The Popstar's Star

Chapter 13: Meeting the McKnights (part 1)

"Maybe this isn't such a good idea, Mason," I mumbled apprehensively, pressing my back into the side of Mason's car.

"Why? What's the matter?"

Everything! I wanted to say.

Even though I wouldn't openly admit it to him, I was feeling really nervous about meeting Mason's family. On the car ride over, I'd tried my best to conceal my anxiety hoping Mason wouldn't notice, but now that we were right in front of the house, I couldn't help but have second thoughts.

It's not that I had a problem meeting new people, on the contrary. I just felt different this time.

"What if they don't like me?" I blurted out,obscurely confessing my biggest fear.

Mason shrugged. "Who cares if they don't like you?"

I gasped, my eyes shooting daggers at him.

"I'm kidding, of course they're going to like you," he added quickly, rolling his eyes. "I've told them a lot about you. They're so excited."

Panic flooded through me. "And what exactly did you tell them?!"

He placed a hand on the hood of the car, moving closer to me. "I don't know. Stuff."

Leave it to Mason to give a vague answer when I asked him a clear-cut question.

"What kind of 'stuff'?" I prodded, using air quotes on the last word.

Mason let out a frustrated groan. "I don't have time for this, Star. Can we just go inside, already? I'm starving and I can smell Mom's meatloaf from all the way out here!"

My gaze shifted from a very hungry Mason to the house in front of us. It was small suburban house complete with a white picket fence. The house stood there; warm and inviting, but there was still a lingering fear that I couldn't quite push out of my mind.

"I just remembered that I . . . uh . . . forgot something," I lied.

"What?"

I scrambled my mind to think of something fast."My . . . my inhaler! Yes, my inhaler. Can't go anywhere without it. Sorry."

"You're not asthmatic, Star," he whispered in my ear, before seizing my hand between his as he pulled me towards the house.

"You don't know that!"

I struggled to keep up with him as the wind brushed through my floral sundress, threatening to expose underneath it. Using my other hand that thankfully wasn't in Mason's grasp, I tried to straighten out the dress just when we got to the front porch.

Mason rang the doorbell and I immediately saw movement at one of the windows.

Oh crap!

There was a good chance that his family had been watching me and Mason while we talked by his car. And that could also mean that they had seen Mason practically drag me across the lawn!

I cringed, thinking about how I was going to explain that.

Mason shoved me lightly with his elbow. "You don't have to be so nervous, you know. It's not like you're meeting my mom as my girlfriend or something."

I glared at him, my eyes becoming slits. "Haha."

A shuffling sound followed a loud click and the door opened. A woman appeared from it and the first thing I noticed about her was her striking resemblance to Mason. She was literally the spitting image of him. I assumed that this was his mother.