Out of the Shadow

by J. L. Paul

  “Hey, cuz,” Jamie grinned, his eyes sparkling mischievously. “Are you ready to get some work done?”

  “Yes,” Ally said quickly, shaking loose of Danielle’s hold. She flashed a faux, apologetic smile to the girl, snagged Jamie’s arm, and shoved him through the door.

  “Did I rescue you?” he asked, amused.

  “You just don’t know,” she sighed. She unlocked her room, opened the door, and flipped on the lights. She set her bag on the floor and located a couple bottles of water in the fridge. She tossed one to Jamie and leaned a hip against her desk. “She wants to know if she can meet Cole and the guys once the tour ends.”

  “Are those girls still on that kick?” he asked in disbelief. He twisted the top off his bottle viciously and tossed it at the garbage can. “Damn it, Ally, you’re going to have to put a stop to it. I can’t believe I’m saying this to you but you’ve got to stop being so nice.”

  She slumped and set her bottle down. “I just wanted to fit in around here, you know? I didn’t want to have to chase people off – I wanted to make friends.”

  “You will, Ally,” Jamie said. “You’ll figure out who wants to be your friend for you and who wants to be your friend for Cole – just like you did in high school. Just give it a little bit of time.”

  “I will,” she said. She frowned at the books on her desk. “Let’s get through this stuff, huh?”

  ***

  The day of Out of Control’s return dawned bright and sunny, even if a little on the cool side. Ally had a hard time containing her joy and excitement. She walked with Jamie to classes, often grabbing his arm as she prattled on about her speculations on where Cole would take her.

  “I’m going to call him,” she declared as they stopped near the Student Center. She dropped her book bag and rifled through the pockets, desperately trying to locate her phone. “I can’t wait any longer.”

  “Cuz,” Jamie groaned as she produced her phone and flipped it open. “You know as soon as he’s able, he’ll call you. Relax.”

  “Yeah, but, I just want to ask him if he’ll get a room around here tonight,” she said, her eyes sparkling as the idea came to her. “I could stay with him and blow off class tomorrow!”

  “No, you won’t,” Jamie said sternly. “You still have one more class to get through today and you have a workout tonight. Tryouts are Monday and you know you want to be sharp. Besides, your coach will have a fit if you skip the workout.”

  She narrowed her eyes at him as her brain scrambled for a comeback, but came up empty. He was right and she hated it. She just didn’t think she could bear another hour without seeing Cole.

  Her phone rang in her hand and all rhyme and reason left her as she flipped it open without checking the display screen. “Hey, baby, where are you?”

  “Um, at the studio…darling?” Robby Redden said, laughter in his voice. “What’s with the affectionate greeting?”

  Her cheeks immediately heated as images of her kiss with Robby flooded her mind. “Oh, um, sorry Robby. I thought you were Cole.”

  Beside her, Jamie doubled over in laughter. She punched his arm and turned away from him.

  “I got that,” Robby said. “Actually, I’m calling on behalf of Cole. As soon as they landed, they were rushed straight to the studio. My dad is in town you know,” he said. She hadn’t known but she didn’t mention that fact.

  “What is he doing?” Ally asked, her heart falling. She’d wanted him to come straight to her and hadn’t counted on him having to go to the stupid studio.

  “He’s meeting with my dad, your dad, and his dad, going over tour stuff,” Robby explained and released a long breath. “That was a lot of dads, huh?”

  “Sure,” she said, impatiently. “How come you’re not in that meeting?”

  “Well, Out of Control is not my band,” he said. “And I have to meet with another band anyway. But Cole was a little anxious because he hasn’t had a chance to call you so he asked me if I would so you would at least know that he is in town. He said he’d call you as soon as he could.”

  “Thanks, Robby,” she said in a despondent tone. “I appreciate it.”

  “Keep your chin up, Ally,” Robby said gently. “He’ll be here for awhile but after that, he’ll have some time off. I’m sure he intends to spend most of it with you.”

  “I know,” she said, smiling. “Thanks.”

  She ended her conversation and sighed. Jamie draped an arm around her after picking up her bag. “Let’s get to class, cuz. Cole will call you later, you know that.”

  She nodded and allowed him to escort her to class.

  Later that night, she finished up her assignments, her phone in easy reach, and pondered whether or not she wanted to go to the cafeteria and take a stab at eating. She’d taken to eating at odd times in order to avoid the throng of girls that always seemed to appear whenever she entered the cafeteria and her anxiety level was at such a high, she was afraid that if one of them even mentioned Cole in her vicinity, she’d take a swing at them. She’d come close once, earlier that week, when some girl she’d never met asked her friend, another girl whom Ally didn’t know, if Cole wore boxers or briefs. And she’d asked the question within Ally’s earshot, purposely, Ally was certain, and it took all Jamie had to keep Ally from charging the girl. Later, once she’d reflected on the incident, she’d realized that she’d reacted badly, but she couldn’t stand to hear people talk that way about her boyfriend.

