She turned one way and then the other, examining herself in the mirror. “I like it. You really don’t have to do this.”
“Anything for you.”
“You always do this, you know.” She sighed, but the smile stayed on her face.
“Do what?”
“Go all out. You spend way too much on me.”
“Can’t a dad give his daughter nice things?”
“Yes, but sometimes it’s too much. Like buying me the Mustang last year…”
“But it was your eighteenth birthday. That’s an important milestone. I knew you’d had your eye on it. I thought about getting it for your sixteenth.”
She cringed and shook her head. “Me, an inexperienced driver, with a new sports car? I’m glad you waited, at least. And I do love it.”
When they checked out, her dad paid without flinching.
Nic put down the hat he was examining and surreptitiously left the store. He rounded a corner and clenched his fists. Just looking at the young woman’s freckled face made his blood boil. He grabbed a loose piece of concrete that had broken off the sidewalk and hurled it at the windshield of a car, scattering glass over the street.
Seething, he thought for the three-billionth time about what she’d done to him. But he’d finally found the way to get back at her—and not just that—he would get his power back, too. Two birds with one stone. And two plus one was three: the number of perfection.
This time he wouldn’t second-guess her, and this time she wouldn’t have a chance to get away. Cage the bird and she can’t fly—or run, in this case. This time he needed something he’d never had before: an accomplice. Someone he could trust—no, someone he could manipulate.
Nic thought of this new version of Ethan Black. He was broken, wounded, vulnerable. That gave Nic an edge. It was time to call in his old friend and make a deal.
“Where’s Benji?” Alex asked when she arrived at the practice space Monday afternoon.
“Haven’t seen him,” Guy said, looking up from his guitar.
“It’s ten after. Did he call or anything?”
Guy shook his head and returned to flicking the strings on his bass.
Alex sat down at the drums and did a few warm up routines. Ten minutes later, she checked the time again. “Where is he?”
“No clue,” Guy said.
“I’m going to text him and see if he’s on his way.”
You coming?
No answer. She tapped her foot.
“He never answers my texts,” Guy said, setting his guitar on the stand and walking over to her.
“Really? I haven’t tried Maybe I should just call.” She dialed his number and put it on speaker so Guy could hear, waiting as it rang.
He finally answered. “Yeah?”
“Benji, where are you?”
Background noise blared through the speaker. Alex heard drums and keyboard. It sounded like someone’s amp turned up way too loud.
“I can’t hear,” Benji said. “Hold on a minute.” The sounds faded somewhat, but she could still hear them. “Who is this?”
“It’s Alex. Are you coming?”
“Coming where?” Benji said.
“Band practice. We’re here waiting. We said five o’clock—remember?”
Benji cursed. “I can’t make it.”
Alex exchanged looks with Guy. “But we changed the time for you.”
“Sorry, I’m working some kinks out with my other band. We’re going to be here a while.”
“But—”
“I gotta go.”
“Benji, this isn’t—” Alex stared at her phone in disbelief. “He hung up on me. What a jerk.”
Guy sighed. “What are we going to do? We need him.”
“I know.” She shoved her phone into her pocket, heat flooding her face.
“You wanna go over some stuff?”
“Without a guitarist? I don’t think it’s worth it.”
Guy nodded. “Okay. See you later, then.”
When Alex reached her car, her cell rang.
“You busy right now?” Chloe asked.
“Not really, why?”
“Well, I was supposed to pick up Josh after my class, but Angie and I were talking about running to the fabric store. We need to get some supplies for our project, and I was wondering if you’d be able to pick him up from work?”
“Pick up Josh?”
“He’s still not quite up for driving, with his leg and all.”
“Oh, right. No problem, I can pick him up.”
“Thanks a million!”
“Sure.”
When Alex arrived at nearly five-thirty, the music store was closed, and there was only one car in the lot. A guy who she thought was the store manager unlocked the front door for her, letting the notes of distant melody flood out of the shop. He returned to counting the front register, nodding toward the far side of the store. “He’s in the back.”
Even had she not known Josh was here, Alex would’ve recognized the music. He had such a unique, poignant style that reached right through her chest as if able to control the beating of her own heart. The melodic sounds of the acoustic guitar danced around her as she passed keyboards and percussion instruments, making her way to the back.
She stopped when she saw him. He sat on a stool, his bandaged leg hanging off to the side at an awkward angle, but he cradled the instrument comfortably in his arms and bobbed his head, eyes closed as he played.
Her breath caught in her throat. She stood motionless, admiring the precision of his fingers, the artistic creativity of his music, the gentleness he showed the instrument. A pang shot through her chest. If only Vicarious Jalapenos could’ve gotten him as their guitarist instead. Then she wouldn’t be dealing with Benji and all of the headaches he caused. She sighed. There was no way they would be able to get someone like Josh.
The song ended, and she smiled shyly when Josh opened his eyes. He frowned when he saw her. “Where’s Chloe?”
“She had to work on a project with her friend. She asked me to come get you.”
Alex thought his face looked a little red as he placed the guitar on a stand and slid off the stool. He staggered and fought to keep his footing. She darted next to him and grabbed him around the waist to keep him upright.
