Phone Calls From a Rock Star (10 page)

“
Put the sweatshirt down,
Iz,” Jake ordered, amused.

I glared suspiciously at him. I didn’t trust
him at all. “No, you’ll steal it.”

His eyes flashed. “It was mine to begin
with.”

“
Was
being the operative word here,” I pointed out.

He rolled his eyes and took a step closer to
me. “I was being a gentleman that night and let you wear it so you
didn’t freeze.”

“
Ha! And I was being nice
when I returned your leather jacket last night.”

He chuckled and placed a hand on my
shoulder. My skin tingled. “Don’t worry, angel – I wouldn’t have
let you take the leather.”

“
Hello? People?” Annie
butted in. I’d forgotten anyone else was in the room. I was so used
to bickering with Jake on the phone it just seemed natural. “We
need to get going.”

Jake slid his arm around my shoulders.
“She’s right. Let’s get going.” He leaned closer to whisper in my
ear and a shiver shimmied up my spine. “Keep the sweatshirt, angel.
It looks better on you.”

I blushed a deep scarlet and tossed the
garment on my bed. He offered me his arm again, and I happily
accepted.

“
Finally,” Annie breathed.
She took Zack’s arm and pushed Cammy, who was still staring at
Jake, over to Dean. He caught her and took her arm, dragging her
through the door. Jake and I took up the rear.

The gym had been totally transformed into a
stunning tribute to autumn. Bales of hay were strategically placed
near the doors. Brown, yellow and orange leaves were suspended by
invisible strings from the ceiling and scattered all over the
tables. Hollowed pumpkins served as candle holders as their flames
flickered and danced in the dimness. It even smelled like fall;
crisp leaves and straw. A scarecrow was propped against the
entrance and if Jake hadn’t had a firm hold on me, I would have
fallen over it.

“
Relax, Iz,” he whispered
in my ear as we followed Cammy and Dean inside. “They’re just
people.”

“
I’m fine,” I spit out
through gritted teeth. I gripped his arm tighter.

I felt his body tremor with his barely
suppressed laughter. “If you say so but you’re about to cut off the
circulation in my arm.”

“
Let’s grab a table,” Annie
suggested. I could have kissed her—especially when she found an
empty one near the hall to the restroom. I glanced at the tables
nearby to see who was occupying them.

“
You still with me, Iz?”
Jake asked. I jerked my eyes back to him and furrowed my brow at
the tiny smirk he was wearing. He nodded at the chair, and I
noticed he’d pulled one out for me. Flushing, I smiled my thanks as
I sat. Once he took the chair next to me, I scooted closer, trying
to shield him with my body. He chuckled and squeezed my shoulder.
“Just try to have fun, angel.”

Dean finally came out of his stupor and
began firing questions at Jake about the band, the new CD, touring,
etc. Jake patiently answered him, which totally impressed me. I
would have told him to stuff it ages ago. I mean if I was Jake.

The music was loud and many couples were out
on the floor dancing. I spotted Lance and Krysti but didn’t point
them out to Jake—the more inconspicuous he was, the better. But the
DJ chose that moment to play a Controlled Environment ballad.
Everyone at our table gaped at us, and I had an urge to hide under
the table. In fact, I’m fairly certain the skirt I was wearing was
the only thing preventing me from doing that exact thing.

Jake leaned over to whisper in my ear as he
took my hand. “I think that’s our cue to dance. Come on, Iz.”

“
Please don’t let me trip,”
I prayed quietly under my breath as Jake led me to the dance floor.
I kept my chin up and watched people out of the corner of my eye.
At first I think everyone was merely curious to see who I’d
replaced Lance with since he dumped me, but as Jake stopped and
wrapped one hand around my waist, I noticed the excited whispers.
Jake took my other hand and held it against his chest, close to his
heart, and as I wound my free hand around his neck, the other
people in the room disappeared.

“
Ignore them, Iz,” Jake
said softly. “Imagine it’s just you and me.”

I nodded, dazzled by the brilliance of his
eyes. I relaxed into his body, not able to resist. “But what if
they mob you?”

He tossed his head back and laughed. “I can
handle it, angel. Don’t worry.”

