Scars and Songs (5 page)

“Lea, you should never have a battle of wits with an unarmed opponent.”
Her voice pierced me to my seat.
I needed to leave.
Yeah, but I just sat there like an ass, staring at her.

“Shut up, skanks! You’re both just jealous.” The vampire who was just sucking on my neck couldn’t think of anything better to say. She just stuck out her tits, like
that
was her ace of spades in the game.

“Slut,” Lea smiled drunkenly.

Then silver eyes got serious and leaned in closer to us. “Yeah, listen, you should really stop now, because I’m betting that the smartest thing that could ever come out of your mouth would be a penis. And, that’s not going to make you winner of this war of words, sweetie.”
Damn, I had never been more turned on by someone in my life. Lives. Whatever. Maybe someone slipped something in my drink? I was definitely losing it.  Crap, I had to adjust myself in my pants.

Lea laughed so hard at what her friend said that she spit water all over the place. That made the blonde get off my lap, scream and dance around. I had no freaking clue what she was screaming. My eyes were locked on those silver ones, and they were looking right back at me.  My breath left me. 
Who the hell was this girl?
  And why did the blood in my veins slam through my body like that?  Pulsing.  Pounding.  Surging.

I smiled. I thought it was one of the best smiles I ever gave too.
It did shit
. She just sat there laughing along with Lea and ignored my smile
completely
.

I tensed my muscles and grabbed the bottom of my chair to keep myself seated. The sane part of me wanted to walk away, the rest of me wanted to jump on her and taste her lips. She rolled her fucking gorgeous eyes at me as if she could read my mind.

“Hey, thanks for the shirt before. Would have been cold walking home like that.  You didn’t have to do that,” she laughed sweetly.

Oh, hell yes I did.  I had to do anything to talk to her.   Her eyes were piercing me to my seat, and I had to kill the urge to drag my hands through that dark
, ink-black hair and touch her until she moaned my name in a sexy whisper.

The blonde chick continued to freakin’ dance around and yell.

The silver-eyed girl broke our stare
as if it didn’t just freaking kill me
. She motioned to Lea and they started getting their stuff together to leave.
Holy crap! I needed her to stay. No, no. I needed her to go.

That wicked smile teased at the corner of her lips again. She stepped closer to the blonde. “Just think of it like this. I got him half naked for you already. Try to enjoy yourself. He looks like someone who has a land mine in his pants.”

“Huh?” The blonde asked.

“You know a land mine; small, hidden, and explodes on contact.” That was the best insult I’d ever heard.
And I’d make it this life’s goal to prove her wrong.

I jumped up and practically killed myself trying to block her from moving any further. Her hair brushed over me and the smell of wildflowers filled my senses.
Holy shit
.  She bit her lower lip between her teeth and it took all the restraint I had in me not to reach out and touch her skin, or grab a handful of that thick black hair and pull her towards me, crushing her lips to mine.

“So
, you must be Lea’s best friend, the one she grew up with and talks about all the time, huh?”
Okay, so that wasn’t the most intelligent thing I could have said. But,
really at that moment, I was surprised I was capable of more than me want you now, grrr.ʼ

“Must be,” she teased.

Shit. I was so screwed
. I gave her another one of my charming smiles. “Do you have a name?”

“Yes, I do,” she said; she just didn’t bother telling it to me.

She looked me in the eyes, biting her lip again and slid past me. The way she did, not breaking eye contact with me, was
so freaking erotic
, the damn land mine in my pants almost did go off.

Lea whispered in the background to Conner loud enough for everyone in the bar to hear, “Conner, watch her outwit him, just watch.”

I glanced at Lea and rolled my eyes. When I locked my eyes back to those silver ones, they smiled right back at me. My dumb mouth just started talking before my brain did any of the thinking. “Iʼll just call you
Red
then, since I can’t get my mind off that sexy little bra I saw you in before.”
AH HELL!  WHY DID I JUST SAY THAT?
  I just wanted to say anything to make her stay, even if she got pissed off at me.
Crap, I was Shane at fourteen again
.

She leaned in so close to me that my heart skipped a few beats. She looked down at my lips and back up to my eyes. My heart hammered in my chest erratically. I thought she was just about to kiss me and that I was going to have a heart attack at the same freaking time.

“Why not, Lacy? Or, did you miss out on the soft silk and lace material it was made from? Too bad you’ll only get to see the color.”  She fluttered her gorgeous eyes at me and continued, “You know, if you’re going to be a smart ass, you should start with being smart. Otherwise, you’re really just an ass. Enjoy the rest of your night.”

My heart stopped. I opened my mouth to say some smart-ass flirty remark back
, but she held up a creamy delicate hand to my face. All I could do was think about where Iʼd like to feel that hand on me.

“Please, save your breath, you might need it to blow up your date later.” She walked past me and out the front door.

Yeah, I was screwed. I met my match. She’d brought me to my knees already.

My heart sank when I watched Tucker scramble after them with Conner taking up the rear. Tucker was all fucking smiles and opening doors; jealously streaked through me.
He better not put his fucking hands on her.

I looked down and saw how tight my fists were clenched.
What the hell was this about? I seriously need to go throw myself off a bridge right now; I didn’t even know who I was.  She was just another human girl! 

Ethan sauntered up beside me with a beer in hand. “Did I just witness a girl flat out not even notice you?”

I nodded. “Dude, I can’t even breathe right now. I need a drink before I do something stupid, like run after her.”

A giant grin plastered itself over Ethan’s face as he shook his head and handed me his beer.

I chugged the whole thing down. That just made it worse.
I just have to get her face out of my head.
“Hey, where’s Alex with those blondes?”

