Gifted Connections 01

by S M Olivier

  Jemmy informed me that they were a band and picked up gigs on the weekends. I could understand why— they were good. I could also see why Jemmy had a thing for Ben. His voice was good; it was velvety.

  I was feeling content and mellow as I immersed myself in the music. I was sitting on a cushion on the ground in-between Remy’s legs as he ran his hands through my curly hair. I was a bit sad I forgot about my hair when I had gotten it wet earlier because it was back to its wild disarray. Troy was laying down on my outstretched legs as he watched the dancing flames of the fire. I imagine since he was a fire starter he was fascinated by fire in general.

  There was a lull in the music as Taylor and Rick got up to get some pizza and more drinks. Ben was left by himself and he started strumming on the guitar. He was a great football player, but an even better musician. I could see he loved his music.

  He began to play the opening chords of “Broken,” the version by Seether. His voice was hypnotizing and drew me in once more.

  As he sang the first chorus, I tugged on Jemmy and pointed at Taylor’s guitar, motioning her to hand it to me. When Ben began to sing the chorus, I was ready. I played on the guitar along with him, adding my voice to it.

  I saw his eyes widen. He grinned and nodded.

  I liked the way we harmonized, even to my own untrained vocal ears. He pointed at me before the next verse and held a thumb up. I took the verse, projecting my voice.

  He came back into the chorus, harmonizing with me once more.

  I smiled at the applause after the song. I once heard alcohol could give you liquid courage, and I suddenly had courage in spades.

  “That was amazing.” Ben came loping over. “You have a great voice…Blake, right?”

  We hadn’t been formally introduced yet. I nodded and smiled. “Yes, and thanks.”

  “So, what other songs do you know?” he asked with great interest.

  I shrugged. “I listen to and know a little bit of everything.”

  He sat for a second, thinking about it. “Do you know “Picture” by Kid Rock and Sheryl Crow? Care to do another song?”

  I shrugged, “I do, and sure, I’m game.”

  We played a few more songs together before my stomach started to growl. I stood up as we took a break.

  “I’m famished!” I stated, standing up and stumbling a little.

  Troy stood with me as Remy caught me. I giggled. “It’s hot. Anyone else hot? I’m hungry. I want some pizza in my life.”

  Some people called out to me as I passed them, my pillars on each side, complimenting me on my singing. I smiled, waved, and told them thank you as I finally reached the pergola with the food under it.

  Remy grabbed a plate of food and sat down on one of the loungers. I grabbed mine and took a seat on his lap.

  “You have an amazing voice,” he said as he pushed my curls off my face.

  “Thanks,” I smiled around a mouthful of pizza.

  “How are you feeling?” Troy asked as he sat down in front of us on an ottoman.

  “Better than Tamara,” I said snidely as I noticed the other girl desperately trying to get Jax’s attention as she made out with one of the guys at the party.

  He seemed oblivious to her as he hung out with his friends and came to sit by us occasionally.

  The guys snickered. “The cat has claws,” Troy murmured.

  “Some guys like that,” I winked at him with a wicked grin.

  He nearly choked on his drink. “Misty, you can’t be saying crap like that with that innocent look of yours.”

  I leaned back onto Remy and grinned mischievously. “Like innocent girls haven’t done more with their mouths on him than talk.”

  Remy chuckled. “No, he’s been known to defile an innocent or two.”

  Troy scoffed. “You can’t judge me on my past, that’s not fair. You’re playing dirty. I can spill your secrets, Murphy.”

  Remy gave him a cool look with a raised brow. “But you wouldn’t, would you?”

  I didn’t get to hear Troy’s response as Ben came over. “So…uh, Blake. We have this gig next Friday, and I was wondering if you could sing a few sets with us?”

  I smiled and shrugged. “Sure. Why not?”

  “Really?” he looked surprised. “Jax said you would probably shoot me down because you were on the introverted side. We have practice three days a week. I’ll let you know when our next practice is.”

  Sober me would hate myself for that decision later.

