by J. L. Paul
She managed a tiny smile as she ended the conversation and immediately called Cole. She gulped at air as if it was water and she was dying in the desert and when he answered, her anger flared again.
“Hey, princess,” he said, his voice weary. “How are you?”
“Terrible, Cole,” she snarled. “Terrible! How could you?”
“How could I what?” he asked, anxiety dripping in his voice. “What did I do?”
She paused near the English building and leaned against the bricks, surveying the area but luckily it was void of students. “Your interview in Rock News Weekly. It came out today. You said we’re dating.”
“We are,” he said firmly. “What’s the problem with that?”
“I didn’t want anyone to know,” she whined, stamping her foot.
“Are you ashamed of me?” he asked angrily.
“No,” she snapped. “You know better than that. I just thought we were keeping this low profile. I thought you understood how important it is to me to try to blend in and live a normal life.”
“Al,” he groaned. “You’ve never lived a normal life and you should have known that the truth would come out sooner or later. What happens if the band attends some awards show or something, huh? Would you not go with me for fear someone might see you on TV?”
“I don’t know,” she said. “But do you realize how much my life is going to suck now? Do you know that there are a horde of girls in my room at this very moment – they’re there because they read the article and can’t believe I didn’t tell them I knew you?”
“It will blow over, Al, just like in high school,” he said in a low tone. “Relax.”
“How can I relax?” she yelled. “How do you expect me to relax now?”
“I can’t talk to you right now,” he growled. “Not when you’re being impossible. Call me when you cool off, huh?”
“Don’t hold your breath,” she said, her face flush with anger. She snapped her phone shut and stomped away, kicking at small piles of leaves furiously. Her breath came in heaving bouts as she crammed her hands into the pockets of her jackets and all but ran to the football field.
She climbed the bleachers and sat in the middle, watching as the guys warmed up and went through drills. Slowly, her anger seeped away but the hurt and betrayal remained.
He knew I wanted to keep things quiet, she fumed. He knew I wanted to try to just blend in without all the hoopla and distractions. Maybe he enjoyed all the attention but she hated it with a passion. She hated how people had warmed up to her in high school, feigning friendship just so they could brag about being friends with the daughter of a rock star.
Maybe he was right and it would blow over, but she had serious doubts. Out of Control was just starting, just gaining momentum, and if they kept going in the direction they were headed, they would only become more popular. And her life – and Jamie’s, too – would be a living hell.
She climbed down from the bleachers as the heavily padded football players began heading toward the locker rooms. She stopped near the bar that separated the stands from the field and tried to smile as Jamie jogged toward her.
He held up a hand as she opened her mouth, and grimaced. “I’ve already heard about the interview,” he said. “Some of guys mentioned it before practice.”
She could tell by the set of his jaw that he wasn’t especially happy either and it brought her tears to her eyes again. “James, get me out of here, huh?”
“Wait here until I shower, okay?” he said so gently her tears increased. She nodded and he patted her cheek before turning toward the locker rooms.
She wrapped her arms around her body and climbed the bleachers again, only not as far up this time. Some of the straggling players gazed at her curiously, like she was on display, and it creeped her out. Her anger resurfaced and she longed to call Cole again and tear into him.
Jamie finally appeared, his hair still damp, and his jaw still set. She hurried to his side and he gripped her elbow tight enough to make her flinch.
“Jamie…” she said.
“We’re getting out of here, Ally,” he said. “Come on, I know of a party off campus and I think that’s just what we need.”
Ally agreed and wrested her arm from his clutch only to take his hand. She squeezed it, suddenly feeling a kinship with her cousin stronger than any she’d ever felt before. He managed a weak smile at her as he led her to his car and the top layer of her pain peeled away easily.
Chapter Ten
The fraternity house was rocking, literally. The windows were rattling and the floor was vibrating with the beat that screamed from the speakers. Many gyrating bodies were pressed together, moving in all sorts of weird ways in time to the music.
Although it was only after seven, plenty of alcohol flowed through the place and passed many lips. Several people were already swaying on their feet with giddy grins on their faces.
Ally inched closer to Jamie, her hand clenching his, and eyed the party-goers with caution. Jamie wasn’t pledging the fraternity and had no intentions of doing so, yet he’d been invited to the party. She had to grin – her charming cousin certainly had a way with people.
She yanked on his shoulder, bringing his ear down to her level. “What’s got you so mad?”
“Let’s get a drink and go out back – I’ll tell you then.”
