“Okay.” I turned off the call and reached for my tea. Lindsey was gawking at me. “What?”
She shrugged, dropping it. “Nothing.”
I smiled and she smiled back.
Chapter Fourteen
Jessica
Lunch wasn’t as odd as it could have been. Luke and I didn’t exchange many words, but at least he was here. I could see in Mama’s and Aunt Cadence’s eyes how relieved they were. Well, I was too. One less thing to heal from.
After lunch, Lindsey told me about a concert in Columbia she wanted to go to that night, but Luke didn’t want to take her. I knew that too well. When I was young, Jason never wanted to take me anywhere. And if I was at the same party he was, he acted like he didn’t know me, or if there were guys hitting on me, he became the overprotective big brother. So annoying.
“I’ll take you,” I told her. Rachel had a family dinner, and Sophie had a business event with her father, so until now I was on my own on a Saturday night.
When I went to pick up Lindsey at her house, I realized she had ambushed me. Brianna, Ryan’s sister, was standing beside her and I didn’t remember her telling me about a friend coming along. Especially not this friend.
She slid inside the truck with a big, fake smile. “Sorry,” she whispered.
Brianna slid in next. “Hi, Jess.”
“Hey, Brianna.” I fixed my gaze on her. “Your parents know where you’re going, right?”
She didn’t even blink. “Of course.”
“And your brother?”
“I think so. Mom and Dad said I could go, so Ryan doesn’t matter.”
I hoped not. Not that I thought he was going to be at the concert. During lunch, Jason and Luke mentioned going to The Pub to drink and play some pool, so if I had to bet, I would say Ryan was with them. Still, if he heard I took his sister to a concert without their parents’ consent, he would flip and we were already too deep in a mess. I didn’t need more problems to deal with.
“All right.” I put the truck in drive and stepped on the accelerator.
The drive to Columbia took twenty minutes, and the girls told me about school—the guys, the bitches, the gossips. Who kissed whom, who cheated on whom, who dumped whom, who was away for the summer, and who wasn’t.
It was less interesting now that I wasn’t their age, but it was nice to be included. And it was a way of bonding with Lindsey.
I parked the truck in the parking garage across the street from the place. When Lindsey told me about the concert, I thought it would be at a big venue, or at least, somewhere more organized, but it was actually in a big club downtown. I wasn’t too happy about it, but I was determined to enjoy this night. The line at the door was huge, and it took us a half hour to get in the place. After Kristin bothered me for more than two years, I finally got a fake ID last spring break. Lindsey and Brianna, however, didn’t have one and got stamps on their hands, to let bartenders know they were underage. As if that had ever stopped anyone from drinking.
Once past the bouncer, we descended the stairs and passed under a big archway. It opened to a large room with a dance floor in the center, and tables and high chairs flanking it. To the side, stairs led to the balcony wrapping around the walls. There were two bars, one on the left and one on the right, and a medium-sized stage in the back. Bright, colorful lights blinked from the ceiling and a loud rock ballad blasted through hidden speakers.
We made our way to the right of the dance floor, and Lindsey spotted some friends from school at a table. I was introduced to Anne Leigh, Phoebe, and her boyfriend, Drew. They pulled two chairs from other tables and all of us were able to sit around the table.
The group launched into more gossip about their friends and enemies. I excused myself and went to the bar to buy a drink.
I leaned on the bar counter and the bartender asked what I wanted. “A bud light, please,” I said, showing him my fake ID.
“Hello there.”
I snapped my head to the new voice and saw Noah, the Habitat for Humanity supervisor. “Oh, hi,” I said, returning my attention to the bartender.
He brought my beer over and I paid him quickly.
“It’s nice seeing you here,” Noah said.
Not knowing what to say, I nodded then walked back to the table. A guy had taken my place, and he was deep in conversation with Brianna. On the other side of the table, Lindsey took a selfie with her friends. I winced, as if she had been taking a photo of me. Get a grip, Jessica. When would this trauma of pictures go away? Apparently, never.
I leaned on the back of Brianna’s chair and checked the hour on my cell phone—nine thirty. The concert began at ten.
I was starting to regret this outing.
***
Ryan
We didn’t really want to, but Ethan was all about going to that damn concert in Columbia. Apparently, a girl he was flirting with would be there, and he didn’t want to pass up the opportunity to corner her.
He nudged me with his elbow as we waited in line to enter. “Don’t pretend you’re not dying to get drunk, find some willing girl, and get lost in her bed.”
I winced.
I wasn’t like that anymore. Well, not like I was four years ago. Back then, if I could, I would have slept with a different girl every weekend. Now, I only sought girls when the need was too much and my hand didn’t do the job anymore. Even so, every time I had to drink my way to them, and when I left their beds, I didn’t feel satisfied. Actually, I felt worse.
Inside, Jason, Luke, and I went directly to the bar while Ethan scoured the place for his girl. The guys bought beers and I got a Coke. With our drinks in hand, we leaned on the bar and looked out at the crowd. I saw lots of familiar faces—USC students who liked to party too much, old high school friends, other bike or car racers, my father’s customers—and some that I didn’t know, mostly current high school students.
“Is it just me, or are we getting too old for this?” Jason asked.
Luke laughed. “Dude, you both are twenty-three. I’m twenty-two. In my opinion, these kids should be in bed by now and leave the partying to us.”
“Agreed.” I raised my Coke in a mocking toast and took a sip.
Noah appeared by my side. “Hey, you. Got out of curfew?”
I groaned. He knew that my curfew was for weekdays only. “Hey,” I said. “What are you doing here?”
“It was this or watch a movie at my apartment.” He leaned on the bar beside me. “Besides, I work six days a week. This is the only way to meet the ladies.”
“Right.” I looked at my friends. Ethan was nowhere to be seen, and Jason and Luke were talking about the next bike show in two weeks. I missed those. I missed riding, racing. I missed the anticipation, the preparation, the adrenaline. I sighed. I missed a lot of things.
“I already have my eyes on a girl though,” Noah said, drawing my attention back to him. He finished his beer and slapped the empty bottle on the counter. “I’m going to make my move. Wish me luck.”
He walked into the crowd and I watched him. I pitied the girl who was going to receive his attention. I hoped that she would have some wits and ignore him.
Noah strolled across the edge of the dance floor and stopped by a table halfway to the stage. He poked the arm of a girl and she turned to him.
My blood chilled.
The cup slipped from my hand and broke on the floor between my feet.
Luke frowned at me. “Dude, what the hell?”
Teeth gritted, I marched to where Jessica was seated with Brianna and Lindsey, and some idiots falling over them. My rage, the rage I fought so hard to control, was slipping through the cracks, filling my veins, fueling my being.
A firm hand gripped my upper arm and pulled me back.
I was ready to punch the sucker, but Jason was ready for that. He deflected my hand, and grabbed my shoulders.