Chapter Two #2
Chad was smashing drums better than some adults before he’d even hit primary school, Aston played bass like he’d been born with one in his hands, and Annie and Ella both picked up guitar ridiculously fast. Though Ella still needed sheet music, Annie could somehow feel music naturally.
As we got older, things tightened even more.
The chemistry between us became effortless.
Soon enough, Colt and Dad started encouraging us to write original songs instead of only playing covers, so Annie and I sat down together and started experimenting.
Annie had this raw emotional honesty even as a kid that translated perfectly into lyrics, and together we somehow stumbled into creating songs that sounded decent.
That’s how Staked was born.
The name came from us trying to be clever little idiots. 12GAUGE-Slayed killed things, so naturally, we figured Staked fit perfectly because, apparently, we were all obsessed with vampire movies back then.
Honestly, the logic made perfect sense to us at thirteen.
But as my world kept expanding, Indi slowly started pulling away from me.
At first, it was subtle.
Missed phone calls.
Canceled plans.
Longer gaps between seeing each other.
I hated it.
The older we got, the more responsibility she carried at home while her parents spiraled further into addiction. She became fiercely independent out of necessity, and anytime I tried helping her, she’d shut me down instantly.
‘I don’t need saving, Caleb.’ I heard that sentence so many times that it became permanently burned into my brain.
But she did need help.
Anyone with eyes could see it.
She was exhausted all the time, emotionally withdrawn, and carrying the weight of two completely useless parents on her shoulders while pretending she was fine. And still, somehow, she remained the brightest thing in my life.
I loved her long before I fully understood what love was.
Probably more than I should have at that age.
But Indi had been there through every major moment of my life. She was the reason I started embracing music instead of resenting it. The reason I picked up a guitar every day. The reason I pushed myself harder and harder to improve.
Everything changed the moment she looked at me, as if playing music made me special.
I am who I am because of her.
By seventeen, Staked had become a huge part of my life, but Indi was slipping further and further away from me emotionally, and I could feel it happening no matter how hard I tried to stop it.
She was shutting down.
And deep down, I knew eventually something was going to break.
Because her parents were complete assholes who treated her like an inconvenience instead of a daughter, and every time I saw the look in her eyes after another disappointment from them, it made something vicious twist inside my chest. Sometimes I wondered if they resented her for existing at all.
Her mum had been sixteen when she got pregnant, and her dad only a year older. They lost their teenage freedom the second Indi was born, and I think part of them blamed her for that.
Which is bullshit.
Because Indi deserved better than every single one of them.
Then came the night that changed everything.
I was home in London studying for final exams when it happened.
Indi hadn’t replied to any of my messages for almost twenty-four hours, which felt wrong.
Even when she was upset, she always answered eventually.
I tried to tell myself she was buried in study because we were both drowning in exams at that point, but something in my gut kept twisting harder with every hour that passed.
Final year was chaos already.
Between school and Staked, starting to gain real momentum, my life felt split in half.
Mum was adamant that I finish school properly before diving fully into music, while Dad sat somewhere in the middle.
He believed I could make it in the industry, but he also thought having an education behind me mattered.
So despite everything, I stayed at my regular school.
Mostly because of Indi.
The rest of the band were homeschooled for safety and privacy reasons, especially as paparazzi grew worse around the Slade family over the years. Still, Dad knew I wouldn’t leave Indi behind.
Not willingly.
I was halfway through reading about the Roman Empire when frantic banging rattled my bedroom window.
My heart nearly stopped.
I rushed over and froze.
Indi stood outside, completely hysterical.
Her face was streaked with tears, her eyes swollen red, panic radiating off her so violently it hit me through the glass. I shoved the window open instantly.
“Indi, what the hell happened?”
She practically fell through the window and straight into my arms. I barely had time to catch her before she grabbed onto me desperately, burying her face against my chest while sobs tore through her body.
Instant fear slammed into me. “Indi,” I said sharply, holding her face gently so she’d look at me. “Talk to me.”
Her breathing hitched violently. “It’s Dad,” she whispered.
Every muscle in my body tightened. “Did he hurt you?” The darkness in my own voice startled even me.
If that bastard laid a hand on her, I swear to God I would have killed him.
She shook her head quickly.
Relief hit me for maybe half a second before she whispered the next words, “He’s dead.”
I blinked at her. “What?”
“He o-overdosed.” Her voice cracked apart completely. “Mum locked herself in her room and won’t come out. I don’t know what to do, Caleb. Everything’s falling apart.”
Fuck.
I pulled her against me, holding her so tightly I could feel her heartbeat hammering wildly through her chest. “When did this happen?”
“Just before.” She struggled to breathe through the tears. “Mum and I found him in the living room, then she ran to her bedroom and locked the door. She left me there with him, and I didn’t know what to do.”
Jesus Christ. My mind raced instantly.
“Okay.” I grabbed her shoulders firmly. “We need to go back there right now.”
She nodded numbly.