She nodded and allowed him to drag her to the kitchen were three kegs rested in huge blue tubs of ice. He grabbed two plastic cups from a stack and filled them with beer. He handed one to her and pointed to a door. She followed him to the back yard where a few people were gathered around a picnic table. He avoided them and stopped near a low fence.
He took a long swig from his cup and wiped the foam off his lip with the back of his hand. “I’m pissed because some idiots on the team were running their mouths about you. I didn’t like it.”
“What did they say?” she asked as she took a cautious sip of her beer. She wasn’t much of a drinker and it certainly didn’t take much to get her intoxicated – at least she didn’t think so. She hadn’t had much experience in the art of drinking alcohol.
“I’m not repeating it,” he said firmly.
“James,” she warned. “Don’t let those morons get you riled up and in trouble. You don’t want to get kicked off the team.”
He turned his eyes on her and she was alarmed at the dark anger blazing inside them. “I walked away once, Allyson, but I won’t again.”
“Okay,” she said, flinching. She could only imagine what was said as Jamie was usually laid back and had a great sense of humor. Obviously, someone must have either made a vulgar comment about her or insulted Cole and RJ horribly. “Okay.”
He rubbed his tired face then draped his arm around her shoulders. He sighed and drained his glass. “Did you talk to Cole?”
Her heart ached as she nodded. She didn’t want to think about it much less talk about it. She should have been used to arguing with him – they’d done it often enough in the past – but they were so far away from each other and that made it worse. The miles apart magnified every single issue. “I pretty much screamed at him. It wasn’t pretty.”
“A couple of the guys on the team read the interview and told the others that I know Cole and RJ. So, yeah, they were pretty annoying asking me all kinds of questions.” He shook his empty glass and frowned.
“I had a herd of frantic fans in my room but I left before they could start bugging me. I’m surprised they didn’t follow, now that I think about it.” She took a big drink and made a face, causing him to laugh. She stuck her tongue out at him and took another drink. “I was thinking about going home this weekend but Mom and Dad went on some sort of romantic getaway thing – probably to celebrate both kids being out of the house.”
He took her arm and gave it a squeeze. “Don’t run away from these people, Ally. Tolerate them the best you can and when you feel that you can’t any longer, ignore them.”
“I’ll try,” she said
as a burn behind her eyes warned her tears were once again on the way. She drew in a shaky breath but it didn’t help much. “How could he do that to us? Doesn’t he care anymore?”
Jamie set his cup on the fence post and collected her in his arms. He squeezed her and dropped a kiss on the top of her head. “You know he does, cuz, he probably just didn’t think anyone would bother us. Things had chilled out at Meridian Valley by the time he graduated so he probably didn’t even remember what it was like.” He gave her another squeeze that was meant to be encouraging. He bent his head and whispered in her ear, “And I know he’s proud that you’re his girlfriend.”
She smiled in Jamie’s chest but the hurt was still there. Maybe she should just let it all out tonight and in the morning, call him and clear things up. Perhaps that was best. Maybe if she just got it all out of her system, she’d feel better in the morning and she could talk to him without getting angry.
She edged back and voiced her plan to Jamie who whole-heartedly agreed.
He gave her a squeeze and tipped her glass. “Finish up so we can get another. Come on, I might even let you talk me into dancing or something.”
Snorting, she graced him with a smile. “I don’t think that’s going to happen but hey, you never know.”
He laughed, kissed the top of her head, and escorted her back into the house. They both threw themselves into the party with more gusto, determined not to let the magazine article enter their minds.
***
Cole pounded on the connecting door and shoved it open without waiting for a reply. RJ, who’d been lounging on the bed, lazily flipping through television channels, jumped to his feet.
“Bro, what’s the problem?” he asked as Cole started to pace, his hands raking rapidly through his hair.
“Ally’s pissed because of the Rock News Weekly interview,” he said, his teeth clenched. “She’s livid because I mentioned that she was my girlfriend and that the four of us have been friends for a long time.”
“Damn,” RJ cursed as he sank back down to the edge of the bed. He lifted his concerned eyes to Cole. “Do you think people are bugging them like they did to us when we first started Meridian Valley?”
“I don’t know,” Cole said as he yanked a chair out from under the tiny table and sat. “I don’t know. Ally said a bunch of girls were in her room so that can’t be good.”
“Probably not,” RJ said. He jabbed a finger at Cole. “But you and I both know it was bound to come out sooner or later. Someone was bound to figure out that Ally is Jay’s daughter and Jamie is Mark’s son. And then, they’d figure out the connection to us. They can’t hide that sort of information forever.”
