Stereotyping Rock (Stereotyping Series) | ✔️

Chapter Twenty-Three

Matt

I scowled, the first reaction from any of us, "You realise this now?"

Jenna jumped in her seat, eyes widening, "We only just found out the date yesterday!"

I groaned loudly and let my head fall onto the table. A warm hand rubbed my tense back and I relaxed into it. Georgia. 

Her lyrical voice asked, "Is there any way you could go there, come back, and go back again?" 

Courtney sighed, "No. Coach is really strict on us."

"You can't sneak out?" Will asked.

I looked up to see Jenna and Courtney communicating silently.

Will continued, "Come on, Jen. You sneak out of your house all the time. How is this any different?"

"Because this isn't a five-minute walk to your house, Will," she defended, "This is a half-hour drive to the school."

Courtney shrugged, "We could do it, Jen."

"How?" she raised an eyebrow, "Coach would murder us if she found out."

Courtney smiled gently, "The competition finishes at four o'clock each day. Dinner goes from four-thirty to five-thirty. We just dismiss ourselves early at dinner, tell Coach we're tired and then she won't even check up on us. We can go straight to the band battle."

Jenna's eyes were guarded, I noticed. It wasn't that she was scared of being caught, I suddenly realised, but that she cherished cheerleading too much to risk being dismissed from her team. 

"Jenna," I said quietly, capturing her attention, "If you two do this correctly, you won't lose your spot. I promise."

"And if by any nightmare you guys don't sneak out right," Will said gently, his sister still upset, "Any other team in the state would happily take you in."

Jen nodded slowly, "I guess so..."

"What do you say, Jen?" Courtney asked, leaning forward.

Jenna nodded again, "Why not? We'll... we'll give it a try."

Lena smiled before scowling back at Will, "And you need to find a way to not get killed by Dad."

Will shrugged, "Let him at me."

***

Will

I regretted my words later. At precisely 3:32pm, the front door slammed open. Lena and I jumped from our spots at the dining table. There was the clear sound of jangling metal hitting something and then a sudden shout, "William Alexander!"

I froze. 

Lena leapt up from her seat quickly and ran down the hallway to her room before Dad marched into the dining room. His blue eyes were a dark, dark black as he shook in his large frame. 

He raised a slow finger, pointing it at me, "You... you have destroyed your future..."

Dad's finger shook in the air as he let out a half-witted growl. 

I paled. What was he actually going to do to me? For the first time, I came across the thought that he could physically abuse me. 

"You idiotic child!" Dad's voice roared, "Stand up!" 

I quickly did so, tall and straight. 

He neared me. I was a good half-foot or so taller than Dad but I still gulped at the pure... pure hatred flowing through his eyes.