The Hush Society Presents... by Izzy Matias (best desktop ebook reader .txt) 📕

doing this sort of thing. Challenging musicians to own up to their potential. It’s up to you if you want to develop that." When her hands stop moving, she rests them on the table. Close to mine. I feel their warmth.

"What if I’m complete shite? You’d be risking your name and your organisation’s credibility." I move my hands closer to hers.

"Don’t be so dramatic!" Cassie laughs, and cups her drink. "I do this all the time. Besides, I heard you play up there twice, didn’t I?"

"And Dan and Ella are okay with this?"

"Of course."

Blimey, she is serious.

Here I am being offered an opportunity that I’ve been wanting since I was nine, so why am I not diving for it?

"A lot can happen in a few months," she says. "This tour is perfect to jump start your career, whether with a new band or a solo project. Think about it."

When I made the decision to become a full-time musician earlier, I thought I’d have loads of time to figure out what my next steps were and how I should debut my next band.

A few hours later, here is an opportunity to make that happen.

Am I ready to take it?

CHAPTER EIGHT

Mum and Dad sit across from me at the dining table. Mum looks like she’s expecting good news, but Dad’s wearing a poker face. Under the table, my fists curl and uncurl. My left leg shakes up and down.

A time bomb ticks in my head. It’s been almost a week since The Verve. Every day since then has been sleepless, tossing and turning—even if I made my decision the night Cassie asked.

I close my eyes and prepare to face the eye of the kraken. "I don’t know how else to say this… I’m not going to Uni."

More than two people gasp; I’m certain Tamara’s eavesdropping. I open my eyes. For once, my parents are on a united front—at least in their initial expressions.

Mum is the first to speak. "Darling, what brought this about?"

"Do you know how much money you’ve wasted if you’re serious about this?" Dad grumbles.

Of course, that is the first thing Dad thinks about: money.

"Jim, let the boy speak."

Dad’s bloodshot eyes are sharp. His veins protrude from his neck and forehead. I glance at Mum—bless her for taking the calmer road. It comes as no surprise, though. Dad’s lips tighten as he waits for me to speak.

"I want to pursue music full time," I say looking straight at Dad. "You know I’ve always loved music and have been obsessed with the guitar since I was nine—"

"You’re being irrational! Don’t you know the statistics and facts about how many people actually make it in that industry?"

"Jim," Mum chastises. "Let him finish."

Dad glares at me, but stays quiet.

"I appreciate your hard work to let me get a degree. I do. Thank you for wanting to send me to Uni, but I don’t want to waste money. I’d rather you save it for Timmy. He wants to go to Oxford. I want to play music."

I know it’s not the best argument, but I need to give this a go. If I don’t, I’ll regret it.

"Are you bloody joking? I will not have my money wasted on your whimsical fantasies about a career out of music. Do you want to live from paycheck to paycheck?"

"He’s eighteen," says Mum. "We’ve always encouraged our children to make their own decisions and stick by them. This is his. We need to respect that."

"I will not have our child risking his future for an unstable career path. I will not have it." The veins in Dad’s neck threaten to burst.

"You’d rather see him miserable, then? What kind of life is that?"

"This is your fault, Jill. You encourage him!"

"What do you want me to do? Push him to be someone he’s not?"

I clear my throat to remind them I’m still in the room. The last thing they need is another massive fight. "I sorted it out with my Uni and cancelled my enrollment. I’ve been working on loads of material for the tour this summer." I shake my head. "I know how it sounds, but I have a chance to debut my music…not a lot of aspiring musicians have this sort of opportunity. Please don’t fight over my future. I’m going to work my ass off to make it work. I am going to make things happen for me."

Mum half smiles and Dad’s expression softens before he sighs.

"I love you and we have supported your music, but you are going to Uni," he says in his nonnegotiable tone. "You are going to earn that business degree and get a proper job, ya hear?"

I fold my arms across my chest. "Why can Tamara follow her dream, and I can’t? Is it because the path she chose fits well with you?"

"Go to Uni or don't come home at all. That is final." The veins in his neck are about to explode.

"Jim!" Mum shouts.

I can't believe he is giving me an ultimatum. As if my choice wasn't hard enough to make. First Elliot and Lewis kick me out, and now Dad…

"Can’t you do anything right?" The minute the sentence leaves his mouth, Dad’s hard expression transforms into shock.

Mum’s eyes tear.

I snap back as if dodging a punch to my chest, but it tightens nonetheless. My chair falls back when I stand up.

"I—I didn’t mean that," he says. His eyes are full of regret.

"I stand by my decision. I’m sorry for being a disappointment. You can kick me out, you can disown me, but I am not going to Uni."

"Cameron—" Dad pleads.

"That was a nasty thing to say," Mum answers him back and they go off on a row. "Kicking him out? Are you serious?"

I walk into the living room, where my sister is waiting.

Tamara’s eyes are wild. "Are you really?" In her eyes, it’s a mortal sin to quit school.

I nod because I don’t have the words. My hands are shaking; the adrenalin from the fight courses through