Out of the Shadow

by J. L. Paul

  “I’m sure we will,” Ally said, shooting a glance at Shannon. “I like her already.”

  “Great,” Mr. Lofgren said. “That will put me at ease.”

  “Shannon, damn! What did you put in here?” a boy asked as he heaved a box on the nearest bed. He was a few inches taller than Shannon with hair the same color and same length. His wire frame glasses covered his brown eyes and his cheeks reddened when he noticed Ally. “Oh, hey.”

  “Hi,” Ally said. “I’m Ally.”

  “Logan,” he said, the blush on his cheeks deepening. “Nice to meet you.”

  “You, too,” Ally said, hiding a smile. It seemed as if shyness ran in the Lofgren family.

  “I’d love to help you girls unpack and take you to dinner but I still have to get Logan off to school,” Mr. Lofgren said. He looked at Ally. “Logan goes to school down state.”

  “Oh, cool,” Ally said, tucking her hands in her pockets. “Well, I hope you have a good semester, Logan.”

  “Thanks,” Logan said, his eyes on his feet. “You, too.”

  “I can unpack just fine, Daddy,” Shannon said as she kissed his cheek. She hugged him fiercely before moving to her brother. Logan gave her a quick, embarrassed squeeze and practically ran out of the room.

  “You girls behave and you call me if you need anything,” Mr. Lofgren said, pressing a kiss to Shannon’s temple. “I’ll see you next weekend.”

  “Bye, Daddy,” Shannon said, her eyes on him until he disappeared from the room. She sighed and her shoulders slumped, tearing at Ally’s heart.

  “Hey,” Ally said, wrapping an arm around the girl. “Come on, I’ll help you get settled. I already put my clothes away and only have a few things left to do. We can do it together and talk and stuff. What do you say?”

  Shannon graced Ally with a watery, grateful smile and nodded. She ran a finger under each eye. “Sorry, but I’ve never been away from home before. And, now that both Logan and I are in college, Daddy is home alone. My mother died about seven years ago.”

  “I’m so sorry,” Ally said, clutching her chest as her mind ran to her own mother. She didn’t know what she’d do if she lost her mom. She loved her mother with a fierceness so deep that it pained her sometimes to think about it. She’d had a wonderful relationship with her mom for as long as she could remember, although she’d always been a daddy’s girl at heart.

  “It’s okay,” Shannon reassured her. “How about you? What about your family?”

  Ally paused, wondering if it was the right moment to confess. She bent over a box, stalling for time. She decided to wait a few days and get a better feel for Shannon. She liked her right now, sure, but what if she found Shannon to be a horrible gossip? What if Shannon decided later that she didn’t like Ally?

  “Well, I live with my mom and dad and my younger brother, Alec. We live in a little town outside of Chicago,” Ally explained. “I attended Meridian Valley the past four years so I know what it’s like to be away from home.”

  “Wow,” Shannon said as she froze, a photo of her father and brother in her hands. “That’s cool. But didn’t you miss your family?”

  Ally shrugged. “A little but I had my three best friends with me.” She smiled as she thought, not for the first time that day, of the boys. She missed them terribly and it felt strange knowing that she couldn’t just run to their dorm and bug them if she was bored. She still had Jamie and that was a comfort, but it just wasn’t the same.

  “My best friend is going to school in New York,” Shannon said as she set the picture frame on the nightstand next to the naked bed. “Oh, this is mine, right? I assumed so since you’ve already made the other one.”

  “Yeah, I guess,” Ally said. “But if you’d like to switch, I don’t mind. I just picked one so I could get to unpacking. My mother and father were here earlier with me and my mom made the bed. They had to leave, though, because they’re taking my brother to Meridian Valley. He’s a junior this year.”

  “I wish we would have arrived sooner,” Shannon said wistfully. “I would have liked to meet them.”

  A shot of panic ran through Ally as she wondered what would have happened had Shannon arrived earlier and recognized her father. Jay had worn an old baseball cap and a pair of sunglasses as he helped her get her things to her room and Ally hadn’t noticed anybody paying him extra attention, but once he got to her room, he’d removed his disguise and was easily identifiable as Jay Jones, rock star.

  “You’ll get to meet them, I’m sure,” Ally said. She clapped her hands together as she surveyed the room. “How about if we get to work on this stuff and then I’ll take you to meet one member of my family?”

  Ally smiled as Shannon nodded, a touch of confusion in her eyes.

  ***

  Shannon’s death grip on Ally’s arm was making her wince, but she didn’t have the heart to tell the other girl to loosen up. She knew Shannon was shy but she hadn’t realized it was so bad. Maybe dragging her to the cafeteria for the informal freshman gathering had been a mistake.