“I know,” Cole said. “I tried to explain that to her but she wouldn’t listen.”
“Ally is hot-headed, Cole, you know that as well as I do,” RJ said. “She’s a great girl, really sweet, but her temper can shoot off at the drop of a hat.”
“That’s why I’m going to let her cool off before I call her back,” Cole said. “I’ll call her in the morning and hopefully we’ll be able to discuss things reasonably.”
Cole sighed and stood again, shoving the chair back in its proper place. He jammed his hands into his pockets as a restlessness settled over him. He needed to walk and think. He needed air.
“I’m going outside for a bit,” he told RJ. “I need to clear my head before the show tonight.”
“Sure, bro,” RJ said and watched helplessly as Cole slipped through the doors connecting their hotel rooms.
Cole grabbed his keycard and left the room, running to catch the elevator. He stepped inside and frowned as Lila greeted him.
“What’s the problem, Cole?” she asked as she eyed his tense stature and his mussed hair. “Trouble in paradise?”
“There’s no problem,” he growled as he pressed the lobby button. “Just wanted to get a little air before the show tonight.”
“I wouldn’t wander too far,” she warned. “Especially since your interview came out. A lot of people are staying in this hotel just for the show and since your picture was in Rock News Weekly, you’re going to be easily recognized.”
“So what,” he shrugged as the doors opened. “I’ll take my chances.”
“Would you like me to come with you?” she offered as she slipped a mask of innocence on her face. He nearly considered it but then Ally raced through his mind and he shook his head. He tucked his hands back into his pockets as he walked through the lobby and exited the hotel.
***
Ally crushed the empty plastic cup in her fist and dropped it carelessly into the overflowing trash can. The music was still pumping but thankfully not as loud. About half of the party-goers had left for other parties or to hit the local bars but there were still quite a few people around.
Her head was spinning furiously and she desperately wanted to go home. She wanted to fall into her own bed and sleep – not her dorm bed where any of Cole’s rabid fans could come pounding on the door.
She swayed, stumbled, and then righted herself as she held onto various pieces of furniture as she made her way to the front door. She’d spotted Jamie heading that way with a pretty blonde only moments ago and she didn’t want him to leave without her.
She fell out the front door and hurriedly got back to her wobbly feet. Jamie, who’d been embracing the blonde, heard her and rushed to her side.
“Are you okay, cuz?” he asked.
She nodded, stupidly, and set her head off again. “I’m fine. What are you doing?”
“I’m going to take Kim home,” he said, hugging the blonde to his side. He kissed her cheek and smiled. Kim wrapped her arms around Jamie’s neck and fixed him with a look so filled with affection that Ally had to avert her eyes. “Are you ready?”
“I called Shannon,” Ally said, her words slurring. She didn’t think she could stand being in a car with the two of them. She couldn’t bear all the touchy-feely that was sure to go on between them. “She’s coming to get me.”
“I’ll wait with you,” Jamie offered.
“No, go,” Ally said, staggering to the steps. She plopped down on the top one. “She’ll be here in a second. Go on and call me tomorrow.”
“Okay, if you’re sure,” Jamie said, reluctantly. Ally nodded. He glanced at Kim and the reluctance left his eyes. “See ya, cuz.”
“Bye,” Ally said, her eyes tearing up as her cousin left. She sniffed and dug out her phone to scroll through her phone book. She frowned as she remembered she didn’t have Shannon in her contact list – they hadn’t ever exchanged cell phone numbers.
“Stupid me,” Ally said as she dialed their dorm room. She waited and waited but no one answered. She groaned and smacked her forehead. “I can walk.”
She stood up, wobbled, righted herself, and then carefully walked down the steps. When she reached the sidewalk, her stomach clenched and turned so she ran for the dying hostas, hunching over them in time to spew the several drinks she’d had in the yellowing leaves.
She fell to her rear and cradled her spinning head in her hands as the tears spilled from her eyes. She wished she hadn’t sent Jamie away and wished he hadn’t met that girl. She wished he’d come back and tell her she’d be fine. She wished Cole was home and she could just call him and ask him to come get her.
“Wishes don’t exist,” she said aloud and wiped her nose on her shirt sleeve. She opened her phone again and scrolled through her numbers, wondering who’d come get her and take her to her dorm. She’d rather go home but that would probably be out of the question.
