by Holly Hood
“I never was romantically involved with Anaya. And I never forced myself on her. Once again Tucker needs to keep his theories to himself.” He lightened up a little, standing again and looking at my pictures some more. “You really look happy in these,” he commented.
I stood, coming to stand next to him. We both stared at the photos of me and Karsen. He was right, I was a big ray of sunshine in the photographs. I touched Karsen’s face, a little sad.
“Do you believe me or not?” Slade asked suddenly.
I stared down at my wrist, giving a nod. “Yeah, I do. You were never scary or out of line with me. You saved me that night from the crowd, I couldn’t think bad of you if I wanted.” Then I suddenly remembered the ink and I shoved my wrist in his face. “But this!” I exclaimed.
Slade grinned. “You wanted to say thank you, right?”
I smacked my lips together to be more dramatic. “Please tell me it will come off.”
“Nope, you’ll forever know how to get a hold of me. Now I’m only a phone call away,” he joked. I rubbed at the number trying yet again to make it fade even the slightest.
Slade grabbed my hand, stopping me. He pressed his fingers against the number, our eyes met up. “Come out with me tonight and I will take it off, I swear.”
I blinked nervously, debating the idea in my mind. “I don’t know. I think you should prove it to me first,” I said with a smile. Slade’s thumbs rubbed heavily against my skin. The number vanished. I smiled as he stroked my skin a little quicker, and suddenly, as quick as it was gone, it was back. I shook my head in shock, “What did you just do?”
Slade’s face grew very serious, his eyes clouding over. I searched his eyes for the explanation. Maybe I had seen wrong, but I was almost positive my skin was number free for a couple seconds before it had returned.
Slade jerked his head up, his chin jutting up a little bit. “Come here,” he whispered suddenly. “I have to say it in your ear, it’s a secret.”
I obliged, moving closer to his face to hear his explanation. His lips met mine and he dropped my wrist. I gasped, going in for more. It was a shock, but a good one.
His mouth kissed the corner of my mine, and then he worked slowly to my bottom lip. He undid my robe, slipping his hands inside, his fingers cool against the warmth of my skin. I let out a pleasurable moan at his strong touch. His fingers slinking along my skin, he brushed against my collar bone, his lip ring scraping lightly over my lips. I grabbed at the back of his neck in a euphoric blunder. Slade grabbed the back of my damp hair. Yanking my head back, he bit my neck gently, his breath against my skin.
We broke apart. “That wasn’t an explanation,” I breathed heavily.
Slade agreed, leading me over to the bed. I stopped him.
“Tell me how you did that.”
He lifted my hands to his shirt, guiding them under. I gently felt his body, the firm, soft skin of his muscular frame called out to me and I worried I wasn’t going to ever get an answer, or care if I never got one.
Slade bit at my lip, his tongue running along the bottom of my lip, he held tight to my jaw guiding my mouth against his. We dropped on to my bed, it let out a loud screech sending Crawford barking at the door. Slade shot up like a bolt of lightning. I hurriedly tied my robe back.
“The door is locked,” I whispered. I checked just to make sure, pressing my face against it to listen for any footsteps. Crawford quieted down, letting out a whine before finally going silent, and then I heard his body settle at the door.
Dad hadn’t woken up, and I was grateful.
“You go wait outside for me,” I said, pointing to my window. Slade gave a nod and jumped out the window. I poked my head out.
“Please tell me you’re coming,” he said, looking up at me with the hottest expression ever.
“Of course I’m coming.” I wasn’t going to stay home and pine over what had just happened. It was on a whole other level.
I hurried to get some clothes on, wiggling into my khaki shorts and pink tank top. I grabbed a rubber band in case I needed it for later and threw a leg over the window sill. Slade clapped his hands from below as if I was dropping thousands of feet to the ground. I let him help me out the window, holding his shoulders for support.
He grabbed my hand and we both ran across the beach as if we were escaping prison—or Dad.
