Ace's Wild (4 page)

Chapter 5

Ace

Nate and I are on our way to San Francisco to watch Mel and Sara’s friend perform. I’m excited to see Mel, I’ve been driving Nate a little crazy these last few days with my anticipation for the night. No one has ever gotten under my skin like this. I can’t believe I let the possibility that she may have a boyfriend get under my skin the way it did. There’s no reason why it should have pissed me off so badly. I just met this girl for fuck’s sake.

    So why is it that I can’t get her out of my head?

    This feels different. I can’t describe it any other way. It’s like something inside of me has woken up and won’t go away no matter how hard I try to stomp it down.

    I want this girl. Bad.

    I’ve seen other girls with some of the same awkward mannerisms as her, and I always thought it was annoying with those other girls, but with her
it’s fucking adorable. Everything about her draws me in. Her long mocha-colored hair, her deep blue eyes, and ivory skin. And, sweet Jesus, those plump lips. The things I want those lips to do to me. When we met for coffee she was dressed in a band tee, jeans, and converse. I wouldn’t necessarily consider that hot but on her it was. Her curves rocked every inch of that outfit.

    These are the thoughts that have been in my head since meeting her the other day. What I am feeling is utter insanity. It shouldn’t be like this after only seeing this girl twice.

There was one particular moment while we were talking that she was lost inside her head and her face turned sad and then angry. It wasn’t obvious, if anyone else were looking at her I’m not sure they would have noticed, but I know the cracks in her mask all too well. She’s been hurt by someone and is doing her best to cover it up. I wear the same mask but the cracks in mine have melded into my soul and become a part of me. My ghosts haunt me every day, unfortunately the day we met for coffee I let some of them surface. Mel was able to make me feel better just by the simple act of buying a cookie but it also made me feel like an ass for how I acted toward her when I first arrived.

    Right as I was walking out the door to meet Mel for coffee I received a call from Walt, my former best friend and also the guitarist for Spades. He was only calling to confirm that everything that Bill had said was correct and to also tell me that they had
already found a replacement. The conversation on his end was clipped and mildly robotic.

    Get this, that replacement that they set up was none other than douchey McDouchbag himself, Zee from Ignite. Now that I think of it, it is kind of strange that he would drop out of his other band just to replace me. It’s not like he has ever been friends with any of us before. At the time when Liam dropped this news on me that wasn’t the first thing that came to mind, understandably.

    That’s the second time they blindsided me this week alone. The term “Backstabber” keeps popping into my head. At first I thought that this hurt so much it was like they were staring me in the eyes while they ripped me to shreds but that takes a certain amount of courage to be able to face someone head on while ripping out their soul. No, they were fucking cowards. They encouraged me while I was in treatment, acted like they were there for me, but then the first chance they get they bring out the claws and attack me from behind. Twice.

    Nate’s voice interrupts my thoughts. “Are you going to be okay?”

    I look over at him, and he has a worried expression on his face. I know he’s referring to being in a bar around alcohol and God knows what else. “I’ll be fine,” I reply. I know he’s just looking out for me, but I can’t help but be a little offended, even though I won’t tell him that. I deserve to be treated like a child for how I acted. I have no excuse for it other than I was just stupid. I’d like to think I’m strong enough now. Before I have any more time to think about it, we park in the parking garage and start walking toward the venue.

    As we walk in, we immediately spot Melody and Sara at the bar with drinks in hand. We begin walking toward them. The bar seems to be close to capacity, it’s a decent sized place too. My anxiety heightens with the volume of people around. I’m wearing a beanie and a hoodie in hopes that people recognizing me will be at a minimum tonight. My hopes quickly turn to dust as a group of girls squeal and ask for autographs.

    After signing a few items, including body parts, we make our way to Sara and Melody. I keep my head down in an attempt to avoid attention. As we approach the girls it becomes clear that they are already a few drinks in. They’re leaning on each other giggling like crazy. Sara spots Nate and jumps on him then begins devouring his mouth.

    I immediately turn my attention to Mel and take in her beauty. She’s wearing her hair down and it falls in waves passed the middle of her back. She’s wearing a black dress that hugs every curve of her body. The sleeves of the dress go past her elbows, and she’s not showing too much cleavage. The dress is dangerously short though, and I sense my overprotectiveness might come out tonight.

    She turns and sees Sara and Nate in their embrace then her eyes wander over to me and our eyes lock. My palms begin to sweat, and my breathing increases. My heart feels like it’s in my throat.

   
What the fuck is wrong with me?

    I step toward her at the bar, and it’s becomes apparent that I have the same effect on her. She has a death grip on her drink, and her breaths are quick and shallow.

    I lean close to her ear so she can hear me over the music that is playing through the speakers. “You look beautiful tonight.”

    She brings her mouth close to the side of my face and replies, “Thank you.” She leans back and quickly downs the remaining liquid from her glass. She signals the bartender for another, and he soon brings her another one and she begins downing that one just as fast.

“You should probably slow down,” I tell her.

    Her head snaps to my face, and her eyes squint in annoyance. Shit, I guess that was the wrong thing to say because she finishes off her drink before storming off. Sara notices and gives Nate a final kiss before chasing after her.

    “What the fuck did you do now?” Nate asks looking in the direction the girls just ran off in.

    “All I did was tell her to slow down. She’s going to thank me in the morning.” Okay, she probably won’t, but I’ve had more hangovers than I can count, and I was only trying to save her the headache.

    “You sure do have a way with words,” he smirks.

    The girls are still nowhere in sight so we decide to find a table before the show starts. We find one toward the back and take a seat. The venue is nice
for a bar. The actual bar is tucked in the corner while the floor is completely open with a few tables lining one wall and booths against the other. There’s a stage at the front with just a microphone and a stool.

