–2–
"Are you sure we should have turned right? I really think left was the way to go."
Lizzie sighed in utter frustration, her fingers gripping the steering wheel so tightly her knuckles were turning white. "No, Gordo! For the millionth time, if we went left, we would have driven off a cliff into the Pacific Ocean. Is that such a difficult concept for you to grasp?"
"I'm telling you, I saw a turn to take another right after you turned left."
"No you didn't, because it didn't exist!"
"Yes it did!"
"Guys, guys, guys. Chill. Relax. Just let it ride."
Lizzie and Gordo both threw scathing glances towards the backseat, where Miranda and Vanessa were squashed between Gordo's two friends, Jeremy Hawk and Scott Bergeron. The comment had come from Jeremy, of course, who could never keep his mouth shut or his nose out of other people's business. At the moment was fiddling with something in his hands.
At the realization of what he was trying to do, Lizzie's eyes widened and she nearly swerved off the road. "Oh hell no! I don't think so! Gordo, can you please inform your friend that no one is going to light up in my car!"
"What?" Gordo's head spun around to look at Jeremy. "Jeremy, come on! I thought we talked about this!"
"Oh, I'm sorry, Gee. You want some?" he offered, extending his hand. "Anyone? Want a hit?"
"Ugh, get that thing away from me!" Miranda shrieked when Jeremy swung it towards her, and slapped his arm sharply. She shuddered at the fact that he was so close to her.
"Stop it," Gordo ordered, giving him a pointed look.
Jeremy rolled his eyes, but stuffed the joint and lighter back in his pocket. "Alright alright."
Anticipating his next move, Gordo added, "And no cigarettes either."
"What's wrong with a cigarette?" Jeremy groaned.
As Miranda and Gordo both went off on him, Lizzie tuned them out, trying desperately to keep her anger under control and focus on the task at hand. "Ethan, even you're not worth this," she muttered under her breath.
The two hour ride had turned into one of three hours and fifteen minutes. They seemed to have taken every single wrong turn possible and spent more time backtracking than anything else. As if that hadn't been bad enough, a freak summer storm had developed just before they left and was randomly plaguing them with bouts of torrential downpours, thunder, and lightning. Lizzie's nerves were through the roof as she inched the car down the street, squinting to make out what was ahead through the thick sheet of rain. She was aware of disgruntled drivers beeping behind her, but she could care less. An accident was the last thing any of them needed.
"Oh my God!" Miranda yelled, jolting Lizzie out of her thoughts.
Panic gripped her heart. "What? What? What?"
"Fred Segal is having a sale! Oh my God, Lizzie, can we stop for a second? Please, please, please?" Miranda begged.
Everyone turned to glare at her. "No!" they all shouted.
Miranda's eyes widened in indignation. "Fine." She crossed her arms and slouched back, a pout taking over her face.
"Wait a second," Scott spoke up. "If that's Fred Segal back there, then that means we're on Melrose Avenue. Isn't that where The Oasis is?"
"Yes!" Lizzie's eyes lit up. "Oh thank you! There is a God! Keep your eyes peeled, everyone."
Gordo shot Scott an odd look. "How the hell did you know that?" All the others glanced curiously at him, too.
"Shut up! My sister shops there."
"Sure she does," Vanessa smirked.
"No, really," Scott insisted, then sighed in exasperation and turned to stare out the window. "Oh forget it!" They all laughed, everyone much more relaxed now that they were close to their destination.
"We're just playing with you, Scotty boy," Vanessa said, patting his knee reassuringly. "Don't get your panties in a twist."
"Yeah, are those from Victoria's Secret?" Gordo quipped. He ducked as Scott leaned forward to smack him across the back of the head. "How's the miracle bra working out for you?" he continued goading his friend.
"There it is!" Lizzie exclaimed happily, catching sight of the bright sign shining through the rain.
"They have valet," Miranda nodded with approval.
Lizzie steered the car carefully underneath the plastic blue awning which had been constructed due to the weather. "I never trusted valet parking," she said. "You really think my mom's car is safe with them?"
"A '91 Toyota Corolla?" Jeremy smirked. "I don't think you have anything to worry about."
Lizzie narrowed her eyes at him as she caught his reflection in the rearview mirror. "What are you trying to say?"
"Hey, it's our turn," Gordo pointed out, grateful for the interruption.
They all hopped out of the car, ever so grateful for finally getting a chance to stretch their sore limbs.
Lizzie exchanged her car keys for the parking stub, and gave it to Gordo to hold in his pocket. "Well, where am I supposed to keep it? These pants don't have pockets and who knows where my jacket might end up."
"So where's your money then?"
Shaking her head, she said, "You don't even wanna know."
This earned her curious glances from Gordo, Jeremy, and Scott. In actuality her money was being held up with a bobby pin to her boot, but Lizzie was oblivious to where the guys's minds might wander.
