“Oh, you punk,” Aya said.
I laughed. “Tell you what, Aya. When you’re ready to open again, we will be here. We’ll play the biggest show we can here. We’ll pack it, okay? Whatever the capacity is.”
“Who says I want that?” Aya asked.
I looked at her. “After all we’ve done for you. You should be paying us.”
“I can pay you… a trip to the front door now and to leave.”
“That wasn’t as good as you calling me a name,” I said.
I walked away from the counter as the door opened and the first few people started to come in.
Vera brought me my guitar.
How nice of her, right?
She sat on the table with my guitar.
She already had a special spot in my head for memories.
Just me and her.
And I wanted those memories to grow.
I put a hand on each side of the table next to her and leaned in to kiss her.
Our lips touched and we flirted with our tongues.
“That’s so sweet,” Belle’s voice said.
“I think it’s gross and sad,” Mara said.
I laughed.
Vera laughed too. “Wow, you really leave your mark on girls, huh?”
“I guess,” I whispered. “Belle always wanted me.” I winked. “And Mara has been tempted.”
“I don’t believe any of that,” Vera said. “You’re lucky I don’t get jealous too often.”
“Just over Tara.”
“Fuck off,” Vera said. “That’s not funny.”
I turned around to face the other girls.
“Hey, beauty,” I said to both.
“Ready to do this?” Uly asked as he put an arm around Mara and pulled her close.
“Always,” I said. “This is our last show.”
I gave everyone the rundown of what Aya was planning for the cafe.
“Shit,” Ash said. “No more shows?”
“Or we find a new place for shows,” Uly said. “A bigger place?”
“I guess we’ll see,” I said.
“I’m going to get a drink,” Vera said as she slid off the table.
“I’ll join you,” Belle said. She grabbed Mara’s hand. “Come with us.”
“Ut-oh,” Uly said. “Girls gathering…”
“Gossip time,” Ash said.
“I’m not worried,” I said. “Seeing three girls who love me and fantasize about me… I’m not worried at all.”
“You actually like that?” Mara asked Vera.
“Now that I’m seeing it from a distance, I don’t know,” Vera said.
They walked away.
And we stood there and watched them walk away.
I was officially in the fucking losers club.
Eye humping Vera’s ass, and not for all the dirty reasons either.
I did it because of the way I felt about her and because I couldn’t wait for her to come back so I could kiss her again.
I’m losing my fucking mind here…
After a few seconds, we all looked at each other.
“Mookey?” I asked.
“Getting there,” Ash said.
“Good news is that I think Werthwood made his peace with it,” Uly said. “I’m pretty sure he knows it wasn’t us. And that the car isn’t coming back.”
“I heard he went as far as to call Jett,” Ash said.
“Jett…,” I said.
“Yeah,” Ash said. “That Jett. HCH Jett. He got the old man… Pop… on the phone. Just in case any parts came through. You know Wes’s father was involved in that shit, right?”
“Oh, I know,” I said. “I’m just picturing Werthwood getting that desperate.”
“Just proves we didn’t do shit,” Uly said. “So fuck that guy. Fuck HCH. And Jett and Pop and Wes and everyone over there. Fuck BFH too.”
“Wow,” I said. “Mara holding out on you? Need me to talk to her? Loosen her up for you?”
Uly took a step and Ash put his hand out.
“He’s kidding, man,” Ash said.
“No, I’m not,” I said.
“Hil, fuck off,” Ash said.
I laughed and backed up. “I’ll see you up on stage, Uly.”
I grabbed my guitar and spotted Vera.
She was with Belle and Mara.
But there was someone else too.
Her sister.
Veronica.
She looked at me and nudged Vera to look too.
I smiled and winked.
Vera leaned into her sister and giggled.
I fucking loved that I had finally started to crack her shell.
And plus, since Veronica obviously had someone to watch Greta and was there, I could up my chances to impress her.
Yeah, the sisters thing… kind of hot, right?
I may have been falling in love with Vera, but I was still Hil… still an asshole with a fucked up mind.
* * *
“We tried, you took, everything that was never meant to be lost…”
“I spoke, you covered your ears, you ran away, forgot your fears…”
“With someone new, you think it’s through, like I never was around…”
“I can smile, a fake nod your way, your nails are knives, into my back, my heart, what you say…”
Uly and I traded lines back and forth throughout the song.
He sang clean.
I growled when I needed to.
We worked everyone in the cafe.
But my eyes were on Vera and Veronica.
After all, Vera did say that Veronica got her into Uly and I, right?
So I sort of owed her sister a little for that.
Without her letting Vera hear the songs, then I wouldn’t have been in this crazy mess of situation called love.
We finished the song and the place erupted with applause and cheers.
Veronica cupped her hands to her mouth. “More!”
Vera started to laugh. She then cupped her hands to her mouth. “Yeah! Play more, asshole!”
I looked at Uly.
He shook his head.
