Misjudged (12 page)

***

It has just started to rain as we make our way through the entrance of the bar. The band don’t begin their show for another fifty minutes, so we have plenty of time to try to get into the party mood.

Neil and Ryan have specifically requested Alyssa
and I ‘mosh’ when they take to the makeshift stage, that’s opposite the bar.

The security
guy on the door doesn’t even question our age as we walk by, so we make our way over to Neil, Ryan, and the rest of the band members. Alyssa told me earlier that Seth has the night off because of having to work last night, and that he’s helping a friend of his move into a new apartment, so he’s going to call her when they’re done.

In the band, Neil plays the guitar, Ryan’s on the drums, Dylan’s on the keyboard and Corey’s the lead singer. I haven’t heard them play together before becau
se they tend to rehearse over in Corey’s garage in the suburbs. They look really focused and busy with sound checks as we approach them.

The bar has a long line, and as I look around, I notice there must be at least seventy people throughout the room. ‘Field of Dreams’ by
‘Flip and Fill’ is playing loudly, and with the silver disco balls hanging from the ceiling as well as the extra disco lighting, the place is really buzzing.

“Oh
, holy sweet mother of …” Ryan’s eyes pop wide open as he looks between Alyssa and me. “Guys!” His jaw is almost hitting his knees, and I feel Alyssa nudging my arm with hers at his reaction.

“See?
I told you that you look freakable!” She laughs before stepping forward and kissing each of the guys on the cheek. “What do you think?” She asks them while waving her hand over at me. I feel my cheeks heating when they all begin to stare.

“I think I have the hottest roommate on this planet!” Neil answers while approac
hing me. “You look hot, Alex.” He whispers into my ear, and I find myself slapping his shoulder in reply.

Alyssa comes back over to join me, and we both wish the guys
good luck then make our way over to the bar. “Let’s get a drink, chica!” She urges, while beaming her wide smile at me and grabbing my arm as she leads me to a space that has just been vacated by a couple of guys.

I shake my head when they stop and look over us both
, before we take a seat and wait for a bartender. I haven’t seen Brandon since he left the dorm earlier but I assume he’ll be working tonight. The place is getting busier by the minute.

In all honesty, I wasn’t sure whether I should come, but Alyssa assured me that he’s the one who should feel uncomfortable, not me.
I have to agree with her. My friends are far more important to me than some guy who took me for a ride, so I don’t see why I should miss out.

My pulse quickens and my palms become sweaty when I see him step behind the bar. I can’t believe my body is still reacting this way from the sight of him. He’s a liar. He’s a cheat. He’s… looking the hottest I’ve ever seen him before.

His black hair is styled in chunky, messy spikes and he looks delicious. I was in those arms only a couple of nights ago, and I had his lips on me … Dammit! I need a drink. Okay, no, I need several.

“I’ll order for
us,” Alyssa leans over to me as she speaks. “Can I throw a drink over him?” She nods her head over in his direction but I shake mine at her in response.

“Let’s just enjoy the night for Neil and Ryan, okay?” I answer. “Get me a triple vodka!” I chuckle lightly and roll my eyes as one of the female servers comes over to take our order.

I find myself watching him as he serves a group of women, who appear to be part of a bachelorette party, their drinks. He’s smiling and chatting away with them while they flirt with him. Shit. I can’t believe I’m sitting here feeling jealous.

Our drinks arrive and mine only lasts a couple of seconds
, because as soon as the glass is placed down on to the bar, I pick it up and throw the clear liquid down my throat. A few more of these and I think I’ll have myself, my thoughts, and my feelings back under control.

“Alex, go steady!” Alyssa laughs while waving down the server again. “We have all night, remember?” She shakes her head
and we turn in unison when we hear the sound of Ryan’s guitar through the speakers.

A crowd begins gathering around them
and I have a feeling we’re not going to get a space at the front. I can see tonight being a success for them already, and I’m pleased at that thought. They’ve been working so hard for this.

