“Yep, totally.”
A smile hovered at her lips as she stared at me—still unsure if she really believed me. “Then I’ll let you.”
I beamed. “Great!”
“You know, Cassie, you’re kinda weird. But a good weird.”
“I’ll take that as a compliment!”
Lauren laughed. “Whatever. Come on. We better get out there before Zach thinks we fell in or something.”
Chapter Sixteen: CASSIE
One afternoon as I started out of the back stage door after rehearsals, Zach stood waiting for me. I skidded to a stop and asked, “What are you doing here?”
“I wanted to see you.”
I raised my eyebrows in surprise. Part of me wished he had come to see Lauren, but then something was different about him. Guilt rippled through me that rehearsals had occupied my mind for the last two hours, and I hadn’t focused on his emotions. Frustration and sadness tore through me, and I brought my eyes to his neck. There were red fingertip marks. “What happened?” I asked, reaching out to touch them.
He jerked back, and when he met my worried gaze, his eyes flashed dark and angry. “Nothing.”
“Zach,” I whispered softly. “Just let me touch you.” He stared at me as I brought my hands to his neck. I closed my eyes and concentrated, sucking out the pain as I also searched for the answers to what had happened. When I saw it vividly in my mind, I gasped. “He choked you?”
“Not really. More like shoved me against the wall to prove a point,” he mumbled. Then his eyes changed to disbelief. “Hey, what did you just do?”
I snatched my hand away. “Nothing,” I lied.
He turned his neck from side to side, then ran his fingers where mine had just been. Then he stared at me. “My neck was throbbing until you touched it.”
I quickly stared down at my feet. “Oh that, it’s just a little healing touch. This weird thing I have.” I could still feel Zach’s hot gaze burning down on me. “Um, I don’t like to talk about it since people give me the kind of looks you are,” I admitted.
Finally, Zach laughed. “You’re kidding me right?”
“Um, no. It’s truth. We all have it,” I said, before I could stop myself.
He raised his eyebrows. “Rafe and Elijah?”
“Uh, yeah.”
“But I thought you said you guys weren’t natural brothers and sisters and that your parents had adopted all of you.”
I waved my hand dismissively at him. “Healing isn’t a hereditary thing, silly. It’s a taught thing.” I peeked up at him, hoping he was buying my story.
He must have because he shook his head and grinned. “Damn Cassie, just when I think I have you figured out, you go and tell me something else like that.”
Forced laughter escaped my lips. “Yep, I’m one more woman of mystery, huh?”
He nodded. “Yep, you sure are.”
“So, you gotta work tonight?”
His face darkened a little. “No, I don’t. That’s kinda the reason why I’m here.”
We started walking towards the parking lot. “Oh?”
“Yeah.” He brought his hand to his eyes, shielding them from the intense setting sun.
“Um, you didn’t answer my question.”
His hand dropped to his side, and he looked over at me. “I ran out of my house after a fight with Bruce. I couldn’t go to the coffeehouse because AJ would’ve flipped out if he’d seen my neck.” He shook his head. “I didn’t have anywhere else to go, Cassie.”
I stared into his broken face. “You could’ve gone to Lauren.”
He jammed his hands in his jean pockets. “No, I couldn’t.”
“Why not?”
“Because she doesn’t make me feel like you do.”
My eyes closed in defeat at his declaration. This was not going the way it was supposed to. “But I know how much Lauren cares about you, and she would do anything to help you.”
He shrugged. “Maybe.” We stood in an awkward silence—me with my arms crossed over my chest, and Zach swaying back and forth on his feet.
“So you wanna hang out this afternoon?” I finally asked.
A slow smile stretched across his face. “Yeah, sure, that would be awesome.”
“Okay, why don’t you go get your stuff while I see what Elijah and the others are doing?”
“Sounds good to me.” He then trotted off to his car. I pulled my cell phone out of my purse. Before I could hit speed dial, the sound of someone behind me made me jump.
“Was that Zach?”
