Free Dismissed by Kirsty McManus Page A

saying anything, I feel like now it is a big deal.’ She raised an eyebrow. ‘You’re not in love with Brandon, are you?’
    ‘What? No! I’m with Gabe, remember?’
    ‘What’s that got to do with anything? You can like two people at the same time.’
    ‘No you can’t.’
    ‘Uh, yes you can. So answer me. How do you feel about Brandon?’
    ‘I think he’s a good teacher and seems like a nice guy.’
    She screwed up her nose. ‘I think it’s more than that.’
    ‘Just leave it, OK? You can have him. I promise I won’t stop you.’
    ‘I’m still not convinced. But alright. Just don’t get mad when you see us together.’
    ‘I won’t.’
    Taylor thankfully turned back to the stage. Brandon was looking at Jason now, and Jason was grinning. Brandon gave him a dirty look.
    Lizzie felt terrible. She didn’t want Brandon to hate her, and she didn’t want Taylor thinking she had a crush on him. It didn’t matter if it was true. She did believe that you should only focus on one person. And for Lizzie, that person was Gabe.
    And then she remembered the text message on Gabe’s phone. Why did things have to be so complicated?
    Lizzie tried to enjoy the rest of the concert, but she blushed every time Brandon looked in her direction. Which was often. Taylor lapped it up, clearly thinking his attention was on her. She waved her arms in the air and swung her hips from side to side as if giving him a private show. Brandon eventually pulled his attention away.
    Forty-five minutes in, the band completed a song, and Brandon spoke.
    ‘We’re going to take a short break, but we’ll be right back. Thanks for coming out tonight!’
    The audience clapped enthusiastically as they walked off stage.
    Lizzie knew what was coming.
    It only took thirty seconds for him to find them.
    ‘What the hell are you two doing here? For a start, you’re underage. And secondly, I could get fired if someone sees me associating with you.’
    ‘Relax,’ Taylor said smoothly. ‘It was my idea. I’ll take full responsibility if anything goes wrong. But we do have your brother to thank for rescuing Lizzie earlier.’
    Brandon’s face clouded with rage.
    ‘He knew about this earlier ?’
    ‘Not until we arrived. But yeah.’
    ‘I’m going to kill the bastard… I told him…’
    ‘Hey buddy! I see you’ve noticed our little groupies.’
    Lizzie did not like being called a groupie. She glared at Jason as he joined the conversation and leaned casually against a nearby wall.
    ‘Fuck Jase! Don’t you want me to have a career? Because if anyone at school found out that these girls are illegally inside a nightclub with me, I might as well just quit right now.’
    ‘Stop being so dramatic. They’re with me. Not you. And no one will find out.’
    ‘How can you be so sure?’
    ‘I can’t. But there’s no use getting all worked up about it. They’re here. I think you should just relax.’
    ‘No, I won’t relax,’ he snapped. He turned to Lizzie. ‘I’m surprised at you Lizzie. I wouldn’t have expected you to do something like this.’
    Lizzie tried not to cry. ‘I’m sorry. We’ll leave.’
    ‘We’re not leaving until the show is finished,’ Taylor said firmly. ‘We’re paying customers like everyone else.’
    ‘Yes, but you’re not over eighteen like everyone else,’ he pointed out.
    ‘Bro, just let them stay. They’re not causing any harm. They’re not even drinking.’ He conveniently left out the fact that he’d seen Taylor with a cocktail before. ‘I’ll make sure they leave safely after the end of the set.’
    Brandon wavered. ‘I don’t know…’
    ‘Come on. They’re fans. You can’t kick them out.’
    He sighed and looked at the girls. ‘Fine. But it’s probably best if you stay in the shadows and then leave as soon as we’ve played the last song.’
    ‘Will do,’ Taylor said happily.
    ‘And if I lose my teaching job because of this, you’re paying my rent for the next five years,’ he said