t like me.” When Dad’s head flipped up, she grinned. “Where are the spawns?”
“Siarra is at a friend’s tonight. I fed the boys already, and now they’re playing video games.”
“Wow… Miss Tyrant is allowing that on a weeknight?”
“Shut up. I wanted to enjoy my best friend’s visit.” That only meant I didn’t have the monsters to supply a distraction.
“We do have a lot to catch up on,” Lori nonchalantly admitted.
“I can’t wait.” My mother lifted the lasagna before asking, “Shane, can you grab the salad?”
With shaky hands, I carried the big bowl into our dining room. When I was the first to sit, Dad misinterpreted my reason. “Someone is hungry,” he said with a smile, pouring out the wine that I wished was for me.
“Yeah… you know me with lasagna.” Despite starving, the way my stomach twisted made me nauseated. I had no idea if this would come up during the meal or after. Normally, I’d be scoffing down half my serving the moment it was placed before me instead of pushing it around, waiting for the fireworks to begin.
But the conversation’s starting with Lori reminiscing over her and Mom’s high school days relaxed me enough to somewhat enjoy what I was eating.
Ten minutes in, just as I had resigned myself that it would be later and not now, Lori asked, “Remember how your father freaked out when you announced you weren’t going to college?”
Instantly, the hot lump of pasta, cheese, and sauce lodged in my throat, causing me to choke.
“Oh my God, Shane,” Mom said, thumping my back. “Are you okay?”
“Wrong pipe,” I croaked, gasping for air and then downing half a glass of my water. During it all, Cannon seemed a bit concerned, but his wife merely smiled and winked. It was so strange. I wondered if Lori hated me and if this was all a plot to kill me.
At least she spared me more bouts with death for a solid five minutes, only to bring up Mom’s lack of a college education again. But this time, she said, “Actually, you both did pretty well without those dumb pieces of paper declaring a useless degree.”
Mom shrugged. “We got lucky.”
“Well, it wasn’t all luck,” Dad interjected. “I don’t regret skipping out of NYU.” His gaze landed on me. “I do wonder what would have happened had I not dropped out.”
“For one… you wouldn’t have followed your dream and have the amazing life you have now,” Lori said with pure conviction. She pointed her fork at my mom. “Neither would you.”
Again, my mom shrugged. “Maybe not.”
“Which is why you need to listen to what I’m about to say with an open mind.” Thank Christ I had just swallowed. Suspicion instantly creased my mother’s forehead, but she remained silent. When Lori gave me another smile, I debated on running. “So you guys happen to know this new artist Cannon and I came to see in New York very well.”
My parents focused on Lori. “Who is it?”
Lori met Dad’s gaze. “Your son.”
Like a magic trick, all eyes landed on me. “Shane?”
His question sent Lori’s eyes upward. “Yes, Shane. Unless Madden or Drexel have become prodigies overnight.”
“What the hell are you talking about?” Dad asked.
“My bassist, Archie, is having a family emergency and can’t tour with us,” Cannon said cautiously. “We asked Shane if he would consider stepping in.”
Before my parents could utter one word, Cannon and Lori tandemly explained it all—from why Archie needed to pull out to why they felt I was a perfect fit. During it, Cannon put his arm on the back of Lori’s chair, calm as can be. My gaze was fixed on my parents as they absorbed every word out of his mouth.
“No one we know can slip into Archie’s spot like Shane can,” Lori interjected.
“We don’t leave until September seventh,” Cannon said next. “That gives him just about six weeks to perfect our set.”
“He’s expected to move to LA?” Mom then asked, panicked.
“No… we’ll rehearse here in New York until we leave. I already cleared it with my band,” Cannon replied. “So, in the scheme of things, it really only takes Shane away for the thirteen weeks we’ll be on tour.”
“And… NYU will still be there for him next semester,” my dad said, filling in the next blank.
“See, you get it.” Lori raised a palm as though she were talking to a child. “Of course, if you didn’t, then I was prepared to once again remind you both how you dodged college altogether.” When my mom gaped at her, Lori shrugged. “Tough love.”
The conversation intensified, with each concern volleyed by a logical response—until my father stared at me long and hard. “You want this?”
“I do.”
“And Alivia?” Mom asked. “Will she be okay with it?”
“She is okay with it. I told her last night.” The expected hurt I knew my mother would feel caused a frown. “Sorry, I just needed to tell someone and—”
“It’s on me,” Lori cut me off. “I wanted…” She glanced at Cannon. “We wanted to be the ones to tell you. Technically, we should’ve gone to you first. But Shane is eighteen, and if he’s going to be expected to act like an adult, then we need to treat him as one.”
Damn, she’d truly thought of every argument. They all spoke about me as if I weren’t even there, having me feel every bit the child my parents considered me to be.
I finally found my voice and asked, “Can I say something?” The way my parents stared at me confirmed they had forgotten I was part of this discussion. “I know this doesn’t align with what you guys wanted for me—”
“You wanted it, too, Shane,” my mother interrupted. “You and Alivia both wanted to go to NYU.”
And in a cruel joke sort of way, Alivia’s worries slammed into me like a meteor, bringing with it a flash of understanding. She was right. College was what they wanted for me. NYU was what Alivia wanted. I knew all that, and having nothing else, I’d complied.
“What I wanted was not to upset you guys… or Alivia. I should’ve argued harder. But what would’ve been the point? I’d be fighting for nothing. But with this opportunity, I know attending college will be a complete waste of my time. It isn’t what I want for myself… at least not now. Once the tour is over, I plan to go to NYU as originally planned.”
With my mom’s sigh, I could see the fight within her lessen. “We didn’t mean to push you so hard, Shane. We thought, with your talent, all your dreams would come true eventually.”