Lunacy (7 page)

Outside of the crowd, the air was so much cooler than
it made me shiver, telling me that I was much more soaked in sweat
than I’d thought I was. Gross! Not exactly a good state to be in to
try to impress Jynxx.

Wait… Since when did I give a damn about what he
thought? Especially when it came to the way I looked. I shook my
head to clear my thoughts, stopping before a vending machine and
frowning as I saw that it contained nothing but soda and energy
drinks. I decided that a strawberry soda would be the best thing to
restore all the sugars I’d been sweating out, so I leaned down to
extract my wallet from my left boot, earning a whistle from someone
behind me.

It startled the hell out of me and I spun to face the
guy, wallet in hand behind me as though I was going to make a
projectile out of it if he tried anything funny. Seeing who it was,
I was reluctant to lower the improvised weapon at all, but I did so
slowly. I turned away from him just long enough to pop my money in
the machine and hammer on the button for the soda with my closed
fist. Spinning back to face him, I ducked down and blindly grabbed
the bottle from the machine with one hand and slipped my wallet
back into my boot with the other. Coming back to my full height
with the boots on, I was nearly as tall as he was.

“What in the hell do you want, Alain?” I made a point
of letting him know that I wasn’t pleased, and had no reason to be
friendly.

He smirked a little, his expression telling me that
he liked that he’d unnerved me. He held up his hands as if to show
me that he was unarmed, but I wasn’t fooled. He’d changed a lot in
the last ten years, but so had I. He’d been pudgy before, but the
onset of puberty, dieting induced by his mother, and lots of time
in the gym had filled Alain Reece out in all the right places. His
hair was blond on top with black beneath it, fashionably mussed as
if he’d just spent an hour or two in the backseat. His dark eyes
that matched his natural hair color set into that tanned skin were
alluring enough, but it would take more than a pretty face and a
fat wallet to draw me in.

We’d had minimal contact as we’d been growing up even
though he lived right next door, but I’d still never forgiven him
for trying to kiss me when we were eight. And although it had
healed properly, I could still see the small imperfections where
I’d broken his nose in two places. Aside from that, I didn’t like
anyone who was under the assumption that every person had their
price, and could indeed be bought. It seemed to be something they
taught you at Savage Academy, where money talked.

“Now, now, Kaysh. No need to be unfriendly…”

I cut him off before he could try buttering me up
with innocuous lies. “Bullshit, Alain. And don’t call me that. You
have no right to use nicknames, much less pet names, with me.”

He sighed, cool and collected, which only fueled my
anger more and more by the second. Why in the hell wasn’t anyone
else happening to wander past right now? It was between sets for
Christ’s sake… The fact that he made me uneasy enough to fear for
my safety, because he was definitely stronger than me now, made me
want out of there. And fast.

He walked forward and I had no choice but to back up
or have him bump into me, and that was the last thing I wanted. My
back hit the vending machine quicker than I’d been expecting and he
leaned forward, one hand supporting his weight pressed against the
front of the machine just by my head. “So hostile, Kacea. And for
what? For me being a silly little boy who was infatuated with your
pretty green eyes and long hair? Surely, you can’t still harbor
such hatred over something so simple.”

I scoffed. “I’m more scared of the fact that you
could do anything you damn well pleased to me and your parents’
money could make it seem like nothing ever happened.” I looked up
at him and it was terrifying from this close. There was something
about him that creeped me out, and I knew better than to ignore my
instincts about people.

He tutted softly and reached out his other hand to
trail very smooth fingers down my cheek and cup my face, not
allowing me to look away. Heat rose in my face as I looked directly
into his eyes, not liking the dark yearning I saw in those obsidian
depths. “Let me go, Alain… Right. Fucking. NOW.”

