by Bella Abbott
“Maybe beer’s not your speed. I’m more of a Jack and Coke guy anyway.”
“Yeah. Maybe,” I allowed.
A smattering of applause from down the hall interrupted us. A tall man with skin the color of charcoal parted the groups of drinkers, and Jared appeared, waving and nodding his head to people he recognized. Two security men flanked him, both built like fireplugs. I tried not to, but I couldn’t help staring at him – he was even more handsome in person than onstage, but I felt drawn by something more than just good looks. He smiled and laughed at something one of his entourage said, his teeth a flash of brilliant white.
I must have been gawking, because Kate touched my arm. “Try not to be so obvious,” she whispered.
“Oh, I…I…” I managed, and cursed myself inwardly. I must look like a starstruck fangirl, but that wasn’t what was going on. Only…what was going on, then?
“He has that effect on a lot of girls,” a roadie said as he reached for a beer. “Like hypnosis or something. You’d think he was all four Beatles rolled into one.”
“He’s gorgeous,” Sarah said, smoothing her too-short mini and fluffing her hair. “Too bad he’s only got eyes for Lacey.”
I could feel my face go beet red. “How much have you had to drink?” I asked, trying to play it off.
“I know that look. I mean, I wish I did. But I know its twin, and honey, that boy wants him some Lacey in the worst way,” she teased.
Kate came to my rescue. Sort of. “Maybe so, but now he’s looking anywhere but over here.”
I twisted my head in Jared’s direction, trying to seem nonchalant, and quickly saw she was right. He was standing at the farthest point in the room, listening as a tall woman with fashion-model features in a stunning all-black jumpsuit spoke to him. I wondered who the woman was, and felt an unaccountable pang of jealousy.
As though he’d read my thoughts, Jared broke away from the woman and ambled toward the beverage tubs. I struggled to breathe evenly as he approached, afraid I looked like I was about to faint. He neared our group and nodded to Sarah and Kate, who batted their eyes and smiled like he’d handed them the keys to a new car.
“Is there any mineral water left?” he asked Sarah, who nodded and beamed at him.
“I think so,” she said, turning and leaning toward the nearest tub, giving Jared and most of the room a full appreciation of her long-legged charms. If he noticed, he didn’t show it, and instead he finally acknowledged my presence, fixing me with a blue-eyed stare.
“Enjoy the show?” he asked, in a warm purr so soft I was sure nobody else had heard him.
Now that he was near, I could see he was taller than I’d thought – at least six inches taller than me. “Um, yeah…” That’s me, the great conversationalist. Although I was worse than even my usual. What was wrong with me? My heart rate had rocketed, and I could feel myself flush at his proximity. I sputtered and then recovered. “I mean…yes, yes, I did. You were great.”
His eyes held mine. “Have we met?” he asked, with a curious expression.
“I…I guess not… I mean, I’m pretty sure we haven’t,” I managed, wincing at my dumb response. If we’d met, I wouldn’t have forgotten. What was the point of coming off like an amnesiac?
He considered me for a long beat, and I had that same sensation as when he’d first spotted me in the crowd. My legs felt like water, like they might collapse under me. His lips parted as if he were about to say something, but then he apparently thought better of it. I certainly didn’t have any clever quips to offer, so we stood there as the pause stretched out into awkwardness.
“Odd,” he finally said, and looked away. His tone was distant, as though he’d evaluated me and found me inadequate – which was exactly how I felt. I fought for something, anything, to say, but then Sarah handed him his water and he was moving purposefully back toward the black jumpsuit woman.
Wondering if I was losing my mind, I took a final swallow of the horrid beer and turned back to Luke, who was chatting easily with the other guys. My head was swimming from my interaction with Jared, and I fought an internal battle for control as I tried to make sense of what – if anything – had just happened.
I listened to Luke and his buddies rib each other, sneaking glances at Jared whenever Sarah and Kate weren’t looking. He didn’t so much as glance in my direction again. About five more minutes passed, and then the atmosphere seemed to deflate when Jared abruptly disappeared, his entourage in tow, as though he’d sucked the air from the room when he’d left. I swallowed the last of my lukewarm beer, and Luke edged closer to me.
