In My Father's Shadow

by JL Paul

  “No, she’s fine – we just need to talk to you. And just you two.” He hung up and looked down at Ally biting her lip. He kissed her forehead. “Rest, Al. When they get her, I’ll wake you.”

  She shook her head. “I can’t sleep now. Maybe I should call my mom.”

  “Wait until the others get here and let’s ask them if their dads said anything first.”

  She nodded. “Turn on another music channel, please. See if there’s any news on them.”

  He flipped through the other channels and only caught the news on one. Unfortunately, they didn’t say anything about Tight Control other than listing them on their “Currently Touring” segment.

  RJ dragged Jamie, who was still a bit damp from his shower, through the door forty-five minutes later, just as Cole flipped back to VMTV to catch the top of the hour music news.

  “What’s up?” RJ asked.

  “Sit down and listen,” Cole answered. He’d gotten up to let them in and instead of taking his seat next to Ally, he began to pace as the newswoman went through her first two stories.

  “Dude, chill out,” Jamie said, standing next to the bed with his arms crossed over his chest. When the newswoman mentioned Tight Control, they all froze and listened. She repeated the same words Ally and Cole had heard earlier and when she was done, Jamie sank down on the Ally’s bed.

  “You’re kidding me,” he uttered, turning to Ally with a stunned expression on his face. “Did any of you know about this?”

  “Nope,” Cole answered for her as she shook her head. “My dad never said anything or even hinted around about something like this. We wondered if your dads said anything to either of you.”

  “Not a word,” RJ said, in contemplation, sitting on the edge of Jeana’s bed. “Do you suppose it’s true?”

  “It can’t be,” Ally whispered groggily. “It has to be a rumor. I mean, my dad is happy with the band. I’ve never heard him say anything whatsoever about wanting to go out on his own.”

  “This isn’t right,” Jamie declared, joining Cole in pacing the room. “People can’t just report stuff like this without making sure it’s true. That’s how people’s lives get ruined.”

  “Yeah, well they said it wasn’t confirmed,” RJ said. “They can say whatever they want until Jay or someone from Redden Records disputes it.”

  “True,” Jamie said as he sat in the desk chair. “And they will, right?”

  Cole sat gingerly on the bed next to Ally, smiling weakly at her. “They will. Maybe Rhys Redden hasn’t heard these rumors yet.”

  “I know it’s not,” RJ stated, hotly. “Certainly they’d talk about it and tell us if it was. I mean, they wouldn’t want us hearing about this on the news.”

  “That’s not Uncle Jay’s style,” Jamie said.

  “Jay and Nate put the band together,” RJ stated. “Why would either of them want to see it end? They’ve been together so long.”

  “I think we should call them,” Ally suggested, looking for her phone. “Right now.”

  “They’re on stage,” Cole reminded her.

  “Our moms aren’t,” she said. Cole winced slightly and she squeezed his hand. “And neither is Stacy. They would most certainly know.”

  “They won’t tell us anything over the phone,” Jamie pointed out. “They’ll just say they’ll talk to us when we come home for Thanksgiving.”

  “But that’s three weeks away,” Ally declared. “I’m not waiting that long to find out if these rumors are true!” Not able to locate her phone, she ripped Cole’s from his hand and opened it.

  Cole put his hand over hers and gently closed it. “All Liz will say is that they are rumors and we shouldn’t listen to them. It’s not like we haven’t heard rumors about our dads before.”

  “But this is different,” she said, pain meds making her over-emotional. “This isn’t one of those stupid rumors about my dad getting hopped on drugs again.”

  “Don’t get all worked up, Al,” he said patiently. “We’ll figure this out, I promise.”

  She looked at Jamie who nodded and then at RJ who shrugged. “Fine,” she agreed, releasing the phone to him. “But what do we do in the mean time?”

  “Well, first of all, I think we keep this between us four,” RJ suggested. “I don’t think we need to say anything to Alec or Ren until we talk to someone.”

  Cole nodded in approval. “Or Jeana. But, I’m sure they’ll hear it on the TV very soon.”

  “What did you tell them when you came here?” Ally asked.

