500 Days

by Jessica Miller

  “None of them are good enough for you,” Jasper growled.

  “Again that’s my decision. I get that you want to protect me, but I need some breathing room.” I punched them both in the arm and then left them there without another word. I was not going to let these two buttheads ruin my night. I marched over to Declan and tugged on her arm. She put her two fingers up to her eyes and then pointed them at Jacob and Jasper angrily letting them know she will be watching them.

  Back at the table, I walked past Jaxson and smacked him on the back of the head before I took a seat. Declan did the same and Jaxson gave us both a, ‘what the hell?’ look. I pointed in the direction of Jasper and Jacob. Jaxson rolled his eyes. “Alex, we were just messin’ around.”

  “I’m not amused Jax.” I grabbed the unopened bottle of Patron out of the bucket. I was ready to wiggle off the cap and pour myself a shot when I felt a hand come over mine. I flinched slightly from the touch.

  “Whoa, hold off there a second. I’m saving that for a little later.” I looked up to see Casper standing over my shoulder, his hand still on mine. Our eyes connected and I fell into a trance. He flashed his cocky smile and then it all fell away. I let go of the bottle and he replaced it in the bucket. “You okay?” he asked, taking a seat next to me.

  “Yeah, just my brothers being assholes.” He chuckled lightly to himself. I whipped my head in his direction and glared at him. “Don’t tell me you were in on it too?”

  He put his hands up in surrender. “I swear I had nothing to do with it, but you have to admit it was kind of funny.”

  “Hardly,” I spat.

  “Oh come on, they’re just looking out for ya. If you were my sister I would have done the same thing.” I let out a breath, deciding I wasn’t going to let my brothers destroy my good mood. “Besides, none of those guys were worth your time.”

  “Jealous?” I asked.

  He smiled but didn’t answer me. “Declan, can you get everyone and tell them we’re ready?”

  She nodded excitedly and hopped out of her chair. “Ready for what?” I asked nervously.

  “You’ll see,” he winked and handed me another beer. I took it to calm my nerves.

  “It’s time.”

  “Time for what?” I asked. Casper spun me around and escorted me to the stage with Jaxson. He looked just as confused as I was.

  Casper jumped up and stood in front of the microphone. “Before we start we have a special surprise.” Casper looked down at me and gestured for me to join him on stage. Eyes wide, I turned to Declan. She shrugged her shoulders, pretending to be clueless. Jaxson nudged me, curious to find out what was going on. When I didn’t take his hand Casper jumped down off the stage. Then, as if I weighed nothing, he lifted me up while Colton offered me a hand to help pull me up. Jaxson and Casper both climbed the stage with ease. I stood there in front of everyone, feeling self-conscious with all eyes on me. Casper positioned Jaxson and me next to him. The lights above us dimmed and the music stopped. I spotted a small glow out of the corner of my eye. I looked to the left to see Jasper, Jacob, and Declan carrying out a large cake from the side of the stage.

  Casper started singing Happy Birthday and soon the crowd joined in.

  Best surprise ever.

  The entire crowd continued to sing happy birthday while Jacob and Jasper carried over a giant square cake. Declan came up beside me and hugged my waist while I threw my other arm around Jaxson.

  “Make a wish,” Jacob said.

  I looked around at my brothers and all the people who came out to celebrate tonight, my eyes stopping on Casper for a split second. “I already have everything I want.”

  There was a collective awe from the crowd. “Fuck that, I want a Lamborghini,” Jaxson said. I couldn’t help but laugh. Together we blew out the candles. Everyone clapped as the lights brightened and the music returned. “Let’s party!”

  Before I could walk away, Casper grabbed me by the waist and pulled me back. “Not done with you yet.” I felt a sudden rush when his body hit mine, like I couldn’t breathe. With him this close it was hard to control my emotions. My head was telling me how wrong this was, but all my body wanted to do was lean into him more, inhale his scent, and have his hands roam every inch of my body. I let out the breath I didn’t know I was holding. Casper gestured to the unopened bottle of Patron. “You and Jaxson get to do the first shots.” We made our way off the stage and back over to the table. Declan handed me a hot pink glass she got me just for tonight. Casper poured us each a shot. Jaxson and I clinked glasses and then sucked down the shots slamming the empty glasses on the table earning us another round of cheers.

