The Road to L.A. (10 page)

Jake replied, “That’s what everyone sees, Carly.  They don’t know how I really feel.  How I can’t even do father-son things with my own dad because our relationship is so fucked up.  I just wish…”

Jake hesitated, contemplating whether to reveal any more to her.  He proceeded cautiously, guarding himself.

“He just always looks at me with these critical eyes.  I already know what he wants from me.  He expects me to play football in college and eventually get drafted in the NFL.  He wants me to work to become even better than he was.”

With that, Jake released her and leaned his head against the wall behind the dugout bench. 

              “I don’t wanna play football, Carly.  I wanna play music.  And that is going to be one of the hardest things I’ll ever have to tell him.”

              “But you have to tell him,” Carly said. “And no matter what, he’ll support you.  Even if he doesn’t show it.” 

Jake vehemently shook his head to dispute her contention.  Then he looked at her with an earnest expression on his face and confided, “You know, you’re the one person I can honestly say cares about me.  I really can't say that about anybody else.  I never know if they like me for who I am or whether they like the imposter who is playing this...role.” 

She instinctively stepped closer to offer him comfort and immediately took notice of his deeply bruised knuckles.  She cradled his injured hand in hers and examined the coloration and lacerations. 

              “Jake!” she exclaimed, running her finger across his knuckles.  “Your whole hand is swollen!   You need to go get this taken care of!”

Jake simply grinned and then laughed when he saw the displeased look on her face. 

              “It’s not funny,” she snapped at him disapprovingly.  “Your hand looks really bad.  You need to see a doctor.  Even if I have to drive you there myself.”

              “With what car?” Jake mocked. 

Carly didn’t appreciate the levity with which he approached the subject of his injury.  She glared at him, shaking her head.

              “Fine,” he finally said to appease her. 

He stood up and reached into his pocket to pull out his keys. 

              “By the way, you shouldn’t have been driving with your injured hand, Jake,” Carly chided, shaking her head in utter  disbelief at his brazenness.  She then softened her tone, recalling his fragile emotional state just moments before.  She wanted to approach this subject with him again later, but right now she wanted him to get his injury taken care of.  She said, “I’ll take you to the urgent care right now.  And I promise I'll drive carefully.”

              “That’s reassuring,” he said mischievously. 

To that she simply winked and replied teasingly, "I'll make sure to hit every curb on our way there." 

He chuckled in response.  He was suddenly struck by the realization that even in his darkest moments, Carly could lift his spirits.  It was becoming clearer to him that he needed her friendship, her presence in his life.  He dare not even think about his life without her in it.  That thought both elevated him and scared him all at the same time because he didn't know what that meant - to be so attached to someone on such a deep level.  

The rain’s intensity increased, and Carly's cheerleading uniform was beginning to get soaked by the heavy drops.  She could feel several wet tendrils of her hair clinging to her face.  She looked back once to make sure Jake was following her and noticed he stood in the middle of the field, casting a glance upward.

              “What are you doing?” Carly yelled over the sound of the rain.  She walked over to him. 

              “The rain feels good,” he replied, allowing the heavy drops to saturate his face.

She stopped right in front of him and said, “No, you just don’t want to see the doctor. You’re stalling.”

Jake looked down at her then.  He peered deep into her eyes, and she began to experience those strange, titillating sensations she had felt when he had held her so close that night in the woods.  He perused her face, noting how the raindrops fell against her face and then ran down her cheeks in long streams until they reached the tip of her little chin.  He especially enjoyed the drops that lingered on her full lips, moistening them.  He suddenly felt the urge to sample their wetness with his tongue.  He placed his hand on the back of her head, gently clenching her wet hair.  His eyes worshipped her pretty face, and she could see the undiluted desire in his large blue eyes.  She wondered if he could see the desire in her eyes as well.  He trailed his finger down the side of her face, moving several wet tendrils of hair away from her cheeks along the way.  She let out a small gasp, exhaling, as he lowered his face and their rain-drenched lips locked.  As they stood in the center of the baseball field, Jake’s tongue hungrily explored her sweet mouth.  Both of his hands came up and possessively cupped her face while his lips and tongue laid full claim to her mouth.  She held onto his shoulders and brought herself closer to him as the kiss became more and more passionate, heating both of them to the core despite the cool rain.  Reluctantly, they separated.  Jake stroked her face with his uninjured hand and said warmly, “You’re so beautiful.” 

