More Than Comics (22 page)

“Hey, I got some killer photos of the show,” she said. “I can’t wait to get them on the website.”

“Cool. Send them to Jared so he can put them up.” He jerked his head toward his brother, who was talking with one of the groupies. “Jared!”

Uh oh. So far I’d managed to avoid all interactions with Jared for my own safety. Kyle had warned me that his brother had a new girl every week, and I knew they definitely weren’t geeky girls like me. If we never met, then Jared could remain the version in my head, the guy who wrote songs that made me feel less alone in the middle of the night and who grinned at the audience like he knew their darkest secrets. Once we met, he would be a real person. But I couldn’t exactly run off now, not with him walking over to us, even though the voice in my head yelled, 
Go, go, go!

“What’s up?” Jared asked, smiling at us. It was a different smile from the one he used on stage, a private smile for friends that made him look even more like Kyle. I saw the real him for the first time, and it was even better than I’d imagined. I was doomed.

“Kyle talks about you all the time,” Jared said to me, after we were introduced. “Great to finally meet you.”

He hopped off the stage and spread his arms, moving in like he wanted to hug me. This wasn’t all that shocking since Kyle was a hugger, too, but I stood there, frozen and tongue-tied for an excruciatingly long pause. It should be criminal for a man to be so good-looking. How were normal girls like myself supposed to touch the sun without getting burned?

“You too,” I finally said and stepped toward him.

As his strong arms circled me, a little tremor ran through my body, like a static shock jolting right through my chest. He was the perfect height for me to press my face into the curve of his neck and breathe him in, but I restrained myself. The hug was brief, but even that second of contact was enough to leave me breathless. I quickly pulled away and took a few steps back to a safe distance.

“We’re having a party at our place after this,” Kyle said. “You should come, Maddie.”

“Thanks, but I should get home.” I had that final in the morning, and Carla would kill me if I kept her out all night. Besides, Kyle and I didn’t exactly run in the same crowd, and I wouldn’t know anyone at this party other than him and Alexis. And Jared now, but he was dangerous to be around.

“At least stop by for a few minutes,” Jared said, giving me that warm smile again. I practically melted all over the floor, like a chocolate left in the sun. So unfair.

Alexis glanced between me and Jared with an amused smile, like she could tell how he affected me. “Yes, you have to come.”

Kyle nudged me with his elbow. “C’mon. You can check out our studio while you’re there.”

Well… I supposed it wasn’t that late yet, and I 
had
 been dying to check out the band’s studio. It would be a good friend-gesture if I made an appearance, and if the party was crowded, I’d probably be able to avoid Jared the entire time. A few minutes couldn’t hurt, right?

CHAPTER TWO

B
y the time I showed up with Carla and Julie in tow, the house the brothers shared in the Hollywood Hills was completely packed. We squeezed our way inside a room that smelled of pizza and beer while music pounded in the background. I immediately spotted Jared leaning over a stunning blonde in the corner, twirling her hair in his fingers. No surprise there.

I’d never been to Kyle’s place before, and even though he’d hinted about his family having money, it was still a shock to walk through the piece of prime LA real estate the brothers somehow managed to afford. Not that it was fancy or anything—it was actually pretty sparse, a typical bachelor pad with few personal touches. But it was two stories, with a pool and an amazing view of the city sparkling with a billion lights, and that didn’t come cheap.

“We really should head home soon,” Carla said as we stepped into the kitchen, where it was slightly quieter.

Julie grabbed some drinks from a cooler and passed one to each of us. “Relax. Have a beer.”

“Fine. One beer only.” But Carla promptly ignored it and started texting again.

“I’m fine with leaving in a few minutes,” I said. I didn’t know anyone here, the music was super loud, and I had no desire to watch Jared hooking up with one of his groupies. I’d say hi to Kyle, check out his studio, and then we could go. My duty as his friend would be done, and I’d still get enough sleep for my final tomorrow. Win-win.

“Speak for yourself,” Julie said. “I had my last final today, and I am a free woman for the summer. Tonight I plan to find a guy who will make me forget all about molecular biology.”

