Fame & Chaos (Off Your Rocker: The New Era #2)

Preface

Before Forever Broke

Caleb

It’s my cousin Annie’s fifth birthday, and the Slade manor is chaos.

Kids are running across the lawn screaming, music is blasting from the outdoor speakers, and Uncle Colt is standing near the barbecue with Dad, both of them laughing about something while half the adults stare at them like they’re rock gods.

Which… they kind of are.

But I barely notice any of it because Indi is beside the cupcake table stuffing her face with salted caramel cupcakes like she hasn’t eaten in days.

“You know you’ll get chubby eating all those,” I tease as I walk up beside her.

She gasps dramatically, one hand pressing to her chest while she chews. “Rude much.”

Chocolate crumbs stick to the corner of her mouth, and I laugh, reaching over to wipe them away with my thumb before I can stop myself.

She freezes for half a second, then smiles.

Those dimples get me every single time.

“You gonna play for me today?” she asks hopefully.

I glance toward the manor. “Maybe.”

“Caaaleeeb,” she whines, dragging out my name. “Pleeease? I love hearing you play.”

I try not to smile, but it’s impossible with her looking at me like that.

“Fine. One song.”

Her entire face lights up. “Really?”

“Yeah, but if Dad catches me touching his guitar, I’m blaming you.”

She laughs and grabs my hand, dragging me toward the house while the party carries on behind us.

The music room is quiet compared to outside, sunlight pouring through the massive windows and glinting off Dad’s guitars hanging along the wall. Indi drops onto the white couch while I carefully lift Dad’s acoustic from its stand.

The second my fingers brush the strings, something settles inside me.

Music always does that.

“Well?” Indi asks excitedly. “What’re you gonna play?”

I shrug even though my stomach twists nervously. “Depends on whether you promise not to laugh.”

“I’d never laugh at you.”

I look over at her and realize she means it.

Completely.

So I start playing Uncle Colt’s song, “Until The End Of Time,” quietly at first before the nerves fade and the music takes over.

Indi sways along instantly, mouthing every word with the brightest smile on her face, like I’m already performing on some huge stage instead of sitting barefoot in my uncle’s music room.

And somehow, with her looking at me like that, I almost believe I could.

When the song finishes, she claps loudly.

“Indi,” I whisper harshly, laughing. “You’ll get us caught.”

“I don’t even care,” she says, grinning. “Caleb, you’re gonna be famous one day. I just know it.”

I snort softly, placing Dad’s guitar carefully back on its stand. “No chance.”

“Yes, chance. Massive chance,” she argues, standing and pointing at me seriously. “And when you play Wembley Stadium one day, you’d better remember me.”

I laugh. “Wembley?”

“Mhm.” She folds her arms confidently. “Sold-out crowd. Thousands of people screaming your name.”

I shake my head. “You’re crazy.”

“Maybe,” she says with a grin. “But I’m still gonna be there.”

Something in my chest tightens as I look at her because she believes in me more than I believe in myself. And I know, somehow, even at twelve years old, that if I ever stand on a stage like that one day, she’ll be the first person I look for in the crowd.

“You’ll always be there,” I say quietly.

Her smile softens. “Forever!” she states.

I don’t even hesitate.

“Forever.”