More than a few people looked around to see who had called me asshole. Because they knew nine out of ten times something bad was going to happen.
I smiled at Vera and Veronica.
Damn me for giving a shit about both of them, but I thought about what Vera had told me. About the way they both grew up. It must have been a crazy life. And here they were, together, at my show, grabbing each other’s arms, laughing, dancing, and singing along with Uly and I.
I walked over to Uly and told him to play another song.
One more for the night.
But it came with a price tag…
“I want to hear all of you singing,” I said in the mic as Uly started to play. They cheered. They knew the song. “I’m not fucking kidding. I’m tired. So you sing this one to us.”
We played the song and the only ones I cared about that were singing were Vera and Veronica.
They knew the words.
All of the words.
It was mine and Uly’s most popular song, which mean almost everyone in the cafe knew the words too. But this was about Vera and Veronica.
The song came to an end and I stepped back from the mic and nodded.
The applause was the loudest I had ever heard for Uly and I.
It was actually a pretty damn cool feeling.
“Thank you,” Uly said in his mic and that was the end of the show.
We walked off the stage and Uly darted to the left to go see Mara.
I stood in place and tried to look through the sea of heads to find Vera.
Some girl came up to me and touched my guitar.
“That was really good, Hil,” she said.
“Yeah, thanks, beauty,” I said without looking at her.
“What are you doing now?”
I looked at the girl and she smiled at me.
Then she spun around and I saw Vera staring a
t her.
“Shit,” I whispered.
I saw Vera’s right hand ready to swung but I managed to hook my arm with hers before anything too crazy happened.
“Don’t fucking talk to him,” Vera said.
“Come here, beauty,” I said to Vera, pulling her toward me.
She punched me in the chest. “Was that Tara?”
“I don’t know who the hell that was,” I said. “But I’m looking at you right now.”
“Hil, that was really cool,” Veronica said as she cut in.
I put my left hand out for her to take. “Care to join?”
“That’s gross,” Vera said.
She pushed away from me.
I laughed and walked backward and they both followed me.
“You know, I’ve seen you before,” Veronica said. “A while ago. You were going to be famous.”
“But I decided to stay small town and settle for love,” I said.
“That’s gross too,” Vera said. “I don’t fall for the mushy stuff.”
“Oh, that’s right,” I said. “How can I forget?”
“You two are fucking adorable,” Veronica said. “I can’t believe this. She actually did it.”
“Shut up,” Vera said.
“Did what?” I asked.
“She’s been talking about you for a while,” Veronica said. “Always daring herself to see you. Talk to you. She loved all the bad boy stories of Bay Falls High.”
“Shut the fuck up, V,” Vera said.
Veronica laughed.
“Well then,” I said. “She’s loved me all along. Even with all that crazy stuff happening.”
“What crazy stuff?” Veronica asked.
“No more!” Vera yelled. “Go home, V. You said you needed to leave, right?”
“You’re leaving with me too,” Veronica said. “I’m not dealing with this pain in the ass alone.”
Vera looked at me. Then at her sister.
“I’ll meet you out there later,” Vera said. “Just go.”
Veronica looked at me. “Duty calls, I guess. Sometimes it sucks to care so much about someone.”
She walked away.
“What was that about?” I asked. “Greta?”
“Yeah,” Vera said. “Don’t ask. Trust me. Just don’t ask. I don’t even want to get involved.”
“So am I your excuse to stay out late?”
“I don’t need an excuse for anything, Hil. Don’t let what my sister said make you feel all special.”
“I never feel special,” I said. “Come on, come hang out with me outside.”
Vera and I held hands.
“Aw, look at them,” Uly said.
“Aw, look at you,” Vera said.
She waved her middle finger at Uly.
Ash clapped his hands together. “Nicely done.”
“You know, that should piss me off,” Mara said. “But I like it.”
I put my guitar in its case, threw it over my shoulder and then grabbed Vera’s hand again.
“See you all later,” I called out.
“Where are you two going?” Uly asked.
“To make the night crazy,” Vera said.
“What she said,” I said.
Vera and I walked out of the back door of the cafe.
It just felt good. And fun.
A guitar strapped to my back. My hand holding the hand of a pretty girl.
And it didn’t hurt that we both loved each other in all the craziness that started our relationship.
I just wondered how far the crazy would go.
* * *
I was a total gentleman and didn’t steal her clothes and bail on her when Vera ran into the ocean. She threw her arms open and ran into the water on a simple dare. I didn’t have to give her anything in return. She just wanted to do it. She said she was doing it to make it up to me for when she stole my stuff.
Something even crazier and hotter about Vera was that she wore a bikini under her normal clothes. Like in her mind and heart she knew we were going to end up at the ocean again. She had on a bright red bikini.
I wasn’t getting into the fucking water.
No chance in hell.
So I just merely enjoyed the show.
She ran into the ocean until she was chest deep and then she turned and stared at me.
I crouched down and grabbed her shirt and shorts.