“You about ready?” he asked, his persistent grin in place.
“Oh, uh…for what?” I asked, distracted by Jared’s abrupt departure – not that I’d expected him to say goodbye or anything, but I felt unaccountably empty nonetheless.
“We talked about it earlier. There’s a rave over at one of the underground clubs near here.”
I hesitated. “I…I’m not old enough…”
He grinned. “I can get you in, no problem. Come on. This thing is going to die now that the big star’s gone.”
“I don’t know…”
He polished off what I was pretty sure was his third beer. “We’ll just have one drink, and then we’ll leave. I swear.”
I looked around for Sarah and Kate, but they’d crossed the room with Luke’s buddies and were talking with two members of the band. Luke seemed to sense my uncertainty. “They know the place,” he said. “They’ll be along when they figure out this is over. I’m the ride, remember?”
I tried to think, but between the beer and Jared, my brain wasn’t firing on all cylinders – I hadn’t been lying about being a lightweight.
“Where is it exactly?”
“Maybe three blocks away, tops. I know the area cold – I grew up here.”
“Well…”
He took my hand. “Come on.”
Before I could answer, he was pulling me down the hall toward the exit. I let him guide me, my thoughts elsewhere, replaying the bizarre interaction with Jared in my head and trying to figure out why I reacted like a clubbed seal whenever I caught sight of him.
At the stage door, two burly security men in leather vests nodded to Luke and stepped aside, and then we were in the cool night air, facing a throng of fans waiting to get an autograph or a peek at an idol who was already long gone.
Chapter 3
The club turned out to be a warehouse that had been converted into a multistory bar with a postage-stamp stage. Even from outside I could hear a DJ playing a robotic beat with abrasive guitar riffs drifting in and out, alternating with a woman’s moans.
Luke had gotten us past security with barely a glance, and a girl not much older than me slipped a glowing ring over my hair while he passed the bouncer a couple of bills. My molars shook from the booming bass that echoed through the hall, and I waited for Luke, wary of moving too far from him with hundreds of partiers on the floor. If I got lost in here, I’d probably be crushed to death.
He reappeared at my side and led me through a double doorway to a darkened area with booths lining the wall. A girl in a bikini, her body covered with glow paint, was dancing on a pedestal in the middle of the room. Strobe lights created a sixties nightclub effect – pretty cool actually if you weren’t prone to headaches (I’m not). He signaled to someone, and a waitress showed us to one of the booths and waited while we took a seat across from each other. Luke leaned toward me. “What do you want?”
“Maybe just a Coke.” Please let him not order me another beer.
“You ever had a Cuba libre?”
I couldn’t ask what that was without seeming inexperienced. “Not a really good one.” That could mean anything, right?
Luke swiveled to the waitress and held up two fingers. “Cuba libres – good pours.”
It was still loud even though we weren’t in the main hall, and the floor was vibrating from the oversized speakers. Luke smiled at someone across
the room and then folded his hands on the table and eyed me. “So? Good night so far?”
I nodded. “The show was awesome.”
“Glad you liked it.” He paused. “So, where are you from?”
“Nowhere, Pennsylvania.”
“When did you hit town?” he asked, fighting to be heard.
“Today.” It was my turn to pause. “Um…you grew up in Portland?”
“Yeah.”
A pair of young women in skimpy dresses walked by, glitter on their faces, and Luke offered them a smile. He was good-looking, with his natural tan and white teeth and gym-toned body, but you could tell he knew it. I stifled a yawn and tried to think of a good question to ask that didn’t sound like a job interview, but also could be answered over the music. “So, what’s your major?” Well, that wasn’t it.
“Prelaw. My dad’s an attorney. I’m following in his footsteps,” he said.
“Oh, that’s kind of cool.” Or probably was. What do you study before you study the thing you are going to study? I glanced at my watch. “I have to use the bathroom. Any idea where it is?”
