13. Home alone
CHAPTER 13
Home alone
CALUM
Mama Mace blocked me. Or she no longer exists on TikTok. It’s my fault. I knew I shouldn’t have liked that video with my main account. I search for the name and username but nothing shows up. I refresh the page. Same result. More usernames with digits. I close the app and open BC. GC is strictly for girls, and I’m not about to pretend to be one. I need her to know it’s me when she sees the post.
What are the odds she will? I guess I’ll have to keep posting to find out. I massage my neck and turn my head to the left, then the right, until I hear a crack. Much better. I’m home alone. Sam invited me to his apartment since Lucas was coming over to play games, but I refused. I need answers.
Mum can help.
I banish the thought as fast as it comes. I’m not talking to her. She knew, and she kept quiet. What if she knows Cathie’s location? I fist my hands in my hair. My eyes water from staring at my phone and laptop screen all night, but I’m as clueless as I was when I began the search. The only thing I have now are the complete memories.
An ache builds in my head. I push the stool with my laptop and phone a foot away from me and throw my feet over the couch. My head drops to the armrest, and I cross my forearm over my eyes. Since yesterday, I haven’t been able to do anything related to music or anything at all. I downloaded the BC app and made a few posts as soon as I could, but I got no reply.
Well, there are tons of replies. Replies from people calling me a simp, a few other groups of commenters telling me to be a man, and another set asking me to keep posting. Was the post silly? Would she be able to tell I sent it? Should I have started with an apology? Maybe I should have made it more specific. But I called her superstar and mentioned we used to sing together. That she liked her chips in her ice-cream, and we haven’t been in contact for a year.
My eyes close. Words seem to float behind my closed eyelids. I need to talk to my girl. We need to have a physical conversation. A grip on my shoulder causes my eyes to fly open.
Green eyes stare down at me, worry swimming in their depth. Was I out for that long? I run a tired hand over my lips to catch the drool at the corners. Sitting up, I touch the back of my palm to my sweaty forehead. Sam turns on the TV and opens the curtains. I wince at the sudden brightness. He leans on the windowsill, his brows drawn together as he watches the door.
“Who let you in?” I ask.
“Door was open,” Sam replies.
“Are we expecting someone?”
“Yeah. Lucas. And Scott,” he says without looking at me. He checks his watch a second time. Those two must be running late. “I called you twice, but you weren’t picking up. You good?”
“Yeah. Yeah.”
“Sure? You look pale.”
I’m not sure what I say, but I mutter a reply and head to the kitchen. I fill a glass with water, down it, and get another to sip slowly. Splashing water on my face clears some of the fog in my brain. We have shows spaced out for the rest of the year. One in November and three in December. But the major deal—our next tour is next year. What if I go to Wells Spring or Yorkrinth before the tour? Where exactly would I be headed? I rub the heels of my palms against my eyes. Thoughts contest for attention in my head, and a groan shoots out of my lips.
Having my memories back is not as pleasant as I expected. I thought the answers would present itself, but I’m as confused as ever. I stalk back to the living room and grab my phone.
Why didn’t I think of this?
The ceiling light shines down on me. I storm to the wall and turn off the lights. My head falls back to the wall, and I exhale. Sam laughs. He’s on my couch, watching an animation.
How can they watch TV? I long press the GC app icon until it brings out the App info option. That leads me to the app store, and I scroll down to the developer contact at the bottom of the page. The address is Yorkrinth. There’s a website icon above the contact. I tap on it, and it leads me to another page. There’s info about the app, commonly asked questions and answers, but nothing about the founders. I tap on the contact us option, and it leads me to a new email.
Should I email them? Will she receive it?
The next option is to search for the app’s name. I type GC into the search bar. Images of the company’s logo occupy my screen. I tap on the first article available, and my heart clenches with an unfamiliar emotion. There is a picture of the blonde friend. Amelia. Amelia Greene. In Cathie’s spot is a blank portrait of her. She hates pictures, was the explanation given. Is that why she deleted her TikTok account? Oh well, I have the video. I have all three of them.
I waste no time searching for Amelia on other social media. But her accounts are private. Amelia wasn’t her only friend. There were two more girls. I need to remember their names. I return to the article talking about the app and read the brief history of how it came to be. It’s all bits and pieces of them, and it makes me wonder if Cathie or Amelia endorsed this article.
The door opens. Lucas strolls in and slaps my shoulder in greeting. “What are you looking at?” he asks. I raise the phone above my head, and he laughs. “A girl? Wait, your superstar?”
“Shut up.”
Lucas flips the switch beside my head, and I flick it back off. A smile hits his lips as he plays with his hair. I want him to walk away, but he draws closer until our arms are touching. What does he want from me? Why are they here? Is this an intervention to get me to talk to Mum?
“She probably has moved on. You should too, Cal,” Lucas says. Because he can get into any lady’s pants doesn’t make him the minister of women’s affairs. Cathie and I were in love. It was more than sex for us. “You’re popular, man. If she wanted to reach out, she would have.”