  “Happy Birthday sis,” Jaxson said, giving me a hug.

  “Happy Birthday Jax.” Declan hugged me from behind before I could let go and then so did Jacob and Jasper. “Thank you guys.”

  “You’re welcome.”

  When it was time for Leverage to perform, Declan dragged Jaxson and me to the front of the stage. As the boys took their positions I found myself unable to take my eyes off of Casper. There was something about the way he walked out on that stage. He carried himself with confidence. Not the normal cockiness I’d seen him use on me or other girls. He was a different person the moment he stepped onto that stage. I could see it in his eyes. He loved the rush of performing in front of a large crowd.

  Casper spotted me in the front and smiled a real, genuine smile. I felt my insides tingle and I had to grab on to Declan to keep my legs from giving in. I looked down at the floor, confused. What was that?

  “You okay?” Declan asked, a little worried.

  “Yeah, I just think that last shot finally hit me.” Declan reached over and grabbed Jaxson’s bottle of water and made me drink some. I smiled at her to reassure her that I was fine. I pushed aside the weird feeling I got from Casper and cheered wildly with Declan as they started to play. We danced to every song, swaying our hips and singing along with the lyrics. By the end of their first set I was sweating and ready for another drink. I dragged Jaxson and Declan to the table while we waited for the boys to join us. After our small reprieve from the swarm of bodies packed close to the stage, I pulled Jasper on to the dance floor, and made him dance.

  For the most part he just stood there. I laughed when Jacob joined us on the dance floor and put Jasper to shame. Gus had let Jacob in only because he was driving us. He had to wear a wristband to show he wasn’t twenty-one yet. Sometimes the club did eighteen plus shows, but tonight was over twenty-one only so Gus made an exception because Jacob was my brother.

  After Jacob and Jaxson made fun of Jasper for his lack of dancing skills, he blew us off and went to the bar. Declan joined us on the dance floor with Colton in tow. He wasn’t much better than Jasper, but he made a solid effort. I was having a really good time when I noticed Casper sitting at the table watching us. I waved for him to come down but he just shrugged it off. Not wanting to take no for an answer I walked over to the table, grabbed his arm, and pulled him out to the dance floor. He hesitated at first when I put his hands on my hips. “Relax Casper, I’m not trying to take you home,” I teased.

  He smiled back at me, relaxing his arms. “Good to know, Katherine.” I elbowed him playfully. He smiled sweetly and rested his hands on my hips as I turned around to face my friends. Casper and I moved rhythmically to the music. His fingertips pressed lightly into my sides as I swayed my hips back and forth. I was having a good time until some half-dressed skank tried to dance with my little brother. Jaxson encouraged him. I stepped away from Casper and then smacked Jaxson before I stood in front of the skank with my arms crossed. I pointed to the underage wristband on his arm. She rolled her eyes and walked away.

  “What the hell, Alex?” Jacob complained.

  “Jacob, I am not letting my little brother get molested by some whore.” He left the dance floor annoyed. Declan and Jaxson just shook their heads at me. “What?” I snapped.

  The party was in full swing. The guys finally relaxed eno
ugh to let me dance without pulling guys off of me. I think that’s only because Jaxson was on the dance floor with us. He hit on any girl that walked by him and most of them turned him down. I laughed at his pathetic attempts. I was tipsy and definitely feeling the effects of the alcohol. I decided to take a break from dancing and head back to the table. I nearly tripped over myself when I saw Colby. He had finally arrived and he had a date. Some small blonde bimbo was hanging all over him and it took everything I had not to throw up everything I just drank.

  “Is something wrong?” Declan asked.

  “No,” I replied, forcing a smile. I took Declan’s hand and pulled her up the steps with me. When Colby saw me he came right over.

  “Happy Birthday, Alex.” He gave me a quick kiss on the cheek.

  “Thanks…who’s your date?”