  Jamie shrugged. “Ren was talking to some of his friends and Alec had already left. We just told Ren we were going to check on you.”

  “Not everyone went to the game and the bonfire tonight,” Ally said, her panic starting to rise again. “Some people are bound to have heard.”

  “Yeah, you’re right,” Cole agreed, rubbing his hands tiredly over his face. “And they’re going to question us endlessly.”

  “So we just tell them they’re rumors and leave it at that,” Jamie stated.

  “Yeah,” RJ agreed. “We can’t confirm or deny anyway, but they don’t need to know that.”

  Ally bit her lip. “We really should tell Ren and Alec. I don’t want them finding out about all this because some idiot approaches them and asks them if it’s true.”

  “She’s right,” RJ agreed. He got up and headed for the door, releasing a long sigh. “Come on, James. Let’s go find them. We’ll take them aside and tell them. We’ll all meet back at our room tomorrow morning and call the folks.”

  “We should meet here so Ally doesn’t have to walk over,” Jamie suggested.

  Ally shook her head. “Jeana’s likely to be about and I don’t want her in on this, as much as it pains me.”

  “Okay,” Jamie agreed, following RJ out the door. “Get some rest, Ally.”

  Once the door closed behind them, Ally looked at Cole, tears building in her eyes. “Do you really think my dad is going to leave the band?”

  He kissed her forehead and hugged her. “I don’t know, Al, but we’ll figure it all out really soon. I promise.”

  She relaxed again and settled in the bed. He jammed a DVD in the machine, hoping to take her mind off of things so she could rest.

  “Get some sleep, princess,” he whispered, as he held her hand. “I’ll stay with you until you fall asleep.”

  “Thanks, Cole,” she mumbled, falling back under the effects of the pain meds.

  He watched as she drifted off, hoping that he hadn’t made her an empty promise.

  Chapter Thirteen

  Ally woke before dawn, ankle positively blazing with pain, and stumbled to the bathroom. She found her pain meds and swallowed two immediately as she leaned against the counter, waiting for the pain to lessen enough for her to pull on a clean pair of sweats and brush her hair.

  When she felt as if she could move again, her head a bit woozy, she ran a hasty brush through her hair, tied it back and found a clean pair of gray sweatpants. She glanced at her clock and sighed at the early hour, but decided she just couldn’t wait any longer. Grabbing her keycard, she hobbled quietly out of the room.

  No one was out and about that early except for one or two dedicated joggers. Dew had collected on the leaves that littered the sidewalk and she dodged them carefully, not wanting to hit one with her crutch, slip, and go sprawling on the sidewalk. The pain in her ankle hadn’t abated fully and she could only imagine what a fall would do.

  Her mind wandered back to the rumors they’d heard on television. She just couldn’t believe her father would ever abandon his friends just to have a solo career. She couldn’t remember ever hearing him express his desire to go out on his own.

  Unless he’s keeping it from you and Alec, a little voice inside her head said.

  “No,” she said determinedly. “That’s not possible.”

  She stopped in front of the boys’ dorm building and rested for a moment, a bit of perspiration beading on her forehead despite the crisp a
ir. She pushed the buzzer for Cole and RJ’s room, waited approximately five seconds then pushed again, grinning.

  “What the hell do you want?” RJ demanded through the intercom, his voice heavy with sleep.

  “How do you know I’m not Admin?” she chastised.

  “Because they don’t need to be buzzed in,” he said as the door unlocked.

  Ally grabbed the heavy door with her right hand, squeezing her crutch under that armpit and wriggled her way through the doorway. She hobbled to their room, grateful they were on the first floor, and knocked twice. RJ opened it, dressed in shorts and a wrinkled t-shirt, his hair sticking up in odd angles.

  “It’s way too early to call the parents,” he murmured as held the door to let her in. “Go snuggle with your man or something. I’m going back to sleep.”

  Her cheeks flamed as she glanced over to Cole’s bed. He was stretching and yawning, trying to scoot his body up. Her cheeks grew hotter when the blankets fell away revealing his bare chest. “It’s really early, Al,” he said. “You okay?”