“Thanks,” Josh said, stabilizing himself. His arm fell against her back. “My good leg fell asleep.”
“You okay now?”
“Yeah, I think so.” He cleared his throat. “How long were you standing there?”
Alex pulled her arms away from him. “Just a minute or so. Sorry, I didn’t want to interrupt.”
“Yeah.”
“You ready to go?”
He nodded and they headed for the exit, Josh limping slightly on his bad leg. Alex wanted to reach out for him, let him drape an arm over her shoulders so she could help, but she didn’t think he’d appreciate it. Instead, she walked next to him, deliberately slowing her steps to match his pace.
“See ya, Josh.”
“Later, Colby.” Josh waved at the manager as they exited the store.
“How’s your leg?” Alex asked she drove him home.
“Still a little sore.”
“I didn’t realize you’d gone back to work.”
“First day back. I can’t really afford to take off any more days right now.”
She nodded, her mind distant. The notes from the song still drifted through her mind. He was quiet for a minute, and she darted a glance his way. “That song was beautiful.”
“Thanks.”
“You have so much talent—I’m sure you know that, though.”
“I guess I’ve heard that before.”
“Seriously, Josh. Your playing is…I don’t know, it’s just, like, gripping.” She made a fist with her free hand. “It’s the real thing. You just…I don’t know, you amaze me sometimes.” She bit her lip, wishing she could ask him to be in their band, and wishing he’d actually consider it. But even if th
at were the case, she couldn’t just replace Benji without talking to Guy first.
“You have a lot of skill, too.” Josh said.
“It’s not the same, though.”
“Not just your speed. You have perfect timing.”
“Well, thanks. But that’s not what I mean. Your playing is…it’s deep, you know? Passionate. I wish my playing had that kind of depth.”
“I don’t know how to be any other way,” Josh said quietly. When she glanced at him, he was picking at a rip in his jeans, not looking at her. “I sometimes wish I could turn it off.”
“Why?”
He shrugged. “What you said the other day—about being able to read my emotions, or whatever. Sometimes I’m afraid everyone can see that.”
“Well, I understand wanting privacy.” She paused, considering her words. “But sometimes when people care about you, they want to know what you’re feeling.”
He looked up, meeting her gaze, and the intensity in his eyes made her suddenly shy. She turned back to the road, hands gripping the wheel tightly.
“Why is it my family could never understand me, but you seem to?”
Alex shrugged.
“My dad kept telling me I shouldn’t major in music. ‘No future in it,’ he said. ‘You won’t make any money.’ My mom thought she was supporting my decision, but to her that meant trying to persuade me to teach once I had my degree.” He gave a humorless chuckle. “I wouldn’t survive ten minutes as a teacher. College students are like piranhas that feed on anything fresh that gets thrown at them.”
Alex smiled. “You might do better than you think.”
Josh shook his head. “No way.”
“At least your mom tried. My parents never tried to understand me.”
“I thought you never told them about your ability.”
“They were always too busy with their own lives. They’ve never admitted this to me, but I’m pretty sure they never wanted to have kids. I was just an unnecessary complication to their lives.”
“That sounds pretty lonely.”
Alex forced a smile, suddenly feeling like she was being too emo. “It was okay. I had a lot of good friends, and that helped.”
“Speaking of your friends, are they still here?”
“Nope. Everyone—including my parents—went home a few days ago.”
He nodded. “Cam went back Sunday. How was snowboarding, by the way?”
“Oh, it was good. I fell a ton, but I’m pretty sure the guys had fun.” Alex thought of Cam trying to teach her to snowboard and what a disaster it had been. “You should’ve seen us all trying to exit the ski lift—Ferno, Aiden, and I went down in a heap—we were this pile of entangled limbs. They had to stop the lift until we could sort ourselves out. It was terrible.”
Josh smiled. “I wish I had been there.”
“Oh, thank God you weren’t. I mean, we were a mess. Travis was the only one who successfully dismounted, but then he face-planted a few yards down. Cam was laughing at us all, and I couldn’t really blame him.”
“I bet you got better though,” Josh said.
She snorted. “Not really. Travis picked it up pretty quick, and Aiden did, too. But Ferno and I both had a rough time of it and ended up just drinking hot chocolate in one of the restaurants for most of the time. Apparently surfing isn’t as similar to snowboarding as they say.”
“Do you surf?”
“No, but the guys do. Anyway, I’m not giving up yet. Hopefully I’ll do better next time.”
“It takes practice, that’s for sure,” Josh said. “I bet it was nice to see them all again.”
“Yeah. It was. But it felt a little like a distraction, too.”
Josh cocked his head. “What do you mean?”
“Just, the trajectory of my life is changing. I feel like I need to focus on my future instead of my past. School, the band, you know.”
“Yeah. You guys have been practicing a lot, huh?”
“We’re trying, yeah.” Alex sighed.
“What?”
“Oh, nothing. It’s just, Benji’s been busy and we need some dedicated time with him.”
“I hear he’s pretty good.”
“Oh…yeah. He’s a great musician, and he’s in high demand.” Alex bit her lip. She shouldn’t spread band drama, and Josh didn’t need to be bothered by all her woes.