Julie was on the pre-med track with plans to apply to medical school next year, but it was no secret she hated it. Her true love was designing clothes, but she said that was just a hobby, not a career. Or maybe that was her parents speaking. I was never sure.

She nudged me with her elbow. “And you should talk to Jared.”

“What?” I nearly dropped my drink. “No!”

“Seriously, you’ve been undressing him with your eyes all night. Make a move already.”

“I have not been undressing him!” The words came out way too loud, and the people next to us glanced over. Even Carla looked up at me with raised eyebrows, like she didn’t believe my protest. I flushed and lowered my voice. “It doesn’t matter. He’s a total player, and besides he’d never go for someone like me anyway.”

“Why not?” Carla asked. “You’re beautiful and smart, and you play guitar, too. That already puts you ahead of these other girls.”

“I don’t really play guitar. I mean, I do, but only for you two…”

“Hey, you don’t have to marry the guy,” Julie added. “Just go talk to him. Have some fun.”

“Or ask Kyle to set you up,” Carla said.

“No. Definitely not.” There was no way I’d ask Kyle to hook me up with his older brother. Ick.

“Fine, but you have to do something about this,” Julie said. “You’re practically obsessed with the guy.”

Carla gave me a sympathetic smile. “You do listen to his music a lot…”

I hated when they ganged up on me like this. “Hang on, just because I think he’s talented—”

“And hot,” Julie butted in.

“And because I like his band’s music doesn’t mean I’m ‘obsessed’ with him.”

Julie rolled her eyes. “Fine, then let’s find you another guy to get your mind off him. How long has it been since you got laid?”

I rubbed a hand across my face, more than ready to go home now. “I don’t know.”

“When did you break up with Chad? Six months ago?”

“Something like that,” I muttered, hoping she’d drop it already. Chad was a communications major who said “dude” too much and spent most of his time at the beach. He’d been easy on the eyes and pretty good in bed, but he didn’t get me at all. The final straw had been when he’d bailed on one of my big recitals to go drinking with some friends. Music was my life, and if he couldn’t understand that, then there was no point dating him anymore.

Julie opened her mouth to push me again, but I held up a hand. “Fine, I’ll talk to Kyle, okay?”

“Yes! Go forth and conquer!” She raised her beer to me while Carla patted my arm and wished me luck before going back to her phone.

I returned to the living room and found Kyle in the crowd, dancing close with Alexis. “You made it!” Kyle said when he saw me. “Want to check out the studio now?”

“Sure.” I’d promised Julie I’d talk to Kyle, but I hadn’t actually agreed to bring up Jared, after all. “Or I can find it myself. Just tell me where to go. I don’t want to interrupt.”

“Nah, I’ll take you. I locked it so no one can steal our gear.” He paused to smile at his girlfriend. “You coming?”

Alexis kissed Kyle on the cheek. “No, you two go ahead.”

“You sure?” He pulled her in by her waist and gave her a ridiculously long kiss while I stared pointedly at the floor.

“Go,” she said, laughing and shoving him away. “Get your music geek on.”

Kyle started to lead me through the crowd, but a bottle smashed near us, loud even with the music blasting. In the corner, beer and green fragments of glass dripped down the wall above Jared while Becca glared at him from a few feet away. Conversation died as everyone turned to watch the scene.

“
Another
girl, Jared?” she yelled, her words slurred. “How many tonight?” She reached for another bottle to throw, but Hector appeared at her side and yanked her back.

“What the fuck, Becca?” Hector asked. Jared slowly wiped beer off his face like he couldn’t believe she’d just done that.

“Don’t touch me!” She flailed her arms to fight him off. Hector immediately released her, but she stumbled into someone behind her. “Stay away from me!”

“Shit, not this again,” Kyle muttered. “Here—the studio’s at the end of that hallway.” He handed me a key and then darted over to grab Becca’s arm and help steady her. “Hey, let’s get you sobered up.”

“I’m fine,” she muttered. Her eyes closed as she swayed next to him.

Jared stepped forward, fists clenched at his side. “Becca, this has to stop.”

Kyle shot his brother a sharp look. “Let me handle this.”

“Then handle it! We can’t have her on
The Sound
like this. Either she gets her shit together, or she’s out of the band.”