    Soon, the music on the speakers stops blasting and a guy walks out on the stage with guitar in hand. The crowd roars, and I suddenly spot Mel and Sara right up front yelling along with the rest of the crowd. I feel a stab of jealousy down in my gut.

    Just to be clear- I love women, not men. With that said, this guy on the stage isn’t ugly. He looks kind of preppy and his hair is perfectly gelled back. He wears a collared shirt and khakis. I mean, the guy looks like he’s straight out of an Abercrombie and Fitch catalogue.

    “Hey, how’s everybody doing tonight?” he yells into the microphone with an ear to ear grin on his face, and even from here, I can see his blindingly white teeth. The crowd yells in excitement before he continues, “My name is Andy, and I’ll be playing a few songs for you all. I hope that’s alright.” The audience screams their approval. He begins singing, and I have to admit, the guy is good. Like, really good. His voice never misses a note. If I had to compare his style to an individual or group I’d say his voice is similar to the guy from OneRepublic.

    After a few songs he addresses the crowd. “I just want to take a minute to thank a very special person tonight. I’ve went through some tough stuff recently, and she was there every step of the way. Get your ass up here Mel!” He motions to the front of the stage where Mel and Sara are standing. Mel has her hands over her face and is shaking her head in embarrassment while Sara is pushing her to go. Finally Mel puts her hands up in surrender and begins walking to the stage entrance.

    The amount of alcohol she consumed is only obvious by the slight stagger to her walk but that could also be nerves. When she finally makes it to Andy they embrace and then he kisses her affectionately on the forehead. I take a calming breath before reminding myself that I have no reason for the jealousy that is consuming my every thought.

    “Isn’t she beautiful?” he says into the mic. There are a few cat calls in the audience and I clench my fists under the table. Even from here I can see the shade of crimson that covers her cheeks as she shakes her head with an embarrassed smile. “She’s got the voice of an angel too, you guys want to hear it?” Everyone is yelling their encouragements up to the stage and at first Mel seems hesitant then she easily gives in.

    Mel walks up to the mic. “Ain’t peer pressure a bitch?” she laughs. “Okay, well I guess this is really happening. What do you want to hear?” she asks the audience. Answers come from every direction but Mel seems to hear something she likes and nods her head and then turns to Andy to whisper in his ear.

    I’m intrigued. I didn’t know she could sing, and it just adds to the list of the ways this girl is getting to me. She has her back to the audience and her head is near Andy’s while they discuss something. He has his hand on her lower back, and my jealousy rears its head. I want to go up there and push him aside while I go caveman and drag her off the stage. There are a couple of problems with that though. First, she’s not mine. Second, I’m not a psycho. Sober anyways.

    They seem to be settled on their decision and come back to the microphone. Mel sits on the stool while Andy stands to the right of her with his guitar. The mic stand sits between them.

    Mel adjusts her skirt and then crosses her ankles before talking to the crowd. “This song is one of my favorites by one of my favorite duos. Andy and I like to sing a lot of their stuff, but this one is the best, hands down.” She looks adoringly at Andy, and I want to gag. “This song is called “Barton Hallow” by The Civil Wars.” The crowd yells their approvals and then Andy and Mel begin the song.

    I’m still annoyed with their obvious adoration for each other but my thoughts quickly dissipate as I listen to Melody’s voice. My heart races and my body tingles all over with every rise and fall of her voice. Even with a few drinks in her system, she still makes it seem effortless, and she smiles the whole way through it. Her long auburn hair falls in waves over her shoulder and at times she brings her hands up to make motions along with the song. I never thought such a powerful voice could come out
of such a petite half-drunk beauty, but she manages to do it without missing a beat.

    They finish up and the crowd roars with applause. I scoot out of the booth and clap and holler as well. I’ve never seen anything like that before. Sure, I’ve been to plenty of live shows, but I would consider this bar a pretty intimate setting. It’s not huge, but considering its size, it’s still packed with people.

    When you go to an arena style show it’s amazing to see it packed with screaming fans, but I couldn’t walk through the crowd and say my thanks if I wanted to. That intimacy is lost in big shows. But with smaller venues you can walk around, buy people a few drinks, and have a good ol’ time. It’s something to remember if I ever tour again, especially with the sound I’m trying to go for.

    Melody and pretty boy say their thanks and exit the stage.

    I get up to go outside and take a moment to collect myself. I tell Nate I’ll be right back and make my way out. I know the jealousy I’m feeling is irrational but so is the strong pull I feel toward Mel. It shouldn’t be like this. I’ve lived my whole life thinking that this tingly feeling didn’t exist. Sure, I’ve gotten that feeling a little farther south but never have I felt it all the way in my stomach and up in my chest. It’s the kind of tingles that takes your breath away and makes you crave more.

    I make my way through the crowd, put my hood on, and keep my head down in hopes that I will be
left alone.

    When I get outside I walk down the street a little ways until I spot a graffitied bus stop bench and take a seat. This last week has been overwhelming and I’d be lying if I said I didn’t want to get shitfaced and let this frustration drift away. I rest my elbows on my knees and bury my face in my heads while I take a deep breath.

    I knew that being thrown back into everyday life was going to be difficult. I’m at the edge of the cliff of my sobriety and each stressful situation brings me that much closer to nose diving back into the depths of my past addictions.

    I rub my hands against my face, and I sense someone near me. I look up and Mel is standing a couple of feet away swaying on her feet. “I thought you left me.” She does a pouty face and plops down on the bench next to me.

    “And I thought you were pissed at me,” I reply

    “I overreacted. Biiig surprise there huh? Mel overreacting, story of my freaking life,” she huffs. It becomes clear that she has had more alcohol since finishing her performance.