giggly-valley-girl act, even though I know she isn’t normally like that. When there’s a cute boy around, it’s like her brain gets sucked out, and popcorn is filling the space.
Deklan continues to pick the older, more mature girls, over the vapid groupie my best friend becomes. Soon after her sixteenth birthday, she gets together with the lead in our high school theater production, and is “so done with musicians. Actors are the shit.”
This causes some dissension between us. I'm her best friend, but I'm not into high school theater. I'm into garage bands, Rolling Bridges to be specific, and not just for the view. These guys had the talent to make it far. I knew it now. Bobby was right. I begged and pleaded with Bobby to let me go with him, and promised to stay out of the way. I finally had to pay him twenty dollars a show in bribe money.
It takes two shows for Deklan to notice that I’m there and that Stacie isn’t. After a set, I have cardiac arrest when he comes to my table and pulls a chair out. He flips it around so it’s facing backwards, and straddles the seat, resting his forearms on the back of the chair. He gives me a chin lift, and I try not to drool. He’s even hotter up close. His muscles are visible, because he’s wearing a wife beater, and his arms and chest are glistening with sweat from the lights on stage. Now I feel like my head is filled with popcorn. No wonder Stacie acted like a groupie!
“Your friend finally got the hint?” he asks me. His tone seems rather rude, but his voice is sexy and raspy, and I try to ignore the way it makes me feel.
I lift one eyebrow. “She hooked up with an actor.” Take that.
He nods and purses his lips in thought, but they’re so full and puffy that my mouth waters. I swallow back the saliva. “But you’re still gonna come, right? To the shows.”
What? What does that mean? Does he want me to? Does he think it’s annoying? I stare as my anxiety escalates with every passing second. He finally explains, “I noticed you record us sometimes. It would be cool to get some of those to send to record labels since we don’t have the money to make a demo yet.”
I swallow hard again and nod. “Sure, I can give them to Bobby, and he can get them to you.”
“Thanks. Hey what’s your name?” he asks.
“Ali,” I say weakly, suddenly brought back down to earth by the realization that he has no idea who I am. I’ve been going to his shows for four months now. I have actually been to every one, and my best friend has been flirting with him most of the time. I’m one of five people in this bar that came to see them, and I’m pretty sure some of those people are their parents.
“Thanks Ali. I’ll see you at the next show, yeah?” He says this distractedly as he eyes a girl at the bar who is old enough to legally be there. I don’t say anything back, and he doesn’t notice.
I give Bobby the tapes at the next show, and Deklan comes over and puts an arm around my shoulder. “Thanks Ali. Hey, when we hit it big we’ll always have a ticket for you okay? I think you’re our biggest fan.”
I blush red as a tomato, but point out in a snarky voice, “I think I’m your only fan Deklan, don’t count your chickens yet.”
He laughs and squeezes my shoulder, then runs to take the stage. As I watch him adjust the microphone stand, there’s a high-pitched voice in my head, squealing at the top of her lungs – Did he just touch me?! Ohmigawd! Shit. Who’s the teeny bopper now?
Chapter 2
Later that year
Two months later they send out their performance DVDs. Six months after that they get signed to a record label. By this time, the band knows me, and I know the band. We aren’t friends because they live so far away from where I do, but they recognize me and always wave, which in turn makes the groupies shriek. Yes, Rolling Bridges has a following now. Mostly girls my age; all of them ready to put out, and the band takes full
Deklan continues to pick the older, more mature girls, over the vapid groupie my best friend becomes. Soon after her sixteenth birthday, she gets together with the lead in our high school theater production, and is “so done with musicians. Actors are the shit.”
This causes some dissension between us. I'm her best friend, but I'm not into high school theater. I'm into garage bands, Rolling Bridges to be specific, and not just for the view. These guys had the talent to make it far. I knew it now. Bobby was right. I begged and pleaded with Bobby to let me go with him, and promised to stay out of the way. I finally had to pay him twenty dollars a show in bribe money.
It takes two shows for Deklan to notice that I’m there and that Stacie isn’t. After a set, I have cardiac arrest when he comes to my table and pulls a chair out. He flips it around so it’s facing backwards, and straddles the seat, resting his forearms on the back of the chair. He gives me a chin lift, and I try not to drool. He’s even hotter up close. His muscles are visible, because he’s wearing a wife beater, and his arms and chest are glistening with sweat from the lights on stage. Now I feel like my head is filled with popcorn. No wonder Stacie acted like a groupie!
“Your friend finally got the hint?” he asks me. His tone seems rather rude, but his voice is sexy and raspy, and I try to ignore the way it makes me feel.
I lift one eyebrow. “She hooked up with an actor.” Take that.
He nods and purses his lips in thought, but they’re so full and puffy that my mouth waters. I swallow back the saliva. “But you’re still gonna come, right? To the shows.”
What? What does that mean? Does he want me to? Does he think it’s annoying? I stare as my anxiety escalates with every passing second. He finally explains, “I noticed you record us sometimes. It would be cool to get some of those to send to record labels since we don’t have the money to make a demo yet.”
I swallow hard again and nod. “Sure, I can give them to Bobby, and he can get them to you.”
“Thanks. Hey what’s your name?” he asks.
“Ali,” I say weakly, suddenly brought back down to earth by the realization that he has no idea who I am. I’ve been going to his shows for four months now. I have actually been to every one, and my best friend has been flirting with him most of the time. I’m one of five people in this bar that came to see them, and I’m pretty sure some of those people are their parents.
“Thanks Ali. I’ll see you at the next show, yeah?” He says this distractedly as he eyes a girl at the bar who is old enough to legally be there. I don’t say anything back, and he doesn’t notice.
I give Bobby the tapes at the next show, and Deklan comes over and puts an arm around my shoulder. “Thanks Ali. Hey, when we hit it big we’ll always have a ticket for you okay? I think you’re our biggest fan.”
I blush red as a tomato, but point out in a snarky voice, “I think I’m your only fan Deklan, don’t count your chickens yet.”
He laughs and squeezes my shoulder, then runs to take the stage. As I watch him adjust the microphone stand, there’s a high-pitched voice in my head, squealing at the top of her lungs – Did he just touch me?! Ohmigawd! Shit. Who’s the teeny bopper now?
Chapter 2
Later that year
Two months later they send out their performance DVDs. Six months after that they get signed to a record label. By this time, the band knows me, and I know the band. We aren’t friends because they live so far away from where I do, but they recognize me and always wave, which in turn makes the groupies shriek. Yes, Rolling Bridges has a following now. Mostly girls my age; all of them ready to put out, and the band takes full
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