Phone Calls from a Rock Star

by JL Paul

  I nodded as I got in the car. He closed the door behind me and I drove towards school, my heart frantic in my chest. It took everything I had to keep my focus on the road as my mind played pictures of Jake before my eyes. My heart thudded with each flash and I wondered—did this mean I liked Jake for more than just the friend I claimed he was?

  Chapter Seven

  “Hold still, woman, or you’ll get this stuff in your eyes,” Annie ordered. She was quite merciless with a bottle of hairspray and a comb. I was deathly afraid to touch my hair, certain it would crumble in my hands.

  “Relax,” Cammy smiled. “You’re nearly finished.”

  She patted my arm, playing the part of consoling parent while Annie played disciplinarian – torturing my hair as punishment. I cringed and swallowed, hoping to stem off the water collecting in my eyes. If any of it spilled over and smeared the pounds of makeup they’d caked on me, they might be tempted to start all over. I couldn’t handle it.

  “There,” Annie announced, standing back to admire her work. The way she grinned; you’d think she created the Venus de Milo. Cammy stood next to her, just as proud.

  “Bella, you look so beautiful!” Cammy gasped.

  Gingerly rising from the chair, I approached the full length mirror hanging on the bathroom door. My eyes widened in stunned shock at the transformation. My skirt reached my knees and made my legs appeared longer. The sweater they’d conned me into buying clung lightly to my waist and dipped modestly.

  They’d dusted a surprisingly light amount of makeup on my face to hide my freckles and accent my eyes and cheek bones and somehow managed to tame my unruly hair, straightening it so it hung in a sleek curtain to the middle of my back.

  A shiver ran up my spine. I was actually excited. Lance, eat your heart out.

  The dorm phone rang, and Cammy ran to answer it. The tremble started at my toes and worked its way to my head. No one ever used the dorm phones but Admin so that meant Jake must be here, waiting for me.

  “I’ll tell her,” Cammy said politely. She thanked the caller and hung up the phone. “Miss Ames, your guest is in the Admin building.”

  I nodded, suddenly rooted to my spot. Annie shoved me toward the door. “Go, now, before someone else snaps him up!”

  I had no clue how I made it down the hall and over the grounds to the Admin building without falling flat on my face, although I did stumble a few times but managed to keep upright. I cursed both of my best friends for convincing me not only to buy heels but to wear them.

  Angrily yanking the Admin door open, all thoughts flew from my head. Jake leaned against the counter, smirking. The same Jake I’d spent the previous night with in town, only this time he was dressed in pressed, black dress pants and a deep blue button down shirt. I spotted a slim black tie hanging from his neck peeking out from his leather jacket. I discovered the piercing blue of his eyes were indeed natural. He took my breath away.

  He pushed away from the counter to take my hands in his. “You look beautiful, Iz.”

  A blush heated my cheeks. “You don’t look so bad yourself.”

  Mrs. Bartholomew, the ancient Admin secretary, smiled sweetly at us so I pulled Jake out of the building to escape her prying eyes. I stumbled along the sidewalk, cursing under my breath. “Do you want to drop your jacket off in my dorm?”

  He slung his arm over my shoulders. “Is that an invitation, Iz?” The blood left my face, and I tripped over my own feet, crashing into his chest. “I was just kidding.”

  The blood returned, hot as lava. I had a feeling a blush would remain on my cheeks throughout the night totally canceling out the need for makeup.

  “I hate these shoes,” I grumbled as I pushed my face away from his chest.

  He raised a lazy brow, devilish smirk slipping on his lips. “I don’t.”

  With a wink, he offered me his arm. I took it, clutching it much harder than he probably anticipated, and steered him toward my building, stopping a few yards away.

  “Great,” I mumbled.

  Jake flashed me a curious look before following my gaze to the doors. Dean Gold and Zach Washington were standing there, waiting patiently to be buzzed in by Annie and Cammy.

  “Is that him?” Jake asked, his voice a low growl. His eyes hardened and I felt his muscles bunch beneath my hand.

  “No. Come on. Let’s get this over with.” Sighing, I let go of Jake to push past the other two boys and insert my key card in the slot.

  “Wow, Bella,” Dean observed, eyeing me appreciatively. “You look great. Lance is gonna be sorry.”

