All it does is make him laugh. His deep chuckle rumbles in the silence of the room for several long heart beats.Once it settles, he stares me dead set in the eyes. “Your fucking loss then.”
With that, he pivots on his heels and stalks to the door. It’s only now do I wonder what opportunity I missed. His confidence didn’t falter an inch when I turned down his request, showing he believes in his band's ability to make it big.
Setting down my guitar, I chase after him. “Wait up,” I call out when I spot him about to exit the large double doors of my school.
He stops for the briefest second, shrugs, then pushes through the open doors.
“I’m not going to beg,” I chant to myself.
Numerous girls’ heads turn when he walks past them, but he ignores their bright smiles and fluttering lashes.
“Do you know that guy?” I ask a girl watching the spectacle from my side.
She looks at me, baffled. “Doesn’t everyone?”
The brunette standing to her left giggles as her cheeks give off a pink hue.
I roll my eyes. “Obviously not.”
“That’s because you’re a guy,” the pretty brunette mumbles, still giggling.
Her eyes take their time raking my body before they lift to my face. My chest swells with smugness when her tongue delves out to lick her suddenly parched lips.
“That I am.”
While exchanging numbers with my newfound friend, I discover the guy who interrupted me is Noah Taylor. He’s the lead singer of a band called Rise Up. During our brief conversation, she divulges that he’s playing at a high school party Friday night. That piques my interest. If I watch him perform, like what I see, I could be persuaded into joining them.
* * *
Friday night, I borrow a school guitar before heading to the address the brunette disclosed. When I arrive at the party, Rise Up is in the middle of a set. I’ll admit, I’m fucking shocked by what I’m hearing. I thought Noah would be into heavy metal or indie rock shit, so you can imagine my surprise when I discover his band playing a range of top forty hits.
When they announce they’re taking a break, I hustle my way over to Noah.“I changed my mind,” I shout to project my voice over the noisy hum of drunken teenagers.
Noah’s dark eyes drift from a girl cozying up to his side to me. When he realizes who’s accosting him, his glare picks up. Without speaking a word, he resumes his conversation with the girl, snubbing me as if I don’t exist.
I don’t give in easily. “Do I need to audition? Or. . .?”
He dismisses me with four words. “You lost your chance.”
After he finishes chatting with his female friend, he strolls through a swarm of sweaty bodies writhing on the dance floor. Several people fight for his attention as he struts by—myself included.
“I can play anything you request.”
Acting as if I never spoke, he heads to a keg set up in the kitchen. He fills a plastic cup to the rim before making his way to a huge guy leaning against the kitchen counter. My throat becomes scratchy when I take in his friend. He is massive. His arms are the size of my head, and he’s wider than I am tall. He looks as if he could snap me like a twig.
After growing some balls, I join their little gathering.Noah acts as if I am a ghost. His eyes float around the room, winking at some girls, smiling at others. Even though he’s only in high school, he’s treated like a celebrity.
I want to be treated like a celebrity too.
“I can play anything you request.”
Smirking, Noah shakes his head before making his way back to the makeshift stage. When the band begins performing minutes later, I realize it’s my one and only chance to show them what talent I have. With determination, I bolt back to my car to gather the guitar I borrowed earlier.
Not having time to tune it, I place the strap around my neck, then dart back into the party. When I enter the oversized formal living room, the band is playing Fall Out Boy’s “Sugar, We’re Goin’ Down.” I hesitate. I’ve only heard this song a handful of times, much less played it, but since it’s my only chance to impress them, I suck it up.
After a deep exhale to rid the nerves in my stomach, I strum the strings of my guitar in rhythm with Noah’s. Several eyes gawk at me, utterly confused, but one set of dazzling blue eyes nearly make me miss a chord. They’re light blue and simply stunning. Then her lips. . . damn! They’re soft, pouty, and sexy as sin.
When the pretty blonde’s eyes nervously dart away, I chuckle before continuing my mission.Noticing my approach, the crowd part, creating a clear path between me and the band. Noah’s dark eyes track me, but not once does he falter on his performance. He’s paid to perform, and that’s precisely what he does.
