hid myself a lot, but only because I was secretly afraid to get close to anyone. Getting close to people was dangerous. People died and the ones that didn’t die hurt you.
The next day at Boy’s Club we didn’t talk much. I stayed to myself and played on my phone while she took the time to show the boys some soccer drills. When it was time to leave, she said she already had a ride and I didn’t try and persuade her to ride with me. I was broke as a joke anyway and I didn’t really have the gas. I’d made arrangements with Javier to work off the weed that was taken by the police and I was hoping to make some money this weekend.
After Boy’s Club, I went over to Finn’s and finally got a chance to practice. Finn got us booked at some new underground club a town over on the following Saturday. I’d missed so much practice because of my community service and spending too much damn time with Patience. My guitar was starting to feel foreign against my fingers and that was no good.
By the time Saturday came around, I’d barely seen my dad and I’d barely talked to Patience. Dad was easy to avoid when I crashed on Finn’s couch, and I think Patience was avoiding me as much as I avoided her. I drove to Mount Pleasant, the town over, with the radio on, my guitar in the middle, and Tiny in the passenger seat butchering the shit out of a Smashing Pumpkins song. There was a reason he played the bass and didn’t sing.
The club we were playing at was called The Icehouse and it made me think of snowflakes, which made me think of Patience. This thinking about a girl shit was really starting to piss me off, but no matter what I did to occupy my time, something always brought me back to her.
“Megan’s coming to the show tonight,” Chet said as he helped me run some wires while we set up.
“What’s the deal with her? You getting some of that or what?” I asked.
“Pfft, man, she’s the best sex I’ve ever had. That girl’s a major freak. I’m talking about the biting, growling kind. I think I’m going to keep her. No, scratch that, I’m definitely going to keep her. At least until I get bored.” He laughed.
At least one of us was getting laid. Then I realized something. Patience had said before that she wouldn’t let Megan go to an underground club alone. Did that mean she was going to be there, too? I wanted to ask Chet, but I couldn’t bring myself to do it. If I asked it would look like I gave a shit if she was there or not, and I didn’t. I really didn’t.
So when we started to play and I saw her walk in with Megan, it wasn’t excitement I felt. It was annoyance. Mostly because she was there and she came knowing I’d be there too, but also because she looked so fucking hot I couldn’t take my eyes off of her. The prep-school Patience was gone, and in her stead was a sexy little vixen with a low-cut top and the tightest pair of jeans I’d ever seen a female wear.
I tried to keep my eyes away from her as I played, but every now and again they moved over her against my will, and I’d get the sudden rush of heat that ran down my spine, wrapped around my pelvic bones, and landed in the crotch of my pants. It was like nothing I’d ever experienced before. I wanted this girl more than I’d ever wanted a girl in my life, but I couldn’t and I wouldn’t touch her. No matter how badly my body begged me to, I refused.
An hour later, she had some drinks in her system and was dancing on the floor with Megan. It was nice to see her smiling and happy even though I knew I’d have to take her home. Megan was obviously drunk out of her mind and there was no way in hell Chet was going to let her drive home, which was fine by me, considering there was no way in hell I’d let Patience ride home with her. I’d had a few beers, but I didn’t even have a buzz and once I saw the two girls partying hard, I started sipping my beer instead of drinking it.