Where You Are

by Alla Kar

Shit. I didn’t even think about that. “Well, I guess we do need to hurry then.”

  As usual, Heather is right. Vehicles line both sides of the road. A vibrant buzz radiates from The Loft as we near the entrance. A smoky haze sweeps past us as the usher opens the door. I cough and swat the smoke out of my eyes. The place is packed with swaying bodies, the bar full of people chugging half-priced alcohol. Heather wraps her arm through mine and tugs me along until we find a small booth in the corner. She is already flagging down a waitress before I can get my wallet out.

  We order drinks and relax back into the seats. “Bethany just texted me, she’s here. Look for her.”

  I glance around the bar, eyeing everyone until I see Bethany trotting toward us. She scoots in with Heather and smiles over at me. “So glad we could do this. I’ve been needing a drink.” She orders one when the waitress drops ours off.

  “You need a drink? I fucking need a drink.” I sip my wine and sigh. “I’m the one pretending to like a guy.” Sliding the tip of my index finger over the rim of my glass, I glance at them over my glasses.

  Bethany lifts an eyebrow and nudges Heather. She gives me a pitying look and points behind me. Glancing over my shoulder, I see Aiden leaned over some girl at the bar, feeling on her boobs.

  Anger. Rage. Fucking torment. My mouth drops open. All the pity I felt for him leading him on is seeping out of me. “That fucking bastard.”

  Bethany shrugs and sips her drink. “He’s an ass.” She chugs back more of her drink and slams it on the table. “What do you do? Say something? Leave it alone? What would you truly do in the situation, if you really liked Aiden?”

  Heather holds her face up with the palm of her hand. “Beat the fuck out of her.”

  I snort, then place my drink back down. “No, never hit the girl. Odds are she doesn’t even know he is dating me. It’s him that’s the problem. So, we fix it.”

  “How?” they both ask.

  “We find our own dates and dance. It’ll kill him to see that I’m not interested in him and his little two-cent ho. Now, let’s pick out my prey.” I hope they don’t hear the anger in my voice. It’s not because I care, but it does add fuel to the jackass-meter that is Aiden. I’m going to cream his ass.

  Heather squeals and clasps her hands together. “We’ve got to find a fine one. Oh, how about the hottie with the nose ring?”

  I wince. “Be nice, ladies.”

  They both laugh. Ten minutes later I’m about to give up, when Bethany points toward the outskirts of the dance floor. A tall guy with wide shoulders and dark skin is leaning against the wall, talking to a few other guys. He must be mixed with something because his mulatto skin is perfectly colored, with jeans that fit him just right and a dark red shirt that sets off his skin. “Hmm,” I say. “He could work.”

  “Great—now go get ’em. I can’t wait to see this shit,” Heather says, taking another long drink. “Let’s go. Get up.”

  I put my palms up in surrender. “Calm down, I’ve got this.” I stand, feeling a little wobbly with this wine I’ve been sucking down. “Wow,” I giggle, which is rare for me, and steady myself against the wall behind our booth. “Now, ladies,” I curtsy. “Let me show you how it’s done.”

  Staggering, I catch my balance and start toward the floor. Elbows and shoves are thrown at me, almost making me bust my ass. The dance floor is flooded. A few guys try to grab my waist but I swat them away. I’m a girl on a mission. The guy doesn’t see me until I’m a foot away. His dark eyes glance down at me, and he smiles. It’s a nice smile, almost sweet. “Hi,” he says, leaning down so I can hear him over the music. “You want to dance?”

  Nodding, I let him wrap a large arm around my waist and pull me toward the floor. Nonchalantly, I glance around for Aiden. He is sitting at the bar, still drooling over the blond. I make sure we can be seen from the bar and press my ass against Hottie’s front. Two tree trunks of arms wrap around me from behind, swaying me to the music. He isn’t touchy, only dancing, and it makes me want to dance more. It’s been so long since I danced; it feels great to sway my hips to the rhythm his are providing.

  An upbeat song blasts through the speakers, and we amp up our pace, grinding and laughing. He is telling me to let loose when he is suddenly jerked away from me. Bingo.

  Aiden is standing behind him, nostrils flared, fists clenched, and face raging. Oh, yeah. He cranes his neck to look at me. “Laney—what are…what in the hell are you doing with this baboon?”

