Phone Calls From a Rock Star (37 page)

“
You will, too,” Cammy
pointed out.

“
Don’t bother. I’m not
going,” I said as I slammed my book shut and placed it carefully on
my desk.

“
You have to go,” Annie
pleaded. “It’s our senior year.”

I pursed my lips and shook my head. “Nope. I
have no date, no dress, no shoes and no desire to go.”

“
I don’t have a date,
either,” Cammy said. “You can go with me.”

My brow furrowed. “What happened to
Phillip?”

“
Mono. He can’t go,” she
said, waving the words away. “You can be my date.”

“
No dress, no shoes,” I
reminded her.

Annie grinned wickedly as Cammy giggled.

“
Sure you do,” they said in
unison.

My stomach lurched as my entire face fell. I
didn’t like where this conversation was going at all. They both had
that let’s-make-Bella-our-paper-doll look in their eyes. That only
meant pain and torture for me.

“
What are you two up to?” I
asked warily.

“
Come along,” Annie ordered
as she dragged me to Cammy’s room. Like I had a choice. She shoved
me to the bed as Cammy produced a white strapless gown
ceremoniously from her closet.

“
We got it just for you,”
she announced proudly. “Oh, and we have shoes to match.”

Annie’s eyes took on a wicked glow as her
lips fought a smile. “We chose white because we wanted to keep with
the sweet and innocent persona.”

I sighed helplessly as affection surged
inside me. I hugged them both.

“
Thank you. It’s
beautiful.” I released them and plopped back to the bed. “But I
just don’t know if I want to go.”

“
Bella,” Annie said,
sitting next to me. “You can’t mope for Jake all the time. He
doesn’t want that. He wants you to enjoy your last year of
school.”

“
That’s kind of hard to do
without him,” I mumbled as pain pierced my soul.

“
You can try,” Cammy
pleaded. “We want you with us. Go for a little while and if it gets
to be too much, we’ll leave and go get junk food.”

I barked a laugh and smiled. “Okay, fine.
I’ll go for an hour.”

Annie squeezed my shoulder as Cammy jumped
up and down clapping.

“
Try it on,” Annie urged. I
did and spent the rest of the afternoon listening to their excited
prom plans. As much as I tried, my heart just wasn’t in it. It was
a thousand miles away, begging Jake to come back.

***

I met with the Education Organization on
campus a few times to tighten up plans as May drew closer and
closer to an end. The concert was scheduled for the last Saturday
in May. Finals started the Monday after and concluded Thursday.
Prom was Friday night and Graduation Sunday.

I threw everything I had into planning and
studying. The ticket auction was a success and we’d managed to
raise quite a bit of money for our charity. Controlled Environment
had signed a waiver saying all profits were to go to Education
Organization. Except for printing costs and a few refreshments
purchased for the reception following the concert, every cent would
go toward the new Education Center.

All my hard work kept my heartbreak over
Jake out of my head during the day. It was at night that it reared
its ugly head and kept sleep from coming easily. I’d taken to
keeping a pillow over my head at night to stifle my sobs as not to
bother Annie. I didn’t want her losing sleep over me.

I remembered every touch, every kiss and it
wreaked havoc on my already shattered heart. I longed to see him
again. I wanted to throw myself at his feet and beg him to heal my
pain. I hadn’t talked to him since my phone call about the ticket
auction the first week of May.

And it hurt.

When the Friday night before the concert
rolled around, I was totally on edge. I’d spent every day that week
either going over the slightest detail or studying for my finals.
Cammy and Annie voiced concerns over my hectic schedule—they
worried I’d burn out but I assured them I was fine. I didn’t
explain that if I slowed down even slightly, the pain would take
control, and I’d lose it.

Annie, Cammy and I hung out in the
auditorium Friday night. Controlled Environment’s sound guys faxed
over a list of things they needed for the show. I checked with the
tech guys from Drama Club who usually ran the sound board, and they
helped me go over everything. Cammy and Annie confirmed that the
lighting was fine, the curtains were clean and free from rips and
tears, and the stage was clear of debris.