  I was at my crashing stage. Remy was already helping people call rides, and getting people settled in when he came over to Troy and me. “Let’s go, baby, time to get to bed. Troy, can you get her another bottle of water and some Tylenol?”

  “But I’m not tired,” I said belligerently as I swayed to the music.

  Remy gave Troy a pointed look.

  “Come on, Misty,” Troy hoisted me on his shoulder and began carrying me out.

  “But I’m not tired,” I insisted and then yawned.

  Troy laughed. “I can tell.”

  I laid my head on his back and then remembered I had left my phone in the pool house. “Crap my phone!” I exclaimed. At Troy’s disbelieving look, I insisted, “Honest. Can we go get my phone?”

  He carried me back to the pool house and dropped me off outside the girl’s dressing room.

  I giggled as I stumbled on a pair of shoes and pants on my way in.

  The shower was running and I heard an urgent, “Shhh!”

  I didn’t think anything of it as I made my way to my phone.

  I heard an urgent whisper, “Don’t worry about it, please, just a little bit more,” the voice moaned.

  Even in my state, I recognized the voice as Rose’s. My eyebrows knitted in confusion as I stepped back over the pants and shoes. They belonged to a guy. I knelt and looked at them. Drake hadn’t been wearing those shoes or pants. I picked up the pants and felt the heaviness of a wallet in the back pocket.

  I felt no shame as I opened the wallet and looked for identification. I gasped as I realized I recognized the man grinning back at me. Collin Hart. Brigette Mason’s ex-boyfriend.

  I stumbled out of the bathroom, suddenly feeling very sober.

  “What’s wrong,” Troy asked with concern.

  I shoved the wallet in his hands, my hands trembling, tears in my eyes.

  “Yeah, so,” Troy was highly confused. “This is Collin Hart. Great guy.”

  “He’s in there having sex in the shower,” I said furiously, wiping the tears from my eyes before they fell.

  “Princess, people hook up at parties all the time. Did he say or do anything inappropriate to you?” He asked, pushing my hair back.

  “No,” I said angrily. “But he’s in there with Rose.”

  Troy visibly swallowed as he pulled out his phone. “Go into the house, Misty. I’ll take care of this.”

  “What are you going to do?” I asked tenaciously.

  “Blake, Princess, please just go in,” he rubbed a weary hand over his face. All traces of the joking, fun-loving man gone.

  Noah and Jax came running up to the pool house. “Hey, what’s up?” Noah asked.

  “We have some cleaning up to do,” Troy muttered. “Jax, can you make sure Misty gets to her room? Stop in the kitchen and make sure she drinks some water and gets some Tylenol first.”

  “I want to stay,” I said belligerently. “She has no right to hurt Drake. He doesn’t deserve it.” At Noah and Jax’s mystified expressions I blurted, “Rose is in there screwing some guy.”

  Jax looked around and shushed me. “Blake, shhh, keep it down. There’s no way,” he whispered urgently. “I saw Drake walk her to her car, like an hour ago, before he went up to bed.”

  Troy looked over at me with a raised eyebrow.

  “I know what I heard,” I said stoically. “I know her voice.”

  “Blake,” Noah said hesitantly. “Is there a chance it just sounded like her? She loves Drake. Is there a chance you imagin
ed it because you’re mad at her earlier comments?”

  I gaped at him, not believing he would think I was petty enough to accuse someone of cheating because I didn’t like them.

  “What’s going on?” Remy asked as he came up to us. “Troy, I thought you were going to put her to bed?” He said sternly.

  “I am,” Troy said, grabbing my hand. “Let’s go, Misty.”

  I yanked away from him and stumbled back, falling hard on my rear. “No. You guys don’t believe me, and I know it’s her!” I winced in pain.

  Remy gently picked me up. “What the hell is going on?” he glared at the boys.

  Jax looked uncertain for a moment. “Blake thought she heard Rose in there with another guy, but I saw Drake walk her to the car over an hour ago.”