  Hottie steps up to Aiden and presses his shoulder against his. “We’re dancing, what the fuck does it look like?”

  Aiden growls, grabbing my arm and pulling me closer to him. “We’re leaving. How could you dance like that with him?” Is he whining? I’m not sure, but it’s getting on my nerves.

  “Look, man, we were just dancing. If you would take better care of your girl, she wouldn’t have gone looking for a dance partner.” Hottie looks down at me and smiles. “It was fun. I’d suggest you get a better boyfriend. He seems like an ass.”

  Damn. Aiden lets out a cold chuckle and pushes Hottie in the chest. He takes a few steps backward, bumping into a few people, before launching himself at Aiden. I will say that Aiden takes the punch like a man. His head jerks, then he is flying toward Hottie like a mad man. It’s all a blur for a few minutes, my legs wobbly and my eyes hurting from trying to focus. Finally, I clear my head only to be yanked toward the door. Hottie is shaking his head at the bouncer and pointing in our direction.

  My arm feels like it’s been pulled out of its socket. Aiden is dragging me through the crowded bar and toward the door. The bouncer watches us as we disappear through the door onto the sidewalk. Aiden turns on his heel, eyes wide, anger written all over his face.

  “Why—” he trails off, running his fingers through his hair. “Why in the fuck were you dancing with that asshole? I—Goddamn it, Laney.”

  Raising an eyebrow, I pick at my fingernail. “Well, it was just a dance. There wasn’t any need for you to flip the fuck out. Plus, I thought it would be OK since you decided to feel up the blond at the bar.”

  Aiden’s face turns white as a ghost. His mouth opens but then snaps shut. Fidgeting, he finally glances up at me. “I’m sorry—I’m not used to being serious.” He reaches for me, but I take a step away from him.

  I nod. “I know. That’s why I’m not sure this,” I gesture toward the both of us, “is a good idea. I had fun, Aiden. But I don’t think you’re dating material.”

  He’s been shaking his head the entire time I’ve been talking. He reaches for me, but retracts his arm when I take another step back. “No, babe—please, don’t go. Let’s talk about it.” Fear is in his eyes. I don’t feel sorry for him anymore. No more excuses, no more beating around the bush.

  This asshole is going down.

  ***

  Bethany is dying from laughter when we get back to our dorm room. She has had about as much to drink as I have. She stumbles against our door and turns to look at us. “His face, it was hilarious. Has he texted you yet?”

  I dig my phone out of Heather’s purse. Sure enough, Aiden has called me three times, texted me four, and even left a voicemail. Bethany raises her eyebrows and presses her head against our door. “This was the best idea ever. We should go cut his hair now. What do you think?” She falls against the door and starts to wiggle her hips. I have no idea why, because she looks like she is trying to get the door horny.

  “Maybe tomorrow night. We’re all a little too wasted tonight.”

  Bethany pokes her hip out, along with her bottom lip. “Alright…I’m heading to bed. It’s probably good to wait until tomorrow.” She pulls her strawberry blond hair from her face. “I feel sick.”

  I wrinkle my nose and point down the hall toward her room. “You go be sick in your room. I don’t want to see that.”

  She sticks her tongue out at me, then staggers off toward her room. Heather swings our door open and the next thing I know, she is lying on the floor. “Fu
ck,” she screams. “What in the hell—”

  I can’t help it, I laugh. I bend over at the waist and hold myself up with my hands on my elbows. “What did you slip on? Are you okay?”

  She gets up and starts to rub her butt. “Ouch—stupid ass.” She looks down and picks up a piece of paper that had been shoved under our door. She reads it, and then gives me a devilish smile. “You deserve to be bowed to, my dear.” She bows and holds the paper out to her side. I snatch it from her hand and look over it.

  Baby—I’m so sorry. Please, forgive me. I just—you weren’t answering my phone calls earlier, so I went out. Then—I mean—she was just there. Please, call me.

  Really? She was just…there? I rip the paper into tiny pieces and toss them into my trash can. “Let’s cut his hair.”

  “Okay, now?” Heather says, slipping off her heels.

  “Let’s take our showers and wait until one or so. I’m sure he’ll be in bed.”

