Seeing her eye the man onstage with a fearful expression, I knew there was no way she was here for karaoke, and it definitely wasn’t a coincidence we were all here on the same night. I’d never seen her at Elevens, nor had I expected to. Fun wasn’t really Avery’s scene.
I spotted Lexie making her way toward them like she had been expecting their arrival and slammed my fist on the bar.
Dammit, Lex.
Danny was at the other end of the bar, talking it up with his on-and-off girlfriend, Hannah, so I wasn’t sure if he’d seen Avery yet. But I knew he wouldn’t want her here.
Great. Now, I’d have to spend my night getting rid of her.
This shouldn’t take long.
5
Avery
The guilt from breakfast with my mother weighed heavily on my shoulders the rest of my day. I was annoyed that one small mistake, such as oversleeping, could make me feel this way, but every time I tried to talk myself down, I remembered how important her time was. I hated disappointing her. Next time, I would do better.
Going out drinking with my brother and his friends didn’t sound like the best way to end an already-shitty day, but I figured there was a chance it could also be fun to have a night out, away from my books. A couple of beers could be what I needed to get my mind off my mother and my ex. My liver had had a long enough break from my first few years of college parties anyway, and if I was going to be staying with my brother’s band for the next couple of months, it wouldn’t hurt to get to know them better.
A text from Lexie chimed from my phone and appeared on the center screen of my console.
Nina read it. “It’s karaoke night?”
Her shriek of excitement caused a brief ringing in my ears as I pulled up to an open spot at the curb. She’d offered to buy me my first two beers if I took her along with me, but I had planned on asking her to come with me anyway. She was safe and reliable, even in a drunken state.
“I guess.” I sighed and turned off the engine, peering up at the neon-blue sign readingElevens.
“Oh, don’t be a downer. I’m the one with the terrible voice anyway.”
I looked at her blankly. “You know I’m not singing.”
Nina hugged her red purse and made a face, begging for me to reconsider.
It wasn’t that I was scared of people hearing me sing. I had a decent voice—thanks to some vocal lessons I’d taken when I was younger and some tiny strand of genetics I shared with Danny’s musically talented ass and our father. But I hadn’t sung in front of anyone since the night my dad had died. I certainly wasn’t going to start again, after all these years, at some karaoke bar.
I laughed and shook my head. “That’s not going to work on me.”
“You never do what I want to do.”
“Ionlydo what you want to do.” I raised a brow.
She pouted with more dramatic flair. “I still don’t get why—”
“Stop. Please.”
The bass from the music vibrated my chest, making my stomach twist as the volume increased when we stepped inside.
“Thisis what bars look like up here?” My eyes bulged when we got done showing our IDs to the doorman, taking in the plush leather couches and sleek, modern decor.
A petite girl in a bodycon dress and wedges passed us by with an equally done-up friend next to her.
“Well, I feel like a sasquatch.” Nina giggled, gesturing to her ripped jeans and loose shirt that did nothing for her figure. Her already-peppy walk accelerated, and she threaded her hand through mine, so I could keep up. “I guess San Fran can compete with LA in some ways.”
Nina hated San Francisco and was determined to get into a residency program anywhere in Los Angeles as soon as the time came. I hadn’t made up my mind on where I wanted to end up, but after going to private school in Beverly Hills, I didn’t want to be anywhere near that place.
“You made it!” Lexie appeared, wrapped in a hot-pink dress. I thought it was a dress, but it could have easily been an oversize shirt. She gave Nina a quick once-over. “Who’s your friend?”
Nina flashed her a stark, full-toothed white smile that could win anyone over—not that it took much to win over Lexie. “I’m Nina!” she shouted, competing with the lyrics of a Kings of Leon song being murdered somewhere beyond the thick crowd.
