Wylder and the Rising Rockstar

Chapter 1

1

“Mom, you seriously don’t have to come with me to school.” Wylder slammed the car door, juggling her suitcase and several gift bags.

“Well, get over it. I’m taking my kid back to her dorm room, and I’m going to help her redecorate it whether she likes it or not.” Her mom gathered up a large Target bag with her new comforter set and gave Wylder a shove. “Move it, kiddo, I don’t have all day.”

“You know, most kids get dropped off or they take a car from the airport. Parents don’t really do this here, Mom.”

“Yeah, well, let them fly in on their private jets and ride in chauffeured limos. You’re just going to have to accept your dear old mom flew you here in the family Volvo.”

Wylder rolled her eyes and headed toward her dorm room, secretly glad she had the kind of mom who cared enough to do little things like sewing curtains for her kid’s dorm room windows, even if they totally weren’t Wylder’s style.

“It’s your last year here, Wylds, and I know college isn’t your thing—as much as I disapprove. So, this is the only dorm room experience you’ll ever have. I want it to be special.”

“Or JoAnn Fabrics had a sale on glittery, girly fabric and you couldn’t resist.” Wylder shot her mom a knowing look as she held the door open for her.

“Well, you’ll outgrow the glittery, girly stuff eventually, so sue me for living vicariously through you while I can.” Wylder didn’t say she outgrew that phase when she was like ten. Truth was, she didn’t really care what her dorm looked like, so she let her stepmom have her fun.

“Hmm.” Wylder snorted as they made their way up the stairs.

“What? Spit it out, Wylds. I know you have something snarky to say.”

“It’s just … I always thought I inherited the sarcasm from Dad. Turns out snark is a learned trait.”

“Learned from the best, didn’t you?” Her mom winked and waited at the top of the stairs for Wylder to catch up. “You really should be in better shape, honey.”

“Oh, hush.” She huffed and puffed, lugging her bags—dragging them along the floor to her room.

“Let’s get started.” Her mom shoved into the room in a flurry of activity. “You get us some proper snacks and some hot cocoa, and I’ll get to work on the curtains. You think Devyn will like the drapes?” Wylder’s mom pulled them from one of the bags.

“Oh, Mom, they’re beautiful.” She was glad for the lie when her stepmom’s cheeks flushed with pleasure. Wylder moved to get a better look at the soft pink curtains. They sparkled with tiny crystals sewn at random intervals. Okay, so they were beautiful, just… so girly.

“They’re goofy like a prom dress.” Her mother giggled. “I couldn’t resist.”

“They’re perfect, Mom. Thanks.”

“I made a set in turquoise for your room too.”

“To match my new comforter.” She smiled. Turquoise, she could do.

“You were right, it is cold in here, no wonder your old blanket wasn’t enough.”

Leave it to her mom to remember a conversation from two weeks ago where Wylder mentioned she slept in a hoodie and sweatpants and made a cocoon of her blanket to get warm enough to sleep. The dorms were drafty. Hence the new winter-ready decor.

“Hey, Wylds.” Devyn came bursting into the room, dressed in her riding gear. “How was your Thanksgiving?” She glanced up from her phone to see Wylder’s mom on a step ladder hanging the new drapes. “Oh, um, what’s happening?” Devyn turned to Wylder with wide eyes.

“Mom made us some curtains.” Wylder opened a bag of pretzels and cheese dip and set it on the counter.

“Oh. Why?” Devyn frowned.

“Be-cause she’s nice and crafty and they’re adorable.” Wylder handed her roomie a pretzel and flung an arm around her shoulders. “Say thank you, Devyn.”

“Thank you, Mrs. Anderson. They’re really pretty.”

“I made some for you too, sweetie,” her mom muttered around a mouthful of pins.

“Really?” Devyn frowned at Wylder. It wasn’t a mean kind of frown, it was pure confusion. Devyn never mentioned her mom, so Wylder didn’t know if they were close, but it looked like the utterly overwhelming Anderson mothering confused her. “Thanks, that’s so … sweet.” She turned and fled to her room.

“She okay?” Wylder’s mom stood back to admire her handiwork, and Wylder wrapped her arms around her waist, laying her head on her mom’s shoulder. “Hey, what’s this for?”

“Just love you for being a cool mom. All my friends are totally jealous.”

“Oh, you.” She swatted Wylder away.

“Need any help?”

“Um, no.” Her mom laughed.

“I don’t blame you, I wouldn’t want me helping you either.”

“Why don’t you go get us some coffees at that fancy cafe of yours?”

“That, I can do. Be back in a few.” Wylder grabbed her coat and went to look for Killian and Diego at the coffee shop.

She found them outside the dorms, heading for the coffee shop themselves. She nudged between them, breaking their hands apart, and linked her arms with theirs. “What are my besties doing this lovely afternoon?”

“We were having a nice boyfriend moment till you showed up.” Killian scowled down at her.

“And I’ve interrupted again, what would you do without me?” She pulled them along toward the cafe.

“Oh, I don’t know, maybe have some privacy?” Killian muttered.

“Leave her alone,” Diego said. “She can’t help it if she’s lonely without Logan.”

“I had the best Thanksgiving, how about you guys?”

“We spent it with Killian’s family.” Diego pushed his glasses up. “It was really nice. I like Texas during the holidays so much we’re going back for Christmas. My dad will be out of the country, so he’s already bought us both plane tickets to Texas as an apology.”

“It’s official, my sisters like him better than me.” Killian grinned. “He spent the whole break playing barbies with my littlest sister. It was adorable. I’m pretty sure she’s more excited for him to come back than her own brother.”

“No doubt.” Wylder laughed. “Come on. Let’s get coffee and head to my room. My mom is redecorating, and she’ll want to see you guys before she leaves to make sure you’ve been properly mothered over the holiday.”

“What’s going on over there?” Diego pushed his glasses up again. Most of the students were already back, but classes wouldn’t begin until the following morning, so everyone had a free afternoon. A large crowd had formed outside the cafe.

“Let’s go see, maybe they’re giving free samples.” Wylder shouldered her way through the swarm of students.

“What makes you think you can come back here after the stunt you and your brother pulled?” a senior on the Lacrosse team shouted. “You shouldn’t be here, man.”

“What a joke.” A girl beside Wylder shook her head. “I thought he and his brother were so hot, but knowing what they did, they’re just pathetic.”

“Go back to Nashville, Cook.”

“Oh, heck no.” Wylder shoved and pushed people out of her way, stepping on toes and elbowing those who didn’t move fast enough. She found him at the center of the chaos, looking like a deer caught in headlights. “Killer!”

“I’m right behind you, Wylds.” Killian and Diego stepped up beside Logan, but they couldn’t get through the throng of angry students.

“Cook’s a Crook.” Someone mock coughed, and Wylder whirled around, looking for the culprit.

“Move!” Wylder darted toward the guy. She must have had a crazy look in her eye because he took several steps back. “Everyone, back off!”

“Hey, Cook, you’ve got at least one fan left. Maybe your girlfriend will buy your next album.”

“Oh, that’s real funny.” Wylder shot back, charging the next funny guy with a c***k 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 c***k 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.”