Strike Out (Barlow Sisters Book 2)

by Jordan Ford

  I grip the neck of the guitar, wondering how bad this is going to be for me.

  I’ve only spoken to Roman once. He introduced himself to me a couple of weeks ago, after the preseason baseball game. He had this curious smile on his face while we were talking and I couldn’t help wondering if he was fishing for information on me.

  “How long have you been playing?” He points at the guitar in my hands.

  “Oh, um…” I shrug. “Not long. I’m sure you can tell by my useless rendition of Green Day.”

  Roman crosses his arms and leans against the doorframe. “It’s one of Cairo’s favorites. He loves that song.”

  “Does he?” My voice rises too high, giving away the fact that I totally know what he’s talking about.

  Closing my eyes with a sigh, I droop my head. “He’s teaching me, okay?”

  “He told me he offered but you said no.”

  “Yeah, well, I did at first. But then I changed my mind.”

  Roman’s lips dip while his eyebrows rise. Maybe he’s annoyed that Cairo didn’t say anything. Velocity seems like a close-knit unit.

  “I asked Cairo to keep it quiet, made him promise not to tell anyone.”

  “You worried your baseball-loving Dad might freak out if he knows you’re playing guitar?”

  My head pops up. “How did you…?”

  He snickers and shakes his head. “I saw him at the game. You’re his Maximus, his little winner.”

  I look down to hide my grimace.

  “Don’t worry about it. I won’t say anything. I know what it’s like to be put into a box.” He walks past me and fishes a pair of drumsticks out from behind the kit. “Before these…” He waggles his sticks in the air. “I was the deadbeat who tried to sell drugs to everybody. That’s all they thought I was good for. It’s okay to break the mold, you know.”

  “Yeah…I…I don’t do drugs.”

  He grins. “Missing the point, Blondie.”

  I roll my eyes. “I get it. I don’t have to play baseball forever.”

  “Actually, my point was that you don’t have to be Maximus forever.”

  My mouth goes dry as I stare at him.

  His sharp nose wrinkles and he points his sticks at me. “Looks like you’re trying though, right? And you sound damn amazing considering you’ve only been playing for a little while.” He walks past me, then stops and clicks his fingers. “Hey, you know what? You should come see us play sometime. Next weekend, we’re doing a gig at this club in Cullington. You’ll love it.”

  “A club?” I give him a skeptical frown. “I doubt I’ll be able to get to a club.”

  “Oh, I know the owner. We play there a lot. You don’t have to worry about getting in.”

  “No, I mean I think my dad would kill me if I try to go to a club.”

  He chuckles and looks to the ceiling for a second. “You know, it’s the same night as the homecoming dance. Maybe Papa Bear doesn’t need to know where you really are.”

  A ripple of excitement spurts through me and I’m soon fighting a smile.

  “You should come, watch your guitar teacher in action.” Roman wiggles his eyebrows and I lose my fight with the smile.

  I turn it into a quick laugh that has to be swallowed back before I drown in my own humiliation.

  Shit, Roman’s totally witnessing my crush-a-thon.

  “I mean…yeah.” I clear my throat. “I should, you know, see him play and make sure he’s good enough to teach me, right?” I wince and scratch my forehead.

  Roman cracks up laughing. “Whatever you have to tell yourself, Puppy Love.”

  I groan and hide my face behind my hands.

  “Roman?” Cairo’s surprised question makes me jerk in my chair.

  Shit! How am I not hearing these people coming?

  Did he overhear what Roman just called me?

  Oh, kill me now.

  Cairo glances at me before looking at his friend. “What are you doing back at school?”

  “Forgot my favorite sticks.” He holds them up. “That’s why I was a little off in practice this afternoon.”

  “Oh really.” Cairo gives him a droll look. “And here I was thinking it was Latifa’s new leather pants.”

  Roman narrows his eyes and points his sticks in warning, but he can’t hold his stern expression.

  Cairo smirks and now I’m not the only one blushing.