He chuckled and brought his face closer to mine,
almost close enough that it was hard to focus on his features, the
smell of his cologne from this close was something expensive and
delicious. “Or you’ll what, Kacea? Kick my ass like you did when we
were kids? I dare you to try, sweetling. I’m not the chubby
simpleton I was then.” He dragged his thumb across my lower lip and
his dark gaze followed it. “I’ve learned a lot of things since
then. And I’d love to share them with you…”

His eyes started to close and I was about to drive my
knee into his groin when he was yanked away from me with such force
that it staggered me and I fell back against the vending machine.
Looking up to see my savior, I was half expecting to see fists
swinging and have to call the cops. Jynxx was standing there,
barely contained rage practically flowing off of him in waves as he
had the smaller boy lifted onto his toes by a fistful of shirt.
Alain was like a mini-clone of Jynxx, with sharper and more genteel
features. Both of them were pissed, and if it came to blows, I knew
that Jynxx would clean Alain’s clock better than I ever had.

“No means no, Alain. Or did you think today was
opposite day?” Jynxx said simply.

I fought hard not to laugh, but I really didn’t want
them to hurt each other. I moved over to them, my soda bottle held
behind me to use as a club if need be. “I‘m alright. Just let him
go, Jynxx. He’s not worth it, and he’s gotta go up on stage for
Blunt Trauma’s set, anyway.” He looked down at me and I swear I saw
his eyes flash golden again. My blood sugar must have been
dropping, so I opened my drink and took a long swig. “Come on. I
need someone who can take better care of me in the pit if they’re
gonna get more rowdy than they have been.”

Reluctantly, he let go of Alain with a flick of his
wrist that made the other boy stumble. Alain straightened and
brushed absently at his shirt as though Jynxx might have wrinkled
it. He looked to the taller, paler boy with distaste. “Haven’t you
stolen enough already?”

“What?” Jynxx and I were equally perplexed by that
one.

He rolled his eyes and shook his head. “Never mind.
Peasants…” he muttered, going off to help his band set up.

I took another long swallow of the soda now that he
was gone, glad that the cool air and the sugar were helping me feel
more normal now.

“Are you okay?” Jynxx asked, reaching out to touch my
arm.

I cringed and looked down to see that the fresh gauze
had a touch of pink leaking through from getting knocked around all
night. In good news, the first aid tape around the bandage had kept
sweat from pouring into it and making it sting. “I should clean
this up. Is there a first aid kit here somewhere so I can throw
some clean gauze on this until I get home?”

Jynxx led me to the table where Feign was still
seated, his booted feet tossed nonchalantly up on the chair next to
him. The orange haired pretty boy nearly jumped out of his skin at
my injury, which seemed weird. It wasn’t much blood at all compared
to what it had been initially. He grabbed the first aid kit, pulled
the old bandage off and swabbed it with an antiseptic wipe. The
sting of the alcohol made me suck air in through my teeth at the
sharp pain it brought with it. Feign quickly slapped some salve and
a piece of gauze on over the gash in my arm.

“You really should be more careful, you know.” He
said, breathing more through his mouth than his nose. The smell of
blood must have bothered him.

“I’ll try. Thanks, Feign.”

Jynxx nodded his thanks to the other young man and we
went back out into the concert area. “We’ll hang here by the back
for this set. You’ll end up needing stitches for sure if we go back
to where we were.”

That sounded just dandy to me. So while we listened
to music befitting its name, Blunt Trauma continued to prove that
they were a first-class medical nightmare with their growling
vocals and discordant hardcore music.

Once their set was finally done, it took a few
minutes for my hearing to return to normal, a heavy ringing finally
fading away. The other boys from Jynxx’s band joined us, talking
about going to an after party. Lots of underage drinking and
various other fun things would occur. Definitely wasn’t my cup of
tea, especially because I knew Alain would be there. With my luck,
I’d end up drinking a roofie colada and wake up next to him naked
tomorrow. Thanks, but no thanks.

Jynxx summed up what had happened with Alain, saying
he’d catch a ride home with me rather than going to the
festivities. The boys agreed it was a much better plan and we were
in my car and driving before I knew it. I was a hefty haul from
home, and his place wasn’t too far out of my way.

We’d been driving in comfortable quiet for a few
minutes when he turned and said, “This is going to sound ridiculous
after what just happened with Alain, but… Take me home with
you?”

Nervous laughter sputtered from my lips. “…What?”

