Laughing, I flex said ass and hear him actually groan. I chuckle some more as I continue paddling, doing my best to ignore the dumbass and his never ending banter to catch the last waves that I can before the season starts.
SEVEN
After our impromptu surf adventure, I find myself turning into a bit of a regular at Yetties. I somehow end up here every other night when I don't have a late practice, bringing coursework with me. I’ve almost convinced myself that I’m here because Lamar wants to hang out with Missy, now that they’re finally officially dating.
Yep, he finally spilled the beans.
Well, he didn't exactly tell me outright, but the other night he basically started making out with her right here in Yetties after one of their gigs, and then shouted way too hard at one of the waitresses for a beer, claiming it's for his girlfriend. So that was that. And ever since that incident, we're pretty much glued to the band's regular table.
Maybe I kind of developed a fondness for this spot, watching the band practice or perform in between typing down an essay or going through football tapes, pretending I’m here only because of Lamar.
Truth be told; things even are a bit better with Kaylee because of it, since she’s always happy to go out and loves to tag along with me. Not that we’ve talked about our fight yet–it’s been three weeks–and that we still haven’t had much alone time. But I guess I’m just trying to avoid more arguments, and I actually like it here. She usually sticks around for a bit, before eventually finding her own friends and doing whatever it is that she does with them.
And I’m mostly fine with it. Mostly.
Because I do like this, this new routine has grown on me. I used to spend my nights at the house after practice, working on assignments, or chilling with my friends in the living room. But Jace and I seem to have hit it off, and my friends seem to love this place too. Every time I'm here, more of them pop up, either studying or hanging out with me, the band, and Jace.
Jace, who the morning after our beach day, gave me a big surprise. He was all geared up for a run at six am sharp, sitting on that bench where we met the first time. With a grin, he popped in his AirPods and trailed after me when I started my run, like it was the most normal thing in the world. And he has done it almost every day since.
Some days he's there, some days I’m not. And when we’re both there, we just start jogging, each with our own music. If he’s notaround, I wait and stretch for a bit, then if he still doesn't show, I just go on my jog alone.
We never really talk during these runs, besides maybe pointing out a new route and saying goodbye afterwards. He just always gives me the same nod hello, the same stupid wink, and the same laid-back smile, before we set off, him tailing me.
I don’t know what to think of the silence. I can't figure out why we don’t chat, when he normally is quite the chatterbox at Yetties. If he isn’t bent over the table writing lyrics in his little black notebook that is, or singing them loudly like right now.
The band is in full swing, and Jace is belting out some deep tunes. I find myself tapping out the rhythm of Ava's bass guitar on Kaylee's leg. She's seated on my lap, and I'm leaning against the wall, one knee resting on the booth's bench. I flirt with the edge of her skirt, but she's entranced by Jace, who's putting on a show–singing, thrusting his hips in those ridiculously tight jeans, and dramatically raking a hand through his hair. It might be a bit much, but he's a natural performer through and through.
It’s a great song, though, even I can hear that, and I’m a total noob when it comes to music. It’s one of their own, and Asher told me that Jace wrote it before moving here, back when he was with his old fucked-up band. After their breakup, he retained most of the rights to their material, and now he can do with it as he pleases. The band has tweaked the song to give it a new sound and did an awesome job. It became a sultry, sexy track.
Although I can’t help but cringe when Jace lifts his shirt in a slow, teasing move, and I focus on the horrible scar. He’s one strong dude for bouncing back like he has, for fronting a band again after his old one gave him that fucking thing.
It’s not that visible if you don’t know what you’re looking for, because the expected excited screaming starts as he flashes his abs. Chuckling, I shake my head at his antics. The guy absolutely thrives on attention, soaking it in like it's essentialfor his survival, which probably is somewhat true. Tonight, the bar is more packed than ever on a regular Friday night, so he's definitely getting his share.
I suppose Gus, the owner, must be thrilled with Jace as the new frontman of the band that uses his pub as a home-base. Sure, he grumbles most of the time when our group has hogged multiple tables for studying during the weekdays and won't order that much, it's still a business of course. But I guess nights like this more than make up for the small loss of profit during those times.
Hell, they weren't even slated to perform tonight, at least as far as I know. Missy somehow dragged them to the stage, claiming they needed the practice. And of course, the band happily followed their determined leader. Missy really is putting all her energy and focus into Encore, dedicated to making it big someday.
But if this response from the audience, as well as the increase in their fanbase and popularity, is any indication of what they can do now that Jace’s with them? Yeah, she doesn't have to worry much.
“You look like an idiot over there. Aren’t you already towering over everybody else without the added height?” I remark to Lamar, who’s actually standing on the bench beside me, recording the performance. “People are watching.”
He snorts. “People are always watching us, that ain't nothin’ new. And Ava asked me to. You know she's studying marketing, right? She's fierce when it comes to their social media shit.”
“I'm pretty sure they're going to be famous one day, just like you,” Kaylee chimes in, leaning back against my chest.
I hold her close and grunt. To be honest, the attention and press don't exactly thrill me. I don’t really want to think about what the future will bring in that regard, since I have trouble getting used to it as it is, and I’m not even that big yet. Not bya long shot. Don’t get me wrong, I love playing football. It's my life, and I won't give it up unless I absolutely have to.
It's just the media and the publicity circus that I despise. I'm more of a behind-the-scenes kinda guy, which isn't the most convenient position when you're the team's captain and quarterback.
Of course, I love it when ESPN does a piece about me, who wouldn’t enjoy that? The first time my mug showed up on national television, my dad nearly had a heart attack. According to my mom anyway. But along with the media attention comes the gossip and the attention-seeking idiots. Those are the ones that truly get under my skin.
Case in point, those guys sitting a few tables down. They look vaguely familiar, so they're probably students here, but I can't quite place them. They keep talking among themselves, sneaking glances in our direction. It seems a bit shady. Earlier, when I walked by, I overheard them making some crude comments about Jace. But he’s way up in his performance to notice anything.
I notice, though. Because it’s my job to notice shit, and I definitely notice this.
“Who are those guys?” I ask my girlfriend, giving a subtle nod in their direction. Since she knows everybody and everything about this school, being the social butterfly that she is, she’s a reliable source.
“What? Those guys? I think they're from the soccer team. Kristie used to date that red-haired guy.”
