Through the night, I stay up on the phone with Raina, her sweet voice comforting. It lessens my desire to drink, only needing one beer instead of five. Instead, I get drunk on her and her voice.
“Damn, does your phone even stay charged?” Drew asks as he plops down next to me on the couch. It’s Thursday night, and I’m itching to see Raina again. I want to ask her out on a date, but I know I shouldn’t.
There’s so much going on, so why add dating to the mix? But I want to. I want more with her. Texting and phone conversations only go so far.
“Yeah, why?” I look over at Drew and play dumb.
“With the amount of time you spend on the damn thing, I’m surprised it still works.”
I roll my eyes. “I’m taking care of my shit, aren’t I?”
Drew nods. “I’ll give you that. What’s got you so hooked on there, anyway?”
“Nothing. I use it a lot for classes.”
Drew snorts. “Yeah, okay. Whatever you say, man. Have you checked on Tyler lately? I worry about that kid.”
I sigh, and my chest tightens. I wish he could live here, away from Dad and all his grief. “I talked to him the other day. Same old shit. He stays late after school and at his friends’ houses a lot. At least he can get away, that’s how I look at it.”
Drew claps me on the back. “He’ll be okay. He’s got you.”
It’s my turn to snort. “Ha, yeah, that’s not a great thing.”
“You don’t give yourself enough credit, dude. You rock in so many—” Drew stops when his phone rings, and his mouth drops open. “Shit, Levi, it’s Brandon Semos!” He jumps up and answers the call.
“Hello?” Drew starts pacing, and a cold sweat breaks out on my forehead.
Please tell me something good.
Something we need to hear.
“Yeah, yeah, I understand, uh-huh.” Drew paces faster, and his words give me no clues.
Fuck, what’s Brandon saying?
“Okay, yeah, alright, thanks, man. I appreciate it.” Drew ends the call and turns to look at me, his expression unreadable. No smile, no grin, nothing.
Shit, we didn’t make it.
“Well? What the fuck did he say, Drew?”
Drew claps his hand and shouts, his face plastered with a shit-eating grin. “We fucking made it!”
“What?” I jump up, my entire body buzzing with energy. “We did?”
“Fuck yeah, we did!” Cheering, Drew and I bump fists and bro hug.
“Time to celebrate!” he yells as he runs to the kitchen. My mouth waters at the thought of beer.
It’s a damn good reason to drink.
Fuck, I can’t believe we made it.
A band. With Brandon Semos of LYT Records.
Holy fucking shit.
I grab my phone and text the one person I can’t wait to tell.
L: Rai! You won’t believe what I just found out…
Chapter Seven
Raina
L: I made the band! I can’t fuckin’ believe it.
R: What?? Really? Omg, congrats!!
L: Ty, tho I give all the credit to u.
R: No way! It was ur amazing music.
L: And ur special powers.
R: Ha! I wish.
L: I want to see u again. Meet me for coffee this wknd.
R: Hmm, a big rock star wants to hang out with lil ole me?
L: Lol. I’m far from a big rock star.
I walk into class with a goofy smile on my face. Sliding into a seat in the back, I tuck my phone away but not before sending a quick reply.
I’m drunk on my feelings for him, and I fucking love it. It’s been less than a week and I know it sounds contrite, but I feel like I’ve known him forever. A buzz runs through me from the excitement and anticipation of reading his messages, and the crazy conversations that last well into the night. It’s addicting and delicious, and each day that passes makes me want more.
It takes all my focus at night to ignore my phone and do my schoolwork. Otherwise, I’d be lost in Levi’s world all night.
The short time we spent together runs through my head a thousand times a day, wishing I could relive it all over.
The feel of his lips on mine, the way he smells, the way he tastes…
Like Mable says, I have it bad.
As long as I remember to focus on school and music, I’ll be fine. Divide my time evenly and keep school and music as my number one priorities.
Right?
Another part of me questions who I am. I thought I knew myself inside and out, yet here I am, doing shit I’d never do.
Drinking from a flask two random dudes offered us?
Getting drunk on tequila and kissing a hot stranger?
Spending the night with said stranger?
I hesitated when he texted me the first time. But Mable made a good point. I did what I did and shouldn’t regret it. Life is all about the adventure, right?
So why not enjoy the fuck out of it?
Class begins, yet I don’t hear anything the teacher says.
My mind is full of one thing—Levi.
“Rai!” Lori’s shrieks hurt my ear, and I pull the phone away.
“Damn, girl. My ear.”
“Sorry but helllloooo? Where in the fuck have you been? It feels like forever since we’ve talked!”
Laughing, I stand from my desk, giving my legs a stretch. If I read any more history, my head’ll explode. “I know, I’m crazy busy. And we text, so whatcha talking about?”
“Texting isn’t the same, and you know it. Who wants to type out long ass stories to each other? My English lit class gives me enough fuckin’ essays to write.”
“English is your favorite, Lor, so stop fakin’.” I fluff my pillows and lean back on them, settling in. Once Lori starts in on her updates, it’ll be a good hour before she quits, but I enjoy listening to her entertaining life.
Ever wonder how much crazy shit can happen to one person?
Yeah, that’s Lori. Crazy boyfriends, an even crazier single mom who thinks she’s twenty again, and a rain cloud of bad luck that follows her everywhere.
I miss her. She keeps life interesting.
“Yeah, my favorite to fail.” She snorts.
“How are classes going?” Lori decided to go to a local community college near home. She really couldn’t afford much more, but honestly, I think she’s afraid to leave her mom. Can’t say I blame her. Who knows what her mom would get into?
“Eh, same as high school, just double the work.” Lori sighs. “I need to decide on some type of major or career, yet I still have no fucking clue.”
“Nothing sparked your interest out of all the programs? What about nursing?”
“Rai, can you really picture me as a nurse? We talked about this before, remember? I’ll strangle the first person who pisses me off.”
I laugh. “Yeah, that’s a big possibility.”
“Enough about me. I want to hear about you and your new adventurous city life. Are you still talking to the hot musician? Have you gone to any crazy parties? Oh and the sights to see, the food…”
“Whoa, slow down, girl. That’s like a thousand questions in one breath. You should come visit during winter break or something, but yeah, things are good. Classes are hard, intense even. I only have a couple to do with music so far, but they’re interesting and fun. And the city… girl, it’s just as I pictured it. There’s so much to do and see that I’ve yet to feel bored.”