Ballad:Rockstar 05(21)

"Anyway. One of the guards really liked my mother and they became good  friends. I wonder sometimes if we hadn't had to leave the way we did and  if they had the chance, if they'd have tried to be together. He helped  us escape one night. He got us a used car. One of those plain ones that  no one ever pays attention to. We didn't take a single thing with us. We  just went. As long as I had my mama, I didn't care where I went. And  when she passed, my aunt and uncle moved us around and I didn't have a  problem with moving, not until we moved to Northern California. I really  wanted to stay there. We were only there for a short time, but I made  the best friends and there was this boy I really liked and he liked me.  We went out on dates and just hung out. I could have loved that boy but  my dad had found us again so we had to go."

"How did you know when he found you?" Jesse asks.

"Mom's friend, the guard. They kept in touch. If he heard anything, he  got in contact. If it wasn't for him, I don't know what would have  happened. No. That's not true. I know what would have happened. My dad  would have killed her and who knows what would have happened to me."

"Then we'll be thankful to that man. Do you remember his name?" Cage asks.

"Peter. I don't know his last name. Mom never said."

Cage nods.

"Whatever happened to the boy?" Lucy asks.

It's my turn to sigh. This part hurts my heart. "I don't know much, all I  know is he's a running back on the football team and he has scouts  looking at him."         

     



 

"So he's younger than you?" she asks.

I nod. "We were in the same grade because I missed a year-for obvious  reasons. But I haven't heard a word from him since we left and I didn't  expect to. He was as upset as I was when I had to leave. It was the only  time I didn't want to go with my family. I wanted to stay there with  Micah and my friends. It felt nice to have friends. God, he was so mad  when I told him we had to leave. He didn't understand. We had to go  right then and I couldn't tell him why. Not without risking him. Micah  was my teenage dream," I confess.

"I know it's not the same, but we're your family and friends and I  certainly hope you feel safe with us here. And he may not be your  teenage dream, but I think Ben Kingston is pretty damn dreamy," Lucy  says.

I nod. "You are family. In the few months I've been with you, it's  gotten to where I feel safe-even being as exposed as I am as the Blush  Baby."

"I don't get it," Jace states. "You're out there, everywhere, as the Blush Baby. How hasn't he found you yet?"

"He hasn't seen me since I was seven and I don't exactly have my  telltale red hair to give me away-I don't have any hair at all."

"Not true. You have peach fuzz and cactus Jack legs," Kennedy says.

"How the hell would you know that?" Ben asks.

Kennedy just grins. "I've felt her bare legs against mine a time or twenty."

Ben growls.

Kennedy chuckles. "You're so easy, Kingston."

"He totally isn't. Look what he put me through," I correct.

"He can't help he's a dumbass, Coley," Xander tells me.

"It's a good thing he's so pretty," I say and Ben laughs.

"You are such a spitfire. Are you ever going to be nice to me?" he asks.

"I guess that depends on how nice you're going to be to me," I say with a wink.

Ben leans in, his lips touching my ear as he whispers, "Don't you worry, honey. I promise to be real nice to you."

Holy Hannah I think as Xander says it aloud. I look up, startled.

"I could hear you think it," he says. "Hell, I was thinking it. Look what you went and did."

"Sorry, not sorry."

"What the fu-frick is that?" Xander asks.

I laugh. "Maybe we need to find you a 'Hannah' since you're hearing her name in your head."

The room goes quiet and Xander's smile slips, he puts the fake one on instead.

"No can do, Coley girl. I've already got me a Tera," he announces.

I want to ask where she is, why he's not with her, but from the silence in the room I don't think that's a good idea.

I let out a yawn. Damn it. Being sick sucks. I sigh.

"What happened next?" Jace asks.

Ben shakes his head. "Nope, story time is over for Miss Harper. She needs to take a nap before the show."

"Yes, daddy," I say and everyone laughs.

"I'm not into the daddy thing so much," Ben tells me with a chuckle.

"What? You don't want me to call you Big Papa?" I tease and laugh.

He laughs. "Hell no."

"Then I'll just call you my Benny."

Ben looks over to Sera, who immediately puts her hands up, palms out.

