by Cassandra
Debbie narrowed her eyes at Jessica. “Careful, Jessica. Watch your words. Now, why don’t you run along and go to some teeny-bopper party where you belong.”
“Whatever,” she said, turning away from them.
“Unbelievable,” Sara muttered.
Jessica shook her head. “Let’s not let them ruin our night. Come on.”
“No—let’s not let them have all the fun,” Ashley said in a low voice.
“And what do you mean by that?” Jessica raised an eyebrow.
The other two girls exchanged glances, while Eric looked on warily.
“Wouldn’t it be cool,” Sara said and locked eyes with Jessica, “if you could do that hypnosis stuff and make the doorman believe we’re twenty-one?”
Jessica’s jaw dropped. The thought had never even crossed her mind, but now that it had been mentioned, her mind immediately went into overdrive
“Think about it,” Ashley said. “This is like…a once in a lifetime type of thing. When will we have another chance to get this close to the musicians? Bands break up all the time, you know. They might not even still be a thing by the time we actually turn twenty-one.”
Sara nodded. “I co-sign everything she just said.”
The two of them proceeded to stare at their friend, pleading with their eyes.
Eric stuffed his hands in his pockets and shrugged his shoulders. “No pressure,” he said.
Jessica pouted. If she was honest with herself, she knew Sara and Ashley had a point.
A very good and valid point. The thought of tricking the bouncers into believing they were all twenty-one years old so that they could have the times of their lives—a story that she could reminisce about and tell her grandchildren someday—was tempting.
“So?” Ashley said. “What do you say?”
“I say…” A slow smile spread across Jessica’s face. “That would be awesome.”
This time, Sara broke into the same victory dance as Ashley had despite having told her to never do it again.
Jessica, on the other hand, knew she couldn’t possibly get away with casting a spell like that in front of Debbie and her minions. They would know exactly what she was up to. And considering the animosity and bad history between them, she also knew she couldn’t count on them to not blow their cover.
There has to be a way.
“Are you having second thoughts already?” Eric asked.
“You’d better not be,” said Sara.
She shook her head. “No. I’m trying to figure out how to go about this, that’s all. I don’t want them to know what we’re up to.” She nudged her head toward Debbie, Patricia, and Marie.
“Who cares what those bimbos think? It’s not like they can rat us out. We know their IDs are fake,” argued Ashley.
“Trust me, you have no idea how much trouble they could cause,” Jessica said. “I think I have an idea though…” A plan had slowly formed in her head, and she was sure that if they all acted accordingly, it could work. She looked at each of her friends in turn. “Each of you, give me ten dollars. I’ll pretend that I’m paying off the guard to sneak us in, and then I’ll—”
“Do your magic,” Ashley said.
“Right,” she said and suppressed a flinch, knowing the girl’s choice of words was simply coincidence.
Ashley, Sara, and Eric each dug into their pockets, pulled out their money, and handed it to Jessica.
“Don’t worry. I’ll buy us all drinks with this once we get in.”
Ashley waved her hand dismissively. “Cool. Now get us in.”
Jessica folded the money strategically in her hand and made sure to hold it in a way that Debbie, Patricia, and Marie could see it. She flashed them a smug grin and headed back to the doorman, already chanting in her head, ‘We are twenty-one years old. Let us in.’
“Look,” he said irritably as she returned, “I already told you, your line is that way.”
She stared him squarely in the eyes. “We are twenty-one years old. Let us in. We are twenty-one years old. Let us in.”
He blinked a few times before his expression went slack. She held the money up and pretended to hand it to him while she repeated her chant over and over.
“Say it,” she commanded but was careful to keep her voice a whisper.
“You guys are twenty-one years old. Go on in,” he said and passed her a handful of bracelets reserved for twenty-one-year-old concert goers.
Her smile broad, Jessica turned and gestured for her friends to come forward.
“Jessica?”