  “I know what I heard,” I said through clenched teeth. “I don’t give a shit if she called me damaged. I am. Hell, I’ve had worse things said about me and to me. I lived in a damn trailer with a stepmom that was a crack whore who liked to beat me, burn me, and didn’t give a shit who hit me. She let her boyfriend’s come into the house and molest me after my father, or should I say, uncle, died and goodness knows what happened to my real mother.” I wiped angry tears from my eyes. “Let Rose talk,” I said quietly. “She can’t hurt me, and I wouldn’t want to hurt someone I care about by seeking retaliation over her petty words. I wouldn’t spread lies about her because I know if they weren’t true they would hurt Drake.”

  Remy, Troy, and Noah looked at me in stunned silence. I looked over at Jax questionably. I had assumed they would have known about me by now. He had been my confidant for so long, I would have thought he would have told his best friends, his brothers.

  Jax had a pained expression on his face. “I never told them,” he said quietly. “They weren’t my secrets to tell.”

  I wanted to break down in embarrassment.

  Remy gave me no time to run off as he gathered me into his arms and quietly walked me into the bathroom. He sat down on a lounge chair with me, tension radiating from his body. I tried to squirm off his lap, but his arms were like steel bands. The other guys came into the room and took positions around us just as Collin came out of the bathroom, a towel wrapped around his waist, followed closely behind by Rose.

  Her eyes widened. “It’s not what it looks like,” she stammered.

  “The hell it isn’t,” Remy said in one of his deadly quiet voices. “I let you get away with this years ago when you tried to climb into bed with me. You won’t be able to get away with it this time.”

  “Are you going to tell Drake?” she began bawling. “You can’t tell him! I love him! It was a mistake! I swear I won’t do it again!”

  Collin looked uncomfortable as he put a hand behind his head, clutching the towel with the other.

  “Get out of here,” Troy said coldly as he threw Collin’s wallet, shoes, and clothes at him.

  “It’s all your fault,” Rose said, pointing at me as Collin ran out of the room, not bothering to don his clothes or shoes.

  “It’s not her fault that you cheated on our brother,” Noah stated.

  “She wants him, she wants all of you! Can’t you see she’s a whore?” Rose hissed. “I’ve known you guys for years. I love your brother and she just met him. You can’t tell him.”

  “We’re not,” Jax said quietly. He looked like he was in shock.

  Noah and Troy stared at him in disbelief.

  Jax and Remy exchanged a look. “You are,” Remy stated.

  “You have until Sunday,” Jax stated. “Find a way to let him go without destroying him. He loved you, you were his first girlfriend, the first girl he slept with, he never deserved any of this.”

  “What was I supposed to do?” she asked with her hands spread out, tears still coursing down her face. “I loved him too, but he never gave himself fully to me. He was delusional enough to believe his connected was out there, that his gifts were more important than us!”

  “Leave, just leave,” Noah said. “You’re only digging yourself a deeper hole.”

  She gathered up her clothes and left.

  Chapter 16

  When I woke up the next morning, I felt the worst I’ve ever felt in a long time. It wasn’t just the raging headache I had, or the extreme dryness in my mouth that bothered me the most. It was the ache in my heart. Bits and pieces of last night were blurred, but not the end of the night. I remember clearly walking in on Rose and Collin, and it made me hurt that Drake would soon be suffering.

  Even if he wasn’t in love with her anymore, he still loved her. He would always love her. She would always have a piece of him. I hated knowing she would be ending things, and he would never have the chance of letting her go if he had ever decided to. I know I would have sacrificed complete happiness with him if he wanted to keep her in his life. I couldn’t be hypocritical and expect him to stay exclusive to me if I wouldn’t be exclusive to him. I couldn’t be.

  I had only known these guys, well most of them, for a brief period of time and they were already growing on me. Each one had some unique characteristics that attracted me. Each one made me feel special in a different way. Even Jace.

  I know I couldn’t hide in bed all day, even though the idea was tempting. To say the night, or should I say early morning, ended awkwardly would be an understatement. I know the guys didn’t know what to say to me. I had been drunk, my filter had been turned off, and my emotions had been running high. I had acted stupidly.

