As they ambled to the car, Ricky took her hand in his. She wanted to pull away, but she didn’t want to hurt his feelings, especially since she’d been bitchy to him when he’d come to pick her up. They walked hand in hand, and as they approached their group of friends in the lot, Kylie’s skin prickled. She had the strangest sensation that someone was watchingher. Looking around, nothing seemed amiss, but she couldn’t shake the feeling.
“Are we ready to rock?” Taylor said as she lifted her arms in the air and shook her hips. They all laughed. Then the six of them climbed into Ricky’s SUV, and they were off.
The Black Sheep was in the middle of the block on Prospect Ave. in downtown Crested Peak. Its capacity was six hundred people, and when popular bands played at the venue, it was usually sold out. That evening was no exception. Black Stone Cherry was a popular band and had never performed in Crested Peak before, so when the group got there, a long line had already formed. Since it was standing room only, they’d arrived early, hoping to be among the first in so they could secure a good spot on the floor.
Black Stone Cherry was one of Kylie’s favorite bands; she loved their hard-edged, southern metal songs. She’d waited a long time to see them, having missed them two years before when they’d performed in Denver. She should’ve been excited to the max, but thoughts of Jerry with Rosie, Wendy, Lola, Kristy, and the other club women dampened her exhilaration. As hard as she tried, she couldn’t shut out the images, and it pissed her off because she was sure he wasn’t thinking about her at all.What a fucking jerk.
“This is going to be awesome,” Ricky said as he tugged her close to him. “Are you feeling it?”
Even though she was overwhelmed by a hollowness in her chest, Kylie smiled. Ricky had purchased the tickets as a surprise for her. Taylor had told him how much she’d loved the band, and it was sweet that he’d done that. She didn’t want to ruin his night, so she leaned in and whispered in his ear, “I can’t believe you made all this possible for me. You’re a good person.”
He skimmed his lips over her cheek. “I’d do anything for you. I’m happy we’re here together.”
Turning her face away, she gave him a quick hug, wishing she were as into him as he was into her. Before she could muse further, the doors opened and the group of them moved forward, following the crowd.
The venue was packed, and Kylie and her friends found their spot right in front of the stage. Telling the guys to guard their territory, the girls went up to the bar to order sodas. “This is a great show so far,” Taylor yelled over the music. “The local acts are kicking ass.”
“They are. It’s a great lineup,” she agreed as she grabbed several cocktail napkins. Kylie hated holding a plastic cup that dripped water as the ice melted down. It was one of her pet peeves. “You want a Diet Pepsi? They don’t have Coke products here.”
Ari and Mary nodded, and Kylie placed their order. As she waited for their drinks, she watched the local band rocking out, the lights flashing on the stage. From the corner of her eyes, a flash sparked in the darkness. Turning in the direction of the gleam, she spotted him, the strobe lights bouncing off his gold frames. A cruel smile stretched across his mouth, and her stomach turned to ice.
Grabbing Taylor’s arm, she spun her friend toward her. “He’s here. The guy with the purple Corvette is here.” She competed with the thunderous bass and hard rock vocals bouncing off the venue’s walls.
Taylor shook her head as she pointed to her ears. Kylie jerked her thumb in his direction, yelling, “There he is!” Taylor’s eyes shifted from Kylie to the spot where she pointed, then she shrugged again. Wild-eyed, Kylie looked over, but he was gone. She desperately searched the crowd, on alert for a glimmer of anything. But nothing. It was as though he was never there, and maybe he wasn’t. Maybe she’d imagined the whole thing.
By the time Black Stone Cherry took the stage, Kylie was a bundle of nerves, seeing sparking flashes everywhere, but none of them were from gold-framed sunglasses. When the concert ended, all she wanted to do was go back to her dorm and shut out the images of scantily-clad women all over Jerry and mirrored sunglasses. Of course, the group wanted to munch on pizza and talk about the concert, so she went along, laughing, talking, and eating even though her nerves were in overdrive.
When they arrived at the campus, Ricky walked her, Taylor, Mary, and Ari to their buildings. When they reached her room, Taylor opened the door and went inside, lightly closing it behind her. Kylie and Ricky stood in the brightly lit hallway, the fluorescent lights buzzing overhead. “I had a great time tonight. I hope you did.” Ricky shifted from one foot to another.
“Oh, yeah. It was awesome. Thanks again for taking me. The band was totally cool.” Silence spread over them, and she brought her hand up and nibbled on her thumb. He clasped her hand and pulled it away from her mouth then leaned in, his hand tilting her head back. Placing her hands on his chest, she pushed him away, her heart lurching when he winced then sagged against the wall, his shoulders hunched. “I’m sorry.” Her voice hitched.
“What’s wrong? You don’t like me?”
Sighing, she leaned against the door. “It’s me. I adore you as a friend, and I’m not ready to shift our friendship to something more. I hope you understand.”
A bitter smile swept across his lips. “I do. I guess I was hoping you’d feel what I feel.”
“I know you’re frustrated with me, but I don’t want to lead you on. I think you’re fun, witty, totally smart, and very handsome, but I enjoy our friendship immensely. I hope it isn’t in jeopardy.”
He shook his head.
“Please, don’t be mad at me.”
“I’m not. I’m just disappointed. I really like you a lot, Kylie.”
Her heart pulled. What the fuck was she doing? Pushing away a normal guy for the chance that the asshole in Pinewood Springsmightlike her someday?How fucking stupid and pathetic.
“I gotta go.” He kissed her quickly on the cheek and walked down the hall. She waited until he turned the corner before she went into her room.
“So, did you guys make out?” Taylor stretched out on her bed, her elbow propping her up, searching Kylie’s face.
“No. I gave him the ‘I just want to be friends’ speech.” She groaned and flopped on to her bed. “Why can’t I be normal? Ricky’s a great guy.”
“But you like the bad boy who’s treating you like shit. I’m sure you’ll cover that section in your psychology class.”
Kylie laughed dryly.
“It’s usually that way—the ones we want we can’t have, and the ones wecanhave we don’t want. I give you kudos for not settling. You know who you want, so go after him.”