Even though it was cool outside and raining, Carly could feel her cheeks warming.  She didn’t know what to say.  Thankfully, Jake immediately changed the subject.

              “Now let’s go to the urgent care,” he said, smiling at her.

Carly nodded her head. “Uh, yeah.”

She couldn’t believe what had just happened.  Had he really just kissed her, she mused.  And why was he playing it so cool, she wondered.  She watched as her friend sprinted ahead of her to open the driver's side door for her.  With all the warm, stimulating feelings this unexpected intimacy had produced, she definitely longed to find out the meaning behind it.  

Chapter Eight

              A week later, Jake’s hand was still a bit bruised, but he swore to everyone that he’d be able to play the Gypsy Lounge gig.  Carly didn’t quite believe him, but she knew his stubbornness wouldn’t allow him to miss out on his musical debut with the Flaming Dogs.  She was also a bit distracted ever since that kiss at the baseball field.  She was even more perplexed that Jake hadn't said a word about it and was playing it cool - as if nothing of significance had occurred between them.  She did catch him a few times glancing her way while they were hanging out with friends.  And she noticed that several times after finishing a conversation with him, his eyes would linger on her face for just a split second longer, as though he were admiring an intriguing piece of artwork that had found a place in his heart.  After a few days of nothing else strange occurring and Jake failing to bring it up, she decided to let it go.  

The night of the performance came more quickly than they had all anticipated.  They all - save Roy - arrived early to help Jake and the rest of the band set up for the concert, although Aaron was much more helpful lifting the heavy equipment.  Carly grabbed a microphone from the front seat of Garrett’s van and walked through the back door of the club.  She followed several employees with black staff shirts down the long corridor and into the backstage area, where several men were busy plugging things into outlets, running test checks on equipment, and running wires and cables throughout the area.  She felt as if she was in the way, so she set the microphone down on a speaker and walked back down the hallway to find the twins.  While she searched for her friends, she ran into Jake, who was lugging his guitar case.  He seemed heavily preoccupied, yet he still noticed her and smiled. 

              “Where’s Roy?” he asked, looking past her at the cluttered backstage area. 

              “He couldn’t make it.  He’s got a dinner meeting with a recruiter from some college.”

Jake barely heard Carly’s reply, for Garrett shouted down the hallway just then instructing the band to meet onstage.  Jake rushed off, leaving her to stand amidst the swelling chaos.  A club employee carrying a heavy speaker almost ran into her.  He looked at her with an annoyed expression on his face. 

              “Can I please get by you?  This stuff isn’t exactly light,” he huffed.  “Are you lost?”

              “I’m with the band,” Carly replied timidly.

The employee rolled his eyes.  “Aren't they all.”

With that, he moved past her, mumbling a string of indiscernible words under his breath.  She suddenly felt even more insignificant than she had before and was anxious to escape and get out of everyone's way.   While scanning the corridor for a place to hide out, she heard a friendly and familiar voice emanating from behind her.  She was grabbed by the arm and pulled into a small, closet-sized room flanking the corridor. She turned to face her “assailant” and smiled. 

“Thanks for rescuing me,” Carly said to Aaron.  He could see the distress in her eyes.  “I just feel like such an imposter back here.”

              “Don’t worry about it,” Aaron reassured her, watching a procession of drums parading by.  “I’m sure it gets pretty hectic before a show.” 

She was thankful to be out of the storm for now, particularly since the chaos only seemed to worsen as it neared show time.  She observed all the activity, noting how all the men in staff shirts hurrying by resembled little worker bees, their shouts and curt instructions eventually fusing into one monotonous buzz.  It appeared somewhat comical to her. 