“Sounds like he’s an asset.”
“Yeah.” She forced a tight smile. “He is definitely something else.”
Josh’s gaze trailed to his window. She couldn’t see his face.
“So, how about you? Just holding out for your big break?”
“Something like that,” he said.
~
Nic took Ethan to a local dive bar, one of those places with questionable standards of cleanliness that he personally despised. Still, it was dark and loud enough they wouldn’t be overheard. Plus the alcohol was cheap, so it wouldn’t cost as much to get Ethan nice and loosened up. After they’d been there a few hours, he got down to the heart of the matter.
“So why are you so glum?”
Ethan just shrugged and took a long sip of his drink.
“I know you’ve seen better days. Talking about it might make you feel better. Come on, spill the beans.” He rested his elbow on the table and leaned forward, waggling his eyebrows. “Woman troubles?”
After a long pause, Ethan spoke. “Sort of.”
It had been a joke more than a shot in the dark, but apparently he was closer to the mark than he’d suspected. The old Ethan would never have responded to such a personal question, but this new Ethan, and conveniently drunk at that, dropped his head onto his hand.
“Maybe I can help. Who is this mysterious, magic lady?”
Ethan started to shake his head then stopped. His head tipped up, his eyes meeting Nic’s. Nic was pretty sure it was just dark enough at their table to activate Ethan’s vision.
“Did you ever meet my old girlfriend in high school? Her name was Kelsey Mason.”
“Did she go to the Florida School for the Deaf and Blind, too?”
Ethan shook his head, but leaned forward, his dark eyes wide and unblinking. “No. We met on a field trip—both of our schools were visiting the history museum at the same time. She was on campus a lot while we were dating, though. We were quite inseparable…for a time.” A flash of emotion lit Ethan’s eyes.
Nic thought back. His high school years had been a long time ago. He’d tried to block out the miserable period of his life when kids had mocked him and adults had pitied him. Getting kicked out of the school for blind kids was one of his low points, but he forced himself to revisit that place. “I think I remember seeing you with a girl. Did she have dark hair…and really pale skin?”
“Yes.” Ethan said it in a thick breath.
Nic vaguely remembered seeing the girl, but the details were a blur—just like his vision had been back then. He forced his mind to focus. It was like squinting to improve nearsightedness, except squinting through the memory to see the past. Once or twice he’d run into Ethan with a girl, and from those few close-up encounters, he’d gotten a general impression of her—petite…thin…long hair… He could see her profile: a small, straight nose. High cheekbones.
“Yeah, I think I remember her. I didn’t know her name, but—”
“But you remember what she looked like?” There was something new in Ethan’s voice. Desperation.
Nic measured his words, adding a pregnant pause for effect. “Yes…I do.”
Ethan grabbed Nic’s arm clenching it tightly, his fingernails digging into Nic’s skin. His voice turned gritty and hoarse. “You have to help me find her.”
Milking this was going to be all too easy. Nic feigned a look that said he understood the severity of the situation.
“Please,” Ethan said.
“I’m not really sure what I can do to help you out.” Nic pulled his arm away and sat back. “I mean, I haven’t seen her in what…ten years? I mi
ght have a hard time recognizing her. After all, my vision wasn’t the greatest back then.”
“But you can help. You’ve seen her.” Ethan’s voice came out in a pitiful croak “I can’t see a computer screen or a phone—nothing that’s backlit. How am I supposed to find her? You’re the only person who can help me.”
“Well…” Nic played like he was toying with the idea, weighing his options, though his mind had been made up before he’d even uncovered all the pieces to this little puzzle. “I might consider helping you. That is, if you help me out with a little task in the meantime.”
“Anything.”
“Don’t you want to know what it is first?”
“It doesn’t matter.”
Nic lowered his voice. “Okay. How far are you willing to go?”
“No limits. I’ll do whatever you need me to, as long as you’ll help me find Kelsey.”
Nic scanned the bar. The majority of the crowd was at the other end of the room, pulsing to the blaring music. He leaned closer to Ethan and spoke just under his breath. “Even if it’s taking someone out?”
Ethan’s unflinching eyes were cool and calculating, more like the eyes of the old, pre-trauma Ethan. “Been there, done that.” The corner of his lip curved up in what might have been almost a smile.
Nic wondered for a moment if the guy was really as drunk as he seemed. For a split second, those dark eyes held an intense clarity that unnerved him, but the look faded into a mixture of apathy and fatigue.
“How about dinner on Friday?” Josh had almost said those words on Monday when Alex had picked him up from work. But the talk of her old guy friends—and new ones like the ever-perfect Benji—had made him shy away. How could he compete with a guy like that?
Still, you couldn’t be Batman without at least asking the question. That’s why he was going to do it today. He’d decided before work this morning, and ever since, he’d been nervous as hell, spilling a box of guitar picks across the aisle, bumping into customers, and knocking a stack of books off a table.
“Why don’t you take your break,” Colby suggested, glancing sideways at Josh as he helped restack the books.
Outsider: The Flawed Series Book Two Page 18