Becca’s eyes snapped open, and she jerked away. “I’m done anyway! Done with you, done with your band, done with all this shit!”

She stormed out the front door, and Kyle raced after her. Jared started to follow, but Hector held him back and they started arguing in low voices. Kyle had been right about Becca being a mess, and I knew they’d been through a few other bassists before, too. Hopefully he could get her straightened out before their audition.

Conversation around the room picked up again, but I slipped down the hallway and found the door Kyle had mentioned. It clicked shut and locked behind me, and the noise of the party faded to a dull thrum. The studio seemed to be a soundproofed garage with cheap carpeting that peeled up in the corners. The far wall had the Villain Complex logo and a bunch of quotes painted in black, including: “You don’t know the power of the Dark Side,” from
Return of the Jedi
; “You either die a hero or live long enough to see yourself become the villain,” from
The Dark Knight
; and “One lab accident away from being a supervillain,” from
The Big Bang Theory
. Under the quotes was a couch with an acoustic guitar flung across it and a small table covered in empty soda and beer cans. The rest of the studio was filled with microphones, headphones, pedals, amps, and cords crisscrossing the floor to connect it all.

I stepped carefully through the room, like I was walking on hallowed ground, and inspected the instruments on display. Kyle had a top-of-the-line keyboard that I wanted to run my fingers across, but I held back. I didn’t see the bass Becca had used earlier—maybe she’d taken it before her dramatic exit. The drums were here, though, in pieces, waiting to be set up again.

Jared’s black Fender sat in the middle of the room, propped up on a stand instead of in its case. It was already plugged into a small amp, like it was just waiting for someone, anyone, to play it. I glanced around the room—stupid, since I was obviously the only one in it—and took a step closer. I just wanted to look at his guitar, to figure out why it was plugged in when no one was here. Maybe Jared had been checking it after the show and had been interrupted. Or maybe he’d planned to sneak away from the party to be alone, just him and his music behind the soundproofed walls. If so, I could relate to that. Music had always been my way to escape and deal with the world on my own terms. I just didn’t think of Jared as the kind of guy who needed to escape, too.

The guitar was beautiful, with a smooth white faceplate, gleaming struts, and a shiny fingerboard. My fingers itched to touch the silvery strings, to form a chord and let it ring out through the amp, to hear what it sounded like without all the other instruments accompanying it. And if I was honest, I wanted to close my eyes and pretend I was on stage, playing for a crowd, hearing them scream for me. The longing I felt every time I went to a concert stirred up in me again. It wouldn’t hurt if I played one chord, right? That was it. One chord, and I’d put it back. No one would ever know.

Before I could stop myself, I picked up the guitar and threw the strap over my head. It settled against my shoulder, and with one hand on the fret board and the other on the strings, I was home. I closed my eyes, picturing Jared when he was on stage and how his talented fingers had moved across the guitar. I imagined him singing my favorite song of theirs, “Behind the Mask,” and the words and notes melted together in my head. I strummed the guitar, the sound ringing from the amp, the vibrations traveling up the ground and into my feet. God, I loved this guitar. It sounded just as good as my own, if not better.

Now that I had the guitar in my hands, the compulsion to play was irresistible. What was one more chord, right? I was alone and the room was soundproof. The door had locked behind me. Kyle was dealing with Becca, and he’d given me permission to come in here anyway.

I knew it was a bad idea. I knew I should put the guitar down and walk out of the room. But I started strumming anyway.

I was hesitant at first, but once I started, I couldn’t stop. My hands found the chords automatically, and the words flowed out of me with the music. Exhilaration swept through me with each note, and I closed my eyes and let the song take me away. Soon I was belting out the words, shredding the guitar like I was on stage playing for a massive crowd. I’d never do this in front of anyone else, but here, alone with this guitar, I could pretend. I could let myself go.

And then I opened my eyes and wanted to die.

Jared stood in front of me, his eyes wide and mouth open slightly. He must have come in while I was playing. How much did he hear? Or worse,
see
?

My fingers slipped off the strings with a screech, and I nearly dropped the guitar. Thank god for the strap. “I’m so sorry. Kyle gave me the key and I was just—”