We pull up to some club I've never been to. It looks like a piece of shit. Maddie pulls into a squeezed parking spot because for strange reason it's jam packed.
"This place is a dump," I complain, crossing my arms and not getting out of the car.
"Jesus Christ, has anyone told you that you're too picky?"
"Fuck off, no I'm not," I retort defensively. She gives me a look.
"Bitch, please."
"Okay," I amend, "I might be a little picky. But I don't want to go into some place where I'm going to get an STD just by sitting down."
"Live a little, Spencer, for God's sake."
"Alright," I huff, jumping out of the SUV.
We head into the shithole and Maddie immediately spots Adrian and Aiden. Standing with them is a pretty girl who I think I might have a class with. They wave at us when they see us coming.
"Hi, baby," Maddie greets Adrian, giving him a hug and kiss on the cheek.
"Hey, we meet again," Aiden says with a big smile. "This is Kyla, my absolutely wonderful girlfriend."
She sticks out her hand, "I think we have a class together, right?"
"Yeah," I mutter unenthusiastically, because it's just dawned on me that I'm the fifth wheel. Dammit. "So we're here to hear Ash's band?"
Kyla smiles and laughs, "Yes, but don't use the name 'Ash'. We'd have to take you to the hospital if you did. It's Ashley."
I swallow uncomfortably, I've never been a big fan of guys with girls' names. "You told me it was Ash," I say accusingly to Aiden.
"Hey, I get to use that name since we're BFFs. Ash is not a big fan of random people using the nickname."
"Okay," I grumble, feeling a bit embarrassed. An awkward silence permeates the room.
"Soooo, drinks then?" Adrian says chipperly.
"Jesus, I need one!"
"God, please!"
"Hell yes!"
I shrug. "I'm not one for getting wasted." Maddie scowls at me. "Alright, I'll have a beer."
"Okay, I'll get this round, guys," Aiden says heading towards the bar.
"I'll come with you," Adrian says, following Aiden like a little puppy. Gay, much? Kyla looks to the stage where the band seems to be setting up. Maddie pulls me into the corner.
"Lighten up," she hisses to me, "I want us to become friends with them. Branch out, ya know? And that ain't gonna happen, sweetheart, if you act like a sack of potatoes."
"Fine," I hiss back. "I'm gonna go on a date with Kyla's brother, that should help some."
"Unless you fuck it up."
"Yeah, well I can fake being interesting and cool for at least one date, so ha!" Then a thought strikes me. "Is he even single?"
"I don't know," Maddie says, not meeting my eyes. Weird. I go back to where Kyla is waving to some imaginary music.
"Hey, um, Kyla, is Ashley single?"
She looks taken aback. "Um, yeah. Hasn't had a girlfriend, in,well, forever. Why do you ask? "
Shit. I probably shouldn't let on to his sister that I'm only going asking him out as part of a bet. I try very hard to bring out my inner Glen. "Well it's just that you're so beautiful, I assume it runs in the family." I give her a flirtatious smile.
"I gotta give it to you, Ashley definitely goes for your type," she says, looking me up and down.
"Stone cold foxes, you mean?" I say, giving Maddie a look that says 'hey, I can be interesting and fun, too'.
Kyla laughs, and puts an arm around me. "Nah, blondes. Didn't think you'd play for that team, but hey, do whatever."
Why does everyone seem to think I'm not straight? I wink at her. "Oh, I definitely play for that team."
She raises her eyebrows. Perhaps that was a bit too much. "Great. I'm just going to find the band before they go on. Give them a little pep talk. See you two later."
"Bye?" I say, waving to her. Maddie gives her a strained smile and wave herself.
"What the hell was that?" she says pushing me against the wall as soon as Kyla's out of sight.
"What do you mean?" I ask, feigning confusion.
"Flirting with her?"
"Relax, it's the 21st century. Lighten up. Besides she has a boyfriend."
"Well I'm proud of you for finally acknowledging your true feelings," Maddie says with a wicked grin.
"Bitch," I gasp, "I'm straight!"
"As an arrow, right, right," she finishes sarcastically.
Before I can say anything, I hear a voice speak into the microphone. Adrian and Aiden come back with the drinks as well.
"Hello, esteemed guests! Or the trash of LA, whichever you prefer to go by. We're the Royal Fuckerzz. Our first song is gonna be sung by me, biatches. So here goes nothing. It's 'Snap Bracelet'!"
I take him in. I assume that he's Ashley. He's dressed in some sort of neon spandexy weird getup. That and his use of the word 'biatches' in a serious way seems a bit, um, gay. He's good looking, though, I admit it. There's a shirtless guy on the drums with a faux-hawk who I hope is not Ashley. There's got to be 50 tattoos on the guy, even some on his face. And he's wearing tight pinstriped pants. He looks like trouble. A girl with red hair plays the bass, who has obviously decided to wear some sort of gothic Lolita costume. Finally I look at the guitarist who's the only normally dressed one. She turns my way and our eyes meet. I feel my breath hitch and I can't tear my eyes away. Her eyes are beautiful shade of brown. She has her hair in curls, and there's a stripe of red. My mouth is suddenly dry.
Oh yeah, we don't care who finds out
Tonight is all that matters right now
Let's go once more down to the dance floor
Make me sell my soul for more
The chorus tears me away from her. What the fuck was that? I force myself to focus on Ashley, who is now prancing around the stage with his guitar. Jesus Christ, he looks like an ass. I'm not looking forward to our date. But, hey, maybe we can check out guys together. Fuuun.