Alyssa and I decided to order ourselves a few shots each to get us going.
The fifth certainly didn’t burn as much as the previous four, but I’m already starting to feel the effects as we decide to make our way towards the dance floor.

Stepping down from the bar stool to follow Alyssa, I bump into someone.

“Hey, watch it!” An angry sounding male voice scolds me.

“I’m sorry!” I say, and when I look up, I see the corners of his mouth edging up. Thank God for that. I thought he was going to yell at me when I first saw his face. He looked pissed. I would be pissed if someone had just spilled a drink all over me.

“No worries,” he keeps his smile as he steps to the side, allowing me to pass by him as I go in search of Alyssa. “By the way …”

Swinging back around because I realize that he’s still talking to me, I notice Brandon standing on the other side of the bar,
and staring right at me. His gaze travels over me from head to toe, and then back up again. I watch as he closes his eyes and inhales a breath before reopening them, and then he narrows them on the guy who’s trying to gain my attention.

“I’m Vinnie.” He introduces himself as he takes my hand in his. From the corner of my eye, I see Brandon clenching his fists, which makes me inwardly groan. He’s pissed because I’m talking to some guy? He really needs to sort his shit out, seriously.

“Alex,” I tell him as I shake his hand gently. “I’m really sorry about your shirt.”

“Your friend’s waiting for you,” h
e tilts his now empty glass in the direction behind me as he speaks. “Have a good evening.” He nods before releasing my hand and turning away.

When I turn back around, I see Alyssa grinning widely and waving me over to join her.

“You should have seen that asshole’s face! I thought he was going to grab that guy and drag him outside! Talk about turning green!” She clasps her hands together with far too much excitement than I can endure. “Who was he, anyway?”

“Vinnie, apparently,” I answer. I’m more concerned over the way I’m feeling from what she said about Brandon.
Forget about him, Alex. He used you, he told you that himself.
Although, I still can’t fathom how he used me. It’s not as if we slept together.

“He’s watching you again,” s
he leans over to tell me while keeping her eyes focused on the bar. “You should go make out with someone and piss him off!” I shake my head at her as my way of a reply. Typical Alyssa.

The band’s set begins, and pretty much everybody in the room is making their way over now.
Alyssa and I dance together and giddiness begins spreading through me when I see how much fun the guys are having. They sound amazing.

We must have been dancing for well over an hour now, and I’m starting to feel a little overheated. It’s really getting hot in here
and I find myself having to push my way through the crowd so I can try to get some air.

I hadn’t realized Alyssa had followed me until I take a seat over in the far corner of the room. “Alex, Seth just asked me to go and meet him at his friend’s place,” she tells me warily.

“Then go!” I laugh at her because I know that’s what she’s going to do anyway. “I’ll be fine. Go meet with him and I’ll wait for the guys to finish their set.”

“Thank you!” She beams while pulling
me in for a hug. “I love you!” She shouts over the music before making her way towards the exit. Maybe this time she and Seth will be just fine. Alyssa is usually the one to call the shots in all of her relationships, but this time, it seems to be the opposite way around.

It’s just after eleven by the time the guys finish their set. The dispersing crowds appear to have
really enjoyed the show. I sit by the bar while the place empties out, waiting for Neil and Ryan as they pack their equipment away before we all head home together.

“Here, why don’t you have some of this? It’ll make you feel better.” I recognize the voice
and when I turn around, I see Vinnie smiling as he takes a seat beside me. He places a glass of clear liquid in my hand. “You look as though you might need it.”

“What is it?” I try to focus on the drink I just accepted from him. I hold it up to examine it, but because of my alcohol intake throughout the course of the evening, the glass slips to the side and spills down my arm. “Shoot!” I mumble
, while placing the glass down onto the bar. I start looking around for a napkin or something so that I can try and get myself cleaned up.