  I grin, glad to have the heat off me, until Cairo glances down and catches my eye. His eyebrows flicker when he notices me holding the electric guitar.

  “She’s sounding good, man.” Roman lightly punches his arm and starts walking out of the room singing “When I Come Around.”

  I blush and let out a breathy chuckle when he spins to point at me. “Be there next weekend, Green Day.”

  I don’t know what to say, so I just swallow and look to the floor.

  “Next weekend?” Cairo takes a seat beside me, checking out the amp levels.

  I must have gotten them right because he’s not changing anything.

  “Yeah, Roman invited me to watch you guys play.”

  He looks at me, the beginnings of a smile twitching his lips. “I thought you’d want to go to homecoming.”

  I make a face. “You think I’m the kind of girl who likes going to school dances?”

  He snickers, like that realization only just occurred to him. “You’re right. The only reason I like going is when I’m allowed to play on stage.”

  “I’d love to see you sometime.” The words pop out before I can stop them.

  My heart lurches into my throat, making it impossible to swallow.

  But Cairo eases my nerves with a friendly grin. “That’d be cool. You should come with us, then.” He runs a hand through his hair, and a thick lock flops back over his forehead. I want to touch it, curl it around my finger. “You know, I should have invited you myself, but I didn’t think you wanted the band to know about the guitar thing, and I was worried it’d be awkward.”

  Biting the edge of my lip, I cradle the guitar against me. “Do you think we can trust them not to say anything?”

  “For sure. I’d trust those guys with anything.”

  “But Austin and Kingston are brothers. I mean, if anyone on the team finds out…”

  “Austin won’t say anything. He and Kingston are so different. Considering they’re related, they don’t hang out very much.” Cairo lays his hand on my knee. “Besides, if you trust me, you can trust him.”

  “Okay.” I can barely form the word. All I can feel right now are his fingers on my knee. I suddenly wish I was sporting a miniskirt, just so I could feel his skin directly on mine.

  Seriously? A miniskirt? Did I really just think that?

  I swallow and flash the most normal-looking smile I can. It probably looks wonky and weird, but Cairo doesn’t seem to notice.

  Jumping from his seat, he grabs an electric guitar and plugs it into my amp. As he’s checking the tuning, he tells me more about the Cullington gig, and I start devising a way to get out of the homecoming dance.

  14

  More Than I Think

  CAIRO

  I can’t believe Max said yes to watching us play.

  I can’t believe how incredibly excited I am.

  Maybe I like her more than I think I do.

  I’ve been trying so hard not to be romantic about this. Teaching a girl like Max to play guitar is pretty damn sexy, but I’m fighting it big-time.

  I want to be Max’s friend more than her boyfriend, in spite of the hassles my bandmates keep giving me. Maybe that’s why I’m fighting it. I don’t want to fall back into the same old pattern.

  Leaning my head against the van window, I check my watch again and hope she’s not too late.

  Latifa’s annoyed we’re waiting for her at all.

  “Can’t she find her own way there? We’ve got a sound check to do!”

  Roman tries to ease her tension by putting his hand on her shoulder. “Come on, Tifa.
Don’t be like that.”

  “I just don’t see why she even has to come at all. I don’t care if she’s some musical prodigy.”

  Roman called Max that, not me.

  But she is a real natural. Music flows through her veins the same way it flows through mine.

  “And I’m still annoyed about the fact you lied to us, Cai.” Latifa’s dark eyes narrow.

  “I didn’t lie,” I argue again.

  “You didn’t tell us. That’s basically lying.”

  I roll my eyes and let out a soft groan.

  Ever since Roman caught Max in the music room, they’ve been going on about it. I’ve answered every question under the sun, from “What the hell?” to “You’re trying to get into her pants, aren’t you?”

  I nearly clocked Austin for that one.

  He could see how pissed I was because he quickly raised his hands and swore he wouldn’t say it again…or tell anyone what Max was up to.

  Even though they’re annoyed with me for hiding this from them, I still one hundred percent believe I can trust them.