A voice spoke from the opposite direction and she spun and her heart stuttered slightly as Kacey pushed through the crowd. He looked at her, confused. “Uh…what’s going on? I was over there waiting for you guys.” He pointed to the line they were supposed to be in.
She grinned. “Why would you be waiting over there? We’re twenty-one. This is our line.” She held the wrist bands up and winked. “Come on. We were about to go inside.”
Chapter Three
Jessica had to admit, it felt good to not be such a goody-two-shoes every now and then. Besides, what good was being a witch if she couldn’t enjoy a few occasional perks? It didn’t matter that she couldn’t light a candle. This was far better.
The music blared intoxicatingly when they walked inside, and their seats near the bar were nothing short of awesome.
“Wow, Jessica—how did you pull this off?” Kacey asked and looked at her in awe.
She grinned. “Well, a girl’s gotta have her secrets.”
He laughed and shook his head. “You are something else, you know that? And I mean it in a good way.”
Jessica felt another flush steal over her face, although she wasn’t sure if it was from the shots or from the way Kacey looked at her.
Her body swayed easily to the music as she gazed around and saw Sara, Ashley, and Eric not far off, dancing and having the times of their lives. When the band had come out, they had basically bum-rushed the stage and managed to get close enough to almost touch them. Jessica and Kacey had joined them for a while before they went off to get drinks to hand out, and now, they headed back to the bar for their third round.
“What will it be, honey?” the bartender recognized her from the previous two orders.
“The usual,” she answered and smiled tipsily. “Is that all right with you?” she asked and looked at Kacey.
He grinned and leaned in toward her. “That’s more than all right with me,” he said and pulled her in for an impromptu hug. His hand brushed against the small of her back.
Jessica giggled, fully aware that Kacey was drunk too and clearly tried to put a move on her. Through her own haziness, she couldn’t decide whether she was all right with this or not.
Oh, what the hell. This is a once in a lifetime thing. There’s nothing wrong with a little innocent flirting, she thought and allowed herself to snuggle against Kacey for a moment while she waited for their drinks.
Clearly thrilled that she hadn’t resisted him, Kacey’s smile grew wider. He pressed his forehead to the side of her face and gave her a peck on the cheek to test her reaction.
She giggled and placed her hand on his shoulder but didn’t push him away.
“Here you go,” the bartender said and slid several shot-glasses their way.
“I got it this time,” Kacey said and paid for the drinks.
Jessica tossed a shot back. “Thanks!” she said and swayed a little.
He grabbed one of the shots and tossed it back as well. “You’re welcome. Now, dance with me, please.”
“Gladly.” Jessica momentarily forgot about Ashley, Sara, and Eric. When she glanced their way, though, she suspected they wouldn’t mind. They were still having a ball near the stage. Ashley had captured one of the band member’s hands as he serenaded her amongst a group of screaming fans.
Swaying her hips from side-to-side, Jessica wound her arms around Kacey’s neck and he slid his arms around her waist.
Liqu
id courage ran through his veins and he plunged his head forward without warning to land another quick kiss on her. But this time, it fell on her lips.
Jessica gasped and then laughed. Caught in the moment, she returned a kiss, this time giving him a peck that lingered a few seconds. He tightened his arms around her waist and prevented her from dancing for a moment as he dared to deepen the kiss.
A little dazed, she responded to the kiss until the band broke into another song. Breathlessly, she pulled away from Kacey and grinned. “God, I love this song!”
“I think I liked the last one better,” he said but laughed. Nevertheless, he grabbed her by the hand and raised it in the air so that he could spin her around.
She twirled, laughing, but came to a screeching halt. “Chad!” she yelled. “And Roger? Oh, my God! Where’d you guys come from?” She headed toward them and dragged Kacey along with her.
Chad stared back at her, his expression not-so-friendly. Meanwhile, Roger looked at her with his eyebrows raised in an expression of amusement.
“Well, you invited me, didn’t you?” Chad said. “I tried looking for you once I got here but couldn’t find you. Now I see why. You’re not in the area you’re supposed to be in.”