  The morning was overcast and their curtains were drawn so the room was dim and extremely conducive to sleeping. But her mind was whirling, her leg hurting, and her head a bit woozy. “Ummm, yeah,” she stuttered. “I…umm…couldn’t sleep anymore.”

  Cole swung his legs over the side of his bed and Ally was relieved to see he, too, was wearing shorts. He rubbed his hands over his face tiredly. “How’s your ankle this morning?” he asked, patting the mattress beside him, indicating she should sit down.

  She sank beside him, her head wobbling on her shoulders. “It hurt this morning. Pretty badly.”

  He laced his fingers with hers and kissed her hand. “That’s probably why the doctor wanted you off it this weekend. Did you take your pain medicine?” She nodded. He got up and pulled the blankets back. “Get in. I’ll grab something to put under it.”

  Her brow furrowed as she struggled to understand his words. “What?”

  “Get in my bed. That pain medicine will knock you out, which is good because I’m still tired and I’d like to sleep some more and that won’t happen with you here running your mouth.”

  She set her lips. “I should punch you.”

  He rolled his eyes and kissed her cheek. “You know I’m right, now get in and scoot over.”

  She did as he asked, too groggy to argue, and kept a wary eye on him. He disappeared into the bathroom and when he reappeared; his arms were burdened with pillows and towels.

  “You keep extra pillows in your bathroom?” she asked, wondering if the pain in her ankle combined with the pain meds were making her more loopy than usual.

  “We have a couple extra pillows we keep in the towel closet just in case Jamie or Ren crash here.” He gently lifted her leg so he could tuck the pillow and rolled up towels under it. “Better?” he asked. She nodded. He kissed her forehead and climbed in next to her. “Keep the snoring to a minimum, please.”

  “I don’t snore,” she snapped, ruining her angry façade with a giggle.

  “Excuse me you two,” RJ said from under his blanket. “As much as I positively adore you both and think it’s just the bee’s knees that you two are together, do you think you could keep it down? I’m still tired.”

  “The ‘bee’s knees?’” Ally asked, gaping at RJ.

  He peered at her from under his blanket and winked. “My grandmother’s favorite saying. But that’s beside the point. Cole, will you kiss her or something so you both will shut up and I can get some sleep?”

  “He’s grumpy when he’s tired,” Ally whispered, feeling the familiar tugging sensation caused by her pain meds – warning her she was about to fall asleep.

  “Yeah, I know,” Cole whispered back. He tipped her chin and kissed her softly on the mouth. “But he does have some pretty good ideas.”

  She yearned to roll over and tuck her body into his but her clumsy cast impeded her. He turned on his side, facing her, and threw an arm over her stomach. She watched as his eyes shut and smiled at how vulnerable he looked.

  “Sleep, Al,” he mumbled, giving her a quick squeeze. “Jamie will be here in a couple hours.”

  She allowed herself to drift off, the weight of his arm across her stomach comforting her like a security blanket.

  ***

  “That’s so cute it makes me want to puke,” Jamie said, yanking Cole out of his slumber.

  “Go to hell, James,” Cole mumbled, cracking an eye open only to find Jamie peering at him with a goofy grin on his face. He stretched, peeked at Ally, relief seeping through him to find her still knocked out cold. “And whatever you do, don’t wake her yet.”

  “How long has she been here?” Jamie asked as Cole sat up, adjusting the blankets around Ally’s slumbering body. Her face was pale and the purple bruises that she’d skillfully covered the night before were deeper and now tinged with yellow. He hoped it didn’t still hurt.

  “Early,” RJ said as he strolled out of the bathroom, looking refreshed and ready to go. “Like at the butt crack of dawn.”

  “I doubt she slept much last night at all,” Cole frowned, scrubbing the sleep from his face. “Not to mention the pain in her ankle. I think she took her pain meds before she came over here and I made her get in bed. It only took a few minutes and she was out.”

  “She’s taking these rumors pretty serious – and the possibility of her dad leaving the band pretty hard,” Jamie said, eyeing his cousin’s sleeping form.

  Cole yawned and got off the bed, pausing in the bathroom doorway. “I know. But there’s nothing we can do if it is true.”

  RJ sprawled out on his bed. “It’ll suck.”