  They’ll keep Max and her guitar learning on the down low. I know they will.

  “She’s got two more minutes, and then we’re gone.” Latifa huffs and slams back into her seat.

  I ignore her mood and quietly pray that Max will hurry it up. In order to get out of homecoming, she’s going with her sisters and then faking a headache after they arrive. It’s kind of dodgy, but she’s convinced it’s the only way to get around it. Her plan is to feign a migraine to get away from her sisters, then pretend to call her mom for a ride home.

  In reality, she’s going to sneak out the back door and run two blocks south to a quiet street near the school where Austin has parked his van.

  Glancing in the side mirror, I think I spot a shadowy movement. Pushing the door open with my shoulder, I jump down and break into a grin as a girl with long blonde hair comes bolting towards me.

  Even in the dim streetlight I can make out her smooth running style.

  Her hair flies behind her as she pumps her arms and then comes to a swift stop in front of me.

  “Hey,” she puffs, trying to catch her breath.

  “Hi.” I can’t think of anything smarter to say.

  Something weird is happening in my chest and I’m kind of captured for a moment as I drink in her excited grin. She’s wearing lip gloss and these long feather earrings. They look cool.

  I reach out and gently run my fingers down one of the black feathers. “Nice.”

  “Oh, um…” She gives me a twitchy smile. “Thanks.”

  I can’t help skimming the rest of her. She’s wearing a dress, something I’ve never seen her in before. It’s fitted around the bodice and then puffs out from the waist, ending at her knees. And on her feet…a pair of bright red Converse high-tops.

  I love it.

  “Sorry I’m late. Maddie was playing nurse-slash-interrogator. Seriously, she’s worse than a parent sometimes.”

  “She’s probably just worried about you.”

  Max flashes me a tight, closed-mouth smile. It does nothing to hide the guilt she’s obviously feeling.

  “Anyway.” I snap my fingers and point at the van. “You’re here now, so shall we go?”

  She makes a nervous face, but nods. “Yeah.”

  Taking her hand, I slide open the van door. The interior light pops on, illuminating Roman’s smile and Latifa’s unimpressed scowl.

  “Whoa!” Roman’s eyebrows pop up. “Hey, Little Black Dress.”

  “Shut up.” She snickers. “I had to pretend like I was going to homecoming.”

  “I’m saying it looks good on you.”

  “Well, it feels awful.” She runs her hands across the tight bodice over her stomach. “I can’t wait to get out of this thing.”

  “Really?” Austin wiggles his eyebrows and I throw him a warning glare.

  Max’s eyes bulge as she realizes what she just said. She looks like a deer caught in headlights, wanting to bolt from embarrassment but not sure how to do it.

  Austin laughs and introduces himself. “I’m Austin.”

  “Yeah, Kingston’s brother, right? I’ve seen you around.” Max nods politely before looking at Latifa. “Hi.”

  “Whatever.” She shrugs. “Just get in, we’re already running late.”

  “Don’t mind her,” I whisper in Max’s ear. “She takes a while to warm up to new people.”

  “Right.” Max nods and jumps into the van, buckling up beside Latifa and staring straight ahead.

  I hop into the front, wondering if I should be offering to swap with the grumpy bass player. But that would take her away from sitting next to Roman, and I know for sure she wants to be there.

  Latifa just hates letting people in. Thanks to a rough upbringing, she has some major trust issues. Things have settled down now. She’s with a pretty cool aunt who has actually kept her for nearly two years. She can never truly relax, though. She’s just waiting for the day when the woman will turn around and tell her, “Time’s up! I’ve done my share.”

  That’s why Velocity is her everything, and anything that might threaten or disrupt that really pisses her off.

  “Okay, let’s go.” I nudge Austin’s arm, smiling over my shoulder as we take off for Cullington.

  I catch Max’s eye, hoping she can relax and have a good time, but with the icy treatment she’s getting from Latifa, I think it’s gonna take a while to kick in.