I turned around to see Lauren staring expectantly at Zach’s retreating form. “Uh, yeah, it was. I thought we could all hang out this afternoon. How does that sound?”
She smiled. “Sounds great. Just let me freshen up really quick.”
I nodded as she headed back inside. Elijah picked up on the third ring. “Hey, what are you guys doing this afternoon?”
***
When we pulled up to Stars and Strikes, Zach raised his eyebrows. “Bowling?”
I grinned. “But not just any bowling. Thursday night is Cosmic bowling and karaoke.”
“Thrilling,” he muttered.
“Oh come on. You said I could pick something for us to do, so I did.” When he still didn’t respond, I nudged him with my elbow. “Come on, give it a chance.”
“All right, all right.”
We got to the entrance, and I pulled open the door. Darkness enveloped us. Then the neon lights flickered around in yellows, pinks, and oranges lighting the way to the lanes while music pulsed over the speakers.
Zach glanced down at his cell phone. “Lauren just texted me that she’s here.”
“What?” I shouted.
He laughed and leaned close to me. “I said, Lauren just texted to tell me she was here. Did you invite her?”
“Yeah, I thought she might need a little fun like the rest of us.”
Zach gave me a funny look. “Sometimes I wonder if you’re not trying to push me off on Lauren.”
I chose to ignore him, pretending the pulsing bass was too hard to hear him over. Instead, I nudged him towards the counter where he got our shoes. I’d never worn bowling shoes before, and when the lady handed me my size, I stared at her in astonishment. “This is what I’m supposed to wear?”
She gave me a surly look, like I was some spoiled fashionista. “Yeah,” she muttered, before moving onto the next customer.
My nose curled up as I slid them on my feet. When I raised my head, Zach was staring at me, an amused look etched on his face. “What?”
“Have you never been bowling before?”
I bit my lip. I didn’t know what I should say. No, Zach, I’ve never worn hideous looking shoes or thrown a huge ball down an ally because up until a year ago, I was part of the Angelic Dominion, and they’re not too big on bowling! I’m sure that would wig him out. “Nah, not really,” I finally admitted.
He snorted. “Then why were you so hell bent on us coming here?”
“Well, I just thought it might be something fun for us to do, and I like trying new things.” When he didn’t say anything, I grabbed his hand. “Come on, let’s go.”
We started over to the ally’s. Through the crowd, I saw Elijah’s head towering over the other people around him. I caught Rafe’s eye, and he grinned and waved us over.
Zach skidded to a stop.
“What’s wrong?”
“You didn’t tell me Abby and Hannah were going to be here.”
“Why should it matter? They’re your cousins after all.” Zach didn’t say anything. He was getting harder and harder to read as his pain swirled with so many different emotions.
“You just don’t understand how things are between us all. It’s…difficult.”
“Zach, even though your mom and David have disagreed in the past, Abby and Hannah are still your family.”
He refused to look me in the eye. “It’s just I don’t want them asking any questions.”
“Q
uestions?”
His sorrow filled eyes met mine. “Like why I have this bruise on my face or if they see the bruises on my arms.”
I fought to catch my breath. His pain was so intense it caused my heart to ache. I reached out and touched his shoulder. “They’re not going to say anything to make you uncomfortable.”
“How can you be so sure?”
“Because they’re good people, and they’re your people.”
“Okay, then.”
“Good.” We then made our way over to the others. “Hi guys!” I exclaimed.
“Hi Cassie,” Elijah said, with a quick wave.
From her seat beside Sophie, Hannah’s face brightened when she saw Zach. And before he could worry about it being awkward, Abby threw her arms around him. “Man, it’s good to see you, cuz!”
Zach laughed. “Yeah, you too.”
Abby squeezed him tight before pulling away. “How’s AJ and Taylor?”
“Good. Taylor made this traveling all star team for basketball. It’s all he can talk about. And AJ’s just running the coffee shop and being a newlywed.”
When Zach made eye contact with Hannah, she smiled shyly before ducking her head. “Hey, Hannah-Banana,” Zach said.