He pointed to another doorway. “Through there, on your left.”
I made my way through the doors and found the bathroom. When I checked my cell phone, I had two messages from my stepmom. Shoot. I messed up, as usual. I was supposed to call or text hours ago. I thumbed a quick response assuring her I’d gotten to Ridley safely. Ever since my father had passed away, she’d gotten a bit paranoid, worrying about danger lurking around every turn. You know, the kind of parent who thinks if you have a Twitter account, you’re going to get abducted. I was the polar opposite. We drove each other bats, but I knew she cared.
I freshened up and made my way back to the booth. Two coffee-colored glasses were already waiting on the table, Luke’s a quarter empty and the other brimming. I slid into the booth, took a cautious sip, and made a face. Luke laughed.
“What is that?” I demanded before I remembered that I was trying to pretend I was some sort of drinks connoisseur.
“Rum and coke. It’ll grow on you.”
I licked my lips, trying to make myself like it. “Yeah, I guess. It’s a little…” I began, and then stopped when I saw Luke looking over my shoulder at something. “What? Are the others here?”
“Don’t look now, but your boy Jared is in the house.”
“What?” I twisted around in time to see Jared, now clad in leather pants and a biker jacket, sauntering through the doorway with his security. Oh. And the high-fashion woman in black. A man who looked like the club manager greeted him and directed him to a spiral staircase. I took a gulp of my drink and looked away as much as I could while still keeping tabs on him out of the corner of my eye. The group disappeared up the stairs, and Luke grunted.
“The poseur always gets VIP treatment. Must be nice to be rich and famous,” he said.
Something about his tone sounded weird. “Do you know him?”
“A bit. We hang in some of the same circles.”
“Did you know him before he got famous?”
“I know people who knew him, or sort of. He’s an odd guy. Mostly keeps to himself. Came out of nowhere with his debut album and blew it wide open, but damned if anybody’d really heard of him before that.”
I took another sip of my drink, and it didn’t taste nearly as strong as the first. “So no girlfriends or anything?” I blurted, and instantly regretted it.
Luke laughed. “Like I said, he keeps to himself. Why? You have the hots for him?”
“No,” I protested, mustering all the indignation I could. I laughed, the idea suddenly funnier, though I couldn’t say why. “I mean, I’d be the only girl at the concert who didn’t.”
“Yeah, he really slayed tonight. It was sick,” he said, and tossed back the rest of his drink. “One more for the road?”
I was only halfway through mine, but my head was already spinning. I could barely taste the alcohol anymore, but it was sure getting to me. “No. I’m good,” I said, and took another gulp. It went down easier every time. I looked around. “When are Sarah and Kate going to be here?”
He shrugged. “Probably any minute.” He signaled for the waitress and held up one finger. “I’m going to have another.”
“You’re driving,” I said, frowning. “You…” My voice drifted off. I’d wanted to say something, I guess, but darned if I could remember what it was.
Luke looked at me as if deciding something. “Maybe you’re right. Finish yours and we’ll get out of here.”
“But Sarah and Kate…”
“We’ll find them. Drink up.”
I downed my drink as quickly as I could, so I wouldn’t have to taste it, and Luke tossed twenty dollars on the table. I managed to stand with only a little extra effort. Luke took my arm and steadied me. He smirked and put his arm around my waist. “You really can’t handle alcohol, huh?”
“Told you,” I said, but to my ear even the two words were slurred. I couldn’t think of a thing to say to him, but I was thankful he was there to support me.
Once outside, Luke guided me down the block and stopped at the corner. I leaned against the building façade, and he shook a cigarette from a pack and lit it. He extended the packet to me and I shook my head, which was a bad idea, because the sidewalk rose and fell in waves. Unless that was me. Fortunately my back was against the wall, and I braced against it to hide my unsteadiness.
“We should get you to the car. It’s right over there,” he said, gesturing to the next block.