I smiled into his shirt as he tightened his
hold on me. I hoped I’d be able to protect him from the masses
should they awaken from their stupidity and realize they had a
celebrity among them.

Jake’s sigh made me lift my eyes to his.
“Every time we do this song on stage, I’ll have to think of you.”
His eyes crinkled from the weight of his smile.

But my cheeks heated, and I hid them in his
chest once more. I knew he was trying to relax me, but his eyes
said something more. My head grew light and my pulse pounded. Once
again I asked myself if I liked Jake for more than just a friend. I
opened my eyes and spotted Lance dancing with Krysti. Both their
bodies were rigid and Lance held her formally. I couldn’t help but
smile. Yes, it was Lance that I wanted. I was really beginning to
care quite a bit for Jake, but I’d been in love with Lance for
years.

The song ended and Jake edged away. “Would
you like something to drink?”

I blinked to clear my head. “Sure. We’d
better before Dean spikes the punch.”

“
Maybe we should wait,”
Jake teased.

I shook my head and laughed as we shuffled
through the crowd to the drink table. I studiously ignored the
gawking stares and the barely concealed whispers around me. “You
don’t want me to drink anything alcoholic, trust me.”

Jake lifted a brow. “Can’t handle
alcohol?”

I shook my head seriously, bad memories of
the one time I tried flooding my vision. “Nope. It was an ugly
scene I hope I never live again.”

“
Good,” Jake said, handing
me a cup. “Stay away from that stuff. It’s not a good thing to get
messed up in.”

“
Do you stay away from it?”
I challenged. The more I got to know Jake the less stereotypical he
seemed.

He lifted a shoulder and sipped at his
punch. “For the most part.”

I opened my mouth to ask him to elaborate
but was interrupted.

“
Hey, Bella. You look
nice.”

My body grew rigid. Jake noticed and
narrowed his eyes. I placed a hand on his arm and slowly turned
around. “Thanks, Lance. Hi, Krysti.”

Krysti forced an uncomfortable smile. Her
eyes darted back and forth from Jake to me and back again. She was
dressed in a short, black skirt, tight red blouse with tons of
make-up weighing down her normally pretty features. “Who’s your
date?”

The moment I’d been dreading all night.
Finally. I took a deep breath and released it as Jake placed a hand
on my waist.

“
I’m Jake,” he said,
extending his hand. “You must be Lance.”

Lance shook it enthusiastically. “I am. It’s
really nice to meet you. I love your music. Bella never told us she
knew you.”

Jake gave my waist a tiny squeeze. “Iz isn’t
one to boast. But you probably already knew that, huh?”

“
Sure,” Lance said, looking
at me with new eyes.

Jake moved me closer. “Thanks for dumping
Iz. Bet you’re sorry now, huh? If you wouldn’t have broken your
date, I wouldn’t have been able to spend the evening with her. So,
thanks.”

Lance nodded numbly, mouth slightly open. I
resisted the urge to reach up and shut it for him. But Jake wasn’t
finished.

He clicked his tongue at Krysti. “I heard
that one of our guys told you if you messed around with him he’d
introduce you to us.” He shook his head. “That never happens,
sweetheart. That’s a line those guys always use. We’ve asked them
not to in the past, but I guess it works for them so they won’t
give it up.” He elbowed Lance in the ribs. “I bet those guys get
more numbers than me and my band mates.”

Lance forced a laugh but Krysti was not
amused. I almost felt sorry for her until I remembered how nasty
she’d been to me since we both started Meridian Valley.

Jake tipped my chin. “Want to dance some
more, Iz?”

I couldn’t speak so I nodded. He took my
empty cup and tossed it in the trash along with his. He held my
hand tightly as a large group of girls approached him. Anger burned
the back of my throat but Jake was still as relaxed as could
be.

“
Jake, could we get your
autograph, please?” a cute, dark-haired junior wheedled.

Marcy Westmont pushed her aside as she
sidled up to Jake, batting her eyelashes in a disgusting
manner.

“
Excuse me,” I growled. I
gently guided Marcy away from Jake and stepped in front of him.
“This is a dance, not an autograph session. We would like to dance.
So move!”

Jake rested his hands on my shoulders. “You
heard the lady.”