  I got up and dressed in Remy’s hoodie from the night before and a pair of leggings.

  I walked into Ella’s room, finding her still sound asleep. I decided to leave her be and walked downstairs. I wasn’t surprised to find the house eerily quiet.

  Will was the only one who was up. He was sitting at the island drinking coffee, reading a newspaper. I didn’t think anyone read the paper anymore. Not with the world wide web at their fingertips, but I already realized he liked to cling to tradition with some things.

  It looked like he had already made a run out that morning. There were at least ten dozen donuts on the counter, along with eight carafes of coffee. It was obvious he was no longer the monster my dad…uncle… took me away from. He was genuinely good with Ella. He had taken in five adolescents, provided them a home, and treated them like his own.

  They had already flourished under his care. He had two that were independently wealthy because of their businesses, he had one in medical school, and one working on a degree in child psychology. It was still to be determined what path Jemmy would choose, but I was certain it would be an ambitious one as well; if it wasn’t, I knew he would still encourage and support her.

  “How was your night?” he asked, looking at me closely.

  “Umm fine,” I said as I poured myself a cup of coffee.

  He was a shrewd man. I didn’t want him to see my myriad of emotions right now. I was too emotionally raw.

  “I didn’t figure you guys and girls would be up before noon. I thought for sure Ella and I would be camped out with Saturday morning cartoons,” he said with a knowing smile.

  “Yeah, well, thanks for that. You’ve been wonderful to her. You’ve really gone above and beyond for her, for us,” I said, not turning around as I added some cream and sugar to my coffee.

  “You okay this morning?” he finally asked after some silence.

  I turned, trying to plaster a smile on my face. “Fine. Do you mind if I go and get some practice in?”

  His eyes were narrowed as he scrutinized my face. He finally must have seen something as he slowly nodded. “This is your home now; do as you like.”

  “Thanks,” I made a hasty, well as hasty as I could in my hungover state, exit making a beeline for the music room.

  On my way there, I froze as I saw people camped out on the couches and floor in the living room. Someone had even taken the time to cover them up. I quietly passed them and made my way to the music room. As I sat down on the piano bench, I couldn’t help but notice
that the day matched my mood. A storm must have rolled in sometime this morning because now rain poured from the sky. It looked positively depressing and gloomy out there.

  As the first key to my warm-up rang out, I winced. It probably wasn’t the best idea to practice with this headache raging in my head, but the ache in my chest insisted on being released. I needed to find my center again. I needed to release my emotions in the best way I know how.

  After a few minutes of warming up, I let my heart lead my fingers and I found myself playing Mozart’s Piano Concerto No. twenty-three, second movement. It was haunting and sad. Resonating perfectly with how I felt.

  After I played the last note, I sat back and let the emotions linger.

  I startled when I noticed someone in my peripheral. I looked up and saw Will standing next to me.

  “That was beautiful,” he said as he handed me a bottle of water and some Tylenol.

  “Thanks,” I feigned a smile.

  He looked like he wanted to say something to me, but instead, he put a hand on my shoulder and gently squeezed it. “I know you don’t want to talk right now, but when or if you’re ever ready, you can come talk to me.”

  I nodded as I stared down at my hands. “Thanks,” I mumbled.

  Most of my morning was spent playing in the music room. Ella came in at one point to curl up on the couch and listen to me play as she played on her DS. I felt bad for not spending quality time with her, but she assured me she was fine and just wanted to hear me play.

  Not long after that Jax came in with another cup of coffee for me. He sat on my bench. “I’m sorry I didn’t believe you last night. I should have known to trust your word.”

  The demons seemed to have somewhat dispersed with my music therapy. I turned and looked at him. “It’s fine. I was slightly inebriated, and I could understand why it was hard to believe, especially after you saw Drake walk Rose to her car.”

  He pulled me close, tucking my head under his chin. “I’ll believe whatever you say in the future.”

  I laughed softly at him, rubbing the stubble on his face. He looked a little worse for wear. His dark hair was tousled and he was wearing only his flannel pajama bottoms. He exuded attractiveness even when he looked rough.