Out of nowhere, Jake and Amanda appeared.  Jake’s eyes were lit with unbridled enthusiasm as he instructed his trio of friends to follow him down the long stretch of hallway.  All of the equipment had been set up, and Garrett was testing two of the microphones.  He briefly looked up and took note of their presence.  Carly could have sworn Garrett's eyes had lingered on her before returning to the microphone.  Or perhaps she'd just imagined it.  Maybe she'd even imagined the kiss with Jake.  She scoffed aloud, drawing Aaron's attention.  He looked at her with curiosity and she shrugged sheepishly, to which he simply grinned.  Thankfully he didn't probe.  Carly looked at Garrett again and shuddered.  There was just something creepy about him, something that didn't sit well with her.  There was no doubt that Garrett made her feel uncomfortable.  It wasn't that he had done something to her.  It was just a feeling, and a strong one at that.  She definitely never wanted to be caught in a room alone with the guy.  Jake stood on the stage and looked all around him, his blue eyes glinting like Carly had never seen them before.  John handed Jake his guitar and instructed him to start warming up.  Jake’s hand hit the strings with such pristine precision, and he played a short tune to warm up.   His guitar emitted the most riveting sound.  The club’s owner suddenly arrived, and he clapped his chubby hands together while Jake finished. 

              “Sounds good.  Probably the best I’ve heard in a long time,” he praised, all the while nodding his head. 

              “What can I say…I know how to spot raw talent,” Garrett piped in, sounding unmistakably pretentious.

              “I have a feeling this is gonna be a good show tonight.  I anticipate a full house.  Good luck, boys.”

              "Oh, it'll be a great show," Garrett reassured the owner.  He flashed a cocky grin and Carly felt another shudder.

Hours later, the Gypsy Lounge’s parking lot filled with myriad cars.  The size of the crowd inside the club seemed to swell by the minute.  Carly stood backstage wringing her hands.  It seemed she was more nervous than Jake.

              “Carly!”

Alarmed, she turned immediately and came face to face with Susan.  Beside Carly, Amanda let out a long drawn-out groan.

“This is so exciting!” Susan piped with her usual effervescence.  “Where’s Jake?”

Susan turned then and caught sight of her boyfriend and the rest of the band several feet away.  She shrieked with excitement and ran over to him, catching him off guard.  He had to steady himself.  John put his guitar down and laughed.

              “Why is she here?” Amanda fumed, making no effort to hide her aggravation. 

Carly shrugged her shoulders, trying to appear indifferent.  She glanced over at the couple, noting how Jake’s arms were wrapped around Susan’s waist and how close his face was to hers.  Her heart sank unexpectedly when she saw Jake bend down to give Susan a kiss.  She quickly turned away.  She was immensely grateful when their kiss was interrupted by the announcer’s sudden appearance.  He informed the band that the show would be starting in about ten minutes.  Susan had already disentangled herself from Jake and stood next to Carly and Amanda while the Flaming Dogs prepared themselves.  Ten minutes later, Carly’s apprehension intensified.  She checked her watch. 
Not much longer
, she thought to herself.  Finally, after much anticipation, the Flaming Dogs were announced.  As the band members assembled on stage, Carly could hear the excited shouts and fanatic cheers from the crowd.  She could have sworn she heard someone yell Jake’s name.  The rock music began to blare, consuming the entire building and almost shaking it to its very core.  She could feel the vibrations coursing through her as the heavy music pounded with an enthralling, rhythmic beat.  She watched Jake onstage.  His hands worked at the guitar as though he had been born to do it.  She watched those strong hands intently and was thrust into a delightful fantasy.  Those hands were all over her body now, touching and lightly squeezing her supple breasts, then slowly and purposefully trailing down her stomach to explore her inner depths.  She felt his fingers push her panties to the side and gently rub her clitoris.  And then they thrust deep inside of her - hard at first, then taking on a steady pace until they were completely covered in her moistness.  Carly gasped and shook herself out of it, embarrassed by her brazen - yet titillating - thoughts.  She could feel the wetness of her panties, and her embarrassment only deepened.  She tried to focus on the music and to redirect her attention on Jake's presence on the stage.  She soon came to the realization that she now saw him in a completely different light and it jolted her to the very core.  Her awareness of him took on a whole new dimension.  And she liked it - was deeply attracted to it.  He was so impassioned as he played his music, and it caused such a stir inside of her.