  “Jamie said he’d meet us here,” Ally repeated as she tactfully removed Shannon’s hand from her arm. Her eyes darted around the room until they landed on a table laden with a punch bowl and snacks. “Let’s get something to drink.”

  Shannon nodded, her face pale as a ghost. Ally smiled and took Shannon’s arm this time, hoping to spare herself a bruise.

  Three girls loitered near the punch, holding red plastic cups as they engaged in some sort of heated discussion. Although Ally wasn’t much better in the friend-making department than Shannon, she figured she should give it a shot and maybe Shannon would loosen up and make a new acquaintance.

  Ally took a deep breath and approached the cluster. She plastered what she hoped was a friendly smile on her face and joined the group. “Hi, I’m Ally and this is Shannon.”

  A petite girl with blond hair and rectangular glasses returned Ally’s smile. “My name is Sami and this is Trudy and Rosie.”

  Trudy was taller than Shannon with impossible straight brown hair and a fading case of acne. Her smile was weak and Ally got the feeling she was as shy as Shannon. Perfect – maybe the two would become good friends.

  Rosie was only a few inches taller than Ally with curly red hair, freckles and brilliant green eyes. She wasn’t pencil thin but she wasn’t overweight, either. She had curves Ally knew the boys probably slobbered over and rather large breasts. She could imagine Jamie’s reaction to her.

  “So, what program are you girls in?” Sami asked.

  “I’m in the Sports Medicine program,” Ally declared. She turned to Shannon and lifted a brow, indicating that it was time for Shannon to speak up.

  “Oh, I’m in the Accounting program,” Shannon declared.

  “Me, too,” Sami said with a grin. Shannon relaxed and a touch of hope touched Ally.

  “I’m in the Nursing program,” Rosie said. “Maybe we’ll have a few classes together.” She paused long enough to point at Trudy. “She is, too.”

  “Oh, great,” Ally said. She reached through the girls and snatched two glasses of punch. She handed one to Shannon and gave her a pointed look. Shannon’s eyes grew but she nodded.

  “So, what were you discussing before we…um…came over here?” Shannon stammered.

  “Rosie was telling us about the concert she’s going to in a few weeks,” Sami said. “In St. Louis.”

  Ally’s limbs suddenly felt limp. It took all the strength she had to keep from dropping her glass of punch and spilling its contents all over everyone’s feet. She bit the inside of her cheek, hoping these girls weren’t avid music fans and started discussing Tight Control.

  “What concert?” Shannon asked.

  “The Fabulous Rivals and Out of Control,” Rosie said smugly. She lifted her chin regally as a superior smirk slipped across her lips. “The concert is sold out but my uncle has connections. He’s even getting us meet and greet passes so we can meet both bands.”

  “That�
�s, um, great,” Ally said, forcing her lips to curl. “Sounds fun.”

  “Do you like them?” Trudy asked.

  “Yes,” Ally said.

  “I do,” Shannon said, a flush of excitement finally finding her. She edged closer to Rosie, towering over the girl by several inches. “I would love to go to that concert.”

  “I’ll take pictures,” Rosie said, enjoying the attention. Ally quickly decided that Rosie was the type that needed to always have something to lord over other people. She prayed she was wrong but she sometimes had the knack for feeling out other people. “I’m sure we’ll get a picture of us with the band members.”

  “That’s how it works,” Ally mumbled.

  Rosie lifted a brow. “Have you ever gone to a meet and greet before?”

  “Um, yeah,” Ally said, a sheen of sweat collecting beneath her ponytail. She plucked a band name from her mind – one that she’d actually met thanks to her father. “More Than Zero.”

  Rosie snorted and rolled her eyes as she crossed her arms over her chest. “They’re nothing now. The Fabulous Rivals are huge and Out of Control is almost as huge. I can’t wait to meet them! I love Out of Control. I think they’re all so cute!”

  “They are!” Shannon concurred and Ally’s heart fell. How was she ever going to tell her roommate her true identity and that of her friends and her boyfriend? She buttoned her lip and listened as the conversation rambled around her.

  “I hope that they’ll let us take more than one picture,” Rosie continued. “I’m sure we’ll be able to because my uncle has connections and all. I’d like to get a picture with each band member separately.”

  “Who’s your favorite?” Shannon asked. Her eyes were sparkling and in that moment, Ally thought she was quite lovely. “I think Parker is so adorable!”

  “Oh, I like RJ and Ren,” Trudy said.

  “Cole is the cutest,” Sami said and Rosie nodded frantically. “I love his voice, too.”

  “He has the sexiest voice,” Rosie said. She turned to Ally. “Who is your favorite?”