How? I give Lucas a onceover, my smile growing bigger as an idea takes root in my head.
He grins. “What?”
Grabbing his head, I press our foreheads together. “You’re a genius,” I reply.
“I know.”
For the first time today, I laugh freely. He is a foolish genius. I open the BC app and type in my shortest post. Too excited to sit or stand, I pace the length of the living room. What if she doesn’t see it? She must. But the seed of doubt grows into a fist. A groan escapes me, and the boys turn their attention to me. My breath rushes out in short pants, and I try harder to be calm.
“What is it, Cal?” Sam asks. His voice lowers in concern. I take a few steps towards them.
“You know when you open an app, there’s an address, the developer’s address,” I say. Sam plants his hands on his knees, both of them nodding. I scowl when Lucas breaks into a grin. That guy is nothing but a clown. “Is it the same as the company’s or founder’s address?”
“No,” Sam replies. He rolls his shoulder, dismissing me as he turns to the TV. Lucas spreads his arms over the back of the couch and frowns. “I don’t know. Why are you even asking?”
“Why would they put the founder’s address there? I know I won’t. It’s stupid,” Lucas says. He’s an arse, and I already hate myself for asking. “Why? You got a crush on a developer?”
My cheeks flush. “Just asking.”
“Bullshit. You blushed.” Our eyes meet. I don’t break eye contact, and Lucas’ lips spread in a bigger grin. “At least now we know for sure that you’re not gay, and your mum never has to force you to date another Yani.”
The memory elicits a groan from me. I should have said no as soon as she brought up the idea, but it’s all in the past. Sam slaps the remote over Lucas’ lips to shut him up, but the only person who has that power is Scott.
“When are you going to talk to your mum, anyway? You can’t ignore her forever.”
Maybe not forever, but for now, I can. I leave Lucas to continue his one-sided conversation. My main priority is finding Catherine Jenkins. If she has moved on or has a kid for another man, I’m not sure what I’ll do with myself. I don’t know if I’ll forgive Mum if that happens to be the case. Mum is not exactly the bad guy, but things got this far and bad because of her.
What does Cathie think of me? What if she has moved on because she thought I didn’t care anymore? She always feared that I would forget her. And now, she’s Mama Mace. I stop my thoughts from straying too far. Mace could be the name of her pet. It’s a nice name for a dog, a cat, or a chicken.
A knock on the door stops me in my tracks. Lucas groans. Because he does, I hurry to the door to know who’s out to frustrate him. I’ll help them. Scott is at the door. He taps his earbud to let me know he’s on a call. The man is always on a phone call. With his Armani suit, polished shoes, and designer watch, he looks every inch like an important man. He stops behind a couch, and Lucas rolls his eyes. Scott ignores him, laughing at his chat with the caller.
Lucas seems annoyed with Scott. But Scott hasn’t spoken about the Alan guy since yesterday.
Scott laughs again. “Yeah, sure. Talk to you later, Caleb. The boys say hi.” We all chorus our greetings. Caleb is the guy I recorded in his studio last year. Cathie was also there. We sang together. The memories fly in now. It’s like I remember clearly and better. “Okay, bye.”
“The answer is still no, Scottie,” Lucas adds once Scott drops the call. “Cal, tell him.”
“That wasn’t our agreement,” Scott says.
Scott ruffles Lucas’ hair before walking around to sit on the single sofa. Lucas glowers. He doesn’t seem happy to see Scott. Sam pays us no mind. He’s engulfed with the cartoon. I stroll to the TV and put it off.
“Yo, I was watching that,” Sam comments.
“We are having a band discussion,” Scott replies on my behalf. “It’s more important.”
“Yeah,” Sam says. He runs his hand across his hair from bottom to top. All three pairs of eyes turn to me. I must have missed the conversation because I’m lost. “Fine. Ask him.”
“Caleb is having a party next month, and he invited us.” I nod. Caleb is cool. He might remember Cathie and maybe help me to find her. “It’s in Yorkrinth, and Lucas doesn’t—”
“I’m in,” I interrupt.
Three of them exchange a glance. We are free until November, and Caleb has a great studio. We will have a place to practise. So, yeah. I rub my hands together. Yorkrinth, here I come.
Lucas jumps to his feet. “How dare you?”
Sam and Scott collapse on their chairs with laughter. They share a high five and Lucas goes redder in the face. Toe to toe with me, he grips my shoulders. “You were supposed to say no.”
“Why?” I ask.
“Because I don’t wanna go to Yorkrinth again this year.” Lucas puts his hands together in a plea. “Scottie says we must go together. If you say no, then the Yorkrinth trip is cancelled.”
I pout. “But I wanna go to Yorkrinth, Luc.”
“We don’t leave immediately. And it’s just for a week or two,” Scott adds.
Even if it’s for a year, they can count me in.
Lucas scoffs. His gaze doesn’t stray from my face. He pokes my chest twice. “I know you are going to Yorkrinth because of her. But Superstar has moved on.”
“I’ll go find out myself.”