Introductions
The park was empty, ticket stubs and empty paper cups were all that was left of many nights of music and partying. I had to admit, it was a change from the loud, energy filled stomping grounds most nights. I didn’t have to try to squeeze my way through a bunch of men or anything.
I followed alongside Slade, past the stage like the last time I had been with him. Only this time things were different, we were different. We had shared a kiss, one that still haunted my memory. It was hard to shake from my mind.
“They’re a little rough around the edges, but you’ll get used to it,” he warned, walking up the two small steps of the tour bus. He gave a fast knock before barging in.
I heard many voices shout out, some cuss words and laughter. Slade gave me his hand. I took it and climbed the steps.
Inside the tour bus it was rather lavish. I half expected to be sitting in a cluttered camper, but it was nothing like my vision. Black and red were the main colors, and a large table with booth style seating made up the kitchen. A dark haired woman stood at a black marble counter fixing sandwiches.
She turned as soon as the door shut behind us, her eyes immediately bypassing Slade and taking me in deeply. I nervously brushed my hair away from my face and gave her a small smile. She was a bit intimidating. Her hair was as dark as a raven.
“Nice to see you home for the night,” she said to Slade, holding a plate in each hand. I shifted my gaze to the table. Oz and Kidd sat in the booth along with a man I had never seen before.
Slade took me by the elbow as he made the introduction. “This is Hope. The girl I was telling you all about.”
Eyes gravitated to me now.
“This is Lucy. Lucy is the momma bear of the bunch. She also has a mean set of lungs on her,” Slade informed me. I wasn’t sure if I should smile. I wasn’t sure what I should do at all.
Lucy brought a hand to her hip, her nails painted black, her fingers long and skinny. She had an elegant frame, a full bosom and prominent cheekbones that made her look as if she tasted something sour and was puckering at all times. Her pouty lips drew up into a somewhat forced smile. I could tell she was unsure of me just by looking in her eyes.
“Nice to meet you, Hope,” her smoky voice insisted.
“Nice to meet you too, ma’am.”
She straightened out her tightly fitted shirt, studying herself. Her head finally shot back up. “Do I look like a ma’am?” She stared at the guys. They all shook their heads no quickly.
“Lucy is just fine by me.” She snagged some bread out of the loaf, getting back to sandwiches.
I let out a quick breath. That had been an intense moment.
Slade cleared his throat. He squeezed my elbow, aiming me toward the table again. “This is Wayne.”
Wayne stood, his tall willowy frame almost grazing the ceiling. He had pale skin and blond hair, dark roots popping up underneath to reveal his naturally brown hair.
“You’re the girl with the voice I take it.” He looked down on me as he talked, his eyes penetrating and hard to look away from. I nodded. Slade pushed at Oz to slide over and took a seat, leaving me to do the same. Wayne sat back down.
All grew quiet as Lucy finished up the sandwiches. She stacked the rest on one plate, bringing them over. She turned back, taking a pack of cigarettes off of the counter and then sat down in the booth with us all.
“Well, dig in, because that’s all you’re getting tonight,” she said, lighting up a cigarette. She watched me carefully.
Slade set a sandwich in front of me. I smiled, picking it up and taking a small bite out of it nervously. If this wasn’t a
wkward, I didn’t know what was.
As everyone busily chewed, I kept my eyes on my food, too afraid to speak. Finally Wayne broke the silence that only I seemed to be uncomfortable in.
“So, I hear you liked the band,” he said, popping the last of his ham sandwich into his mouth. He quickly swiped his hands together getting rid of any crumbs.
“Yeah, Slade was nice enough to bring me back, and what I heard I enjoyed. And Slade has a great voice himself. I was quite impressed.”
All fell silent. Kidd grinned, chewing his food. Oz cleared his throat.
“Slade’s been singing for some time now, right, Slade?” Wayne said, giving Slade a look. “He likes to play modest about his talents.”
I smiled, looking at Slade.
Slade let his sandwich go, no longer looking interested in eating. “Not modest, Wayne. No need to say much.”