Baby, let's leave them all for dead Oh yeah, we don't care who finds out
All those thoughts inside your head can be reality
So let yourself believe
I feel your body radiate in the lightning we create
So let yourself believe
Tonight is all that matters right now
Let's go once more down to the dance floor
Make me sell my soul for more
The song ends and everyone erupts in applause.
"Thanks guys," Ashley says. "Now I'm going to turn it over to your favorite guitarist!"
The beautiful girl that I was looking at steps forward. "Hey. This next song is called 'Stop Breathing'. Hope you enjoy."
Before I blinked something fell next to me
It looked like heaven but I swallowed it down
It changed the color of my eyes
They draw your lines and pull your feet up in time
Stop thinking, do you think you will make it
Do you think you just might stop breathing
Confession of obsession
Hush now
You're still breathing
How right she is. I'm hyperventilating at this point. Oh god, the sound of her voice is making me melt. I don't know what it is. I excuse myself to the bathroom. Once I get there I splash some water on my face. "Get a hold of yourself, Spencer! She's a girl! You're straight. You like boys."
I stay in there for a while, trying to compose myself, but every time I push the door open I hear snatches of her voice. Finally I grow a pair and force myself out there.
Ashley is singing again, thank God. I try and zone out, but Maddie pulls me into the ladies room yet again.
"Why did you leave? You were gone for like half an hour."
"I, uh, had explosive diarrhea," I lie. Unconvincingly apparently, at least from the look Maddie has.
Okay, I'll try again. "I was just soo turned on by the singer." Maddie smirks at me. "He's really good looking." Her smile fades.
"Him?"
"Yeah, Ashley?"
"Oh, um, right. Well they've just finished up, so go on back there!"
I nod. I make my way to the back of the club. The band is packing up. "I'm, er, looking for Ashley?" I look between the two men, but neither of them acknowledges me. How rude. I repeat my question.
"Just a second!" I hear a voice calling. Oh shit. It's a girl. Ashley is a fucking girl. And it's the guitarist I was so enraptured with. Fuck me now. I know I need to get out, and get out now. Screw the bet, I'll take Maddie's parties any day. A person taps me on the shoulder from behind. I whirl around.
"Hello!" I squeak, my voice going embarrassingly high.
"Hey," she replies, her voice sounding angelic of course, "I'm Ashley? You were looking for me?"
"Me? Noo, that was some er...other person. Maybe like a cat-burglar or something like that. Or a stalker. You know how they are."
She raises her eyebrows, "Um, not really, but okay. Bye," I sense something in her tone. What is it? Disappointment? She starts to walk away, slinging her guitar bag over her shoulder.
"Wait!" She turns and gives me a smile that makes my knees weak. "I, um, wanted to ask you something. Will you, er, go on a date with me?" I rush out my words so fast that I don't think she's even heard me at first. Then,
"You're asking me on a date?"
I freeze. Every fiber of my being is telling me to run, but I can't. "Yeah. I'm a big fan."
Her face falls a bit. "A fan? I've never seen you before and didn't see you out there much tonight." Great, she calls me on my shit.
"So you were watching me?" I say with a smirk, chuckling to myself that I've turned the tables on her. Her cheeks flush in a goddamn adorable way. NO. Not adorable. I'm so straight. She lifts her eyes up to meet mine and I'm mesmerized again.
"Maybe. It's a small bar. Still doesn't explain why you were gone."
Explosive Diarrhea. That will deter her. "Explosi-I drank too much."
"Oh, so you're drunk then," she says, definitely sounding disappointed this time.
"No, I, uh was drinking a lot of water. I had to piss. A lot."
She looks a bit put off. Great, Spencer, way to gross her out.
"No, that was a lie, sorry. I was just feeling really overwhelmed with shit and needed to get away. Plus it was a bit awkward with Maddie and Adrian being all lovey-dovey and Kyla and Aiden being all coupley too."
"Oh, you know Kyla and Aiden?"
"Er, no. I just met them tonight."
"Ah." She looks confused, but she hasn't run away yet which I suppose is a good thing.
"So, um, is it a date then?"
"Well this is certainly the strangest way anyone's asked me out, but what the hell, I'll go."
"Excellent. I'll call you with the details. Bye and nice meeting you." I shove out my hand which she accepts.
"Um, nice to me you too. But you don't have my phone number, you know."
I give a fakish little laugh, "Oh, I'm sure I can find it out." Fuck, why do I have to sound so creepy? "Oops, I mean could you give it to me?"
"This is just getting weirder and weirder."
"Sorry."
"Don't apologize," she says softly. "Is this your first time asking someone out?"
My face goes really red. "No!"
Her face goes red too. "Oh, sorry. It's just you seemed so nervous. Here's my number." She gives it to me and I manage to punch it into my phone without being too spastic.
"So I'll call you?"
"Yeah," she says, still staring at me with those piercing eyes.
"It was nice meeting you," I say.
"You've said that," she replies with a smile. "I'm gonna leave now. Chao." She waves as she leaves.
"I'm Spencer!" I yell out after her. She turns and smiles, her nose crinkling up in a way that's even more adorable than her embarrassed face.
"Bye, Spencer," she calls, stepping out of the door.
"I'm straight!" I shout, but she doesn't hear me. I can't decide if that's a good thing.