  He looked over his shoulder. “That’s Heather. She’s just an old friend.”

  Old friend my ass. “Thanks for coming.”

  Colby offered to buy me a drink and shot so I allowed him to escort me to the bar. “So how you been?” I asked when we reached the bar.

  “Busy. Ever since people got wind of me being back I’ve been booked with appointments.”

  “Well that’s good, right?”

  “Yeah…you look amazing tonight, by the way.” He gave me his million dollar smile, making me blush. I pushed my way closer to the bar to order. Colby put his arms around both sides of me closing me in. I could feel the heat rushing to my cheeks from his close proximity.

  “I’m glad you could make it out.”

  “Me too,” he said, pressing himself closer to me. I was a little disappointed when the bartender returned quickly with our drinks. I wouldn’t have minded staying like this for a while. Colby pulled away all too soon and helped me carry the drinks and shots back to the table. I noticed Casper was watching us. His expression was a little pained and I couldn’t help but wonder what was wrong. He seemed to tense up a bit when Colby and I returned, but he didn’t say anything. Colby got enough shots for everyone, but a special one for Jaxson and me. We saluted and I downed the double shot before Jaxson even took his first sip. They looked at me wide eyed.

  “What?” I said innocently.

  Jasper just laughed, shaking his head. Ready to cut loose on the dance floor again, I grabbed Declan and shoved our way to the middle of the club. The place was packed and the amount of bodies just made it hotter in there. The DJ played the latest dance song making the crowd go nuts. I was laughing and dancing with Declan, having a blast until I caught sight of the chicks surrounding the table. This time it wasn’t Casper who was swarmed by girls, it was Colby. A slight flicker of jealousy surged through me. I nearly lost it when I saw a familiar blonde with her arms all over Colby.

  “What is she doing here?” I asked Declan.

  She turned her gaze in the direction of my piercing glare. “I heard she was back in town.”

  “And she doesn’t waste any time, does she?” I was about to march right over there and put this bitch in her place when Declan jumped in front of me. “What are you doing?”

  “Trying to stop you from making a fool of yourself. You can’t go charging up there like a bat out of hell. Your brothers are here and if you start acting all jealous in front of them they’ll put two and two together. You know you can’t lie to Jaxson.”

  I sighed, feeling defeated. She was right, but that still didn’t mean I couldn’t enjoy my own party. I pushed my way through the sea of girls to grab my drink from the table. “Alex?” I made sure to count to ten before I turned to face the evilness that was standing behind me.

  “Georgina, is that you? I hardly recognized you without your old nose.” Declan managed to cover her laugh, but Jaxson and Jasper didn’t.

  If the Botox wasn’t keeping her face paralyzed I’m sure her eyebrows would have dropped into, two thin checkmarks. “Alex, I see you’ve actually started dressing like a girl. Did you find a pen pal who could actually give you some motherly advice?” That was a low blow and she knew it. I took a step forward. Colby put out an arm in front of Georgina, pushing her back slightly.

  “You’re defending her?” I snapped.

  He took a step forward. “No, I’m helping you out. You know better than to try and battle it out with her.” I hated to admit it but Colby was right. Georgina made it her job to torture me all throughout high school. I came home crying on more than one occasion because of her, but I never cried in front of her. I never knew why she had it in for me. I just figured she was one of those girls who were mean to everyone and I was just an easy target.

  I stood taller and held my head higher. I was still pissed at Colby for standing in my way but I was not going to let this bitch ruin my party. I turned my sights on Georgina and delivered the next blow. “Ahh, Georgie porgie had too much pie, so she went to the doctor to have them suck the fat out of her thigh. While she was there she had an affair and made daddy lose his hair.”

  “At least I still have a dad,” she countered. This time Jasper and Jaxson stepped in. I was ready to take her out when Casper gently placed an arm around my waist standing in between us.

  “You need to leave…now,” Jasper warned.

  “If you don’t get her out of here I will personally remove her myself,” Declan growled.

  Georgina rolled her eyes at us before she turned to Colby. “Call me later,” she winked, dragging a hand seductively across his chest. Colby looked uncomfortable, but I had no sympathy to offer him.