  “Yeah, well, who cares about Lance,” I replied hotly. “Are you guys going in or what?”

  Jake snorted a laugh but the others ignored him.

  “Yeah, thanks,” Zach said with a weak smile. He glanced quickly at Jake. “Is this your date?”

  “Yep. This is Jake. Jake, Dean and Zach.” I yanked the door open, grabbed Jake’s hand and led him to my dorm room, Zach and Dean close behind. When we finally stopped in front of my room, Zach got a good look at Jake.

  “Hey! You look like…” his jaw fell. “No way! Are you really Jake Johnson?”

  I rolled my eyes while a grin toyed with Jake’s lips. I stuck my head inside my door. “I’m bringing members of the male gender in this room. If you’re not decent you better get that way!” I smiled at Jake as the girls shrieked. We could hear their rapid footsteps head for the bathroom. “They’re a little unbalanced.”

  I pushed the door open once I head the bathroom door slam. Jake moseyed inside as I stood, hands on hips, and glared at the other two. “Are you going to ogle my date all night or would you like to come in and wait for your own dates?”

  They came in and stood near Annie’s bed. Jake fought an amused grin as he studied the room.

  “Which one is your bed, Iz?” Jake asked. I pointed to it and he plopped down. Dean and Zach stood slack-jawed, watching Jake’s every move. With another sigh, I reached through them to close the door. Jake laughed as he jumped off my bed and snatched his hoodie off my dresser. “I thought I lost that.”

  I yanked it out of his hands and hugged it to my chest. “You’re not getting it back. It’s my favorite.”

  He threw his head back and laughed. “Geez, Iz. Don’t go all psycho on me.”

  I stuck my tongue out at him, still clutching his sweatshirt, and pounded on the bathroom door. “Hurry up in there.”

  Jake’s groan caught my attention and I spun to see what Dean or Zach were doing to aggravate him. “What?”

  “Tell me you didn’t organize all these DVDs as soon as you got back last night!”

  “She did,” Annie grumbled behind me. “She’s a freak like that.”

  Turning, a smile on his face, Jake extended his hand. “Annie or Cammy?”

  “Annie,” she said in an even voice. But I knew her, and I could tell it was taking all her strength to keep cool. “It’s nice to meet you, Jake.”

  Cammy, on the other hand… “Oh my!!! It really is Jake Johnson!”

  “Cammy,” I whined. “You promised you wouldn’t do this.”

  Jake just laughed and shook her hand which was enough to shut her up. For the time being.

  So far so good, I thought.

  “We should get going,” Zach suggested. I nodded, stomach twisting.

  “Put the sweatshirt down, Iz,” Jake ordered, amused.

  I glared suspiciously at him. I didn’t trust him at all. “No, you’ll steal it.”

  His eyes flashed. “It was mine to begin with.”

  “Was being the operative word here,” I pointed out.

  He rolled his eyes and took a step closer to me. “I was being a gentleman that night and let you wear it so you didn’t freeze.”

  “Ha! And I was being nice when I returned your leather jacket last night.”

  He chuckled and placed a hand on my shoulder. My skin tingled. “Don’t worry, angel – I wouldn’t have let you take the leather.”

  “Hell
o? People?” Annie butted in. I’d forgotten anyone else was in the room. I was so used to bickering with Jake on the phone it just seemed natural. “We need to get going.”

  Jake slid his arm around my shoulders. “She’s right. Let’s get going.” He leaned closer to whisper in my ear and a shiver shimmied up my spine. “Keep the sweatshirt, angel. It looks better on you.”

  I blushed a deep scarlet and tossed the garment on my bed. He offered me his arm again, and I happily accepted.

  “Finally,” Annie breathed. She took Zack’s arm and pushed Cammy, who was still staring at Jake, over to Dean. He caught her and took her arm, dragging her through the door. Jake and I took up the rear.

  The gym had been totally transformed into a stunning tribute to autumn. Bales of hay were strategically placed near the doors. Brown, yellow and orange leaves were suspended by invisible strings from the ceiling and scattered all over the tables. Hollowed pumpkins served as candle holders as their flames flickered and danced in the dimness. It even smelled like fall; crisp leaves and straw. A scarecrow was propped against the entrance and if Jake hadn’t had a firm hold on me, I would have fallen over it.