She shook her head at me.
We both knew I wasn’t going to do anything.
But it was still fun to watch.
The entire ocean thing took all of five minutes.
Vera hurried right back out and walked to me, a soaking wet mess that made my heart race.
“You’re going to hug me now, right?” I asked. “And make a comment about me being wet?”
“Exactly,” she said.
I opened my arms and waited for her.
She ran toward me and jumped. I caught her and spun her around, just to keep the cliché stuff going.
My shirt got wet but the taste of her lips made that worth it.
When I put her down, she shivered. “I need my clothes.”
“You need to dry off.”
“How are you going to do that?” Vera teased.
“I have a shirt in my guitar case. You’re lucky.”
“Really?” she asked.
I actually did have a shirt in my guitar case. An old t-shirt stuffed into the front pouch. I got that for Vera and watched her rub it along her arms and shoulders.
Not that it did a whole lot to dry her, but it was better than nothing.
She dropped the t-shirt on the beach and got dressed.
“You are so fucking crazy and beautiful, Vera,” I said.
“Wow,” she said. “Where did that come from?”
“I don’t even know. You sure you can’t hang with me?”
“Not going to happen,” she said. “Promised Veronica I would help her. Believe me, you don’t want to know.”
“Okay,” I said. “Let me take you home.”
We got on my motorcycle and Vera had to wear my guitar again.
I took her home and when she got off my motorcycle she didn’t give me my guitar.
And I didn’t say anything about that either.
I let her take the guitar to the front door.
“You stealing that again?” I asked her.
“Shit,” she said. “I forgot.”
She took the guitar case off her back and she leaned it against her house.
I touched her face and we started to kiss.
It was wild, fast, and it made me want to put her back on my motorcycle and get the hell out of there.
The front door of the house opened and Veronica started making noises at us.
“Are you waiting for your turn?” I asked.
Vera punched me.
“I mean, I’m not going to say no to that,” Veronica said.
“I am though,” Vera said. “Why did you do that? Don’t open the door when I’m saying goodbye to someone.”
“Saying goodbye to someone?” I asked. “Do you tongue fuck everyone at the door?”
“She’s crazy,” Veronica said. “I’m the normal one.”
“You have a kid,” I said. “I don’t know about that…”
“I have a kid?” Veronica asked. “Oh, Greta? You think Greta is mine?”
I looked at Vera.
I felt my heart slam inside my chest.
Was she lying…
“Don’t look at me,” Vera said. “It’s her friend’s. I want nothing to do with the situation. I just help when I can. For Greta’s sake.”
“Your friend?” I asked Veronica.
“Hey, V, can you just read her another bedtime story? I just… can’t… take it…”
The voice sliced through me.
And then I saw her appear at the door.
Holding Greta.
I looked at Greta.
And then I realized why the baby girl looked so famili
ar.
“Hey there, Hil…”
It was goddamn Penelope standing there.
Chapter 17
Penelope took baby Greta from Veronica and I felt like the world was starting to crumble down around me.
And both Vera and Veronica just kind of stood there and stared at me like nothing was wrong. Every single memory of Penelope flooded my mind at once. And she knew it too as she looked at me with the same evil grin on her face. The same grin she had when she said she loved me. And I was willing to bet my life it was the same damn grin she had when she told Uly she loved him too.
“What’s wrong, Hil?” Penelope asked. “Can’t say hi to me?”
“You really know him?” Veronica asked Penelope.
“Of course,” she said. “Probably better than anyone else in the world. Isn’t that right?”
I looked at Vera.
My lip curled.
She looked at me as though she had some sense of innocence in the world.
I simply stepped back. “I have to get going. BFH shit is going down tonight. Right now.”
“Wait, what are you talking about?” Vera asked me.
She grabbed for my hand.
I tore it away.
Baby Greta let out a cry and threw her head back, rubbing her eyes.
“She needs to get to sleep,” Penelope said without taking her eyes off of me. “I need your help, Veronica.”
“Yeah, sure,” Veronica said.
Penelope kissed the air without anyone but me seeing.
It was hard to described the anger going through me.
The front door shut and Vera tried to grab for me again.
“How?” I asked.
“How what?”
“How the fuck is she in your house? That’s her baby?”
“Of course it is,” Vera said. “What did you think… I told you Greta wasn’t mine.”
“You said you were helping Veronica,” I said.
“Yeah. Veronica helps with Greta. It’s kind of a messed up thing, Hil. I’m not one to go blabbing about that stuff.”
“Really? So just how fucked up is your house?”
“Excuse me?”
“What else is in there, Vera? Is she the reason you came to that show? Started flirting with me? Are you just fucking with me to make her happy? Is that what this is? Just some big fucking game to you?”
“Hil… what the hell…”
“That’s her,” I growled. “That’s… you know what? Never mind. It doesn’t matter. I kind of see it better now anyway.”
HIL: a bay falls high novel Page 15
