Chapter Seven
Lennon
I forced my hands to stay on my thighs as I stretched out in the passenger seat of Jade’s ancient car. The urge to reach across the seat and capture her fingers in mine was undeniable, and I knew the moments in my room earlier, and the fast and furious flee from Arnold Turkeynator, hadn’t helped my whole stay-away-for-her-own-good motto, either.
Each second I spent with the girl had me losing it for her that much more, and the way she’d felt against me when I’d helped her up after her fall? Both in my room and in the Coach’s office? Forget about it. No other girl had ever come close to making me lose my breath, but a few fleeting touches from Jade and I was desperate for air.
Her air.
Careful. You’re dangerously close to being poetic.
I shifted in the seat in an effort to sink back into my normal role—calm, doesn’t-give-a-damn rock star. That’s who I was. Who I’d always be. But this girl was tying me up in knots I knew only she had the power to unravel.
I’d been so careful…so good all these years. Why was I dead set on spilling my secrets to her tonight?
It’s the last one.
The notion slid over me like ice-cold water as my sister’s words echoed in my head. Leave with no regrets.
As ready as I was to go on tour and start the career I’d been working my entire life for, there were a select few high school moments I wasn’t ready to leave behind just yet. Like seeing my friends on the reg, and my moments with Jade.
Any moments.
All moments.
They’d been treats I’d savored every week, something I looked forward to, counted on.
And once the sun rose tomorrow, that would be the end of it.
Unless I ask about the album cover thing.
But once I did that, she’d know that I knew her secret.
The sinking weight of regret sat heavy on my chest—a battle raging in my soul. Part of me hated myself for never pursuing her like I should have, and the other part high-fived me for never crossing that line—because if the few moments from tonight were any indication, the second I stepped over and really fell for Jade, there would be no going back.
You didn’t get over girls like Jade.
Because there are no girls like Jade.
“What in the hell?” I said, sitting up straighter to look out the window. “Hey, pull over up here,” I said, pointing toward Gordon’s dad’s restaurant. It was well after closing time, but an underclassman was toting a mini-keg on his back as his buddy held the door open for him to go inside.
“We just risked death by turkey for your flash drive. Don’t we need to get back to your place to get ready for your big show?” Jade asked as she put the car in park in the lot connecting to the shop.
“Yeah. But the exec won’t be there till after eleven. I want to check this out. Doesn’t seem like something Gordon would do. You know?” I opened the door to get out.
“True,” she said, getting out of the car and following me toward the shop.
“We’ll scope it out super quick, then get back on the road,” I said, holding the door open for her.
The minute we stepped inside we were blasted by music and the voices competing to be heard over it. The place smelled just as it had earlier today when Dad and I had lunch—fried amazingness—but with undertones of harsh hard liquor and frothy beer.
Underclassmen crammed each available space of the shop, some drinking, others dancing. Some making out, others playing card games in select booths. The amount of people made it impossible to spot Gordon, if he was here at all. I was sure he’d said he was stopping by my place tonight, which made it hard to believe he’d throw an underclassmen party, too.
I turned to glance at Jade, who stood behind me, her eyes wide behind her glasses as she took in the amount of people. I had never seen her much on the party circuit—lucky for me because it would’ve made it so much harder to stay away, hence my battle tonight. She looked overwhelmed and excited at the same time. I reached for her, wanting to give her something solid to hold onto.
I slipped my hand into hers, intertwining our fingers as I leaned down to speak in her ear so she could hear me. “I don’t want to lose you,” I said, holding up our joined hands.
She nodded so hard she had to push up her glasses with her free hand, and I forced myself to look forward into the crowd to avoid watching her signature nervous tick that drove me crazy. I pushed through the mass of bodies, scanning for Gordon, or anyone who looked like they were running this thing.
After searching for the duration of two top-forty songs with no such luck, I was ready to give up. The place was packed. The chances Gordon didn’t know about it—like my instincts had first suggested—was unlikely. I slid my free hand into my pocket, grabbing my cell to shoot Gordon a text just in case.
“Lennon?” a voice hollered despite standing right next to me. I glanced around, finding Jay—Gordon’s younger cousin—gaping at me with a drink in his hand. “What are you doing here?”
I pocketed my cell. “Could ask you the same thing.”