“It’s just water.
You look like you’ve had a little too much alcohol already,” he smiles as I grab the glass again and lift it up towards my mouth. Suddenly, it’s grabbed away from me and smashed into what appears to be hundreds of shards of glass as it makes contact with the floor.

“Hey!” I snap, and when I turn around, I see Brandon glowering over me. He looks as though he’s about to commit a murder or something. His eyes are almost black from the
rage that’s displaying over his face. He grabs a hold of Vinnie by his collar, before dragging him out through the front door. Within a split second, Neil and Ryan are running through the doors after them. “He is such an asshole,” I mutter, as I make my way outside to see what’s going on.

The fresh air doesn’t seem to be helping at all, and I find myself a little unsteady on my feet. I look around, but they’re nowhere in sight. Glancing first to my left, and then to my right, the only people I see are those who are leaving the bar. Where did they go?

“Fuck, that’s enough man! Come on, I said enough!” Shit, that’s Ryan’s voice. Spinning around in the direction his voice came from, all I see is a pitch-black alleyway. I have a bad feeling about this.

“Shit, you’re gonna fucking kill him if you don’t stop! I think he’s got the message, now let’s go!” Ryan anxious voice booms out from the alley. No, please tell me he didn’t, please tell me he hasn’t. My hands are shaking as I hesitantly take a step
towards the dark space.

I hear the sound of footsteps drawing closer, and then I see Ryan and Neil appear. They have a hold of Brandon
and they’re trying to restrain him from going back. There’s blood all over his hands. Fuck! “What the fuck did you just do?” My voice is a whisper and I bring my hand up to my mouth as I feel bile rising in my throat.

I hear a mumbled groan coming from the dark space they just emerged from. I automatically take another step
towards the alleyway. He just beat the crap out of a guy because he was what? Jealous? Fucking asshole! He has no right!

“Alex!” I feel a hand gripping around my waist as I’m about to walk in. “Alex, no!” Turning around, I look right into Neil’s eyes. He looks pissed, upset, and anxious.

Shaking my head, I place my hands on his chest, move out of his hold and then storm right up in to Brandon’s face. He’s breathing heavily and his eyes are glazed. I think he’s just snapped, big time. His jaw is clenched tightly as he mutters something unintelligible to Ryan. A moment later, Ryan lets go of him.

“What the fuck!” I scream in his face. When he makes eye contact with me, I see a look of remorse flash
ing into his eyes. He looks lost and afraid. “Are you fucking happy now?” My voice is quieter, and my whole body begins to shake uncontrollably.

“How much did you drink, Alexis?” He looks almost pained as he leans closer. He’s so close that I can feel his breath washing over my face. “HOW MUCH DID YOU FUCKING HAVE?” He grabs hold of both of my shoulders, and when I don’t answer him, his grip becomes tighter with each second that passes.

I find myself just staring at him, completely unaware as to why he’s being such an asshole, and wondering why he’s shouting at me. I shake my head in confusion and stammer a couple of garbled words. “Who? But ...”

When I can’t get my words out, he lets out a small growl before he starts shaking me vigorously. His eyes remain on mine, and I swear I’ve never been so afraid in all of my life.

“Brandon, you’re hurting her!” Neil grabs hold of Brandon’s arm and tries to pull him away from me. “LET HER GO!” Neil’s voice is demanding and Brandon’s face becomes unreadable, as he releases his hold before backing away a couple of steps. My shoulders are aching from how tightly he was gripping me. Is he insane? I think he is.

I watch as he falls to his knees and starts to rake his hands through his hair, repeatedly. It’s as if he’s trying to gain some kind of control over himself or something
but I think it’s a little late for that.

Party
revelers are passing by, but don’t seem to be paying attention to anything that’s happening around them. I’m not sure whether this is a good thing, or a bad thing. If they call the cops, Brandon will end up back in a cell. If they don’t call the cops, well, let’s just hope they don’t for now. I haven’t finished with him myself yet.