"Look at this line," Miranda frowned, staring at the mass of people filing around the side of the building. "And there's no cover down there! We're gonna be standing in the rain!"
"Guys, guys, guys," Jeremy interjected. "Chill. I got this." Before they could ask what the hell he had in mind, he was making his way to the bouncer.
Vanessa looked after him. "How much you wanna bet he's gonna get us arrested in less than five minutes?"
"What the hell is he doing?" Lizzie shook her head. "We don't know him, we don't know him, we don't know him! Just pretend we don't know him. Quick, let's run before he gets back."
"Wait a second," Gordo said, seeing Jeremy turn and motion them over. "I think whatever he did worked."
"Or he could be leading us to a death trap," Miranda muttered, linking her arm through Lizzie's as they reluctantly followed Vanessa, Gordo, and Scott to the entrance.
Much to their surprise, and to the annoyance of those who had probably been waiting in line for hours, they were let right in. Shocked stares were trained on Jeremy.
"How did you do that?" Miranda asked, genuinely impressed.
Jeremy shrugged smugly, slinging an arm around her shoulders. "It was nothing really."
Gordo eyed him. "You gave him your pot, didn't you?"
"Yeah. My joints and my bag. You people owe me, like, seventy bucks."
Miranda jerked out from under his grasp. "You gave the bouncer drugs?" she hissed. "How stupid can you be?" Everyone walked away from him, rolling their eyes.
"Hey!" Jeremy cried, rushing after them. "I was just kidding! This one's on me!"
The club was packed to the brim with teenagers, all dancing and jumping around. The flashing multicolored lights were dim and a hazy smoke was being exerted from somewhere, making it all that much harder to see less than one foot in front of you.
"How are we supposed to find Ethan now?" Lizzie complained, craning her neck to see over the crowd, which didn't really do much good since she was still barely over five-feet-six in the heels.
"Since he's in the band, I'm guessing he'll be the one on stage," Vanessa said with a slight laugh.
"Well he's not there now."
"Don't worry, they're probably just taking a break. He'll be back," Miranda said. "In the meanwhile, I'm sorry, but Ethan who? There are so many cute guys here!"
Even Lizzie had to admit that. "Yeah," she laughed and shrugged out of her jacket. Of course she was oblivious to the stares she received from every guy around her, including Gordo, Scott, and Jeremy. Miranda and Vanessa noticed, though, and exchanged knowing smiles. "I guess we should try and find a table?"
"I think I see a free one in the corner over there," Gordo said. "Past the bar."
"Hey, Gordo, you're gonna dance with me tonight, right?" Vanessa prodded, wrapping an arm around his waist from behind as they began to cut through the room.
Gordo rubbed her hand and laughed. "Yeah. Right."
"Oh come on!"
"Well Miranda's definitely dancing with me, aren't you, babe?" Jeremy threw a wink her direction.
She looked at him in a horrified way before shuddering. "Eww."
"You know you want me, why you gotta deny it for?"
Scott fell into step beside Lizzie. "Hey, Lizzie, you want a drink or something?" he asked as they neared the bar.
"Maybe later. Did you want something?"
"No. Well, actually, I was wondering if you maybe wanted to–"
"Lizzie?" a surprised voice interrupted Scott.
She knew who it was before she even turned around. Keep cool, keep cool, keep cool, she coached herself. "Ethan!"
A huge smile was on his face. "What are you doing here?"
"Oh, well I heard there was supposed to be a really cool band here tonight," Lizzie replied casually.
Ethan's smile seemed to grow even wider. "I'm playing here tonight! I mean, my band. The Rabid Skunks."
"Oh my gosh, really?" she pretended to be shocked. "That is so weird!"
"Yeah, seriously. Where are you sitting?"
"Well, Gordo went to get us a table over–" Glancing around for her friends, she saw them walking back over to her, shaking their heads. "Oh, I guess they were all taken."
"Hey guys!" Ethan greeted them all. "Why don't you all come up to the VIP section?" he offered. "There's more than enough room, trust me."
"Are you for real? Yeah, sure! That'd be so great."
"Follow me," Ethan said, taking Lizzie's elbow gently.
She swallowed back an excited squeal and looked over her shoulder. Miranda and Vanessa were both shooting her huge grins and the thumbs up signs. They made their way to a spiral staircase in the corner by the stage, which was being guarded by another huge bouncer.
"They're with me," Ethan stated, nodding back to everyone. The big blonde man was skeptical, but stepped back and allowed them to pass.
"They're with me," Gordo mocked, exaggerating Ethan's condescending drawl.
Vanessa nudged him lightly, interlocking her fingers with his. "Stop. He is getting us into the VIP section, isn't he?"
"Big deal."