I felt a bit awkward all over again. Just as things seem to be looking up, here comes Slade to shut it down with his dark mood.
Lucy grabbed the ashtray in the middle of the table. She flicked an ash, cracking a smile. “Slade was on the right track over at that Ashwilder School. I was mighty proud of him. Just a shame that–”
“Are we here to sing, or talk about dumb shit?” Slade snapped. Oz raised an eyebrow at Kidd.
“No need to take a tone, boy,” Lucy warned, jabbing out her cigarette. “Erica, wake your ass up, your brother wants to sing!”
I looked over my shoulder as the tiny curtain slid open and Erica, the girl from the shore store, dropped her legs, sliding out of the bunk. She wore leather pants that were so tight I couldn’t imagine she had room to breathe, and a tattered white belly shirt that was cut more vertically than horizontal, the slash plunging right underneath her left breast. Several belly chains were looped through her belly ring.
“I’m awake,” she grumbled. Her hair was ratted and a mess drawn back in a loose ponytail leading down her back. She lit her own cigarette, crawling into the booth next to Lucy and Wayne.
“This is Hope,” Wayne told her as if she was dumb. I don’t know why I thought that, but his tone really had me believing it.
“Fucking great,” she said, shooting me a hard glare. She blew out smoke, not thrilled in the least. I didn’t bother saying anything.
Slade poked my side, sending me moving out of the booth.
“We’ll be outside waiting for everyone,” he informed the room. I obviously was supposed to follow.
“Their, uh, their, interesting,” I stumbled, trying to think of something polite to say about these people.
“I told you,” he said, taking a seat on a lawn chair.
“So, are they your parents or relatives?” I asked. It wasn’t clear how any of them connected. Besides Erica. I clearly remembered him stating she was his sister that day at the store.
“Lucy and Wayne are not my parents. Oz, the one with the spiky do, that’s his mother. Kidd is just a friend, and Erica and I are related.” He sighed. “Oh, and Wayne. Lucy and him had a thing going for awhile, but that never was going to last, so now it’s more a career move for the both of them. Give or take an occasional romp every once in awhile.”
I took it all in. It was the oddest situation I had ever heard of.
“So is Erica your younger or older sister?” I asked.
“Older.”
“What made you guys stay together after all these years?” I questioned.
“She’s my sister, where else would she go?” He shrugged.
“Well, I know if I had it my way Elliot and Easton would be far away from me once I was in my twenties.”
“Your twin brothers?”
I nodded.
“Well, that’s just the way things played out for us,” he said with a nod. But I wasn’t satisfied with his short answer.
“How often do you talk to your parents?” I was determined to pull something out of him.
“I don’t,” he said. I kept my eyes on him, sending his mouth back into motion. “My mother is no longer living and my father is in the penitentiary.”
I blinked away the shock. “How long has that been, and what did he do?”
Slade sighed, as if the most horrible and awful thing you could do to him was to get him to give up information about himself.
“I was fourteen. That’s when the traveling stopped and I wound up here in Cherry. My dad got in a bar fight and apparently the victor wound up in jail. The other guy…six feet under.”
“So he killed someone?” I asked, a bit in awe.
“He was defending himself. Call it what you will.”
“Is that why you’re here with Lucy and Wayne?” I took a seat next to him. The more I learned, the more my heart opened up for him, and the more sympathy I felt. I even felt a bit sad. What a horrible life to lead.
“Oz and I were always good friends. My folks were long time friends of his mom. She thinks of me as one of her own. Erica too.” He looked off.
“Sounds like that would be really hard. I can’t imagine going through all that.” I stared down at my hands. Maybe I was luckier than I thought. I might not have the greatest things like all the kids at Ashwilder, but I had a loving parent. Some people like Slade didn’t even have parents.
“Not hard to imagine. We all have a story. I imagine yours isn’t all that great either.” Now he was the one staring at me while I avoided him.
“Why do you say that?”