After the tech guys left, Cammy, Annie and I
sat on the stage, swinging our legs over the side. I was mentally
and physically spent and I prayed I’d be able to sleep that
night.

“
Can you believe we only
have one week of high school left?” Cammy asked.

“
I can’t believe how fast
this year went,” Annie concurred.

“
Me either,” I mumbled,
thinking how Jake had been with me every step of the way. I
chuckled, garnering curious looks from my friends. “I remember how
determined I was at the start of school that this would be a
memorable year for me. If only I’d known then…”

Annie rested her head on my left
shoulder.

“
You wouldn’t change a
thing.” I snorted.

“
Okay,” she giggled, “maybe
one or two things.”

“
Well I definitely learned
a lot this year,” I mused. “Most of it from Jake.”

I choked a little on his name, hoping they
hadn’t noticed.

“
You miss him, huh?” Cammy
asked as she rested her head on my right shoulder.

I remembered how he had called me the first
time while I was at the Welcome Back bonfire. I remember running to
him when things got to be too much and how he came to school to
defend my honor. I imagined his playful smile that made his eyes
crinkle and the soft touch of his lips. I tried to block out the
look on his face when he told me we needed a break – the pain in
his eyes and in his voice. I hoped he wasn’t hurting as bad as I
was. I hoped he was happy.

“
Yeah. It’s like there’s a
big, empty space inside me and no matter how busy I stay or what I
do, I can’t fill it.” I swallowed the massive lump in my throat. “I
do miss him.”

Chapter Twenty-Seven

“
I will smack you if you
don’t stop pacing and sit down somewhere,” Annie threatened. I
wasn’t in the least bit afraid of her. Not today.

“
I can’t help it,” I
growled. “Everything Controlled Environment needs for a concert is
here. Oh, wait, except for the actual band members! And I have to
meet the people from the Educational Organization in an hour and a
half. Plus, I have to shower.”

I paused to take a breath. “And where is
Jake?”

Cammy materialized in our doorway. “He’s in
the auditorium wondering where you are.”

Startled, I frowned. “Why didn’t you tell
me?”

“
I just did,” she
defended.

I tightened my pony tail and blew a stray
strand of hair out of my face. “I know. Sorry. I…uh…need to run
over there and make sure the sound crew has everything.”

“
But I just got back from
doing that,” Cammy protested. “You told me to do that
earlier.”

“
Right, right,” I mumbled,
biting my lip. “Well, I need to make sure the little fridge in the
dressing room is stocked. You know how Ronnie gets when he’s
hungry.”

“
You asked me to do that
this morning, Bella,” Annie said with a smirk. She winked at Cammy
and placed a hand on my shoulder. “Why don’t you just run down
there and check in with the guys? Make sure they have everything
they need before you jump in the shower and meet the reps from the
Education Center.”

“
Yeah,” I said absently.
“Good idea. I’ll just go do that.”

I ran all the way to the auditorium and
stopped in front of a huge security guard manning the door. “Hi…I’m
um… Isabella Ames. I’m supposed to…”

“
Hey, Iz!” Matt yelled as
he engulfed me in a bear hug. “We were wondering where you were.
Come on.”

The massive guard moved aside as Matt took
my hand and led me down one of the aisles toward the stage. The
other guys were on the stage putting Nick’s drum kit together. I
was a little surprised as I knew they had a crew that usually did
that sort of thing for them.

My heartbeat tripled when I spotted Jake’s
bandana-clad head leaning over a cymbal while Nick tightened
it.

“
Look what I found,” Matt
yelled. All heads on stage jerked up but my eyes were only on Jake.
His face lit up with his crinkly eyed smile as he handed the cymbal
to Nick and jumped off the stage.

“
Iz,” he breathed as he
pulled me into a bone-crushing embrace. “I missed you.”

“
I missed you, too,” I
mumbled, inhaling his very essence.

He pushed me away and studied me closely.
“You look great. Is everything going okay?”

