Infinite (Strange and Beautiful, Book 1) (58 page)

After
a little powwow, where I was sure Luke was trying to come up with every reason
under the sun not to allow her into the band, Luke asked Stevie to sing a
couple more songs. She sang “Pressure” by Paramore and “Comatose” by a band named
Skillet, which I thought was a good move because the lead singer was male and I
could just imagine Luke using gender as a reason to keep her out of the band.

Of
course, as it turned out, Luke didn’t have a leg to stand on because everyone
else was like putty in her hands after hearing her sing. If I could have voted,
I’d have voted her in as well. Reluctantly, after conferring for a couple of
minutes, Luke sullenly faced Stevie. “All right,” he sighed, “you’re in. But if
you so much as
think
about pulling any of that diva shit, you’re gone.”

“That
won’t be a problem,” Stevie smirked. “I think you’ve already got that market
cornered.”

When
Skylar first found out about Stevie’s induction into Oxide, she was about as
pleased about it as Luke. She covered it pretty well after that, though. I’d
occasionally hear her muttering about it, but she kept it at a dull roar, which
was a nice contrast to Luke’s constant grumbling.

Despite
his displeasure, though, things seemed to pick up once they had Stevie. All of
the practice they’d put into learning songs seemed to pay off because, with
someone to sing, it all finally came together into something really good. Also,
it made listening much more enjoyable.

Luke’s
dedication was admirable. I’d never seen him so excited about something before.
The closest things were probably football and baseball, but his passion for
football had burned out, and any time Dad mentioned the upcoming baseball
signups, Luke was quick to change the subject. I wasn’t excited to see what would
become of that.

Even
so, his band mates were less than thrilled with his gung ho, drill sergeant
attitude. Luke liked to fire off directions and suggestions of all kinds. Most
of the time everyone would just nod and carry on, but when he turned his back,
Luke was often the recipient of the one finger salute.

By
the end of Oxide’s third week of as a full band, it was completely normal to
hear songs by bands such as Evanescence, Green Day, Breaking Benjamin, and
Flyleaf coming from the garage. They’d occasionally throw in something
different. Tegan was particularly thrilled when they played “The Frug” because
Rilo Kiley was her favorite band, pretty much, ever.

I
thought it was pretty awesome too because I loved the band, but my excitement
was somewhat overshadowed by shock. I’d had no idea Luke even knew who Rilo
Kiley was. I had a feeling that the song came at Stevie’s suggestion, as with
the Paramore, Death Cab For Cutie and Anberlin covers. I was happy for the
occasional new song, though, because I was getting a bit tired of some of the
other songs they’d repeatedly played.

When
I didn’t have to hear them play, I had to hear them talk about the band on a
daily basis during lunch. Since joining the band, Stevie had also crowded in at
our table. Skylar would occasionally sit with us, but I couldn’t blame her for
wanting a break. Half the time Luke sounded like a motivational speaker, asking
the whole group about goals and where they’d like to be in a year’s time.

I
distinctly heard Toby mutter, “Hell. It couldn’t be much worse than this.”

Jackson,
Tegan and I usually conversed amongst ourselves when we didn’t feel like
watching or listening to the lunchtime band meetings. More often than not it
was a good source of amusement, but I was certain I wasn’t the only one who
wished Luke would just shut up and let us all enjoy our lunch. He seemed to
eat, sleep, and dream about the band, which was why it was a bit of a shock
when he came to me one evening after practice to inform me of a rather interesting
suspicion he had.

I’d
just finished my homework and was about to get online to see if Jackson was
home from work yet when Luke showed up. The door was already open, but he
knocked at the frame, drawing my attention.

“Hey,”
he said, shoving his hands into his pockets. “Can I talk to you for a sec?”

I
was surprised, but I shrugged, feigning nonchalance. “Sure.”

He
stepped into the room and took a second to look around. “Did you clean your
room?”

I
couldn’t help but roll my eyes. The fact he considered various piles of
clothing scattered around the room and other items in a state of disarray to be
clean spoke to how much of a slob he was compared to me. “You wanted to talk to
me about the cleanliness of my room?”