"Whoa there. I didn't have anything to do with that," she tells him,  crossing her fingers behind her back, and he looks to Lucy who's  laughing.

"Wasn't me either, but I wish I'd thought of it," she admits and he  gives her the finger. "Oh, did you see that Jesse? My brother-in-law  gave me the finger. It's official. We're true brother and sister."

"Who?" Ben asks me.

"Pffft. No one. I was thinking of the movie How To Lose A Guy In 10 Days  where Kate Hudson calls Matthew McConaughey 'Benny Boo Boo'," I tease.

He frowns. Instantly. "No. Never call me that, Nikki." I gasp. "I can come up with a rhyme too."

I just bet he can. I narrow my eyes. "I never said I was going to call  you that. I said it's what had me calling you Benny before."

"Yeah, yeah," he chides. "That's how it starts."

I snort. "Okay, pal. Rest assured I won't call you Benny anymore."

"But I will," Lucy says with a devilish smile.

"Me too," Sera announces, giving Ben the finger.

"Me three," Meggie adds.

"What the fu-eff?" Ben bites out.

"I think I'll join in on that," Jesse says with a grin.

"Dude, me too," Xan jumps on board.

"Never mind. You're all dicks. Every one of you," Ben tells them with a laugh.

I snicker.

He narrows his eyes on me. "Stop stalling. It's nap time for you."

I stick my tongue out and he laughs.

"You are such a brat," he jokes. Then he bends down, leans over, and  hoists me up over his shoulder in a fireman's carry-and I, like the girl  I am, let out a squeal.         

     



 

"You coulda warned me."

"Nah. This is much more fun." He strides off the bus and everyone shouts  their "feel betters" and "rest wells". We reach the empty bus-it's  empty because everyone's on the other bus-and he strides right to the  bedroom.

"Blah blah blah. Nap time," I huff. Have I mentioned I hate being sick?  Like seriously. And this is just the beginning. It's going to get worse  before it gets better. Much, much worse.





Chapter 13




Ben



"Hi Ben," Misty says, running a hand across my chest. What the hell?

"What's up?" I ask, taking a step back only for her to follow, stepping  even closer, her tits pressing up against my chest. Now I'll admit there  was a time I was attracted to this woman and I might have thought for a  while that I wanted to start something up with her-until she changed.  She went from the sweet Misty to this aggressive predator who tried way  too hard to be sexy. I think it was because she tried so hard that she  failed. She did succeed in turning me off instead of on.

"Nothing really. I just thought maybe you'd want to have a drink with me."

I'm tempted to roll my eyes. I do roll them on the inside. I mean, I  don't want to be a total dick. She's traveling with us, but this shit  has to stop.

I put my hands on her shoulders and not-so-gently push her back away from me.

"I don't think so."

"Why not?"

"Are you serious right now?" I ask.

She looks at me dumbly.

"You know what I'm talking about. You were there when Lucy and I were  talking about Nicole and me being together-in a relationship." My tone  isn't exactly nice. Because she's playing stupid, I'm getting pissed.

"So?" she says.

"Are you fucking kidding me? So?" I run a hand through my hair. "I'll  tell you 'so'. You trying to step into Coley's zone is a total dick  move."

She pouts. God. Why do women like her always do that? Do they think it's  attractive? It's not. The way they purse their lips-just no.

"That's not a very nice thing to say."

"That's not a very nice thing to do," I rebut.

She just stares at me, then looks down before turning to the side. Then  she does it. She lets down that veneer I knew was there. She huffs and  turns to face me, venom in her features leaving no trace of the 'nice'  Misty.

"What the hell is it going to take to get you to fuck me already?" She  rolls her eyes. "It's not like you don't go around fucking random chicks  all the time, so why not me? I'm someone you know and I could use a  good, hard fuck." She tries to make that last part sound enticing and  seductive-tries.

"It would take you being someone else. It would take you being Nicole.  I'm not interested in fucking you or anything else for that matter.  Hell, I'm not even sure I want to be your friend anymore now that I know  you've been duping Lucy. Playing my sister isn't something I'm going to  stand for," I inform her.