  Heather nods. “How are we going to get into his room? I’m sure he won’t keep it opened.”

  “Damn, I forgot about that. Wait.” I snap my fingers. “I know the perfect person.”

  ***

  “No.”

  “What do you mean no? You have to help us.”

  Jacks raises his brow and crosses his arms over his chest. “No, I don’t have to do anything. As you can see,” he gestures toward himself, “I’m half-naked and very busy with my term paper for history.”

  Glancing behind him into his room, I see his Xbox controller lying on his unmade bed. “Right, it really looks like your term paper is going to get done.”

  He scoffs. “I’m not doing it, Laney. That is breaking and entering. I won’t be a part of your little maniacal scheme.”

  Heather blows past her lips and presses her hand against Jacks’ shoulder. “Look, this is way bigger than your little Xbox world. This is serious business.”

  He shakes his head. “Sorry, not going to happen.”

  “Please,” I beg, getting down on my knees. “Please, I will…do your writing homework for a month. I’ll clean your nasty dorm room…I’ll buy you a game. Anything, we need your skills. Neither one of us can pick a lock.”

  Jacks lowers his eyelids and purses his lips. “Homework for an entire month? No breaking our deal? And…clean my room before my mom comes up to get me in December.”

  “Done.” I hold my hand out.

  Acting like it may bite, he reluctantly takes it. “Let me get dressed.”

  ***

  Jacks taps his fingers against the bottom of the RA’s desk. Heather jerks my arm forward and we quickly run into the side hallway. Jacks had been distracting the RA, knocking things over and asking a million questions, hoping for a chance for us to sneak in. Aiden’s dorm is across from mine.

  Jacks comes around the corner a few moments later. He has a cocky grin on his face, and his hands are shoved into his jeans. “What in the hell would you guys do without me?”

  Shoving his shoulder, I point toward the hallway. We move like ninjas toward the third floor. It’s one thirty in the morning and his light is off. I’m hoping he is sound asleep. The beer probably zonked him out, but who really knows?

  Jacks glances at us before pulling out his lock-picking kit. I don’t watch as he does it, like maybe that will make the situation a little less real. Don’t get me wrong, I’m not saying I don’t want to do this, it’s just, I’m really doing this.

  Jacks pinches his eyes closed and pulls up his lip until he hears a small click. “Done. Now, you two have exactly five minutes and I’m leaving you here. Go.”

  Heather elbows me and gestures for me to follow her. Tip-toeing, we ease our way into the dimly lit room. It takes a minute for my eyes to adjust to the black light in the corner. The TV is on, a soft roar of some football game playing.

  Aiden is lying face down on his bed, one arm hanging off the side, the other tucked tightly next to him. An array of beer cans lie next to his bed, all drained, from what I can tell. Heather points toward the cans. “You’re making him drink himself to death. Shame on you.”

  Poking her in the side, I hold my finger up to my lips. “Where are the scissors?”

  Heather’s mouth drops opened and she wraps her hand around her mouth. “I forgot them,” she whispers.

  God, I could strangle her. Giving her my best dirty look, I slowly move toward Aiden’s desk. It’s messy with papers everywhere and some drinks. Aiden moans, sending me into statue mode. I freeze, hand outstretched. Please, do not wake up. My fears slip away when I hear the faint sound of his snores.

  Heather’s breath on the back of my neck is making me squeamish. A pair of scissors are sticking out of a pen holder. Grabbing them, I turn around to face her. She is red in the face and holding back her laugh. “We haven’t even done it yet,” I hiss at her. “Can you please be quiet?”

  She straightens her shoulders and nods.

  Standing over Aiden with a pair of scissors in my hands isn’t anything I had ever imagined myself doing. Shit, I don’t even like to be in his room. Now, I’m sneaking into it? This deal is turning me loopy. My heart hammers against my chest, as I near his bed. He is still lying on his stomach, snores rising from his lips.

  “Okay,” I whisper to Heather. I reach down and carefully pull a chunk of his hair from the back of his head. Holding my laughter back, I snip until all I can see is a small bald spot on the back of his head. Success!

  Heather is high-fiving me when I hear the doorknob start to rattle. Why is Jacks making so much noise? Then the door opens just a smidge to show the top of some guy’s head, as he reads a text on his phone.

