“Fuck,” he hissed under his breath.
Shatford made her way across the room and stood at the end of the table.
“Mr. Torres, I don’t believe this is your lunch,” she said in that uppity, stick up her ass way.
“It’s an open period. I was just eating with my cousin.” He waved at Ana.
Ana lifted her chin.
The conversation at the table had died and tension filled the silence.
Shatford’s mouth twitched and her nostrils flared. “See me in my office after this to discuss your paper,” she said coldly.
Shawn didn’t reply, he just stared at the table in front of him.
After a few more uncomfortable seconds, Shatford left and conversation resumed. But Shawn didn’t have anything to contribute.
If that witch thought he was going to spend one more second in her office this year, she was out of her mind.
He had more than enough credits to graduate. He was just fulfilling the attendance requirements until he turned eighteen. His volunteer services on the weekends should have been more than enough to satisfy whatever elements Shatford thought he was missing as a human.
The bell rang, and instead of going to the administration wing, he followed Piper into the auditorium for study hall.
She eyed him quizzically but didn’t object when he took a seat beside her.
The bell rang, signaling the start of the next class, and he slid way down in the theater seat in case Shatford came looking for him.
“Why didn’t you go to her office?” Piper asked softly.
“Because she’s evil and I hate her and she can’t make me,” he answered blandly.
Piper nodded. “Fair enough.”
Shawn sighed. “It’s just been this year. I don’t know what happened in her personal life, but she’s been an asshole to all the students.”
Piper frowned. “That’s not okay.”
“I miss Dr. Mendez,” Shawn declared wistfully. “She had a baby in the fall and so she’s gone for a little while, and Shatface is on a power trip. It fucking sucks.” He glanced her direction. “Sorry for swearing.”
Piper chuckled. “Oh, no worries there. I live with Hannah Lee ‘Motherfucking’ James.”
Shawn joined in her laughter and then grew thoughtful.
“What was it like? Before she left everything behind? Can I ask that?” He ran a hand through his hair nervously. “I don’t mean it in a creepy stalker way. Just…I want that life. I want the fame and the success. So, I guess I’m wondering why she left it.”
Piper scrunched up her nose. “I think you’d have to ask her.”
That made sense.
“But just the short time I saw it firsthand, it was actually really scary,” Piper went on.
“What do you mean?”
Piper chewed on the inside of her cheek. “Like…there were helicopters hovering over her house every single day. And photographers would literally camp out at the end of her driveway like a narcissist’s tailgate party. One day, she left to go to her lawyer’s office and wrap up some things. She came home with all these scratches on her arms that bruised eventually because they were so aggressive with getting close to her.” Piper shuddered and rubbed her arms up and down like she was remembering it vividly.
“Huh.” Shawn had a lot to think about.
That didn’t sound like the kind of fame he wanted.
The door to the auditorium swung open and he spotted Shatford’s orange hair before she’d fully entered. He slid out of the chair like a snake and onto the narrow floor space.
Piper casually set her book bag on top of him and focused on the book that had magically appeared in her hand.
After about five minutes, Piper nudged him with her toe.
“She’s gone.”
But Shawn stayed for another minute.
He hoped Dr. Mendez came back soon.
HANNAH
Her phone rang and she smiled when she saw Johnny’s name.
Answering it and putting it on speaker, she continued slicing the green onions.
“You left early today,” he accused.
“We were finished,” she countered. “And besides, it’s Stir-Friday. I needed to stop at the grocer and get a couple things.”
“Stir-Friday?” She could hear the smile in his voice.
“Tonight is beef udon.”
“That sounds delicious. One of these days, I’m going to have to make you cook for me.”
“Just say when,” she replied before thinking. Immediately she closed her eyes, disappointed in herself as usual.
Johnny cleared his throat.
“I just wanted to say thanks again for all the work you put in this week. I think this record is something special and it wouldn’t have happened without you.”
Hannah glanced at the phone, wishing she could see his face to gauge where they were as people now.
Did this week’s work help to fill in the crater she’d created years ago?
A huge part of her didn’t want to be finished yet. It’s the main reason she ducked out early that day.
She sucked at goodbyes. It was easier to act like things weren’t really finished.
“It was really fun,” she said, hoping the tightness in her throat wasn’t obvious. “Thank you for letting me be a part of it.”
He chuckled deeply. “Pretty sure I didn’t have much of a choice.”
This would be a really good time to ask him if she could record those vocals now.
“Hey, Johnny?” she asked, trying to sound like it was an afterthought and not something she’d been putting off. “I need to record some vocals for a DBS song I did a while back. Do you think you would be able to help me with that?”
The silence on the other end of the phone had her checking to see if the call was still connected.
“Would tomorrow night work for you?” he asked, sounding different.
“Tomorrow night?” she repeated, trying to remember the days of the week.
“I know Piper probably has a game in the morning,” Johnny said. “But if we wait until after eight, there won’t be anyone in the studio. We can go in and get it done and no one will even know.”