He shrugged apologetically, and they
reluctantly allowed us passage. We made it to the dance floor
without further incident.

The DJ was playing a fast number and Jake
surprised me by being a good dancer. He spun me around and pulled
me against him then spun me again. I was laughing and having far
more fun than I imagined I would. He kept me out on the floor for a
long time until I noticed something near the restrooms. When I
stopped in the middle of the floor, Jake gave me an alarmed look.
He took my hand and pulled me to his chest. I shook my head and
nodded toward Cammy, slumped against a far wall, Dean next to her.
Jake took the lead and got us through the crowd quickly.

“
Oh, hey Bella,” Dean said
nervously. “Cammy’s not feeling so well so I was going to take her
to her dorm.”

“
Thanks, Dean,” I said
warily. If I could have burned the boy with my eyes I would have
done it in that instant. “I got her from here.”

He looked from me to Jake and shrugged,
inching away. Cammy had slid to the floor, her head flopping from
side to side. I crouched next to her to convince her to stand but
she just gave me a goofy smile. Jake wrapped Cammy’s arm around his
neck and lifted her to her feet. I took the other side and we got
her out of the gym before any of the chaperones noticed.

Once we got to my room, she found a burst of
energy and sped off to the bathroom. I grimaced and flashed Jake a
helpless look. He kissed my forehead.

“
Do you have water in that
little fridge?” I nodded. “Give her some of that once she’s done
hurling then put her to bed. And I’d put some ibuprofen or
something within easy reach – she’ll probably need it in the
morning.”

“
Are you leaving?” I asked.
It was only ten and I was afraid he’d run off and I wouldn’t see
him again for weeks.

“
No, I’ll stick around. Go
take care of Cammy.” He plopped on my bed and picked up the remote
control.

I returned to Cammy and placed a cool wash
cloth on the back of her neck. She flushed the toilet, shut the lid
and rested her cheek on the cold porcelain.

“
I think the spike was
punched,” she muttered then laughed. I rubbed her back then tucked
a strand of hair behind her ear. “Thanks, Bella.”

“
No problem,” I smiled.
“Are you done?”

“
I think,” she said. I
handed her the bottle of water, and she immediately rinsed her
mouth. Once she finished, I left her briefly to dig out a pair of
shorts and a t-shirt. I helped her change then tucked her into
Annie’s bed. Jake watched quietly and as soon as Cammy’s breathing
evened out, he patted the spot next to him. I sat down and rested
my cheek on his shoulder.

“
This has been an
interesting night,” he teased. He eased me closer to his side. “I
know you don’t want to leave her alone so how about we watch one of
those DVDs until I have to get out of here?”

I agreed. As he chose one and loaded it into
the machine, I wondered how I’d been so lucky to be the one he
carjacked that night.

Chapter Eight

Mondays are usually dreadful days for me.
And after the weekend I’d spent with Jake, the Monday after the
Fall Festival was especially horrific. It was a dreary, cold and
rainy day, one that urged people to stay in bed. So I did just that
– smacking the snooze on my alarm until I missed breakfast and ran
to my first hour class fifteen minutes late. Talk about
embarrassing.

The day definitely didn’t get much better,
either. Before I’d even made it to lunch, at least twenty people
stopped me between classes to ask me about Jake. And not even
people I talked to from time to time. People who hadn’t said two
words to me the entire time I’d been enrolled at Meridian Valley
suddenly appeared next to me, happy to walk me to class. Some of
them got really personal, making my cheeks flush scarlet. Like I
knew if he wore boxers or briefs. Or boxer briefs. Geez.

I trudged across campus, head down and
backpack hoisted over my shoulder, and made my way to the
cafeteria. I wasn’t the least bit hungry.

“
Bella!”

I closed my eyes and counted backwards from
ten. This day was about to get worse. “Hi, Lance,” I mumbled as he
caught up to me. “Did you enjoy your weekend?”

“
Yeah. How about you?” His
eyes sparkled and set me immediately on guard. “Is Jake still in
town?”

Here we go again.

“
No. He left early Sunday
morning.” I picked up the pace, the cafeteria in sight. “He had to
catch up with his band.”