  Dread. That’s the word. It was consuming me. Aiden said his roommate was never here. Heather is wide-eyed, staring straight ahead. Shit. Grabbing Heather’s hand, I pull her down to the floor with me. With speed I didn’t know my un-athletic ass possessed, we slid under Aiden’s bed.

  The door squeaks all the way open. “Aiden, you asleep, bro?”

  Aiden jerks around, and I assume sits up because the bed squeaks under his weight. “What the—come on, man, it’s fucking one o clock in the morning.”

  His roommate scoffs and I see his jeans drop to the floor. Heather pokes me and wiggles her eyebrows. I jab my elbow into her side. “Shhh,” I mumble as low as I can.

  This is some fucked-up shit. So far this week I’ve gotten stuck in a bathroom window, trapped by my ex-boyfriend in two different bathrooms, and now I’m stuck under my pretend boyfriend’s bed. Someone is definitely out to get me.

  “Since when does Aiden—God’s gift to women—care about staying up late? You’re always dragging some innocent girl in here to bang.”

  Aiden growls. “Well, it’s fucking different now. Back off, man.”

  His roommate is quiet for a minute. I almost think he may be going to sleep. “What do you mean different? Are you saying that you’ve found someone special? Alert the media!”

  Aiden sighs. “It’s—I like her. Her—not her body, which is pretty smoking, too. But, she is…a handful. Dances with other guys, doesn’t take me seriously at all. I love it. God, I sound like a pussy-whipped boyfriend.”

  His roommate dives onto his bed, which protests with a loud screech. “No, you’re just finally starting to open up. I know that girl in high school messed you up, but it’s about time you let yourself love again. Let yourself have feelings.”

  Goddamn it. If I wasn’t feeling bad before the club situation, I sure felt like shit now. Someone had already broken his heart? He just needed someone to push his limits, make him care. An ache tears through my stomach. I squeeze my hand tighter around the hair clutched in my hand. I’m a terrible person.

  Aiden coughs and changes positions. “Thanks, man. It was nice to have you here.”

  His roommate mumbles something under his breath and then there is silence.

  Heather and I are holding our breaths, until we start to hear their snores in the silence of the dorm room. Heather ta
ps my shoulder and points toward the door.

  I nod, slowly, crawling out from underneath his bed. Heather follows behind me, closing the door behind her. Jacks looks like he just saw a horde of zombies walking through the hallway. “What the—oh, my God, I thought you two were dead meat. Shit, I didn’t want to call you, it would have woken Aiden up.”

  “I know, I think I almost shit in my pants,” Heather says, wiping her brow. “But,” she grabs my wrist and holds up the hand with the hair, “we got it.”

  Jacks rolls his eyes. “You two are terrible people. Make sure I never piss you two off. Can we go home now?”

  I nod. “What did you say to the roommate? He wasn’t curious that you were standing outside his dorm room?”

  Jacks smiles. “I just pretended to be at the wrong door. Then I started acting drunk, because I figure that always works. It did.”

  “Of course.”

  Chapter Thirteen

  Lachlan

  “My weakness is that I care too much” – Papa Roach

  “I won.”

  The blue ribbon in my hands stares back up at me. I clutch it tighter, glaring down at the words 1st Place. “I bloody won,” I mumble under my breath. The crowd is still cheering, patting me on the back, flashing me big grins. “I bloody did it.” It’s not that I thought I couldn’t win, but my opponent was good. She had been cooking her entire life. So had I, but she had at least twenty years on me.

  I turn and shake her hand. “Your cake was delicious, luv. You’re a fantastic cook.”

  She smiles, then pats me on the back. “Not as good as yours. Congratulations, hon. You have a wonderful life ahead of you.”

  Smiling, I kiss her cheek before she starts packing her things. Dr. Phillips, who had handed me my ribbon, was now looming over me. It kind of flipped me the bloody hell out. “Lachlan,” he says, adjusting his glasses. “We have tons to talk about. I’m going to be pretty busy with tests the next few days. Is there any way you could meet me at the college? I have a writing class around eleven on Monday. We can go over all the details of your job. Set up a time to go check out the restaurant. It will be open in a couple of weeks.”