“You about ready?” he asked, his persistent grin in place.
“Oh, uh…for what?” I asked, distracted by Jared’s abrupt departure – not that I’d expected him to say goodbye or anything, but I felt unaccountably empty nonetheless.
“We talked about it earlier. There’s a rave over at one of the underground clubs near here.”
I hesitated. “I…I’m not old enough…”
He grinned. “I can get you in, no problem. Come on. This thing is going to die now that the big star’s gone.”
“I don’t know…”
He polished off what I was pretty sure was his third beer. “We’ll just have one drink, and then we’ll leave. I swear.”
I looked around for Sarah and Kate, but they’d crossed the room with Luke’s buddies and were talking with two members of the band. Luke seemed to sense my uncertainty. “They know the place,” he said. “They’ll be along when they figure out this is over. I’m the ride, remember?”
I tried to think, but between the beer and Jared, my brain wasn’t firing on all cylinders – I hadn’t been lying about being a lightweight.
“Where is it exactly?”
“Maybe three blocks away, tops. I know the area cold – I grew up here.”
“Well…”
He took my hand. “Come on.”
Before I could answer, he was pulling me down the hall toward the exit. I let him guide me, my thoughts elsewhere, replaying the bizarre interaction with Jared in my head and trying to figure out why I reacted like a clubbed seal whenever I caught sight of him.
At the stage door, two burly security men in leather vests nodded to Luke and stepped aside, and then we were in the cool night air, facing a throng of fans waiting to get an autograph or a peek at an idol who was already long gone.
Chapter 3
The club turned out to be a warehouse that had been converted into a multistory bar with a postage-stamp stage. Even from outside I could hear a DJ playing a robotic beat with abrasive guitar riffs drifting in and out, alternating with a woman’s moans.
Luke had gotten us past security with barely a glance, and a girl not much older than me slipped a glowing ring over my hair while he passed the bouncer a couple of bills. My molars shook from the booming bass that echoed through the hall, and I waited for Luke, wary of moving too far from him with hundreds of partiers on the floor. If I got lost in here, I’d probably be crushed to death.
He reappeared at my side and led me through a double doorway to a darkened area with booths lining the wall. A girl in a bikini, her body covered with glow paint, was dancing on a pedestal in the middle of the room. Strobe lights created a sixties nightclub effect – pretty cool actually if you weren’t prone to headaches (I’m not). He signaled to someone, and a waitress showed us to one of the booths and waited while we took a seat across from each other. Luke leaned toward me. “What do you want?”
“Maybe just a Coke.” Please let him not order me another beer.
“You ever had a Cuba libre?”
I couldn’t ask what that was without seeming inexperienced. “Not a really good one.” That could mean anything, right?
Luke swiveled to the waitress and held up two fingers. “Cuba libres – good pours.”
It was still loud even though we weren’t in the main hall, and the floor was vibrating from the oversized speakers. Luke smiled at someone across the room and then folded his hands on the table and eyed me. “So? Good night so far?”
I nodded. “The show was awesome.”
“Glad you liked it.” He paused. “So, where are you from?”
“Nowhere, Pennsylvania.”
“When did you hit town?” he asked, fighting to be heard.
“Today.” It was my turn to pause. “Um…you grew up in Portland?”
“Yeah.”
A pair of young women in skimpy dresses walked by, glitter on their faces, and Luke offered them a smile. He was good-looking, with his natural tan and white teeth and gym-toned body, but you could tell he knew it. I stifled a yawn and tried to think of a good question to ask that didn’t sound like a job interview, but also could be answered over the music. “So, what’s your major?” Well, that wasn’t it.
“Prelaw. My dad’s an attorney. I’m following in his footsteps,” he said.
“Oh, that’s kind of cool.” Or probably was. What do you study before you study the thing you are going to study? I glanced at my watch. “I have to use the bathroom. Any idea where it is?”
He pointed to another doorway. “Through there, on your left.”
I made my way through the doors and found the bathroom. When I checked my cell phone, I had two messages from my stepmom. Shoot. I messed up, as usual. I was supposed to call or text hours ago. I thumbed a quick response assuring her I’d gotten to Ridley safely. Ever since my father had passed away, she’d gotten a bit paranoid, worrying about danger lurking around every turn. You know, the kind of parent who thinks if you have a Twitter account, you’re going to get abducted. I was the polar opposite. We drove each other bats, but I knew she cared.
I freshened up and made my way back to the booth. Two coffee-colored glasses were already waiting on the table, Luke’s a quarter empty and the other brimming. I slid into the booth, took a cautious sip, and made a face. Luke laughed.
“What is that?” I demanded before I remembered that I was trying to pretend I was some sort of drinks connoisseur.
“Rum and coke. It’ll grow on you.”
I licked my lips, trying to make myself like it. “Yeah, I guess. It’s a little…” I began, and then stopped when I saw
