A Real Disaster (19 page)

“So, when do you go on?”

“In a couple of
minutes.
I’m really glad you came. It means a lot to me.”

He kissed me on the lips and wrapped his
arm around my waist. Any negative thoughts began to drift away as I stood there
in Nash’s embrace.

“Do you want me to get you a drink?” he
offered. “I hear that the margaritas are great.”

“Sure, but get me whatever you’re
having.”

“Are you sure? The last time you drank
you kind of ended up wasted.”

“I’m sure Nash.”

“Okay then.”

He disappeared into the crowd. People
around me were locking lips in every corner.

A few minutes later Nash made his way
back to me.

“Here you are,” Nash said as he returned
with drinks.

Snapping my head back, I took the drink
from Nash and downed half of it at the start.

“Thanks,” I said when I finally came up
for air.

“You’re welcome… Someone was fucking
thirsty,” Nash said, shaking his head with a bewildered smile on his face.

“Damn right!”

“I’ll be back soon,” he promised. “If
you want another drink just
drop
my name. I started a
tab.”

I nodded and watched him get sucked up
by the crowd yet again until he appeared on the stage, a guitar around his
neck. He adjusted the microphone and then searched the place. Was he looking
for me or someone else? Who else would he be looking for? I thought he wanted
to show me off. Why would he say that if he was planning on finding someone
else while he was here?

Maybe I was being paranoid.

The alcohol was getting to my head but I
didn’t stop drinking. I did, however, slow down, nursing it.

“Hey there everyone!”
Nash shouted
into the microphone. “Are you having a good night?”

He was answered by drunken cheers from
the audience.

“All right, well I’m Nash and this is The
Renegation
! Are you ready to hear some great music?!”

More cheers came from the audience and I
found myself clapping along.

“Lily, this one is for you.”

My eyes widened as someone shone a
spotlight on me and heads turned, staring at me. I gave Nash an
embarrassed
wave as he strummed his guitar.

Leaning up against a pole, I listened as
Nash dove into a rendition of
Brown Eyed
Girl.
His eyes didn’t leave me through the whole song and I felt a lump in
my throat.
This
was why he wanted me
there. I swiped at the tears that trickled down my cheeks. The song ended and
Nash continued, starting his own songs. I took the chance I had and, after
finishing my drink, slipped through the door to the cold night. Bundling my
jacket close to me, I sat on the stone steps and stared at the starlit sky.

How did I get so lucky?

There I was, the good girl, getting the
bad boy’s heart. How did something like that even happen? It was like I took a
page out of some young adult novel. I was almost waiting to wake up and realize
that this was all just a dream. A girl like me didn’t get a guy like him…

Ever.

So how did it happen?

“Excuse me.”

I looked up to see a red headed woman
standing in front of me. She wore a long green pea coat and had a beret on her
head, also green. She wore knee high boots and I could see the faint line of a
pencil skirt under her jacket.

“I don’t mean to bother you but I was
wondering if The
Renegation
is playing tonight?”

“Yeah, they are. They’re actually in the
middle of a song right now. They just started.”

“Thanks,” she said.

I scooted over to let the girl through
and felt a gust of heat hit my back as she went inside.

Well
she
wasn’t the person I would imagine going to see Nash’s band.

Then I laughed.

I wasn’t the type of person to listen to
Nash’s band either and yet there I was.

Following the girl’s lead, I stood up on
unsteady feet, and wobbled my way back inside. I stayed in the back and out of
the way, not wanting to bring any more attention to myself. Grabbing another
drink, I settled down and listened to my boyfriend’s band play their hearts
out.

Another hour later, the music finally
stopped and the band stepped off the stage. The set was over and they were
congregating around the bar, passing out congratulatory drinks. The red head
was also at the bar and she was nursing some pink drink, talking to Nash.

Furrowing my brow, I tried to think
whether or not Nash mentioned he had a friend coming. She looked familiar but I
couldn’t place her. Had I met her before? Did she go to school with me? Nash
looked up and caught my eye. He smiled, said something to the redhead, and
weaved his way over to me.

“Hey there sexy, what did you think?”

“You were amazing
,..
”

“Thanks.”

“Thanks for the dedication,” I added
shyly.

I wanted to tell him that I loved him
again but I kept my mouth shut. I didn’t need a repeat of the other day.

“No problem…”

“Who’s that?” I asked, motioning my head
in the direction of the redhead.

I couldn’t help but ask.

“A fan,” he said, but something told me
that there was more to the story than he was leading on.

“Have I met her before? She looks
familiar.”

“I don’t think so.”

He dropped his eyes and started to play
with his cup. Something was definitely going on.

“Does she go to our school? Maybe I have
a class with her.”

“She’s just a fan Lily,” Nash said with
a laugh.

“But I think I recognize her.”

“Maybe she just has one of those faces,
you know? The type of face that you swear you know even though you don’t.”

“I guess,” I said, even though I wasn’t
convinced.

Maybe I didn’t know her but Nash
did
and he wasn’t telling me how. I
resisted the urge to press him about the situation. I didn’t want to start a
fight on such a great night so I kept my mouth shut and smiled.

“How about we get out of here?”