“Of course I am.” Jessica winked. “The doorman let us in…with a little persuasion, if you catch my drift.”
“Yeah, I figured that,” he said with a frown.
“Hi,” Kacey said a little too loudly. When she looked at him, she was surprised by the jealousy on his face.
“Kacey, this is Chad. And that’s Roger. They’re like family to me. Don’t worry. In fact—here, let me get you guys a drink.” She glanced toward the bartender and beckoned him over.
Chad held his hand out to warn the man away. “I don’t think so. In fact, please stop serving her. She’s underage. And so are her friends.”
Jessica gaped. “What the hell, Chad?”
“Buzzkill, much?” Kacey shook his head.
“You know what?” said Jessica. “I’ll pretend you didn’t just do that. This is a once in a lifetime thing, and I refuse to let you ruin my night. Anyway…I have some friends who want to meet you. They’re the real reason I invited you, to be honest.” She snickered. “They have a crush on you. Those two over there.” She pointed to Ashley and Sara.
Chad shook his head, visibly irritated. “No thanks.”
“Oh, come on,” she pleaded. “They’ve wanted to meet you for the longest time. Just say hi to them.” She grabbed his hand and tried to pull him off the barstool.
Roger laughed and slapped his knee. “Yeah, go for it, man.”
Chad pulled his hand away. “In case you’ve forgotten, I am way too old for them.”
Jessica rolled her eyes. “Okay, I know I joke about you being old. But honestly, you really do look a lot younger than you are.”
“Yeah, well, my taste in women isn’t. I’m not interested in little girls.”
“We’ll all be eighteen before you know it.”
“Yeah, and hopefully, your lousy judgment will improve by then.”
“Ouch,” she said and slapped him on the arm. “Chill out, will you? It’s not like we’re in school right now.”
Chad sighed. “How did you get here, anyway? Did you drive?”
Jessica shook her head. “No. Sara did.”
He raised his eyebrows. “You mean the drunk girl over there trying to steal the microphone from the lead singer?”
She turned and laughed. “Yeah, that’s her. Wooo, go Sara!” she cheered and pumped her fist in the air.
“Yeah—so you definitely won’t go home with her.” Chad shook his head. “I didn’t expect to have to play chaperone tonight.”
“Then don’t,” she retorted.
“Yeah, right. If your Grandma Ethel finds out I knew about this and didn’t intervene, I’m dead.” He fixed his gaze on Kacey. “No more drinks for you or your friends over there. You got that, lover-boy? You kids better sober up before anyone leaves here tonight.”
“Does your friend think he’s your father or something?” Kacey mumbled into Jessica’s ear.
“No, he’s simply being a jerk right now,” Jessica responded.
At that moment, the band announced that they would do their last song.
“Thank God,” Chad muttered. “It’s time to get you home. You’ll need time to prepare for that hangover you’ll have in the morning.”
“Hangover shmangover,” Jessica said and stuck her tongue out at him.
“Hey, Jess! Come on, it’s the last song,” Ashley called as she, Sara, and Eric made their way over.
“Ooh, what’s this? Did you get us more drinks?” Sara asked.
“No,” Chad interjected. “All of you have been cut off for the night.”
The two girls gasped at the same time when they realized who Chad was.
Roger flat-out laughed, and Jessica snickered into her hand before she turned it into a cough. “Uhm, guys,” she said, “this is Chad, and this is Roger.”
Ashley batted her eyelashes a mile a minute and held her hand out as if she intended Chad to kiss it. “Hello, handsome. Nice to finally meet you.”
He glared at Jessica. “Yeah, likewise. Um…why don’t you enjoy the last song before it’s time to go?”
Ashley lowered her hand and laughed. “Time to go?” She shook her head. “No. Everybody knows this band does an encore performance for like nearly an hour. And then they’ll probably have an after-party that Jessica can get us into.” She nudged her friend with her elbow.