  “Relax, Iz,” he whispered in my ear as we followed Cammy and Dean inside. “They’re just people.”

  “I’m fine,” I spit out through gritted teeth. I gripped his arm tighter.

  I felt his body tremor with his barely suppressed laughter. “If you say so but you’re about to cut off the circulation in my arm.”

  “Let’s grab a table,” Annie suggested. I could have kissed her—especially when she found an empty one near the hall to the restroom. I glanced at the tables nearby to see who was occupying them.

  “You still with me, Iz?” Jake asked. I jerked my eyes back to him and furrowed my brow at the tiny smirk he was wearing. He nodded at the chair, and I noticed he’d pulled one out for me. Flushing, I smiled my thanks as I sat. Once he took the chair next to me, I scooted closer, trying to shield him with my body. He chuckled and squeezed my shoulder. “Just try to have fun, angel.”

  Dean finally came out of his stupor and began firing questions at Jake about the band, the new CD, touring, etc. Jake patiently answered him, which totally impressed me. I would have told him to stuff it ages ago. I mean if I was Jake.

  The music was loud and many couples were out on the floor dancing. I spotted Lance and Krysti but didn’t point them out to Jake—the more inconspicuous he was, the better. But the DJ chose that moment to play a Controlled Environment ballad. Everyone at our table gaped at us, and I had an urge to hide under the table. In fact, I’m fairly certain the skirt I was wearing was the only thing preventing me from doing that exact thing.

  Jake leaned over to whisper in my ear as he took my hand. “I think that’s our cue to dance. Come on, Iz.”

  “Please don’t let me trip,” I prayed quietly under my breath as Jake led me to the dance floor. I kept my chin up and watched people out of the corner of my eye. At first I think everyone was merely curious to see who I’d replaced Lance with since he dumped me, but as Jake stopped and wrapped one hand around my waist, I noticed the excited whispers. Jake took my other hand and held it against his chest, close to his heart, and as I wound my free hand around his neck, the other people in the room disappeared.

  “Ignore them, Iz,” Jake said softly. “Imagine it’s just you and me.”

  I nodded, dazzled by the brilliance of his eyes. I relaxed into his body, not able to resist. “But what if they mob you?”

  He tossed his head back and laughed. “I can handle it, angel. Don’t worry.”

  I smiled into his shirt as he tightened his hold on me. I hoped I’d be able to protect him from the masses should they awaken from their stupidity and realize they had a celebrity among them.

  Jake’s sigh made me lift my eyes to his. “Every time we do this song on stage, I’ll have to think of you.” His eyes crinkled from the weight of his smile.

  But my cheeks heated, and I hid them in his chest once more. I knew he was trying to relax me, but his eyes said something more. My head grew light and my pulse pounded. Once again I asked myself if I liked Jake for more than just a friend. I opened my eyes and spotted Lance dancing with Krysti. Both their bodies were rigid and Lance held her formally. I couldn’t help but smile. Yes, it was Lance that I wanted. I was really beginning to care quite a bit for Jake, but I’d been in love with Lance for years.

  The song ended and Jake edged away. “Would you like something to drink?”

  I blinked to clear my head. “Sure. We’d better before Dean spikes the punch.”

  “Maybe we should wait,” Jake teased.

  I shook my head and laughed as we shuffled through the crowd to the drink table. I studiously ignored the gawking stares and the barely concealed whispers around me. “You don’t want me to drink anything alcoholic, trust me.”

  Jake lifted a brow. “Can’t handle alcohol?”

  I shook my head seriously, bad memories of the one time I tried flooding my vision. “Nope. It was an ugly scene I hope I never live again.”

  “Good,” Jake said, handing me a cup. “Stay away from that stuff. It’s not a good thing to get messed up in.”

  “Do you stay away from it?” I challenged. The more I got to know Jake the less stereotypical he seemed.

  He lifted a shoulder and sipped at his punch. “For the most part.”

  I opened my mouth to ask him to elaborate but was interrupted.

  “Hey, Bella. You look nice.”

  My body grew rigid. Jake noticed and narrowed his eyes. I placed a hand on his arm and slowly turned around. “Thanks, Lance. Hi, Krysti.”