“Gordon is letting us use the place to have our unofficial underclassmen party tonight. Figured you’d be…you know, at your lake house?”
I chuckled, shaking my head. It was a weird move for Gordon, something I’d never expect the Stanford-bound boy to do, but his cousin had to know him better than me. Maybe graduation day was making all of us do things we hadn’t thought to do before. I eyed my hand joined with Jade’s before focusing back on Jay. “We’re on our way,” I said, waving him off as I turned to navigate us out of the crowd.
I froze when I locked eyes with a familiar face I never wanted to see, and dropped my head with a cringe.
“What’s wrong?” Jade asked, touching my shoulder.
“Lori,” I hissed into her ear.
“Who?” The snap in Jade’s voice had me tilting my head. Was that jealousy?
I pressed my cheek against hers. “This junior girl. I keep telling her as politely as I can that I’m not interested, but she’s a…dedicated fan of the band.”
Jade bit down on her lip before laughing. “You mean she’s a groupie?”
I shrugged.
“Your groupie?”
“No.” I shook my head. “She wants to be. It’s getting crazy, though. Scary, almost. Like, uber-stalker levels. And I keep telling her—”
“Lennon Pryor!” Lori squealed and gripped my arm, spinning me away from Jade. “You miss me? Regret not inviting me to your party?” she said, her words slightly slurred. “I would’ve totally kept you company.” She slid her hand over my chest, her other hand clutching a fresh drink filled to the brim with neon-pink liquid. “But I’m stoked you’re here now. We can make up for lost time. Dance with me. Or we can go somewhere and talk. I’ve been meaning to bring up this song idea I had the other day when I saw you getting into your car. I almost caught you, but I don’t think you saw me.”
“Lori,” I said. “For the last time—”
“Babe.” Jade cleared her throat, stepping between us to wrap her arms around my waist. “Weren’t you about to get me a drink?”
My heart stopped and restarted in my chest. I’d fallen into one of my all-time favorite fantasies. The one where Jade was mine. The air left my lungs when she looked up at me with those green eyes—a playful act. For me.
I smiled down at her as I cupped one of her cheeks in my hand, more than willing to get into this role. “Why yes, darlin’. I was—”
“Babe? What?” Lori snapped and then proceeded to stomp her foot. “You’ve got to be joking! Right?”
I eyed her.
“There is no way. You are so not with little miss number cruncher.” She scrunched her face like she’d tasted something sour.
“Jade is my girlfriend,” I said, and my entire being settled with that declaration. God, I wished it were true. I squeezed her against me a little tighter. “And you’ve now lost all my polite patience.” I shook my head, glancing down at Jade, who looked more amused than offended by Lori’s words. “Let’s get out of here.”
“I don’t buy it!” Lori persisted, even as I tried to push us through the crowd. “She probably paid you to show up with her…”
I stopped suddenly, turning to face her, but she kept on coming like she was chasing us down, and the full drink she had in her hand somehow magically flipped to spill all over the front of Jade’s shirt.
I cringed as the ice-chilled drink dripped down Jade’s body. I waited with my breath held for something—Jade to scream, or cry, or anything, but she simply swiped at the mess on her shirt and grinned at Lori.
A stray drop of pink hung on the corner of Jade’s lip, and I wiped it away with the pad of my thumb, my lips pulling toward hers without thought. Damn, I wanted to kiss her but everything that had ever stopped me before barreled down my memory and I jerked back.
A growl rumbled in the bottom of my chest, and I was prepared to unleash it on Lori when Jade’s hands framed my face, forcing me to look down at her again. She raised up on her tiptoes, inching her lips toward mine with a play-along look in her eyes, and before I could blink she crushed her mouth on mine.
I sucked in a sharp breath, both shocked and stoked at the drastic change in direction. My eyes closed as I wrapped my arms around her hips, lifting her off her feet enough so that we were on the same level, not caring for a second that her wet shirt was soaking into mine.
She flicked her tongue inside my mouth, a tiny tease or another silent question—either way I pushed back against her, kissing her more deeply until a little whimper escaped the back of her throat. I held her body flush with mine, my heart racing, my blood on freaking fire for this girl. She tasted like cherry lip gloss and mint, and the longer she melted into me the more everything else faded into nothingness.
All I could hear, smell, or feel was Jade.