“My kid brother’s having his sixteenth birthday
party, and once that nonsense is all done, everyone else’ll be home
and ridiculously drunk. I’ve never been a fan of that part of the
whole band scene. It’s Friday, so we don’t have school tomorrow. I
can even get a ride home in the morning if you don’t wanna take me
back out there. Please, don’t make me go deal with them when
they’re being drunken assholes…”

I glanced away from the road for a second, and the
pleading expression on his face was undeniable. I sighed. “Alright.
But I have to sneak you in because my dad will kill you if he sees
me coming in with you this late.” I glanced at the clock on the
dash. It was two in the morning. “And we’ll figure out sleeping
arrangements when we get there. Alright?”

“Deal.”

I was calm and collected on the outside. On the
inside, my stomach was doing somersaults and I was on the verge of
a minor coronary.

Chapter 8

Mission Impossible music was playing in my head as we
hit the edge of my sloping driveway. I popped the car into neutral,
killed the lights and engine, and coasted to the garage. I hit the
automatic door-opener on my visor and my car eased right into the
garage without a sound.

“Think ninja,” I said to Jynxx with a grin. He rolled
his eyes at my badly faked Asian accent and I frowned as I looked
out my window into the garage. Mom’s car was here, but Dad’s
wasn’t, which meant they still weren’t home. “What in the hell..?”
I murmured to myself. Pulling my phone from my boot, where it had
been set on silent all night, I saw that my Mom had texted me.

“StayN @ Lindas. C U in mrn. luv Mom.”

I rolled my eyes, but was glad they were smart enough
not to try driving home while they were totally plastered. I sighed
aloud with exasperation. “That was a waste of a totally cool ninja
sneak-in!” I crossed my arms and pouted, causing Jynxx to burst
into laughter.

Ignoring the fact that he was laughing at my expense,
I went on. “Since they’re not home, guess we don’t hafta be sneaky
anymore.” I led him to the doorway that separated the breezeway
from the house, pausing for a second. “I’d usually say shoes off
and leave them here, but we’ll take yours to my room, just to be
safe.” We went inside and I shut the door behind us, twisting the
lock on the knob and the deadbolt without looking behind me.

I balanced on one foot while I unzipped and yanked
off my left boot, setting my now nearly bare foot on the hardwood
floor of the kitchen. I also shrank about two inches on one side in
the process, so I braced myself with a hand on Jynxx’s arm while I
stood on one foot to remove the other boot. It fell heavily to the
floor beside its mate and I sighed, happily wiggling my toes, my
legs feeling significantly cooler now that they were able to
breathe.

The quiet of the house was almost overwhelming, and
it made me acutely aware of several things at once. Firstly,
Jynxx’s arm was like heated marble beneath my fingers. Secondly,
from this close and without the invasion of a couple hundred people
around us, he smelled amazing. Combined, those two things led to my
pulse roaring so loudly in my ears that I was almost positive he
could hear it.

Luckily, he didn’t. He also didn’t seem aware of my
lingering hold on him. Reluctantly, I let go and he followed me
through the living room and into the space after it with a grand
staircase at its center.

The room we stood in had once been a ballroom where
magnificent affairs were held back in the days when women still
wore bustles and cars were horse-drawn carriages. The large
staircase had been reupholstered with posh crimson carpeting, the
railings up either side stained a dark mahogany that added
Victorian flair to the room. It split in two at the top, a wing to
either side as well as one that continued straight onward.

We went to the left at the top of the stairs, and I
was feeling more relaxed as we walked the intricate maze of halls
that led to my bedroom. What can I say? When my parents came into
that money, and continued to accrue more, they didn‘t skimp on
finding the biggest place they could afford. The fact that it was
only the three of us didn‘t seem to deter them in the slightest.
Honestly, it almost made me agoraphobic and afraid to venture out
of my room sometimes. Especially when I was at home by myself.

I stopped before my room and was horrified as I
remembered the state I‘d left it in this morning. "Um… wait out
here for a second, okay?" I ducked inside, closing the door behind
me and dashing about, grabbing the few bits of dirty clothing
strewn about and chucking them into the laundry basket. I yanked
the covers up on the bed, tossed the scattered throw pillows back
onto the gargantuan mattress, and decided to leave my guitar and
amp out where they were. A quick, cursory glance around and I felt
like it was safe for someone else to see it.