  Colton put a hand on Declan’s shoulder to calm her, but she shrugged him off. She was too upset to be bothered with at the moment. “Hey, you okay?” Casper asked. I nodded not able to form words.

  Jasper walked over and grabbed my face, forcing me to meet his eyes. “Hey, she’s just a spoiled bitch who gets her rocks off on hurting other people. It doesn’t matter what she said. You got it?” I nodded again only because he was holding my face which was making it hard to talk. He pulled me in for a hug then.

  When I pulled away, Colby was right next to us. “Guys I’m sorry. I had no idea she was going to be like that. It’s my fault.”

  “Don’t worry about. It’s over.”

  Jacob tugged on my wrist and led me and Jaxson to a table full of shots. “The waitress just delivered them and what better timing?” he smiled. I hugged his shoulder and waved all my friends over. We held up our shots while they all wished Jaxson and I Happy Birthday. Casper pulled me back on to the dance floor with everyone else until they had to go back on stage for their final set. We worked up another sweat dancing like crazy and decided to take a break when the band was about to go on. The boys took the stage again and the audience crowded around with excited anticipation.

  By this point, I was passed the point of buzzed. The little debacle with Georgina was now a distant memory. The band finished about an hour before the bar closed and now they no longer had to perform the boys were knocking back the drinks. Since I was pretty drunk myself I didn’t care how ridiculous I looked while I shook my butt.

  I felt strong hands on my hips. Not caring, I kept dancing. The fingers pressed harder into my sides as I circled my hips back and forth to the beat of the music. I pressed my back against his chest and put my hands on his thighs. His smell was so intoxicating and familiar. I had a flash back to New Year’s when I danced with the mystery man. There was something so familiar about the way this guy smelled, felt and danced.

  I could feel his hot breath on my neck. His hands slid across my stomach and yanked me back into him, hard. I bit my lip loving the feel of him rubbing against me. I reached my arm above my head and back around his neck. His arms closed tighter around me as we grinded on the dance floor. His scent wafted up to my nose, awakening my senses. I gasped and dropped my arms. I knew that scent. I knew it well. I closed my eyes afraid to see who the mystery man was. I turned around and almost passed out when I opened my eyes. Casper reached out to steady me. “Easy there…you okay?”

  “I think
I just need to get some air.”

  “You want me to go with you?” The concern in his eyes was genuine, but I needed time away from him to think.

  “No, I just need a few minutes.” I darted off the floor and pulled Jaxson aside. “Give me a cigarette.”

  “I don’t smoke.”

  “Neither do I. Now give me one.” We were the only two who couldn’t lie to each other. He muttered something under his breath. His eyes zigzagged back and forth making sure no one was looking as he pulled a pack from his back pocket. I took one from the pack along with his lighter and bolted for the exit. My head was still spinning a bit from my revelation. No way could Casper be Mr. New Year. It was just a coincidence. They wore the same cologne and I had a lot to drink tonight. It was easy to think it was him. I pressed my back against the cold stone wall and took a few puffs. I heard a shuffle of the rocks and a few muffled voices.

  Being nosey, I carefully inched my way to the voices. Around the side of the club was a couple – a man and a woman. I couldn’t see their faces because the man had his body blocking hers. His hand was planted against the wall while his other worked up and down her side. His head was tilted down and I could see fragments of bleached blonde hair. When I heard the smacking of lips I pulled back. I didn’t care to see that. I finished my smoke and stomped it out with my heel but not before the over eager couple made their way back into the club. I’ll be damned. Tonight was just full of surprises. Colby froze like a deer caught in headlights when he saw me. Georgina clung tight to his side with a smug smile on her face.

  “Gina, I’ll meet you inside.” She turned back to him and pawed at him with her dragon like claws. She wrapped her hands around his neck and pulled him in for a not so innocent kiss. I looked away, feeling sick. Colby pulled her arms off of him, but it didn’t matter anymore. She licked her lips and wiped the corners of her mouth as she sashayed her way back into the club. “Alex.”