Star Struck (13 page)

“Yay!” Lola squeals so loud I have to hold the phone from my ear.

When I get to Ryker’s apartment and see all the people milling around
, I start to have second thoughts. I don’t really like parties. In fact, I only went to one in all of high school. Memories of that night burn the back of my throat, and I choke as if I’ve just swallowed acid. I’m about to turn around and hightail it home when Lola spots me. She waves in my direction, beer spilling out of her red plastic cup and fizzing down her arm.

“Star! You made it.” She rushes toward me, a sheen of sweat on her face.

“Yeah.” A guy walks past, bumping me with his shoulder. He mumbles something that sounds like an apology, but I’m not sure. I scratch the back of my neck and look around nervously. “I’m not sure this is my thing, Lola. Remember what happened last time we went to a party?”

“That was ages ago, Star.” Lola latches onto my arm, her long nails piercing my flesh. “
Besides, I was there for you that night, and I will be again tonight.”

I nod
. If Lola’s here, I’ll be fine. She’s always been good about looking out for me. Plus, haven’t I been craving some excitement? So far college has been filled with firsts for me, and I’ve been traveling outside of my comfort zone a lot. “Okay. I’ll stay.”

Lola squeals, pulling me toward the kitchen. “Then let’s get you a drink, missy.”

I’m not entirely sure what Lola puts in my drink, but I know it’s not beer. It has sort of a fruity taste to it. I actually like it, and I drink it thirstily. I stand next to Lola and Ryker, enjoying my drink and listening to the soft music that plays in the background. I feel a little like the third wheel, so once my drink is empty I nudge Lola. “I’m going to get a refill. You stay here. I’ll be back.”

“Did I hear you say you needed a refill?”
A dark haired guy stands in front of me, wearing ripped jeans and a wrinkled t-shirt. I notice he has a piercing in his brow and a couple of tattoos on his arm. He’s no Beckett, but at least he’s not preppy like Spencer or Forrest.

Smiling, I thrust my cup into his hand. “Yes, I did.”

“What would you like?”

I shrug, feeling flirty. “Surprise me.”

As the strange boy walks away, I feel a little flutter in the pit of my stomach.
If only Beckett could see me now.

18

Beckett

The door that leads into my parents’ house springs open behind me. When I turn around I see my dad step into the garage. “Hey, son. I didn’t think you were still here. Heard the band finish awhile ago.”

I bend down and pack my guitar into the case. “Yeah, I’m just cleaning up.”

Dad walks toward me, his shoulders slightly stooped. He’s wearing jeans and a t-shirt, and his feet are bare. His hair is shorn close to his head, his face clean shaven. The tattoos on his arms are the only reminder of the man he used to be. “Tate came over the other night. Nice to have him back, huh?”

“It’s fine.” I shrug, standing up.

“He was saying that there are job openings at his company.”

My insides churn like I was just struck with food poisoning. “You looking for a job, Dad?” I ask sarcastically.

“Nah, retirement’s been good to me.” He smiles. “I was actually thinking about you.”

“I’m not interested, Dad. I like what I’m doing.”

Dad glances around. “Yeah, I know it’s fun, but it doesn’t exactly pay the bills.”

I fight back the anger that wrestles to surface. “I get by.”

“But if it weren’t for your brother, you wouldn’t be able to pay the rent.”

“He tell you that?”

Dad sighs wearily. “Look, I just want what’s best for you.”

“This is what’s best for me, Dad.” I shake my head. “At least I’m still following my dream. I’m not abandoning it the way you did.”

“You know why I had to, son.”

“Y
eah, I do, and that’s why I work so hard to make sure no one gets in my way.”

Dad frowns. “I don’t regret my choices, son.”

“I know, but I’m not like you, Dad.” I pick up my guitar case. “I gotta take off.”

“Why don’t you come have dinner this Saturday night? Tate’s coming over.”

“I’m playing this Saturday night.” I glance up at him. “Why don’t you guys come see us?”