  A cell phone rang from under Cole’s blankets. Jamie gave Ally a gentle shake. “Hey, Sleeping Beauty! Answer your phone.”

  Ally shot up and nearly cried out in pain, her face paling. Cole strode out of the bathroom and sat next to her. “Hey, Al, calm down.”

  “I’m okay,” she said as she scrambled through the bedding in search of her still ringing phone. By the time she located it, it had stopped ringing and gone to voice mail. She flipped it open and rubbed her forehead. “It was my mom,” she said, shutting her phone. Her dazed, sleepy eyes took in the three guys staring back at her. Heat crept up her neck and spread to her cheeks when she realized she was still in Cole’s bed. “Should I call her back?”

  Cole sighed. “Might as well. See what she wants. Maybe she saw the news last night and wants to talk to you about it.” He glanced at the other guys.

  “Just don’t mention what we heard yet,” RJ said. “If you do, she’ll blow it off and say that we’ll all talk about when we’re all home or something lame like that.”

  “Yes,” Cole agreed. “We need to figure out how to go about getting some answers.”

  She nodded and called her mother’s cell phone. Liz answered right away.

  “Hi, Mom,” Ally said around a huge yawn. “What’s up?”

  Cole scooted closer as RJ and Jamie dropped to RJ’s bed, watching her every move as if she was a convict plotting escape.

  “Just calling to see how you’re feeling,” Liz said in a gentle voice. “How is your ankle?”

  “Fine,” Ally said, nibbling her lip. “A little sore.”

  “Have you been resting it?” Liz prodded. “You know, if you keep it up and ice it like the doctor said it will help.”

  “Yeah, I know. I went to Jamie’s game last night but Cole took me back to my room after the first quarter.” She sighed and looked at the boys nervously.

  “Honey, I think you need to be taking it easy for a few days,” Liz said in concern. “You don’t need to be on it at all. Alec or one of the boys will get your assignments or bring you meals if you ask.”

  “I know, Mom, and they have been. They’ve been real angels, honestly. And I plan to rest my ankle the remainder of the weekend. I don’t think we’ll go to the dance tonight,” she rambled, talking off the top of her head. “I don’t know what we’ll do but I supp
ose I should just stay locked up in my room like a prisoner.”

  Cole rolled his eyes while Jamie and RJ grinned.

  “Oh, it’s the Fall Festival,” Liz said, a wistful note in her voice. Ally remembered the stories her mother had told her of her dad escorting her mom to the Fall Festival dance her senior year. “Did you have a date for the dance?”

  “Ummm,” Ally said, heart beat quickening. “Yeah.”

  “Do I know him?” Liz prodded

  “Um hmm. Um, Cole.” Ally pulled a face, wide-eyed.

  Cole gave her a questioning look but she shook her head.

  “Cole,” Liz repeated excitedly. “Awww. Are you two dating now?”

  Ally felt the heat rush to her cheeks. As much as she would love to talk to her mother about this, she was very aware of the boys hanging on her every word. “I don’t know.”

  “Well, you should talk to him about it,” Liz suggested. “Cole will be honest and straightforward with you. Do you really like him?”

  Panic seized her. She could not go there at that moment; especially with Cole sitting next to her, listening intently. “What’s going on with Dad?” she blurted, wincing, squeezing her eyes shut. She could just picture the faces on the guys as she did the one thing they asked her not to do.

  “What do you mean?” Liz said quietly.

  “Is he leaving Tight Control?”

  She opened an eye and caught Jamie’s amused look. Cole and RJ, unfortunately, looked like they were ready to string her up.

  Liz sighed. “I’ve told you not to listen to rumors, Ally.”

  “Mom,” Ally protested. “They were talking about it on VMTV, not some tabloid.”

  “We’ll talk about this when you come home for Thanksgiving,” Liz said in a stern voice.

  “I knew you’d say that,” Ally bit out in disgust.

  “Listen, Allyson,” Liz said sternly. “People hear things and construe them in ways that they see fit. Not everything you hear is the exact truth.”

  “But,” Ally stammered.

  “No, that’s enough,” Liz ordered. “Now rest that ankle and I’ll call you later.”