Ethan silently grimaced at the empty bottle I handed back to him.

I turned around to the table and there they were, except for now, they doubled and there were four blondes sitting at the table. All were patiently waiting for the band’s attention. Alex sat in the middle of them smiling. Thankfully, the one who had just been yelling and screaming was calmer. Sitting down, pouting and moaning, but calmer.

I sat down hard on the chair opposite the table from them, “Ladies,” I smiled.

Alex slid a cold beer across the table to me and nodded in the direction of the front door. “Who was the goddess wearing your shirt?”

I shrugged as if she didn’t matter. “I think that’s Lea’s roommate. She’s hot.” All the girls at the table moaned in annoyance. That just cracked me up.

Ethan sat in the chair next to me, and chuckled low. “The word hot does not do that girl justice.”

One of the girls at the table pouted. “You know, there are four very hot girls sitting right here and you are talking about some other girl who already left!”

Alex grabbed the girl and just started kissing her. It was like the beginning of a really bad porno film. I had to look away. But, I was happy he shut her up. I didn’t want her to start talking shit about the silver-eyed girl. There would be no way I’d let her say anything bad about her.
Yeah, then I’d look like a real sappy knight in shining armor’s ass
.

Brayden sat down on the other side of me and grunted at the table. One of the girls got up off her chair and sat down on his lap. “Uh, do I know you?” he asked.

She started whispering in his ear. His expression was classic, complete mortification. “Please go sit back over there,” he said. “Why don’t we talk first before you try to do all that stuff you just said? Besides. I think most of that crap is illegal.”

When she grudgingly left his lap and sat back down on her chair, he jabbed me playfully in the arm. “Shane, did you see Lea’s friend
, Grace? Man, she was smoking hot.”

Everybody
noticed her.
Grace. Even her name alluded to her beauty
.

I leaned back against my chair and inhaled a long breath. “Yeah, I sort of met her. I had to give her my shirt because she spilled her drink all over herself during the fight.”

My band mates looked at me as if I had grown another head in front of them. 

Alex leaned forward. “And here I thought you bagged her in the back and that’s why she wore your shirt! Okay, okay, lemme get this straight. She
spilled
her drink on her shirt and you gave her
yours
. What color shirt was she wearing? I’m just
wondering
.”

I just smiled wide, remembering.

Ethan cleared his throat and answered for me. “She had on a very white little shirt on, and the sexiest red bra I have ever seen under it when it was soaking wet.”

My band mates raised their beers to me.

Alex laughed, “Well here’s to chivalry, and to douchebag friends who don’t share in the good fortune of finding a good wet tee shirt contestant!”

“Cheers!” We all called out together.

The girls around the table remained silent. Then Alex resumed kissing his girl, which led to everyone starting to talk and introduce themselves.

I just sat back and watched my band; my best friends; my roommates
, my brothers. They had no idea who I really was, who
I’d been
. Yet, they were more trustworthy and honorable to me than the angels who I was truly brothers with, the ones who condemned me to this hellish eternity.
What I would have given to be born human
. I would have been with Selah, end of story; perfect life.  We could have loved each other without it being a crime, lived a long life together and died together.

These guys in front of me had no idea of heaven, intense bliss, or how close to hell, being on earth truly was. In my own way, I envied them.

Ethan was snapping his fingers in front of my face, “Hellooo! Shane? You still with us?  We’re going to play pool, are you coming?”

I looked around the table. Everybody was standing and walking toward the game room.
Huh? Where the hell was my head at?

I looked up to Ethan whose face was creased with concern
, “Nah, dude. Iʼm just gonna finish my beer and call it a night. I’ll see you at home.”

Ethan sat back down and leveled his eyes to mine. “What’s up? You okay?”

I hesitated. Then I just laughed, “Yeah, man. I’m just wiped out.” His eyebrows pulled together, but he just nodded and stood up. “Sure, man.  See you at home.” I watched him walk away. Walking casually into the game room, as all the girls in the bar turned their heads when he walked by. The majority turned around and looked back at me too, probably assessing their luck at going home with me tonight. Little did they know that not one of them would have a chance. I had absolutely no desire to be with anyone that night, unless it was Grace.
That fucking scared the hell out of me
.  I’ve been here on earth in Shane’s body for months trying to forget about Selah, now this girl who looks exactly like her is going to be here reminding me of her every time I see her.  This was
bad.
I would be at Lea’s apartment practically every single day!

I downed the rest of my beer and headed for the stage. I climbed up, grabbed my guitar, and packed it away in its case. I slung it over my shoulders and jumped back off the stage. A group of girls sighed loudly and ran over to me, but I just excused myself and said I had a prior commitment to get to.  I just wanted to go to bed,
alone
.

I walked past the game room and stood in the doorway watching my friends play pool.  Alex was loud and obnoxious as always. His mother would always thank God for his good looks
, because his personality was quite abrasive. He was intensely outgoing and had been born without a brain to mouth filter. Brayden was the quiet, thoughtful one, who was artistic and poetic. Ethan was the romantic, comical, blond haired teddy bear, the size of a quarterback. I waved goodnight to them and walked to the door. They would know something was up. I was always the last one home and the first one to dive into bed with a girl. Thank God, each of them would know me well enough to have the sense not to say anything.

The icy February air hit me like a sledgehammer to the face when I stepped outside. I didn’t give a crap though. I took the long way home and passed Lea’s apartment. I knew Conner would be staying there tonight, he always did. I toyed with the idea of ringing the bell when I passed by, but all the lights were off. I stood on the bottom of the steps and wondered if Tucker stayed too.