“Um...” Dad scratches the back of his neck, and I know exactly what’s coming. “Maybe another weekend.”

“Sure.” I shrug like I don’t care, and then turn away. “See ya later, Dad.”

“Bye, son.”

As I head to my car, the crisp night air circles me. I throw my guitar in the backseat and slide into the driver’s side. As I pull away from the curb, loud music spills from the speakers, dulling my senses. Dad’s words play in my mind, reminding me of why it’s so important to keep Star at a distance. I’ve never worried about a girl getting under my skin before, but there’s just something about Star. I know that if I let her in I won’t want to let her go. She’s the type of girl that a guy would give everything up for. Only I can’t afford to give anything up. I have to keep focused if I want to make it.

I turn my car away from my apartment and toward Ryker’s. The last thing I want to do is talk to Tate right now. Besides, I need to talk to Ryker about kicking Star out of the band. I’m sure he’ll understand if I tell him how I feel. He’s already made it clear that he doesn’t want me messing with her.
I park along the street in front of Ryker’s place. A few people stand outside smoking. I pass them by, batting away the plumes that fill the air. The smell turns my stomach. It reminds me of the way my dad used to smell when I was a kid. I hated the way the scent lingered on his fingers, his skin, his hair.

Taking the corner, I walk up the cement p
ath shadowed with trees. When I reach the stairs I spot a couple sitting on the steps, red solo cups in hand. My chest tightens. I sidestep past them and climb the stairs. The minute I reach his door I know that he’s got a party going on inside. Loud laughter and chatter spill from under the door. I reach out and jiggle the knob. Sure enough, it’s unlocked. I push it open, and my suspicions are confirmed. People are jam packed in Ryker’s small apartment that he shares with Pierce. A couple makes out on the couch, and there are a few guys chugging beer in the kitchen. I finally catch sight of Ryker across the room chatting with Lola, and I start to stalk toward him. But then I catch a whiff of honeysuckle scent, and I pause. Glancing down at the couch, my heart sinks. I didn’t recognize her at first because I wasn’t expecting her. Star is the girl making out with some strange guy on the couch. His hands tangle in her hair, and when they separate she giggles in a way that indicates she’s had a few too many. When I see her heavy lidded eyes I have the strange urge to punch the guy in the face. Can’t he see that she’s drunk? What kind of guy takes advantage of a girl in this condition? I force down the memories of all the times I’ve done it.

“Star,” I say.

Her head whips in my direction. Lipgloss is smeared up her face, her hair mussed. Anger swirls inside of me. She looks so hot, and I’m angry that I wasn’t the one who made her look like that. Her mouth widens in surprise. Then she lets out another giggle and sways slightly to the side. The guy she’s practically lying on top of reaches out to steady her, but I swat his hand away and latch on to her arm.

“C’mon, Star,” I say gruffly, yanking her up.

She fights me off. “Let go of me. I’m having fun with…” her voice trails off and she furrows her brows.

“You don’t even know his name, do you?” I ask as if I’m annoyed
, but the truth is that it’s all a little amusing.

“Yes, I do.” She scrunches up her forehead in concentration. “Joseph.”

“Jonah, but close enough.” The guy sits up, smiling at Star.

“Star, this isn’t like you,” I say, hoping to appeal to her sensible side.

She shoves away from me and her body wavers.

“Whoa, there
,” I say putting out my arms.

After regaining her balance, she tries to move away from me. “You hardly even know me.”

“I know enough.”

“So, is this guy your boyfriend or something?” Jonah squirms on the couch, looking uncomfortable.

Star glares at me. “No, he doesn’t want anything to do with me.”

“Star, that’s not true.”

She opens her mouth like she’s going to say something, but then a funny look passes over her face. She leans her head forward, and then I know exactly what’s happening.

“Star? Are you okay?” I ask.

“Bathroom,” she sputters.