  Dammit, I should have given her a heads-up.

  Latifa’s treated all my girlfriends like this at first.

  She always goes for the ice queen routine. Anyone who’s strong enough to endure it gets moved into the initial friend zone—she’ll score the odd smile and a little polite conversation. The only girl I’ve been with that made it into the actual friend zone flew to Australia at the end of last year.

  Latifa took it harder than I did.

  Man, I sure hope Max is strong enough, because even though I’m not trying to make her my girlfriend, I kind of like having her around.

  Shifting in my seat, I sneak another look in the back, glancing down at those red high-tops and wondering if Max isn’t the only one lying to the people she loves.

  Maybe I’m lying too.

  Maybe this girl’s going to get under my skin no matter how hard I fight it.

  15

  Elated to Deflated

  MAX

  So, Latifa seems nice.

  Not.

  The van ride to the club, Fire Storm, is on the icy side. Roman tries to strike up a little conversation but he’s shot down with brutal nudges to the stomach. He just snickers and rubs his abs like it doesn’t hurt.

  I frown at Latifa but she ignores me.

  So I spend my time studying the back of Cairo’s head, memorizing each wave and curl. I love how it nestles around his shoulders like that. Who knew long hair on a guy could be so appealing?

  The way he looked at me when I first showed up to the van was kind of nice. He checked me out. Like, seriously. The twitch of his lips told me I was looking pretty fine.

  At least I think that’s what that meant.

  Oh man, what if it did?!

  I’ve never crushed on a guy before, and to have that guy then crush on me? That would be amazing.

  Cairo and Max.

  Max and Cairo.

  That could work.

  I bite my lips together, attempting to quell the rush of giddy bubbles rising in my chest. They overtake every doubt and reservation I had about bailing on my sisters tonight. I hate that I lied to them, but if it means getting that kind of look from Cairo, I’d do it again.

  This whole thing is so new to me.

  Guys are usually my friends. I goof around with them, play ball, act like one of them. But this is so different. For the first time ever, I’m being seen like a girl. Possibly a potential girlfriend, and that feels freaking awesome!

  After nearly an hour of driving, Austin slows the van and we t
urn into an overcrowded parking lot.

  “We’re late,” Latifa spits, firing me a dark glare before unbuckling her seat belt.

  As soon as the van stops, I lean back and let her jump past me. The band gets busy unloading their gear. I offer to help and end up carrying a small amp around back. Trailing behind the others, I follow them inside and am swiftly forgotten about.

  It’s all sound checks and setup, talking to the stage manager and making sure they don’t leave the crowd waiting.

  Thankfully another band has been on before them and they played an extra song so Velocity could get ready.

  Cairo nestles the guitar strap on his shoulders, then finally glances at me, like I’m an afterthought he’s suddenly remembered.

  “Just find a home near the bar and I’ll come and get you once we’re done.”

  “Okay.” I nod and am led into the main club by one of the backstage crew.

  “Have fun.” He winks at me and all I can offer is a weak smile.

  The second I step through that door, a wave of human overcrowding hits me. The club is hot with bodies, sweat, and alcohol.

  I sniff it in the air, mingled with a multitude of colognes, perfumes, and body odors. It’s a weird combination that I’ve never encountered before.

  Turning sideways, I squeeze past two groups and wiggle my way to the bar. My heartbeat is pulsing in my ears by the time I finally reach the shiny black counter.

  “Can I get you a drink?” the bartender yells at me.

  He barely glances my direction as I holler, “I’m good, thanks!”

  “Wave if you change your mind.” He slaps the bar and moves along, serving others at a rate that gives away his experience.

  I’m mesmerized by his swift moves until I hear a voice booming through the speakers.

  “And here’s Velocity!”

  A riotous cheer goes up as heads near the front of the stage start bobbing. The music begins before the lights go up. It’s a synthesized keyboard, and then Cairo shouts into the mic and the stage illuminates with a dramatic flair as they launch into an awesome rendition of “Shake It” by Metro Station.