She bobbed her head before turning back towards Sophie. Zach raised his eyebrows at Abby. “Still not talking?” he asked in a hushed voice.
Abby shook her head. Sensing the situation was getting too intense, Rafe cleared his throat. “How about we get this show on the road?”
Elijah sighed. “Rafe, do you always have to be so competitive?”
Rafe grinned. “Yep, you know it!” He put an arm around Zach. “So what kinda bowler are you?”
“Not a very good one,” Zach admitted.
“Hmm, bummer.”
After we divided into teams, Rafe picked the number to go first. “Jackpot!” He grabbed a neon green ball. “Watch the master,” he called over his shoulder. He spun around and hurled the ball down the alley. Everyone’s eyes watched as it rolled into the gutter.
“Wow, Rafe, you really nailed it!” I exclaimed with a grin.
“Now wait just a minute. I’m only getting started,” he protested.
“Whatever.”
The ball came back up, and Rafe grabbed it again. He focused on the pins down the lane while he shifted back and forth on the balls of his feet. In one fluid motion, he released the ball. It spun furiously towards the pins, turning slightly until it knocked one over.
We started snickering behind him. When he turned around, we collapsed in laugher. “Oh yeah, it’s really funny.”
I grinned. “Actually, it’s nice to see you lose at something for a change.”
“I agree,” Elijah laughed.
“Let’s just see how you do, Jay-Jay,” Rafe said.
“My pleasure.”
Elijah landed a strike on his first time up. When he came back for another ball, I gave him a high five. “Good job!”
“Beginners luck,” Rafe kidded.
The next thing we heard was the sound of pins being knocked and scattered. “Strike Two!” Elijah whirled around and winked at Rafe.
Rafe held up his hands. “All right, all right, I’ll admit it. You’re pretty good.”
Elijah smiled. “Oh, I’m just getting started.”
He was true to his word, and he took great pleasure in completely annihilating Rafe in bowling.
After a few games, Rafe turned to the group. “What do you say we listen to a little karaoke for awhile?”
“Tired of losing?” I asked, with a grin.
“That’s not it at all,” Rafe said.
“Don’t listen to him, Cassie. He’s just being a sore loser,” Sophie joked.
We went into the adjoining room, which was packed with people. On a small stage, a guy delivered a rousing rendition of You Give Love a Bad Name.
“Dude, it’s 80’s night!” Rafe exclaimed as we slid into two tables next to the stage.
After the guy finished his song, two drunken college kids staggered over from the bar in the back of the room and started arguing over the microphone. “Man let me sing first!”
“I don’t think so,” the other protested.
“Someone needs to say something to them,” Sophie said, as the argument grew more heated.
“Yeah,” Rafe agreed.
Elijah and Zach nodded.
“Um, are one of you guys going to do something about it?” I asked.
“Seriously?” Rafe asked.
I sighed. “Fine, I’ll take care of it.”
“Cassie, don’t!” Zach hissed, grabbing my arm.
“It’ll be fine,” I replied, feeling less sure of myself by the minute. I strolled over and stepped between the guys. “How about letting me have the microphone?” I asked, sweetly. There was one thing I had picked up in my time at Harrison High and that was how to flirt.
So, I cocked my head and batted my eyelashes at them. They instantly warmed to my charms and handed me the microphone. “Oh, thanks, but I don’t want to sing.”
The drunk guy who had been holding the microphone shook us head. “No, no, Red. You don’t get away without singing something.”
His friend nodded. “Yeah, belt us a little tune!”
The last thing I wanted to do was sing in front of them. “No, really that’s okay—”
“Go on Cassie, lay it on them!” Rafe shouted.
I shot him a nasty look.
“That’s right, Cassie. Lay it on us,” the drunk guy said.
I rolled my eyes. “Fine, whatever,” I grumbled.
As Take My Breath Away flashed on the screen from the 80’s movie Top Gun—a personal favorite of Rafe’s—cheers and cat calls resounded around the room.