“No,
of course not.” Luke sat down on my bed without invitation, but instead of
saying whatever it was he came to say, he was quiet.

“So,”
I prompted, “what did you want to talk about?”

Luke
leaned his head back, eyes on the ceiling. He sighed heavily, breathing out the
words, “It’s about Mark.”

Immediately,
I was worried. “What about him? He’s isn’t causing problems, is he?” I’d been
to most of their practices. I’d only missed a few, either to go out with
Jackson, hang out at Tegan’s or simply because I needed a break from listening.
Still, I hadn’t missed that much and Mark had always been on his best behavior.

Luke’s
head dropped forward and he shook his head. “No, it’s nothing like that. He’s
been great, really. Damned dedicated.”

That
was a relief, but it didn’t totally wipe away my worry. “Why do you want to
talk about him then?”

“Okay,”
Luke began, “I don’t know for sure or anything. It’s more a suspicion, really.”

I
stared at him, waiting for him to make sense because I had no idea where he was
going with this, and it was so unlike Luke to beat around the bush.

“At
first I just shrugged it off, ya know?” He didn’t wait for an answer, so I
guessed that was rhetorical, which was good since I still wasn’t sure what the
question was. “I mean, you and him are friends and all, so it wasn’t a
surprised he’d talk about you a lot.”

I
couldn’t help but ask. “He talks about
me
a lot?”

“Yeah,
well, at first it was just you,” Luke nodded, “so I was beginning to think
maybe he liked you or something.”

“What?”
I gasped. “That’s ridiculous!”

I
half expected Luke to say something like, “I know, right?” He didn’t. Instead,
his eyebrows drew together in confusion. “How’s that?” he asked. “Jackson likes
you just fine, and he seems normal enough.”

“Because
Mark and I are just friends.” My words were firm and there was no question that
I meant them.

“Glad
to hear it because, as I was saying, at first I thought he might like you, but
then I realized he only likes
you
as a friend,” he smirked. “But I think
he’s got it pretty bad for Tegan.”

I
was even more baffled by this statement than I was by the idea of Mark liking
me. “What makes you think that?”

“For
one thing, when neither Tegan or you are around, he talks about her a lot too,”
Luke explained. “But not the way he talks about you. He’s called her pretty,
and he even asked my opinion of her.”

Despite
my surprise, my eyes grew wide and I had to cover my mouth to stifle a laugh.
“What did you say?”

“I
didn’t know
what
to say!” Luke exclaimed, rolling his blue-green eyes.
“Like I’ve ever noticed how she looked! I think I told him she was nice
looking, and then I changed the subject.”

That
didn’t surprise me. If all else failed or if he wasn’t interested, Luke usually
changed the subject. Still, I was confused. “Why are you telling me this?”

“Because!”
I just stared at Luke. I tried to convey through my expression that “because”
was not a suitable answer. After all, how many times had Mom and Dad used that
crappy explanation on us? Luke seemed to get it because he sighed. “Mark’s
your
friend. He should be asking you this stuff instead. I don’t want to get
involved in his love affair.”

I
thought it seemed a little late for that. “He’s
your
band mate,” I
pointed out. “His love life could affect your music.”

“That’s
why you need to handle this!”

I
managed not to roll my eyes. “What do you expect me to do? I don’t know
anything about relationships. I’ve only had a boyfriend for a few weeks
myself.”

“But
Mark’s your friend. Tegan’s your friend. They’re friends.” Luke looked hopeful.
“Maybe just give them a little nudge in the right direction or something?”

I
just looked at Luke. He looked like himself, but I was certain he’d lost his
mind. What did he expect? It wasn’t like I could just snap my fingers and make
Tegan like Mark. Of course, that was assuming Luke was right and Mark actually
liked Tegan. “What if you’re wrong and Mark just thinks Tegan is pretty?”

“Then
ask him!” Luke crossed his arms over his chest like a petulant child. “You’ll
see. I’m right. I know I am.”

“So
what if you are? Why are you suddenly so invested in Mark’s love life?”

“Because
we are trying to get this band up and running. We can’t have distractions!”

Of
course it all came back to the band. Still, I didn’t quite understand Luke’s
logic. “Wouldn’t a new girlfriend be a distraction?”