“That’s the greatest plan you had yet,”
I told him winking.
“Back to your place?”

“Perfect.”

*
         
*
         
*

“Hey!” Nash cried as I rolled over,
taking the blankets with me. “I’m cold over here too, you know.”

“Shut up,” I mumbled. “I need to sleep.
Sleep is good.”

I snuggled deeper in the pillows. There
was a rustling of sheets, a cold breeze, and then I felt Nash’s hard, warm body
next to me. He draped an arm over my waist, his hand cupping my breast lazily.

“You smell so good,” he murmured in my
hair.

“I’ve been sleeping, how can I smell
good?” I asked as I slit my eyes open.

“Because you do,” he said. “You always
smell good, Lily.”

Nash kissed my shoulder and I smiled.
Through the slits of my eyes I could see the sun rising, coloring the sky in
reds and pinks.

“I love you.”

My eyes whipped open.

“What?” I asked.

“I love you,” he said again, moving his
hand down to my hip.

My heart drummed against my ribs and I
was sure that Nash could feel it. I was speechless. I lied there shocked for a
while but finally found the courage to speak.

“Nash?”

It was too late. Instead of an answer, I
heard the sound of Nash’s soft snoring; he fell back asleep.

I love you.

He said the three words that I was
desperate to hear. But did he mean it? Maybe in his drowsy state Nash said it.
Who knew what would happen when he woke up.

He was probably still drunk.

I could only hope not.

*
         
*
         
*

I hunched over a table at the school’s
library, reading over my history paper and making corrections as I went. My
head pounded and my stomach turned from being hung over.

And that is why I don’t drink. It never
turned out good for me.

“Hey, Lily.”

I turned and Turner stood in front of
me.

“What do you want?”

I hadn’t heard from him since he got
upset in the common area. I curled my hands into fists, digging my nails in to
the palms.

 
“I
came to apologize.”

“Apologize? Do you really think that
some apology is going to make up for what you said?”

“Lily-”

“There are no words in this world that
can make up for that. I thought of you as a friend, Turner, a true friend.”

“I didn’t mean to say those things. I
wasn’t thinking.”

“No shit you weren’t thinking. If you
were thinking then maybe you wouldn’t have said it,” I hissed.

“What can I do to make this better?”

I put my hand to my chin and tilted my
head as if I was pondering something.

“I don't know Turner. Is there something
else you need?”

 
“Yeah,
I came here to tell you something.”

“What?”

“Nash is seeing my sister.”

I stopped short, narrowing my eyes and
staring at Turner.

“Excuse me?”

“Nash, he’s seeing my sister,” Turner
repeated. “She told me the other day. He called her and they’ve been talking.
She came down to see him.”

Nash and
Turner’s sister?
Again?
No, there’s no way. There’s no way that’s
possible. He was lying.

“You’re a liar,” I whispered. “You would
say anything and everything to break Nash and me up. You’re jealous.”

“I am jealous,” Turner admitted. “But
I’m not lying. I saw them together yesterday during the day. They were at the
park. Why would I lie to you?”

At the park
yesterday?
That wasn’t possible, I was with Nash yesterday. Well most of yesterday. There
were a few hours that I wasn’t with him. But it’s not possible. He wouldn’t do
that to me. If she was here Nash would tell me.

“Sorry, I don’t believe you.”

I stood up, nearly toppling the library
chair over, and grabbed my stuff.

“Stay away from me, Turner. Stay the
hell away from me. Got it?”

I didn’t wait for him to answer.
Instead, with my arms full of books, I stomped towards the library doors.

“I’m telling you the truth, Lily,”
Turner yelled after me. “Ask Nash! Ask him about my sister being here! She even
told me that she was going to see him last night!”

Last night. I felt like I was punched in
the gut.
The red head?
No, no that’s not her. Turner
wasn’t a red head and I saw pictures of his sister. She had darker hair than he
did. No, it wasn’t her. I was positive.

My emotions were running on high gear
and all I wanted to do was throw things. Somewhere in my bag my cell phone was
ringing but I didn’t bother to answer it. I knew that it was probably Nash but
I didn’t want to talk to him. I wouldn’t know what to say and the sound of my
voice would likely tell him something was wrong.

The last thing I wanted to do was
mention my encounter with Turner. In reality, though, I didn’t want to talk to
anyone. I wasn’t in the right frame of mind at all. Anyone who talked to me
would see that and I didn’t want to answer any of the typical questions. I
wanted to be left alone.
Period.

Turner is a liar.

I kept repeating it.

His sister isn’t here and she definitely
didn’t see Nash. Nash was with you all night. If Turner’s sister really was
there last night he would have introduced you to her. He’s not ashamed of you,
you know that.

Turner’s lying.

I couldn’t convince myself.

My stomach was still in knots when I
went back to my dorm room and hopped into the shower. Nash would be gone for a
few days with his band and it was probably a good thing. I needed to get my
thoughts in order.

Chapter
Nineteen

Nash returned from his gigs and I still
hadn't made a decision whether or not to confront him about seeing Turner's
sister. I didn't want him to think that I believed everything Turner told me.
However, it was tearing me apart thinking about it and the only way to get rid
of the feeling was to know for sure that he wasn't seeing her.