I gripped the microphone tightly in my hand as I stared at the lyrics on the screen. The moment I opened my mouth, the atmosphere in the room changed. Everyone from the half drunk to the stone cold sober stared in amazement at me. Once again, I let my voice overtake me. It was an amazing feeling.
When I finished the song, the entire room leapt to their feet applauding and cheering. “Thank you!” I said, breathlessly into the microphone.
Before I could put the microphone down, an idea popped into my mind. I motioned for the DJ and quickly told him my plan. Then I turned back to the crowd. “I’d like to wow you all tonight with the vocal stylings of Lauren Sinclair!”
When Lauren widened her eyes in surprise, I nodded emphatically. A wide grin stretched across her face as she practically popped out of her seat like a jack in the box. Before I handed over the microphone, I winked at her. “But now that I think about it, I think Lauren needs someone to do a little duet with.” I turned back to the table and grinned at Zach. “Come on, get up here.”
At my invitation, Zach paled. “No!” he countered, adamantly.
“Oh come on, you sing all the time at the coffeehouse,” I argued.
“That’s different,” Zach hissed.
“Please, it could be a lotta fun,” Lauren urged.
When the crowd saw his reluctance, they began clapping and cheering for him. Lauren pulled him up from his chair and dragged him over to the stage. As he walked past me, Zach shook his head. “I swear I will get you for this!”
“Ooh, I can’t wait,” I laughed, pressing the microphone into his hand. The next song flashed on the screen, and the music began playing. Instead of the 60’s version, it was a reggae version of “I Got You Babe”.
Lauren started off the song with a perfect mix of tone and rhythm, but when Zach’s turn came, he robotically read off the lyrics. “Loosen up, Zach Attack!” Rafe shouted from our table.
Zach shot Rafe a withering look. But when it came time for him to sing again, he took Rafe’s advice to heart, and he slowly began to relax. With the audience clapping in time and cheering him on, Zach began to enjoy himself. He and Lauren got into the lyrics, putting emphasis and emotion into certain lines and phrases. By the time the song was over, a new sta
r of Karaoke was born. As the last keys of the music faded, Zach and Lauren received a standing ovation from the partially inebriated crowd.
“That wasn’t so bad, was it?” Lauren asked, as she and Zach came back to the table.
He grinned. “Nah, I guess not.”
And thankfully for the rest of the night, Zach seemed thoroughly taken with Lauren.
***
When we got in from Stars and Strikes, Elijah and Sophie headed up the street to deposit Abby and Hannah at the Thomas’s. I wasn’t quite ready to send Zach and Lauren home since things seemed to be going well between them. “Are you guys hungry?”
Lauren wrinkled her nose, but Zach quickly replied, “Sure, I could go for a little snack.”
“Okay, why don’t you guys have a seat,” I said, motioning to the couch. “I’ll go fix us something.”
“Sounds good,” Zach replied, as he and Lauren plopped down on the couch.
The moment I stepped into the kitchen, I knew something was wrong. Crumpled against the refrigerator was a body.
It was Chaz.
I gasped. “What are you doing here?”
He stared up at me with booze-filled eyes. He looked the same way he had the night we’d gone to that crazy party at The Field. “Well, hello,” he slurred, a smile curving across his face.
“Are you okay?” I asked.
Chaz slowly pulled himself to his feet and staggered over to me. “I am now that you’re here.”
I didn’t like the way he was looking at me—leering was more like it. Plus, his breath reeked. I wished more than anything that Rafe wasn’t gone to his job in the city. “God, Cassie, you’re so hot. How come you and I have never gone out together?” he asked, his breath hovering over my ear.
“Because I don’t date, that’s why.” I jerked my chin up and stared at him. “And I certainly wouldn’t date a drunk guy like you.”
He brought his hand to his chest. “Ouch, that hurts.” He shook his head at me. “You just don’t know how good we could be together.”
And before I could react or read his emotions, he leaned over and kissed me. Part of me recoiled at the very fact I was getting my first kiss from a drunken football player. I didn’t have time to dwell on it because his arms snaked around my waist to crush me against him. I jerked my face away. “Stop it! Get your hands off me!” I hissed.