“No,”
he shrugged, “she could be his muse or some shit like that.”

“How
romantic,” I scoffed, shaking my head. “You’re an idiot.”

“Whatever.”
Luke rolled his eyes as he stood. “Just handle it, okay?”

He
didn’t give me a chance to agree or argue. Instead, Luke swept out of the room,
leaving me staring unblinkingly after him. Finally, I shook my head, trying to
sort out what had just happened. I sighed, wondering how on earth Mark’s
possible crush had become my problem. 

Because
it had been pointed out to me, naturally, it was impossible to ignore. The
following day at lunch I was acutely aware of Mark sneaking looks at Tegan.
When she spoke, he seemed to hang on her every word. He even held the door open
for her. Granted, this gesture often resulted in several other people,
including myself, taking advantage of it.

Still,
I wondered how I’d failed to notice all of these little hints before. I’d
always considered myself observant, and I’d missed something that now felt
incredibly obvious. Of course, Luke’s planting the seed might have made things
seem more apparent, but as much as I hated to admit it, his suspicions looked
to be true.

I
had no idea how I was supposed to “take care of it.” I wasn’t sure how to even
begin to broach the subject. In retrospect, it really wasn’t that big of a
surprise that Mark would like Tegan. Luke could try to downplay it all he
wanted, but I was sure he was just as aware that Tegan was a very pretty girl.
Of course, I really had no way of knowing if Mark’s feeling were based solely
on looks or if he was truly interested.

Even
if it went beyond looks, I had no way of knowing how Tegan would react to the
news. It was hard, but I managed not to mention anything about it to her. I
wanted to know where Mark stood first. From there, I had no idea, but with Luke
pushing me to nudge Mark and Tegan and both of them giving me questioning
looks, in turn, I knew I had to figure out something quick. Even if he didn’t
know, I had a feeling this problem was mine just as much as it was Mark’s.

Despite
growing to trust Mark, I wasn’t exactly comfortable approaching him about the
affairs of his heart. After all, it was very personal, and the last thing I
wanted to do was butt in, but that was exactly what Luke was asking me to do.
He seemed to be living under the delusion I could work magic or borrow Cupid’s
bow and arrows.

After
observing and considering for a few days—and trying not to murder my
annoyingly, bossy brother in the process—I decided it was time to talk to Mark. It
was a Friday night, and the band had just finished practice for the evening.
Tegan was celebrating her birthday, which was the following day, with her
family. She was having a small get together at her house the next day, but
Trista and Travis wanted to have a family celebration first. It felt like the
perfect opportunity to speak to Mark alone.

He
was standing in the kitchen, sipping on a can of Coke, and he looked up when I,
nervously, said, “Hey, Mark?”

“Yeah?”

I
could feel Luke, Stevie, and Toby’s eyes on me as I asked him if I could talk
to him before he left.

Mark’s
bushy eyebrows lowered over his eyes, making his already dark eyes seem even
darker, and answered, slightly confused, “Sure.”

I
led him, unsure where else to go with a house full of people, out onto the back
porch. Thankfully, I was wearing a hoodie because it was a chilly, January
night.

“So,
what’s up?” Mark asked as we sat down on the back steps. Thankfully, the snow
we’d gotten the day before was gone and the wooden stair—though rather cold—
wasn’t wet.

I
bit my lip, nervous and unsure. No matter how many times I’d tried to get the
words right in my head in preparation for this conversation, it had been
useless. Finally, I took a deep breath and then said, “I wanted to ask you
something.”

Mark
looked at me, apparently waiting for me to ask my question.

I
decided I needed to preface this conversation with a warning. It was both out
of respect for his privacy and my own self-preservation. “I’m not trying to be
nosy, I swear, and if you don’t want to tell me, it’s cool. I’ll understand.
Just, please, don’t to get mad at me for asking.”

 “Okay.”
He spoke slowly, warily, as he watched me fidget nervously. “What do you want
to ask?”

I
considered telling him that I didn’t want to ask, and Luke was making me do
this, but I worried—not without reason—that Mark might kick Luke’s ass on my
behalf. Instead, I blurted out the question. “Do you like Tegan?”