“There will be no encores and after parties for any of you,” Chad said.
“Oh yeah? Says who?” demanded Sara and no longer looked as impressed with him.
“You know what? Never mind. I don’t care what the rest of you do.” He turned toward Eric. “You look like the most reasonable one here, though. Make sure those two get home safely, will you?” He faced Jessica with a firm expression. “As for you—come on. We’re outta here.”
“What?”
“I’m not playing, Jessica. Come on. Or I’ll call Ethel, I promise.”
She swore under her breath. “Remind me to not invite you out ever again.”
“Did you really have to embarrass me like that?” she groaned from the backseat of Chad’s car.
He glanced at her from the rearview mirror. “You’ll thank me later.”
“No, I won’t. So give it a rest already. I didn’t do anything that bad.”
“Uh… Yes, you did,” Chad said. “Let me put this out there for you right now—it’s never a good thing to deceive people with magic. Never. It doesn’t end well, ever. You don’t want to have to learn that the hard way.”
Jessica sighed. “All I did was fool the doorman. It’s not like I’ll ever see him again. What’s the big deal?”
“That may be true, but still, you don’t want to make a habit out of something like this. Once you’ve pulled off this kind of thing once, it becomes too tempting to do it again. And again. And one day, you’ll wind up in a mess you can’t get out of.”
“She’s new. Don’t be too hard on her, man,” Roger said from the passenger seat.
“If she were anyone else, I wouldn’t,” Chad said. “But this is Ethel Libbons’ granddaughter we’re talking about here.”
“Fair point.”
Jessica swore and folded her arms. “What does my grandmother have to do with this?” she asked in the same moment that Chad parked in front of Ethel’s house.
“That’s something that only you will find out because I sure as hell ain’t going inside to witness her wrath once she sees you’re drunk,” he said.
Roger turned to look at Jessica. “I’d take that over twenty-one wristband off if I were you. It might make Ethel go a little easier on you if she doesn’t know all the details of what you did tonight.”
She pouted but knew he had a point, and she pulled the wristband off and peered out the window at her grandmother’s house. Her stomach twisted,
but she wasn’t sure if it was from the dread of facing Grandma Ethel or if she merely felt the first signs of a hangover.
“Go on. There’s no need to prolong the inevitable,” Chad said and unlocked the car doors.
“Thanks a lot, Chad,” Jessica said sarcastically and slid out of the car.
On the porch, she fumbled with her keys and saw, once she got the door open, that Chad pulled off. He had apparently meant it about not wanting to be around to see Ethel’s reaction.
Chapter Four
Jessica pushed the door open as quietly as possible and felt like the music from the concert still pounded in her brain. It was late, and any other time, she knew Grandma Ethel would be in bed by this hour. However, it was still better to be safe than sorry.
Carefully, she turned the doorknob before she closed it so that it wouldn’t make too much of a click, locked the door quickly, and then tiptoed into the living room. With the exception of a few cats prancing about, their bright eyes glowing at her through the darkness, all was still and quiet.
Grandma Ethel was asleep.
Thank God.
Somewhere between exiting Chad’s car and walking up the porch steps, Jessica had gotten herself thoroughly frightened about facing Grandma Ethel in her current condition. It had suddenly occurred to her that if her grandma reported back to her parents, she would likely be in for a world of trouble.
How had she been so stupid? Mere hours before, tricking the doorman had felt like the perfectly logical thing to do. Now, it seemed like she had simply asked for trouble.
She knew she shouldn’t test her luck and needed to make it upstairs and into her room before her grandmother heard her. The old lady was a light sleeper sometimes, and Jessica definitely didn’t want this to be one of those times.
However, as she prepared to make her way up the stairs, her stomach growled loudly. She paused and hoped the sound of it hadn’t awoken the whole house.
For a moment, she used the pause to try to decide if she was about to puke or if she was merely hungry.
Finally, she decided it was only hunger. For now, at least.