  Her phone finally rang and she jumped, nearly knocking all her books to the floor, and her heart flipped when Cole’s name came up on the screen.

  “Hi!” she said, her excitement boiling over. “I’m so happy you’re in town! I can’t wait to see you!”

  “Hey, princess,” he said with a chuckle. “I can’t wait to see you, too.”

  “Don’t call me that,” she said. “So, are you going to get a room around here or what?”

  “Not tonight,” he said with regret. She tensed. “Listen, before you fly off the handle, okay? I’m going to spend the night with my dad and Stacy and then come pick you up as soon as your classes are over tomorrow and take you away. So pack a bag, princess, because we’re going away for the whole weekend.”

  Disappointment swirled in her heart, mixing with the enthusiasm. She’d deal with the let down tonight because it was reasonable. She knew he missed his father, too. She’d have him to herself all weekend and that more than made up for it.

  “Okay,” she said, happily. “I’ll be ready.”

  ***

  Ally could hardly sit still the next day. Since Jamie was in the same program as she was and the school was rather small, they managed to take all the same classes. He was the lucky person who had to deal with her exuberance.

  After class ended, he walked her back to her dorm, barely able to keep up with her quick pace. The day was brilliant, the sun beating down on them without a cloud to distract it, and he complained about the little beads of sweat forming on the back of his neck due to his exertion.

  “Cuz, he’s probably not even out of bed yet,” Jamie complained. “Slow down already.”

  “Jamie, you don’t understand,” she said, grabbing his arm and dragging him behind her. She paused only long enough to remove her jacket. “It’s been months since I last saw him and I don’t care if I have to sit in the parking lot all day until he gets here.”

  “Jeez, no wonder why I don’t date seriously,” he muttered, earning a glare from her. He smiled and offered her a wink but her expression didn’t change.

  “You just don’t know what you’re missing,” she said as her phone rang. Her face lit up brighter than the sun on a summer morning as she dropped her bag to her feet and yanked her phone out of the top pocket. Cole’s name was on the display and her heart fluttered madly in her chest. “Cole! Hi! Where are you?”

  He laughed, the sound so light and free. “In the parking lot, princess, where are you?”

  She squealed, ignoring the curious looks of t
he students passing by. “I just finished class.”

  “Well, hurry up,” he said. “I sort of missed you.”

  “I’ll be right there.” She closed her phone and beamed at Jamie. “He’s here. He’s in the parking lot. I have to go!”

  She lifted her bag and turned west, toward the parking area, but Jamie snagged her arm before she could take a step. “Cuz, don’t you need to drop off your books and get your bag?”

  Heat flushed her cheeks and she nearly smacked her forehead. “Duh. Yeah, you’re right. Come on, let’s hurry.”

  “Go get your stuff – I’m going to go talk to Cole before you two disappear for the weekend,” he said with a knowing smirk. “I’ll see you in the parking lot.”

  “Okay,” she said, yanking her arm out of his grasp and running all out to her dorm, nearly bowling over a couple leisurely walking hand-in-hand. Ally shouted an apology over her shoulder, not caring in the least if they believed or even heard her.

  She reached her room, winded, and dropped her book bag by her bed. Shannon, who’d been at her desk working on her notebook computer, looked up, startled by Ally’s appearance.

  “Is something the matter?” she asked.

  “No,” Ally said as she opened the closet and snatched the bag she’d packed the night before. “Cole is here and I’m in a hurry.”

  “Oh?” Shannon said as she slowly slid out of her chair on shaky legs. “Cool.”

  “Yeah,” Ally said, smiling broadly at her roommate. She shouldered her bag and discovered that her own limbs were trembling. “So, I have to go. I’ll see you sometime Sunday night, I guess.”

  “Have fun,” Shannon said but Ally barely heard her. She barreled out the door, down the hall – passing Rosie and Trudy - and over the sidewalk, the soles of her running shoes smacking the concrete with weird sounds. She was developing a stitch in her side but it hardly seemed worth noticing.

  She didn’t slow until she reached the parking lot and that was only so she could scope out the cars. Her heart flew to her throat when she spotted him, leaning against his car, in a long-sleeved black shirt, the sleeves pushed up to his elbows, old jeans, and a dark pair of sunglasses on his face. He was laughing at something Jamie was telling him, his teeth shining in the sun. She placed a hand on her chest in a feeble attempt to slow the frantic beat of her heart as she took a moment to drink in his image.