He dropped his cigarette on the sidewalk and stubbed it out with his boot, which is something I hate (just pick up after yourself, jeez), and then he practically carried me to the car. When we got there, I slipped into the back seat with a sigh of relief. Maybe I can sleep it off on the way home.
Luke lowered the window halfway and slid in next to me, and before I knew it, his face was close to mine. The stink of tobacco and alcohol on his breath was overpowering. He tried to kiss me, but I turned my face away.
“No,” I said, but he didn’t seem to hear, and then his hands were on me.
I tried to wriggle away, and said no again, or at least I tried to, but he continued to grope me, and I realized with some shock that I was on a deserted street with a guy I didn’t know, late at night…
Ugh. What is he doing? Wasn’t I clear enough? Why can’t he hear me? I tried to push him off me, but I couldn’t even shift him.
“Aw, come on,” he murmured. “Don’t be like that. Let’s just have a little fun. It’s been a good night.”
Fun? What was fun about being drunk and getting groped by some guy I didn’t even know, let alone like? Somehow I’d given him the wrong impression. I tried to pull myself together, to sit up and explain better. I struggled to say something coherent. Or should I just give in? How bad could a few kisses be? Is that all he wants, a few kisses? Or is he after something more? I had gone out with him. I had agreed to have a drink. Was this my fault? Was I supposed to let him kiss me? I felt so helpless. I could feel a tear drip down my cheek, and I lay there as if paralyzed, unable to think what to do.
Chapter 4
Luke leaned down to kiss me again; and then suddenly his body rose, as if an arm had reached around and pulled him off. In fact, there was an arm. Not his arm; a long, strong arm the color of coal. What the hell is going on? Were things about to go very much more wrong?
“That’s enough,” I heard a firm voice say, and in my drunken state, it sounded like Jared. That’s me – even when I’m totally out of it, I can still manage to think about things that I shouldn’t.
“What the hell are you doing?” An angry voice, that one, but at least one I recognized: Luke.
“Coming to the aid of a damsel in distress,” drawled the Jared-like voice.
“That’s no damsel,” retorted Luke, and for some reason I felt vaguely offended. Who was he to say whether I was a damsel or not? Maybe I was a damsel. Whatever a damsel even was. “That’s my gir
lfriend, and we’re on a date. So you can just go back to–”
“Whether or not she’s your girlfriend,” interrupted the Jared sound, “it looks to me like she’s saying no. Not that she’s in any condition to be saying anything, actually.”
The bickering continued, growing more heated, but my attention was drawn back to the black arm, which was now gently lifting me to a sitting position. Who was he? It seemed like a reasonable question.
“Who are you?” I therefore asked.
“Carl, miss. My name’s Carl.” As if that settled it.
Carl. Who? “Who…” I tried again. Now that I was sitting up, I could get a better look at him.
“Wait a minute. You look familiar.”
He smiled. “You going to say Will Smith?”
“No. Seriously. I saw you…at the concert?”
Carl nodded. “That’s right.”
“You’re with…” I couldn’t finish. Jared. Carl worked for Jared. So I hadn’t been imagining his voice. I could still hear Luke and the other voice – him – angrily quarreling, and I attempted to peer over Carl’s shoulder, but it was too dark for me to make anything out.
For no particular reason, I began to shiver. In spite of the warm night, my teeth were chattering, and the trembling spread right down my body.
“Hey, hey. You’re okay now,” said Carl gently. “Let’s get you out of here.”
I shrank back – I didn’t want someone else, anyone else, touching me right now, but Carl didn’t make a move. He just waited there, his arm held out steadily in offer, until I took it and pulled myself up and out of the car.
My shivering didn’t stop, though. The night wasn’t cold – somehow I could sense that – but I felt like ice water instead of blood was running through my veins.
As if from nowhere, Carl held out a black leather jacket. When I didn’t object, he draped it gently over my shoulders, and I slipped my arms into the sleeves. As I drew it around me, I took in the scent of the leather and something else – a fragrance of some sort, very faint, but intoxicating. It’s his. I knew it. Jared’s jacket.