They ascended to a hallway, and Ethan led them into the first door on the right. It was a fairly large balcony-like area overlooking the main floor of the club, with its own personal DJ stand, bar, and a few couches and tables scattered around. There were barely more than two dozen people all together, but they all had to contain their groans when they saw two of those people were Kate and her best friend Claire.
"Hey, look who I found!" Ethan declared.
"You've gotta be kidding me," they heard Kate snap. Her expression was even more sour than usual. Even Claire was looking extremely miserable.
"Who's this?" a pretty blonde girl walked over to Ethan, smiling at Lizzie and her friends. Not another second later, an identical blonde showed up on Ethan's other side.
Jeremy wiggled his eyebrows menacingly. "Is it just me, or is everyone seeing two gorgeous blonde, too?"
The second blonde laughed a little. "Yeah, we're twins..."
Ethan pointed out everyone, only making a slight error by calling Scott 'Steve', which Gordo jumped to correct, then added, "And this is Cassidy and Taryn Lockheart..." He slid an arm easily around Taryn's waist, his smile never wavering. "My girlfriend."
Lizzie felt her stomach plummet to the floor, then she went numb.
Girlfriend? Had Ethan Craft just introduced this mini blonde Barbie as his girlfriend? On the inside Lizzie could almost see her spirit deflate, but on the outside she just smiled politely back at Taryn and her twin sister. "Hi, Taryn, Cassidy. Cool to meet you."
"Come on, Ethan," an Asian guy with spiky blue hair called from the doorway. Lizzie recognized him as Henry Chen, a senior from her AP History class. "We're on in five."
"That's my cue. Enjoy the show!"
Lizzie had to avert her gaze as Ethan and Taryn shared a short kiss, which was surprisingly deep and passionate. She felt as if someone had just taken a large metal fist and punched her with all their might in her gut, knocking all breath out of her.
Taryn let out a low sigh of happiness as she watched Ethan leave, which didn't escape Lizzie's attention. "I think I'm gonna go watch from backstage," she suddenly decided. "Have fun, everyone! Any friends of Ethan are cool with me. Take advantage of the bar, it's totally on us! And Ted will slip in a few drops of some kind of alcohol if you annoy him enough." With a giggle, she brushed past Lizzie and followed the path Ethan had taken.
"Are they gonna let her backstage?" Vanessa asked.
"If they don't, Daddy's sure never gonna hear the end of it," Cassidy quipped. "Our father owns this place," she explained at their inquiring looks.
Inhaling sharply, Lizzie crossed her arms tightly across herself and glanced at Miranda to see how she had taken the news, but all she got a glimpse of was the back of her friend's raven-haired head. She was too busy staring at, or more accurately drooling over, a very tall and ever so tan Latin guy standing by the bar. 'Guess I'm alone on the heartbroken bandwagon,' she thought wryly, then as an afterthought looked at Kate. Claire had disappeared and Kate's face definitely mirrored what Lizzie felt at that moment. Taryn must have been a total surprise to her, too.
As always, Jeremy's loud voice rang throughout the room, bringing Lizzie back to reality. He had sidled up to Cassidy and was beaming slyly at her, no doubt with what he believed to be his most heart-stopping grin.
"So, beautiful, do you have a boyfriend?"
"Yeah, she does," a deep voice answered from behind Jeremy. It was the very guy that Miranda had just been eyeing. He draped a large, protective arm around Cassidy and smiled expectantly at Jeremy.
Despite his size and demeanor, there was definitely a hint of amusement and laughter in his startling green eyes. Jeremy must have been too focused on the two former qualities, though, and quickly walked off, muttering something about getting a drink. Cassidy and her boyfriend laughed as they made their way over to a couch and dropped against the cushions, still embracing tightly and starting to kiss.
"I hate them," Miranda muttered, appearing at Lizzie's side.
Lizzie shrugged with a helpless frown.
The music stopped and the DJ spoke. "And now here are The Rabid Skunks back for another set! Take it away, fellas!"
The cheering was almost deafening. Obviously Ethan and the band had proven themselves before and the crowd was craving for more. Lizzie hedged her way over to the balcony, her eyes trained on Ethan as he stood front and center on the stage, cradling his electric guitar.
He brought his lips to the microphone. "Thanks. We call this one 'I'd Rather Die.'"
Scott snorted contemptuously. "My thoughts exactly." He and Gordo moved back, laughing to themselves.
They were good, but Lizzie's heart just wasn't into it. Anytime she lost herself in the music and in Ethan, it wouldn't be long before she noticed the girls at the front of the crowd, shooting him adoring and awestruck looks. He knew how to work them, too, tossing his head of perfectly coifed hair and grinning down at them. But then right away he would look to his left, where Taryn stood behind the curtains, give her the sincerest of all smiles and shoot her a playful wink, and she'd laugh and wave. It made Lizzie want to scream at the top of her lungs.