  She forced her feet to move and hurried through the cars until she was there, in front of him. She dropped her bag and jumped on him, wrapping her arms around his neck. She inhaled, sucking in the very essence of him, as she closed her eyes and locked her arms.

  “Hey, princess,” he whispered in her ear before pressing a kiss in her hair. “I really missed you.”

  She couldn’t speak, her throat was clogged with a happy sob, so she just nodded and held tighter.

  “Let him breathe, cuz,” Jamie laughed.

  She loosened her grip and slid down his body, edging back only enough to look at him up close. She smiled at him as he lifted his glasses to the top of his head, giving her a good view of his muddy brown eyes.

  “You’re more beautiful than the last time I saw you,” he said causing her smile to brighten so much air traffic had to be diverted. He pecked her lips and caused a shiver to shimmy up her spine.

  “I missed you so much,” she said, kissing him again. “I’m so glad you’re here.”

  “Ally!” someone shouted behind her in a breathless voice.

  She groaned, anger swelling inside her. She was certain it was Rosie and if it was, nothing was going to stop her from pounding on the other girl. She slipped her arms around Cole’s waist and shifted so she was next to him, and glared at the source of the voice.

  Her anger died when she spotted Shannon, running toward her, holding up the jacket Ally must have dropped in her haste. Shannon stopped a few feet away as her jaw fell to the ground.

  Ally giggled and stretched out a hand. “Thanks, Shannon. You can come closer and meet him – he won’t bite.”

  Cole chuckled beside her and draped an arm around her shoulders. He pressed a kiss into the side of her head.

  “Um, hi,” Shannon said as her cheeks flushed. The hand holding Ally’s jacket trembled.

  Ally took the jacket. “This is my roommate, Shannon. Shannon, this is Cole.”

  Cole offered a hand and Shannon nervously shook it, her pretty eyes wide with wonder. “Nice to meet you,” she mumbled.

  “You, too,” Cole said, smiling warmly. “Ally has told me all about you.”

  “Oh, no, cuz,” Jamie said as he moved closer to Cole’s side. “Your fan club approaches.”

  The smile slipped off Cole’s face as he leaned a bit, staring over Shannon’s shoulder at the small group of girls congregating a few cars away, gaping.

  “Those girls giving you trouble, Al?” he asked.

  “Nothing I can’t handle,” she said.

  He nodded, not convinced, as he continued to glare in their direction. “Don’t do anything stupid, princess, and get yourself kicked out of school.”

  “Dude, those girls follow her around everywhere,” Jamie said, ignoring the pointed, dark looks Ally shot his way.

  “Yeah? And what about the boys in the locker room, James?” she ground out between clenched teeth. “Huh?”

  Cole’s head snapped toward Jamie. “Are you having problems, too?”

  “Nah,” Jamie said, waving a hand. “Not really. I’ll tell you about it later.”

  “Sure,” Cole said, squeezing Ally’s shoulders. He smiled down on her and her heart went wild. “Ready to get out of here, princess?”

  “Yes, and don’t call me that,” she said but the threatening tone was absent from her voice.

  He winked, kissed the tip of her nose, and released her so he could grab her bag. He fished his keys out of his pocket and pushed the button to pop the trunk. He tossed her bag inside, slammed the trunk, and offered a fist to Jamie.

  “Hey, bro, RJ wants you to give him a call,” Cole said, suddenly remembering. “He said you have a home game tomorrow and he wants to come. I think Ren and Parker want to come, too.”

  Shannon whimpered at the mention of the band members and Ally stifled a giggle. Inspiration struck and her eyes widened when they landed on Jamie. “James, why don’t you introduce them to Shannon if they come? Maybe they could sit with her at the game.”

  “Ally!” Shannon said, her face flushed.

  “No problem,” Jamie said as he tossed his arm around Shannon’s shoulders. “I’ll babysit.”

  Ally giggled and stepped forward to kiss Jamie’s cheek. “I’ll see you two later.”

  Cole punched Jamie playfully on the shoulder before offering up a fist in which Jamie bumped. “See you, bro. We’ll get together Sunday night or something.”

  “You kids have fun,” Jamie said, his eyes sparkling wickedly.

  Cole opened the driver’s side door and nodded at Ally. She jumped in and scooted over to the other seat. Cole slid in behind the wheel but instead of sparking up the engine, he turned to her instead. A slow smile slid across his face. “Come here, Al.”

  She leaned over the console and he cupped her cheeks, drawing her closer. He crushed his lips to her, causing her pulse to skyrocket, and she wrapped her arms around his neck. He deepened the kiss, unmindful of the audience still standing in the parking lot. When they finally drew apart, his smile returned.