  She lifted a shoulder as a sudden bout of giggles threatened to take control of her body. She cleared her throat and pushed them down a little bit – just enough to spew a quick statement. “Well, I like them all but if I had to pick, I’d pick Cole.”

  Sami and Shannon did giggle and Ally was so relieved when her phone rang. She ripped it out of her pocket and stifled a groan when Cole’s name popped up on the screen. She grinned grimly and stepped away from the other girls as she answered.

  “Hi,” she squeaked.

  “Hey, princess,” he said. “Something wrong?”

  “Nope,” she said as a couple giggles escaped. “I’m just standing in the midst of your fan club, that’s all.”

  “Really?” he asked, his voice totally amused. “That’s hilarious. What did you tell them?”

  She snorted. “I told them that Ren was the hottest.”

  “Yeah, right,” he laughed.

  “Actually, I told them you were my favorite,” she whispered as her smile widened on her lips. She nearly sighed but managed to control it.

  “Well, tell them that you’re my favorite,” he said.

  She giggled again. “Would love to but I’m trying to keep a low profile here, remember? If I told those girls that my boyfriend was the Cole Crawford, I’m sure I’ll not get a moment of peace.”

  “I know, princess,” he said in a low voice.

  “Don’t call me that,” she said as she glanced over her shoulder. The other girls had paused in their discussion to watch her curiously but she didn’t want to end her conversation. She hadn’t been able to talk to him much in the past few days as he’d been busy with appearances and shows. “I love you, Cole, did you know?”

  “I had a feeling,” he said. “I’m sort of partial to you, too.”

  “Yeah, well, keep it that way,” she ordered. “So, I’m counting down and I only have three weeks, five days and seven hours until I see you again.”

  He laughed and her heart lifted. She loved the sound of it. “Seven hours?”

  “That’s just a guess,” she said. Her phone beeped and she frowned as she pulled it away from her ear to check the screen. “Oh, Robby’s calling in but I’ll call him back later.”

  “Robby Redden?” he asked, his tone stiff. “Maybe you should take the call, Al. Maybe it’s important.”

  “I doubt it, Cole,” she said through clenched teeth. “And I’d rather talk to you.”

  “I have to go anyway,” he said. “I’ll talk to you soon.”

  “Fine,” she said, anger beginning to seep into her heart. She couldn’t believe he’d get so uptight just because Robby had called her. It wasn’t like she hung up with him to take Robby’s call. “Call me when you have time.”

  He sighed heavily. “I will, princess,” he said, his voice softening. “I love you, Al. I’ll call you after the show.”

  Her anger melted as rapidly as it had formed. “I love you, too.”

  She hung up and bit her lip, staring at her phone. Yeah, sure it was hard to maintain this relationship with them being separated so much, but they’d been managing just fine. Until now. She wondered what his problem was and if maybe Jamie might know.

  “Who was that, Ally?” Rosie asked.

  “My boyfriend,” she said, distracted. She continued to stare at her phone as if it would give her answers but it remained silent in her palm.

  “Where is he?” Sami asked.

  Ally turned around to face them and mustered a smile. “Oh, he’s, um, at school. In, um, California.”

  “What school?” Rosie asked, her eyes challenging Ally.

  She noticed my lie, Ally thought. She knows I’m not telling the truth. She struggled to think up some obscure school just as Jamie strolled over to her and draped an arm around her shoulders.

  “Hey, cuz. Sorry I’m late.”

  “Jamie,” she said, smiling in relief. “This is Shannon, Trudy, Sami, and Rosie. Girls, my cousin, Jamie. Excuse us for a second.”

  She ushered Jamie a safe distance away and clutched his arm. “Those girls are rabid Out of Control fans,” she warned him. “They were just telling who their favorites were when Cole called.”

  Jamie’s eyes bored into her as his lips slowly peeled away from his teeth and a laugh spewed forth. “No way!”

  Ally rolled her eyes and squeezed his arm. “Yeah, hilarious. Anyway, they wanted to know what school Cole goes to – in California – and I couldn’t think of one. I’m going to call Robby back real quick and ask him to give me one.”

  The laughter drained off of Jamie’s face. “Call Robby back? Did he call while you were talking to Cole?”

  “Yes,” she said slowly. “Why?”

  He grinned and hugged her briefly. “Oh, nothing, really. Cole’s just jealous, that’s all.”

  Her jaw fell as she struggled to voice the questions scratching at her throat. She coughed and glanced at her phone again before meeting Jamie’s eyes. “No. He shouldn’t be. I love him, not Robby.”

  Jamie put his arm around her again and turned her toward the girls. “He knows that, cuz, but he’s feeling a bit insecure with you being all the way here, close to Robby and he’s all the way, wherever he is. Plus, you and Robby have become close friends and while he knows that and is fine with it, he’s still a bit jealous.”