“
Sure,” I said, wide smile
on my face. “The madhouse died down and I’ve just been studying and
getting ready for this thing.”

“
Are you ready for your
finals?” Nick asked as he finished adjusting his cymbals with
Ronnie’s help.

“
Yes. About as ready as
I’ll ever be,” I shrugged. I couldn’t keep my eyes off Jake nor
could he keep his eyes off me. “So, we stocked the fridge full of
food for you guys. Sorry, no alcoholic beverages.”

“
We brought our own,”
Ronnie quipped. My jaw fell and he bent over in laughter. “I’m
kidding!”

“
Come here, Iz,” Nick
ordered, offering me a hand. I took it and he yanked me on the
stage. He nodded at a sound guy and turned a brilliant smile on me
as he pointed at a microphone stand. “You’re on.”

My brows dipped as I stared at him.
“Umm…huh?”

He laughed. “So much for you going on the
road with us I guess.”

Understanding washed over me as I smiled and
stepped up to the microphone. “Check. Check. Check.”

Nick laughed and tossed his arm around my
shoulders. “If you flunk your finals, you definitely have a bright
future as a roadie.”

My phone rang before I could respond.

“
Yes, Annie?” I
mumbled.

“
Bella, you need to get
back here and get ready,” she ordered. “And there’s a bunch of
reporters by the gates. Don’t forget the press
conference.”

“
Damn,” I cursed causing
the guys to gawk at me. “Okay, I’ll be there in a second. I forgot
I was supposed to meet with Dean Fletcher before the press
conference. I’m going to have to make a statement probably. I doubt
they’ll be satisfied with just the Education Organization’s
statement.”

“
Well, rehearse what you’re
going to say on the way back.”

I hung up and looked at Jake. “I have to run
but I’ll be back before the show starts.”

Jake grabbed my waist and helped me off the
stage. He held my hand as he walked me to the door.

“
Iz, one of us can give
them a statement if you want.” His eyes gleamed as he pointed at
the large guard standing at the door. “We can have Frankie do
it.”

I smiled and squeezed his hand. “Thanks, but
I can handle it. I’ll see you in a bit.”

***

After a quick shower, I allowed Cammy and
Annie to have their way with me. What can I say...I’m easy. And I
wanted to look my best. So I let them dress me in a flowing white
skirt and a bright yellow blouse. They left my hair down but pulled
it off my face. They attacked the ends with a curling iron and soft
curls fell over my shoulders. I wore the bracelet Jake had given me
for my birthday along with the necklace and matching earrings he’d
given me for Christmas. I took a deep breath and hurried off to
Dean Fletcher’s office.

The three Education Organization reps were
there and we went over the itinerary for the evening. Once that was
settled, we walked to the gates where our Drama Club techs had set
up a temporary podium. Dean Fletcher approached it first and gave a
brief statement, outlining the concert and its purpose. He stepped
away and smiled at me. My nervous legs didn’t fail me as I
carefully took my place behind the microphone. I clutched the
podium with tight hands and took a deep breath.

“
I’m Isabella Ames, a
senior here at Meridian Valley Academy, and I thank you all for
coming. As Dean Fletcher explained, Controlled Environment
graciously offered to play tonight and have agreed that all
proceeds go to the Education Organization to support its efforts in
establishing a new Education Center that will provide preschool and
kindergarten as well as tutoring and educational
counseling.

“
All proceeds from
tonight’s show will be disclosed at the Education Organization’s
discretion. Thank you.”

I stepped back to Dean Fletcher’s side,
ready to return to the grounds when the questions started.

“
When did Controlled
Environment agree to do this show?”

“
Does this mean you’ve
reconciled with Jake Johnson?”

“
Is it true you intend to
move in with him after graduation?”

Dean Fletcher returned to the podium, his
stern face flushed with anger. “Miss Ames will not answer questions
at this time.”

Turning to me, he offered me his arm. He
escorted me and the reps to the Arts building.

“
Excellent job, Miss Ames,”
he said before releasing my arm. “Would you like to show our guests
to the auditorium before the show?”