The Bad Boys of Summer Anthology(242)
I almost hesitated. I wanted to shout at him about how I’d had a crush on him since my freshman year of high school. I wanted to tell him that I fantasized about those plush lips against mine, his firm body pressed up on me for hours. I’d even fantasized about having sex with him. All kinds of sex. I was sure I would’ve gone through with all of it if he weren’t so damn egotistical, but he was and I couldn’t get down with that.
I couldn’t get down with a guy who would sleep with a girl just for the hell of it and then forget about her. I couldn’t be a part of his “yeah, I fucked her” list. I was more than certain that was the list Gage would add me to, so I finally folded my arms and said, “I’m positive.”
He stared at me a little longer than expected and stood and stepped back with a nod. Gripping the doorknob, he narrowed his eyes and a forced smile across his lips. “Goodnight, Ellie.”
Before I could say it back, the door was already shutting. I pitched a dry laugh because that entire conversation was pointless as hell. What was the purpose of it? Why did he care if I liked him or not anyway? And why the hell would I be jealous of fucking Penelope?
There were probably a million girls in the world that claimed to be madly in love with Gage Grendel, but he was worried about my opinion of him? Thinking about it as I sat down to color in a few logos caused me to laugh again.
I’d mentioned it to Ben once before, but Gage really was a character in my eyes. A truly confusing one.
NEXT QUICK FIX
I’m not sure when I fell asleep the night before, but I do know I woke up in Orlando. It was a late morning and we’d been on the road twenty hours. I had to have slept for twelve hours or more and of course I woke up in the middle of the night, gasping for breath while clinging to my chest. As I sat up, I had one of those sleep hangovers that could kill a whole day if you allowed it.
The only plus to waking up in Orlando was there was a ton of sun. I loved the sun. Anytime I could be in it, I would be. I would paint in the sun just to feel it on my skin. I could never figure out why I was so pale when all I wanted was to be around it.
A knock came from my door and right after, it opened quickly and in came Ben. He had on a collared light-pink shirt, dark-brown khaki’s, and penny loafers. His hair was parted in the middle, as usual, but what confused me was the frown on his face. “Why are you still in bed?”
I groaned, pushing on my hands to climb out of the bed. “I had a long night last night.”
He raised an eyebrow. “Doing?”
“Painting, drawing—the usual.” And thinking about Gage.
Ben’s lips pressed as he folded his arms. “Well, everyone’s outside waiting on you.”
“On me?” I frowned, eyes wide. “Why?”
“We’ve decided to go out for some breakfast.” He flashed a smile and then checked his watch. “Ten minutes, button bottom.”
Before I could speak, he was stepping out of my room and shutting the door behind him. I sighed, turning for my suitcase to pull out some jean shorts and a lavender tunic. I then grabbed my toiletries and rushed for the bathroom to take a quick shower. I usually hated those, but I hated it more when people were waiting on me. It kind of bothered me.
I rushed to put on my clothes, sliding the thongs of my flip-flops between my toes, grabbing my camera, and then hurrying out. I kicked open the screen door and stepped out, absorbing the sun. It felt nice against my skin, although I was a bit flustered from rushing around. I turned my head to look toward the white truck Ben and I usually rode in, but before I could even take a step ahead, Gage stepped to my side.
“Did you even bother to dry your hair?” he asked.
I frowned, reaching up to touch it, and my face fell rapidly. I jerked my hand down because my hair was soaked. My cheeks burned and I rushed away from Gage to get to the bus again. I could hear him laughing at me and felt even more embarrassed. I had a damn mop on top of my head and didn’t even realize it. No wonder it felt so nice outside.
I hurried for the bathroom, wrung out my hair, dried it with a towel, and then pulled it up into a bun. I gave the mirror one last check, approving my casual demeanor, and then stepped out. As soon as I did, I ran into a broad chest.
My eyes traveled from his tan T-shirt up to his pink lips curved into a smile and then into his light-green eyes. His blond eyelashes batted at me and my breath stifled slightly as he caught me by the hip before I could fall into him any farther. “Morning, Eliza,” Cal said, still smiling.