She accidentally let an “oh” slip out. It was the same noise her heart made when it realized he was thinking about all the ways to protect her identity. He would even hide her from his colleagues.
“Does that work for you?”
“Uh, yes.” She tried to regain her sensibilities after the somersault her soul had done. “Can I bring Piper?”
“Of course,” he said, and again, she could hear his smile. “In full disclosure, Shawn will be with me as well.”
“Then it sounds like a plan.”
They hung up and Hannah did her best to concentrate on the food she was making. But she couldn’t ignore the excitement of knowing she’d be seeing him again very soon.
Chapter Thirteen
Radar
JOHNNY
“Why are you so excited to get to the school today?” Shawn asked, barely getting his seat belt on before Johnny put the car in reverse.
“Not excited,” Johnny denied.
Shawn turned slightly in his seat to face him. “Yes, you are. And you’ve left the top three buttons open on your shirt.” He gasped. “You like her!”
“I’m sure I have no idea what you’re talking about.” Johnny glanced at himself in the review mirror and buttoned two of the buttons. “Thanks for pointing that out.”
“Like you didn’t know.” Shawn snorted. “The only time you show the chest hair is when you want attention. So, either you like Hannah Lee and you’re excited to see her, or you’re trying to hook up with one of the other women at the game, and sorry, but gross.”
“Not looking for a hookup,” Johnny said, realizing a half a breath too late that Shawn would infer he was admitting to the first part of his ridiculous accusation.
But it wasn’t true.
He hadn’t left his shir
t unbuttoned on purpose. He’d simply been in a rush.
And he wasn’t excited to see Hannah.
They had reached a comfortable existence. He didn’t hate her, and she no longer held any power over his livelihood.
They had worked together for a week and had finished successfully.
As far as he was concerned, she had made up for everything in the past and he felt fine moving on. She didn’t owe him anything, and he didn’t have any feelings for her, positive or negative.
He was indifferent.
But that seemed like an empty word for what he was actually feeling.
It wasn’t indifference.
It was something else.
Something new.
But not like and not hate and not indifferent.
He pulled into their regular parking space and put the car in park.
“Well, look at that. She got here early too. Hmm. Interesting.” Shawn unsnapped his seat belt and opened the door to the cold before Johnny could respond.
Not that he had anything to say.
He just stared at her for a minute. She was tugging Piper’s hat down over her ears and Piper was trying to wave her off.
Both of the younger people took off at a sprint for the gym door, anxious to get away from their older siblings.
Hannah shook her head and shoved her mittened hands into her coat pockets.
He could stay in the car and pretend to mess with his glove box. Or he could get out of the car and walk with her to the door.
Like they knew each other.
Like being in each other’s space was okay.
Was it okay?
He jogged to catch up to her.
She smiled when she saw him.
He smiled back.
HANNAH
The toilets in the ladies’ restroom were broken.
At least that’s what the harassed janitor had told her when she’d tried to use the facilities. She wanted to ask if there was another restroom nearby, but he was busy setting up orange cones and cursing in a language she couldn’t identify. Polish, maybe?
No matter, it was a school; there were toilets somewhere.
Besides, it was halftime, so Piper wouldn’t be playing for a few minutes anyway.
Hannah made her way through the darkened halls of the school and finally found what she was looking for.
The stalls were very clean for a high school, she thought. Minimal graffiti, nothing lewd scrawled on the doors.
Maybe private schools were just better at keeping it cleaned up.
She washed her hands and caught her expression in the mirror.
Huh.
There she was.
The customary avoidance of her image stayed suspiciously silent.
She took a moment to just look at herself.
And for the first time in a long time, the primary feeling she had wasn’t hate.
Voices carried to her through the door.
She frowned, the tone unsettled her immediately, and without thinking she opened the door and went into the hallway.
“You’re on thin ice, Mr. Torres.”
A woman Hannah thought she recognized as the vice principal had a student cornered on the stairs, a finger pointed in their face.
Not just any student, but Shawn Torres.
The bathroom door made a clunk noise as it closed behind her, alerting them to her presence.
Vice Principal Shatford turned around to see who was interrupting her dark hallway lecture.
“Hey, Shawn,” Hannah called, unease sliding into her chest. “What’s going on?”
Shawn slipped past the VP and headed to Hannah, his face pale, eyes downturned.
“Nothin’,” Shawn muttered.
Vice Principal Shatford waved and smiled bigly, showing her teeth, then turned and walked up the remaining stairs that led to the administration wing.
Hannah didn’t wave back because, well, she wasn’t familiar with the woman, and also, she wanted to tell her to fuck off. Just because.
Shawn bumped her with his shoulder and she kept her eyes on the vice principal as she turned her body to follow him.
When they reached the entrance to the gymnasium, Hannah touched his elbow and drew him to a halt.
