More Than Comics (23 page)
Authors: Elizabeth Briggs
There was no way to explain what was going on, so I shut up. I’d been singing his lyrics, playing the song he’d written. Not to mention, I’d been using
his
guitar. That was like wearing someone else’s underwear. You didn’t just play another person’s guitar without their permission.
I yanked the guitar off and tried to put it back, but knocked the stand over instead. Hands shaking, it took me two tries to right it again, all while Jared stood there, gaping at me. Why didn’t he say anything? Was he so angry he couldn’t speak? I set the guitar down carefully, then backed away like it was on fire—and ran straight into the drum set. Cymbals crashed as I fell against it, knocking the equipment all over the floor. Great, now he must think I’m a stalker
and
a complete klutz. I jumped up too fast, and my legs were so unsteady I started to topple over toward the table. Jared caught me before we had another disaster, his hands gripping my arms to balance me.
“You okay?” he asked, his blue eyes holding mine and making my heart pound even faster. If I stared into those eyes too long, I’d fall into them completely.
I jerked away from his touch and stumbled back. “I'm sorry, I—”
“You were playing one of our songs.”
“Was I?” I asked with a forced laugh, trying to edge toward the door to make a quick escape. “I mean, uh, yeah. I was. Obviously. But it’s not a big deal. It’s not like I listen to your songs a lot or anything. I just have that kind of ear where I hear something once and can play it back and uh…”
Stop talking
, I shouted at myself.
STOP
.
The thing about music was true. I could usually play anything just from listening to it a few times, but I’d also listened to Villain Complex’s album about three thousand times and practiced the songs in my room with my guitar hooked up to my headphones. I wasn’t obsessed or anything. I just liked their music a lot. But he didn’t need to know any of that. This was humiliating enough as it was.
“Really?” he asked. “I wish I could do that.”
Not the reaction I’d been expecting. I thought he’d yell at me to get out of his house or think I was another of his swooning groupies. Okay, maybe he wouldn’t think that. I didn’t look the part with my boring glasses and plain brown hair and flannel shirt. No, he probably assumed creepy stalker fangirl. I had to get away, out of this room, as far from Jared and his guitar and this nightmare as possible.
He started to say something else, but I blurted out, “I have to go.”
I escaped through the door and back to the party, slipping into the anonymity of the crowd. Once away from Jared, I could finally breathe again, but the urge to flee was still strong. I found Alexis and gave her Kyle’s key and told her to say goodbye to him for me. Now all I had to do was find my friends and get the hell out of his house.
Julie was flirting with a guy with a fauxhawk, but I grabbed her arm. “We need to leave. Now.”
“What?” Julie looked back at the guy and pouted. “Right now?”
“Yes. Trust me on this.” As I spoke, Jared appeared at the edge of the room, his head swinging around like he was looking for me. “Oh, god.”
She craned her neck to follow my gaze. “What’s going on, Maddie?”
“I’ll explain when we’re in the car. Now can we please go?”
She nodded, and we made our way out the front door, where we found Carla arguing with Daryl. I knew he’d track her down. Unbelievable.
“I told you, I was just about to leave!” she said to him.
“We’re going now.” I didn’t wait to see if they followed me. I started down the hill toward where my Honda was parked, anxious to get away from the house, away from Jared, and away from the most embarrassing moment of my life.
I could never go to a Villain Complex show ever again, that was for sure.
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ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
I
have a confession: I never intended to write a book about Hector. The Chasing The Dream series was originally conceived as three books about Maddie and her roommates going on different reality TV shows. Hector and Kyle were just going to be side characters in the first book, but sometimes characters end up taking on lives of their own and demand stories be written about them, too. I got many messages asking for a book about Hector, so above all I want to thank the fans who loved him and wanted him to get a happy ending—this book would not have been written without you!
This book also wouldn’t exist without the endless support of my husband, Gary Briggs, who’s accompanied me to Comic-Con every year since 2008. I’d also like to thank my family for always encouraging me to embrace my inner geek and to pursue my writing career.
Many thanks to the people who helped make this book a reality: my cover designer, Najla Qamber; my photographer, Mandy Hollis; and my copy editor, Sarah Henning. Extra special thanks to my agent, Kate Testerman, who’s just as big a geek as I am.
Thanks to the following authors who read early versions of this book and made it better: Karen Akins, Mónica Bustamante Wagner, Zoraida Córdova, Riley Edgewood, Stephanie Garber, Jessica Love, Kathryn Rose, and Rachel Searles.
Bonus thanks to Comic-Con International for putting on a great event every year and inspiring so many things in this book.
And of course, thank
you
for reading!
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Elizabeth Briggs is a full-time geek who writes books for teens and adults. She plays the guitar, mentors at-risk teens, and volunteers with a dog rescue group. She lives in Los Angeles with her husband and a pack of small, fluffy dogs.
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