The Bad Boys of Summer Anthology(226)

My doorknob jiggled and, slowly, the door creaked open. I tensed, but I kept my gaze down and focused on my sketchpad. “Oh, damn. Wrong room.”

I glanced over my shoulder, bracing myself before taking in the full sight of him. His attire was nowhere near preppy or perfect. His casual demeanor suited him. He had on black Chuck Taylor’s, a black tank top that clung to his firm upper body, and a pair of near-skinny, dark-blue jeans. His hazel eyes were smiling, specks of green and yellow sparkling within. I could make out the hints of colors in his irises from a mile away. His silky, dark-brown hair had been trimmed to a messier look, curly in a few untamed places, and defined him even more. A sleeve of unique tattoos smothered both his arms—some were tribal ink, a few names, and even some Bible verses were written in cursive. There was even the band’s name right below his neck.

“You look familiar,” Gage said, snapping me out of my admiration.

“Probably because we went to school together,” I said. Oh shit, there goes my sarcastic side. I was glad he disregarded it.

“That so?” He raised a suave eyebrow and I nodded.

“Yeah. You graduated three years before I did.”

“Oh. Explains why I can’t remember you… but you do ring a bell. What’s your name?”

“Eliza Smith,” I said, as if it were going to actually ring his bell.

Surprisingly, it did.

“Holy sh—no way! You’re Benny’s daughter?”

“Yes,” I said defensively. I wasn’t sure if he meant it insultingly. “Obviously, if I’m in a bedroom of his home…”

“That’s pretty awesome. You’re hotter than I expected you to be.” His tone was absurdly nonchalant. “Benny talks about you nonstop. Why don’t I ever see you around?”

“We’re opposites I guess.” I shrugged. I turned around slowly and began sketching again, but I could still feel Gage scanning me from across the room and I was starting to wonder why the hell he wasn’t leaving. “The bathroom is the next door down, in case you’re wondering,” I said without looking back. I couldn’t look back. If I did, I would have dragged him into my room and locked him in with me.

“Cool,” he said. “Thanks, Eliza… Actually, I think I’ll call you Ellie. Just came up with it. Sounds better. Fits you.”

“But that’s not my na—”

The door shut quickly and I was glad because hearing Gage say my name like that nearly caused me to melt inside, and him leaving saved me from embarrassing myself. Ellie? I’d never been called that before.

It was hypnotic. Gage saying my name and even giving me a nickname was like vanilla ice cream, and the addition of his deep, bedroom-like voice was the drizzle of warm fudge that completed it and made me totally devour it. He’d created a freaking ice cream sundae with extra-hot fudge just by uttering my name.

Gage was beyond the word hot. He was sexy but extremely deadly toward any girl’s emotions. He could break a girl’s heart in two and not care about it. It was always that way in high school. He’d hook up with a girl one day; the next she’d come into class with smeared mascara. That was one thing that agitated me about guys in rock bands. It seemed as if they were all the same—all aiming to have sex and then forget about it the next day.

I didn’t want to be a witness to him or any of the other guys bringing countless girls on and off their bus, but a part of me wanted to finally get out. Ben was right about living it up. I wanted to do it for myself, even if it were something new to me. It was time for me to challenge myself. Time for me to open up.

Ben gave me a makeover and I guess Gage noticed. Even though I was the only breathing organism in the room, he actually looked at me as if I were a person. In school, when he was around, I always wore my hair in a ponytail. I never wore makeup (unless someone would consider lip balm makeup), and I wore nothing but T-shirts and jeans every day and maybe a hoodie when it was cold, but when I moved in with Ben, he stopped me from wearing my—as he put it—“ugly boy clothes.” He made sure I dressed to impress. He never allowed me to wear a T-shirt with jeans again unless I was staying inside the house. Too bad I started looking nicer after Gage graduated. Maybe he would’ve noticed me in school.

I moved in with Ben during the second semester of my junior year, when I was seventeen. I was recognized by others for my looks and the drastic Ben-makeover and it was an odd feeling, so I always rejected the guys who came along. It never felt right to date anyone when things were just starting to make a little sense in my crazy life.