I nod, understanding. Clutching her hand, I guide her toward Ryker’s small bathroom located directly off the family room. The minute we get inside she falls to her knees and retches in
to the toilet. I reach out and sweep the hair from her face, holding it tightly in my hand as she throws up again.  She wipes her mouth with the back of her hand and glances over her shoulder at me. She looks embarrassed.

“Sorry,” she mumbles.

“You don’t drink often, do you?”

“Never.”

“It’s okay. We’ve all been there.” I rub her back.

“Thanks.” Star scrambles to stand up.

“Here, I’ll help you.” I wrap my arm around her waist and hoist her up. “Clean up and then I’ll take you home.”

“Why are you doing th
is?” She asks.

I shrug. “It’s what friends do.”

“We’re friends?”

“Of course.” I walk out of the bathroom, closing the door softly behind me. Ryker spots me, and h
is face pales. I stalk toward him, anger seeping through my veins. “I can’t believe you, man.”

“It’s just a little party. It’s not a big deal.” Ryker says.

“It is a big deal. Did you see how drunk Star is? She’s in the bathroom cleaning up puke as we speak.”

“So she had a little too much to drink. It’s not the end of the world.”

I stick my face in his. “This is exactly what I didn’t want to happen. I have rules for a reason.”

“Maybe I’m tired of living by your rules, Beckett. Sure I’m in your band
, but that doesn’t mean you get to run my life.”

His words startle me. I step back from the force of them. “We’ve been friends a long time, man. I thought you understood. Maybe I was wrong.”

“Look, Beckett.” His tone is softer now. “Let’s talk about this later, okay?”

“Oh
, we’ll talk about it later, because whether you like it or not I have rules for the members of my band, and there are consequences when those rules are broken.”

“Rules?” Star’s voice sounds behind me. “What rules?”

“I’ll explain later,” I say to her.

“Rules, shmules,” she rolls the words around in her mouth and then laughs like it’s the most amusing thing ever.

Man, she’s worse off than I thought.

“I need to get you home, Star.”

“You’re not taking her anywhere,” a female says.

I turn around to see Star’s best friend standing next to Ryker. Since I’d been so focused on my anger and Ryker
, I hadn’t noticed her before. “She needs to go home, and no one here is in any condition to take her.”

“I’ll be fine, Lola,” Star says, slurring her words.

“I trust you’ll be a perfect gentleman?” Lola raises her brows at me.

“Hey, I’m not the one who brought her to some party and let her
get hammered and hook up with a stranger,” I point out.

Lola narrow
s her eyes and crosses her arms, scaring me. When a chick looks like that it can’t be good.  “And I’m not the person who upset her so badly tonight that all she wanted to do was get hammered and hook up with a stranger.”

I know I upset Star tonight, but I didn’t realize just how badly. “Okay, you got me,” I say. “So, let me make it up to her.”

“Just be careful,” she speaks through gritted teeth.

I nod to Lola and Ryker. Then
I grab Star’s hand and lead her out of the apartment. She stumbles at my side, so I grip her hand tighter and try not to think about how much I like the feeling of her hand in mine. We weave through couples until we reach the front door. A cold breeze smacks me in the face when we step outside. Star leans into me, so I snake my arm around her waist to steady her. I hold her to me as we make our way down the stairs. Her hair brushes against my shoulder, and my heart rate speeds up. I am enjoying this a little too much.

“You doing okay?” I ask once we reach the bottom of the staircase.

She nods and flashes me a lazy smile. Her eyes are mere slits on her face, and her grin is devilish. I clear my throat and force my gaze away.

“My car’s this way.” I yank her in the direction of it and move swiftly. The faster I get her home
, the better. Didn’t I come here to talk to Ryker about kicking her out of the band? How did it end with Star in my arms? Nothing about the way I act around this girl makes any sense to me. After opening the passenger side door, I help Star sit down and then race to my side. I slide in and start the engine. After pulling away from the curb, I glance over at Star and notice that she changed out of her jeans and t-shirt that she had on earlier. Now she wears a little skirt and long sleeved shirt. I swear the chick is trying to kill me with those legs.