"God, Cass, your sister's boyfriend is so cute!" she heard one of the twins's friends gush.
Disgusted, Lizzie stepped away, pushing past all those that had gathered to see the band play. She went to the bar, plopped down on one of the stools, and ordered a Coke. It was going to be a long night.
–*–
It had been nearly thirty minutes and The Rabid Skunks were just finishing up their last song, but Lizzie still hadn't moved an inch. He watched as she drained yet another glass of soda. Miranda had attempted to go over and talk to her several times, Vanessa had practically ripped her arm off in the process of begging her to get up and dance, and Jeremy had even been sent over in hopes of annoying Lizzie away from the bar. Not to mention the trail of guys that had wandered over, then just as quickly backtracked. Nothing would make her budge. Now it was time to do what he'd been trying to work up the courage to do all night.
"Hey, Lizzie."
Lizzie glanced up and smiled weakly. "Hey, Scott." Her cheek was resting on her palm, a waterfall of shiny blonde hair cascading down her arm, and her fingers were absently tracing a random pattern on the bar's glossy marble counter top.
Scott briefly wondered if she had any idea how beautiful she was. He cleared his throat unconsciously and slowly sat down on the stool beside hers. "So...I'm having the best night of my life. How 'bout you?"
"Oh yeah. I can die happy now."
The sarcasm in their voices matched perfectly and as their eyes met, they laughed lightly.
It was the first laugh he'd heard out of her all night since they had come up to the VIP area, and knowing that it was partly because of him made it all the more captivating. "Alright, so I know why I'm miserable. I don't drink, I don't dance, and I think the music sucks. What's your excuse?"
"It's just not...what I thought it was gonna be," Lizzie replied, settling on the right words.
"We could leave," Scott offered.
"Trust me, that's all I've been thinking about for the past half hour," she admitted. "But it'd be so selfish. Everyone else really is having a good time."
And they were. Miranda had gotten over the disappointment of finding out Alex was Cassidy's boyfriend and had sequestered herself and a cute guy in the corner where they were talking quietly and slow dancing, despite the fact that the song was fast paced; Vanessa had finally managed to crack Gordo and the two of them were dancing up a storm. In fact, he was now the one complaining whenever she paused for a break; and Jeremy...well, he was Jeremy. No one was surprised that he had talked the bartender into giving him way too many "splashes" of tequila in his orange juice and was now curled up in a chair, out cold and snoring away. But he did have a happy kind of dopey smile on his face.
"Well... It'll be over soon." He mentally smacked himself. How much more stupid could he sound? Lizzie probably would have been better off if he had stayed put on the couch across the room, just watching her for the rest of the night. "I mean, we have curfews and...stuff. You know." Shut up Scott, just shut the hell up before it's too late, his brain screamed.
"Yeah," Lizzie sighed, glancing at her watch. "I think if we go in half an hour we should be home on time. At least we know exactly how to get back now."
He nodded in agreement. "Yeah. So...we could try to make the most of it then..." She looked at him questioningly. Scott cleared his throat again and looked away. "We could dance. If you want to, I mean."
It was obvious she was a little surprised. Lizzie opened her mouth to speak, but a bustle of activity drew their attention to the door then. Ethan and the band were back, and apparently they had brought the entire female population from the main floor with them. Girls of every size, color, and level of obnoxiousness were gathered around, all giggles and fluttering eyelashes.
Scott was sure that Lizzie would rush off to join them, but it was his turn to be surprised when she grabbed his hand.
"A dance sounds great," she said, proceeding to pull him off the stool. "But let's go downstairs. It's getting kind of crowded up here."
They shoved past the throng of girls, her fingers still grasping his lightly. She tossed her jacket on a chair on the way, and he noticed the way Ethan looked at her, then at him. Lizzie didn't even glance in Ethan's direction, though, and flounced down the stairs.
Once on the main level and close to the center of the dance floor, she turned to face him and smiled. Scott felt his stomach flop.
"I didn't know you liked to dance!" Lizzie screamed so to be heard above the pounding music. She still had to lean close to his ear, and her hands held on to his arms for balance.
He hated it, really, but just shrugged. "Yeah. Sometimes."
Lizzie smiled again, starting to move to the beat of the music. For the next fifteen minutes they both tried to make up for the misery they had endured at the beginning, and it worked. It was light hearted, friendly dancing, with Scott spinning and dipping her, and then Lizzie returning the favor. Neither of them could stop laughing.
Scott was almost sure that she had forgotten entirely about Ethan and his girlfriend, which he knew was probably one of the main reasons she had been so down earlier. He had managed to push all that out of his mind, too. Until he had the distinct feeling of being watched.
Sure enough, when he turned his head to peer up at the VIP balcony, a pair of eyes were trained in his and Lizzie's direction. But it wasn't Ethan. It was Gordo.
–*–