High school just seemed too young to start anything official and so was college—not that I wasn’t looking. I just wanted something playful. Nothing serious. I didn’t have much time for anything serious. I guess that was another reason I wanted to actually go with Ben. Because I wanted to possibly meet someone on the road who had the same interests as me. Someone who loved to absorb the feel of creativity and just breathe it. Someone who could be just as free and down to earth as me. Someone who didn’t care about anyone’s opinion but his own. Someone who knew how to have fun while also keeping his feelings to himself.

I was expecting too much, but if I were to have any kind of fun with someone, he had to be worth it.





GRENDEL THE FLIRT

The tour bus Ben told me to board was nice. It was larger on the inside than I thought and as I stepped in completely, there was a grand living room setting and a kitchen to my left. The living room was comprised of black suede couches directly across from each other, a coffee table in between the sofas, and a wide flat-screen TV set up on the north wall.

Gripping the handles of my suitcase and bag, I made my way down the hall and kicked open one of the doors with the tip of my running shoe. A mattress lay on the floor and a window was above it. Looking at it made me shake my head and move along to see what the next room had in store.

To my luck, the next room was perfect.

A queen-sized bed was against the wall, one square window above it. The walls were painted a gentle shade of lavender and the floor was covered with smooth, tan carpet.

I dropped my bags, gazing around with a smile. It would do for the tour. Ben told me a few days before that the tour was going to last two months, but he was going to make sure I was back in Virginia for school. I couldn’t afford to miss out, especially when I had an academic scholarship I worked tremendously hard for. I wanted to get a bachelor’s degree in art and then explore the world. I wanted to start a life of my own and chase my dreams.

Graduating from the University of Virginia had always been a goal of mine. After being told I would never make it anywhere in life by my so-called “mom,” I wanted to graduate and prove her wrong. I figured being on a tour bus was the perfect way to start my dreams. If I had experience with traveling, taking pictures, and painting what I came across, it would make it so much easier for me to create a creative portfolio.

A few heavy grunts came from the front of the bus. Figuring it was Ben, I stepped out to check but was caught by surprise at the sight of Gage with at least four suitcases—one in each hand and one beneath the pit of each arm. “Do you need help?” I asked as he kicked the screen door to keep it open, dragging another case inside.

He looked up at me, his hazel eyes narrowing and trying to figure out who the voice had come from. “Oh, Ellie.” He grinned. “It’d be nice if I could get your help.”

I stepped forward, grabbed the two suitcases out of his hands, and placed them near the sofas. Gage stepped around me and dropped the bags with a heavy sigh. “Sorry. My dad packs more stuff than he needs.” I laughed

He chuckled. “I can see that.” He took in the interior of the bus and his eyes widened. “Wow, never been on this bus before. Ben has it good—way better than us.”

“Yeah.” I forced a smile before looking down, realizing how close we were. His firm arm was brushing against mine, so I took a step away. He looked at me, his gaze a bit confused, and then rocked on his heels.

“So since you’re on this tour, it means I’m gonna be seeing more of you,” he said.

I twisted my fingers in front of me, forcing a smile. I think it came off as uneasy. “I suppose.”

His head tilted and a small smile graced his lips. “You don’t seem too happy about it. I bet it’s every girl’s dream to be next to the lead singer of FireNine.”

He nudged me gently on the ribcage with his elbow and I laughed dryly, taking another step away from him. “I forgot how arrogant you are. I’m not every girl. I’m Eliza. I like your music… but that’s probably about it.”

Gage’s features fell as he stared at me. Before he could make it too noticeable, he blinked quickly and flashed a smile, as if what I said meant nothing to him. “We’ll see about that, Ellie. Maybe I can get you to like more about me than just my music.”

“Yeah, okay,” I scoffed. I was surprised I was so confident while talking to him. It felt good to pretend I didn’t have the biggest crush on him. I didn’t want him to know, with one simple touch, he could probably make me weak in the knees. Gage seemed to have that kind of power over girls. He was the lead singer of a popular band, for heaven’s sake. He was probably right about him being every girl’s dream because sometimes he appeared in mine.