Slade sat forward. “It’s written all over your face. When you looked at those pictures in your bedroom you looked really bummed. So what’s up with your family?”
I let out an aggravated breath. Scratching at my arm. “My mom left my dad for the TaeKwon-Do teacher back home. Pete’s his name. And my five year old brother, Griffin, lives with her still. I had the choice of staying with her or going with my dad, and I chose him, obviously.”
Slade really listened to everything I had to say.”Why didn’t you just stay where you were happy, why make the move?”
I swallowed hard. “Because I was afraid my dad wouldn’t survive without me. He needs me. And I was afraid of what would happen and that I would hold myself responsible if he drank himself into a drunken stupor.” I closed my eyes. I hadn’t actually said that out loud to anyone.
“Did you ever think maybe it’s not up to you to save your parents?”
“If I didn’t, who else was going to?” I said back. No one else cared about dad after my mom. I was the only one who gave a crap about him now. Mom had Pete. Dad had nobody. It wasn’t fair to let him leave hurt and depressed.
Oz and Kidd came out of the bus carrying guitars followed by Wayne, Lucy and Erica. They had good timing, because I didn’t want to talk about my life anymore.
Wayne pulled up a chair, his fingers strumming a catchy tune. He looked up at all of us. “So, what’ll it be?”
An Understanding
It was late. I worried Dad would realize I wasn’t in my bedroom as I listened to Lucy belt out a song I never heard before. She put everything she had into singing, like she disconnected from the world around her and went to a different place. Her voice was strong with soft hints of femininity streaked through it.
Wayne strummed the guitar and Erica sang backup. Slade and I sat very close, listening intently.
“So what do you think?” he whispered in my ear.
“I think they’re wonderful,” I admitted, and I meant it.
Wayne placed a hand over the strings ending the music. He looked up at me now. I had told everyone I wasn’t ready to sing because I was nervous. I wasn’t like these people—so intense when it came to my singing. I liked singing, but I didn’t feel there were any similarities between us. I sang because it made me happy. It seemed they did because it was part of them, like breathing, and if they didn’t, they would die.
“What do you like to sing, Hope?” Oz asked. He leaned forward in his seat, a friendly smile upon his face. Hours into this visit I had genuinely learned that Oz was a great pers
on. He was caring and helpful and he was very skilled at the guitar.
I studied Slade’s phone number on my wrist. “My father and I always sang old country songs and classic rock together.” I blushed, feeling a bit silly.
Oz picked up his guitar now. He started strumming a quick tune and it filled the air. I tapped my foot out of reflex. I knew exactly what song it was.
Slade sat up in his seat, clearing his throat. He started singing. My insides turned to mush as I listened to his smooth voice. It was the same song I’d heard the night I sat up on the tour bus, the one that had pulled me to my feet. And now I was inches away from him.
I gripped my chair, taken prisoner by his gravely tone. The way he pushed the words out with no effort, the way his expression became so serious and all about what he was singing. He patted the arm of his chair as if it were his drum, his feet moving beneath him.
The wind caressed my face as I watched him.
Oz stood up, urging me to sing along with Slade. I wasn’t sure if I even remembered the hook, but I gave it my all. I was swept up in the moment, everything around me fading away. Slade stopped singing and everyone was fixated on me and my voice now.
Once I finished, I opened my eyes back up. I hadn’t realized I was even closing them. Lucy’s hand was clamped to her chest, her cheeks red, she looked astonished. Erica’s eyes were large and she didn’t take her eyes away from me.
Wayne stood up, resting the guitar against his chair. “And that’s how it’s done. Wow.” He fumbled in his pockets for a pack of cigarettes. Pulling out a lighter, he lit up, watching me as he did so.
“I told you guys you would be as impressed as I was,” Slade said with a grin.
“How long have you been singing like that?” Kidd asked.
I looked around at them all. They were all astonished. But there wasn’t anything amazing for me to say. “Since I can remember. My dad always played music in the car, the house, wherever, and then I just went with it.