“It’s obviously none of my business, but what was happening back there?” she asked.
Shawn rolled his eyes and shrugged. “She just likes giving me a hard time. Don’t tell Johnny, ’kay? He overreacts.”
He sidestepped her and returned to his post at the concession.
Hmm.
Hannah knew two things. She had a bad feeling about Shatford. And she was definitely going to say something to Johnny.
JOHNNY
Oh, his middle name should be regret.
He should give seminar lectures on all the ways a man jumps into things he can’t handle.
The day before, when he’d realized that Hannah had left the studio without even saying goodbye, he’d felt bereft.
Which he’d ignored.
Instead, he’d called her and jumped at the opportunity to get her back into his creative space as soon as possible. Literally the next day.
“This is a dream come true,” Shawn said at his shoulder.
Johnny shifted his eyes to look at his brother, and then he refocused again on the dark-haired harbinger in the live room.
He leaned forward, flipping the mic switch. “Whenever you’re ready.”
Hannah appeared a little nervous. Maybe even shaky. She nodded and shook her hands out at the sides.
They’d discussed running through a few practice vocals before committing.
“She’s not gonna do it.”
Both men turned around to see Piper on the couch. She was slouched back with one foot propped on the table and the other draped over her knee as she flipped through a guitar magazine.
“What do you mean?”
“She’s totally freaking out,” Piper stated, flipping another page.
Johnny glanced back down into the live room. Hannah was pacing back and forth with her hands on her hips.
“Why is she freaking out?” Shawn asked.
“Ugh.” Piper dropped her feet to the floor and tossed the magazine aside, a powerhouse of preteen attitude. “Because she hasn’t recorded her own stuff in years?” She stuck her chin out and waved a hand. “Because this is a song she wrote with the last great love of her life, Luke ‘oh, my God’ Casey?”
When she said the “oh my God,” it was high-pitched and overly exaggerated Valley Girl voice.
Johnny cracked up but recovered faster than Shawn.
“All right, let me try something,” he said, heading for the door. He turned around and narrowed his eyes at Shawn. “No shenanigans.”
Shawn waved him off with both hands.
Johnny jogged down the metal steps and right up to Hannah.
Yeah, she was definitely freaking out.
But like all things Hannah Lee, it wasn’t like anyone else’s freak-out.
She was mad.
“This is bullshit,” she said when he got to her.
“Do you want to try the isolation room first?” he offered, since that’s where they’d probably end up anyway.
“No.” She shook her head. “I like it better in here. It feels…better.” She sighed, looking around at the high ceilings.
Most of the lights were off, so it was dark and subdued. The sun had set hours ago, so the windows were in shadow.
“I don’t know what’s wrong with me,” she confessed, keeping her eyes on the dark windows.
Johnny glanced up at the control room window. Shawn was showing Piper the soundboard.
“C’mon,” he said to Hannah. “Let’s go for a walk.”
Having an artist get butterflies during recording wasn’t unusual, though it didn’t happen too often. Usually Nikki was the one who took them out and gave them what amounted to her version of “You can do this! Rah! Rah!” speech.
But this wasn’t
just anyone.
He led her down the hall to Studio X’s lounge.
It was a quiet space when there was no one else around. Several comfortable places to relax: an espresso maker, small kitchen.
He didn’t bother with the bright overhead lights, opting instead to turn on the lights above the sink. He grabbed two sparkling waters from the fridge and motioned for her to join him on a long couch.
After they had both sat down and had opened their waters, Johnny put an arm along the back of the couch as he faced her.
“Tell me what’s happening in your head. What are you thinking about?”
She pursed her lips and hummed in the back of her throat. “I’m thinking about all the reasons I shouldn’t be doing this.”
“Such as?”
“That part of my life is over. It’s not like I can just put the Ashton James mask back on and go to work.” She grimaced, like the very idea was gross.
“What if you don’t think of it as being Ashton James? What if you’re Hannah Lee and you do what I saw you do all week long,” he suggested.
She nodded, soberly considering his words. But she didn’t say anything, and after a beat, she started to chew on the inside of her cheek.
“Piper mentioned that you wrote it with Luke Casey. Is that another reason for your hesitation?” he asked haltingly, because he didn’t need to know. He was fine. He could have this conversation.
She frowned as she thought about it. The fact that she didn’t protest immediately meant she was actually considering that as a possibility.
Johnny didn’t really want to know either way if she was pining for her most famous ex. She hadn’t even remembered Johnny, yet Luke Casey got unrequited feelings when he wasn’t even in the room. But yeah, Johnny was fine with it.
“No. I mean, yes. But no.” She growled under breath and it sounded sort of like a crackle purr. Not that he was noticing her adorable quirks. He wasn’t.
She straightened her shoulders and looked at him seriously. “Maybe you don’t know this, but I’ve been kind of a shit.”
Key Change: A Slow Burn Rockstar Romance (Common Threads Book 3) Page 19