“Um, good morning,” I murmured, taking a step away. “Sorry. I’m in a rush. Ben said I only had ten minutes to get ready.”
Cal laughed. “There’s no rush. Ben and the crew are too busy chatting about today’s show.”
I nodded, releasing a breath of relief. “Oh… okay.”
“So I take it I’m riding with you and Ben?” he asked, turning around.
“I guess so.” I took a few steps down the hallway and he followed me out the door.
He was right about not being in a rush. Ben was talking with a group of people near the FireNine tour bus. I took in the bus and noticed how different it looked from the last. It was still black, but instead of just the logo, it had each band member on the front, posing with their instrument. Gage was in the middle, behind the FireNine logo, with a mic in hand, his hazel eyes narrowed and his hair hanging over his forehead. It was an old picture because Gage had cut his hair a while back so it didn’t even touch his forehead. It barely touched his ears.
And then it dawned on me. I hadn’t even noticed that the boys’ luggage wasn’t on the bus. Their bunks were clear and made up. The band was finally going back to their own bus. I wanted to shout with joy when I figured it out, but I kept my cool, especially when Gage and Montana started coming our way.
“Eliza, is there ever a time you don’t look good?” Montana asked.
I laughed.
“Seriously,” he said, looking me over. “You always look hot.” Gage play-punched his arm, chuckling, and I giggled.
“Thanks, Montana.”
“Just stating facts.” He winked.
“So where are we eating?” Cal asked.
“Cracker Barrel,” Gage said, folding his arms.
“Oh, that’s great.” Cal’s gaze shot over quickly to Montana. “Montana, do you think I could get some questions with you—I mean, since we’re waiting on Ben and the crew, I thought it’d be the perfect time and all.”
Montana ran a hand over his mohawk that was slicked back and then nodded. “Sure.”
“Great.” Cal stepped from my side to get to Montana and they walked off. Cal had pulled out his phone and every time he asked a question, he would put the phone a little too close to Montana’s mouth for his response. Montana would back away, aiming to conceal a frown, and I would laugh because he was doing a horrible job at hiding his discomfort.
“Don’t tell me you find that Calvin guy interesting,” Gage said, snapping me out of my stare.
“What are you talking about?”
“You’re practically drooling, Ellie.” He smirked.
“No, I’m not.”
“You are.” Gage chuckled. “So you find guys with blond hair more interesting than me. Maybe I should bleach my hair. Will it get you to be nicer to me?”
“Gage.” I laughed, shaking my head. “I’m not mean to you. And besides, blond would be really ugly on you.”
He laughed smoothly. “Would it? Penelope told me I’d look good in anything.”
“Well, I’m sorry to tell you, but for one, Penelope lied to you and two… it’s Penelope. I’m not entirely sure what she knows outside of following your every command.”
His eyes narrowed, but in only a second he smirked. “Is that jealousy I’m sensing? Did you lie to me last night?”
“Not at all. Sorry.” My sarcasm with Gage was growing by the second. It was hard keeping up with this careless attitude.
Gage moved in closer, limiting the space between us. He was about to reach up and touch my cheek, but then he stopped abruptly, in midair, and shook his head, jerking down his hand. “Whatever you say, Ellie.” He turned quickly, meeting up with Roy and Deed who were standing by the truck. Ben clapped his hands and yelled for everyone to get ready and I sighed, turning for our Navigator. I hopped in the backseat and Cal jumped in a minute after.
“Montana is hilarious,” he said, tucking his phone into his pocket.
“Yeah,” I agreed. “Montana’s pretty chill.”
“My boss is gonna love what I’ve gotten so far. I should be able to take up four whole pages for FireNine by the time the tour is over. That could make them a highlight of the magazine… maybe even get them on the front cover.”
“Wow. That would be good for them.”
“Yeah. These boys are underestimated. I’d love for my article to be one of the very first up-close-and-personal articles with FireNine. Not only will it take me to greater places, but it just might get them attention outside of the United States. They might not just be traveling by bus anymore.” He winked.
I smiled and Ben opened the front door of the truck to get in. He glanced over his shoulder, lowering his sunglasses to wink at me. “Sorry about the wait,” he said. “We’ve got a long day ahead of us.”