  Krysti forced an uncomfortable smile. Her eyes darted back and forth from Jake to me and back again. She was dressed in a short, black skirt, tight red blouse with tons of make-up weighing down her normally pretty features. “Who’s your date?”

  The moment I’d been dreading all night. Finally. I took a deep breath and released it as Jake placed a hand on my waist.

  “I’m Jake,” he said, extending his hand. “You must be Lance.”

  Lance shook it enthusiastically. “I am. It’s really nice to meet you. I love your music. Bella never told us she knew you.”

  Jake gave my waist a tiny squeeze. “Iz isn’t one to boast. But you probably already knew that, huh?”

  “Sure,” Lance said, looking at me with new eyes.

  Jake moved me closer. “Thanks for dumping Iz. Bet you’re sorry now, huh? If you wouldn’t have broken your date, I wouldn’t have been able to spend the evening with her. So, thanks.”

  Lance nodded numbly, mouth slightly open. I resisted the urge to reach up and shut it for him. But Jake wasn’t finished.

  He clicked his tongue at Krysti. “I heard that one of our guys told you if you messed around with him he’d introduce you to us.” He shook his head. “That never happens, sweetheart. That’s a line those guys always use. We’ve asked them not to in the past, but I guess it works for them so they won’t give it up.” He elbowed Lance in the ribs. “I bet those guys get more numbers than me and my band mates.”

  Lance forced a laugh but Krysti was not amused. I almost felt sorry for her until I remembered how nasty she’d been to me since we both started Meridian Valley.

  Jake tipped my chin. “Want to dance some more, Iz?”

  I couldn’t speak so I nodded. He took my empty cup and tossed it in the trash along with his. He held my hand tightly as a large group of girls approached him. Anger burned the back of my throat but Jake was still as relaxed as could be.

  “Jake, could we get your autograph, please?” a cute, dark-haired junior wheedled.

  Marcy Westmont pushed her aside as she sidled up to Jake, batting her eyelashes in a disgusting manner.

  “Excuse me,” I growled. I gently guided Marcy away from Jake and stepped in front of him. “This is a dance, not an autograph session. We would like to dance. So move!”

  Jake rested his hands on my shoulders.
“You heard the lady.”

  He shrugged apologetically, and they reluctantly allowed us passage. We made it to the dance floor without further incident.

  The DJ was playing a fast number and Jake surprised me by being a good dancer. He spun me around and pulled me against him then spun me again. I was laughing and having far more fun than I imagined I would. He kept me out on the floor for a long time until I noticed something near the restrooms. When I stopped in the middle of the floor, Jake gave me an alarmed look. He took my hand and pulled me to his chest. I shook my head and nodded toward Cammy, slumped against a far wall, Dean next to her. Jake took the lead and got us through the crowd quickly.

  “Oh, hey Bella,” Dean said nervously. “Cammy’s not feeling so well so I was going to take her to her dorm.”

  “Thanks, Dean,” I said warily. If I could have burned the boy with my eyes I would have done it in that instant. “I got her from here.”

  He looked from me to Jake and shrugged, inching away. Cammy had slid to the floor, her head flopping from side to side. I crouched next to her to convince her to stand but she just gave me a goofy smile. Jake wrapped Cammy’s arm around his neck and lifted her to her feet. I took the other side and we got her out of the gym before any of the chaperones noticed.

  Once we got to my room, she found a burst of energy and sped off to the bathroom. I grimaced and flashed Jake a helpless look. He kissed my forehead.

  “Do you have water in that little fridge?” I nodded. “Give her some of that once she’s done hurling then put her to bed. And I’d put some ibuprofen or something within easy reach – she’ll probably need it in the morning.”

  “Are you leaving?” I asked. It was only ten and I was afraid he’d run off and I wouldn’t see him again for weeks.

  “No, I’ll stick around. Go take care of Cammy.” He plopped on my bed and picked up the remote control.

  I returned to Cammy and placed a cool wash cloth on the back of her neck. She flushed the toilet, shut the lid and rested her cheek on the cold porcelain.

  “I think the spike was punched,” she muttered then laughed. I rubbed her back then tucked a strand of hair behind her ear. “Thanks, Bella.”