Ruined by You (23 page)

August thought about it for a minute, and looked around at his other band mates. They all gave him a confused shrug, and he looked back up at us.

“Yeah, I guess if we had someone, it wouldn’t be an issue,” he said. “We’d love to play the Battle. We heard the show rocked, last year.”

I looked at Stacey, hopeful. “Would that be alright?” I asked. “If we can find someone, everything will be fine?”

She shrugged and looked at the band. “They call the shots,” she said. “If they’re fine with it, so am I.”

I couldn’t help but feel a faint glimmer of hope. I wasn’t sure who Haden was talking about, but it was obvious that he had someone in mind. He wouldn’t have suggested it, otherwise. Maybe not all was lost.

Haden looked at me. His eyes twinkled with confidence. “I’ll be right back,” he said.

He disappeared down the hallway. I looked around at everyone, giving them an awkward smile. A couple minutes passed before we heard the door open, again. Hushed voices echoed. It was Haden and Kyle, and they were disagreeing about something. A sinking feeling formed in the pit of my stomach.

Was Kyle the person that Haden knew? Had Haden gone outside to talk Kyle into it? My stomach did flips on itself. The sheer thought of all the awful things that could happen made me want to get sick.

Then, everything changed.

Haden flew through the doorway at a brisk walk, a guitar case in his hand. He kept his eyes locked forward, save a quick glanced at the band signaling them to the stage. Kyle was close behind, but stopped at the doorway. For the first time, he didn’t have the arrogant, cocky smile on his face. Instead, his face had twisted into… concern?

“Let’s give this a shot,” Haden said, placing the guitar case on the stage, and popping it open.

I don’t know much about guitars, but the one he drew out had to be the most beautiful guitar I’d ever seen. It was simple, but it had an elegance that caught me off guard. I watched, bewildered, as he plugged it into an amp. He got setup quickly, deftly, with purpose. He was all business.

This wasn’t his first time. He was ready to play before the rest of the band had even joined him on the stage. But he didn’t mess around with the guitar. He didn’t tweak it, or play it, or do anything. He stood rigid in one spot, motionless. The only movement I noticed was the nervous glances he sent my way. Every time our eyes connected, he looked away, as though he was ashamed.

Within a few minutes, the rest of the band was ready to play, too. They stood, poised over their instruments, with their eyes on their leader, August.

August looked at everyone, then he turned to Haden. “What do you want to play?” he asked. “Do you know any of our stuff?”

“What was that first one?” Haden asked, his body mostly rigid, still. “
Brandy Sweet
? Let’s play that one.”

August considered him for moment, his look doubtful. Then he nodded at the rest of the band. “You know the guitar opening?” he asked, innocently.

Haden’s head twitched slightly, as though he were clearing it. “Just count it down,” he said.

August shrugged his shoulders, and looked back at the drummer. He nodded his approval, and the drummer raised his sticks in the air and began clacking them together.

“One,” he yelled.

My hand curled up, nervously.

“Two.”

My face was tight, straining.

“One. Two. Three. Fo…”

The drummer never made it to four before Haden’s hands leapt to the guitar. With blinding speed, he launched into the guitar into for
Brandy Sweet
, and it sounded identical, if not better, than Seth’s version.

The band kicked in behind him, but they were all playing based on muscle memory. Each of them had their eyes locked on the man in the middle of the stage. The man shredding their song on his beautiful guitar.

I stared at Haden in stunned disbelief. As the song built to the chorus, all traces of that rigidity vanished from his bones. By the second verse, he was as fluid as water. His was in his zone. His fingers slid and picked all over the neck. He jumped from high to low, and vice versa, with unthinkable speed.

It wasn’t long before the song’s magic put me under its spell. My body gyrated, and moved. But my eyes were on Haden. They were never leaving him. By the time the song came to a close, everyone was intoxicated its call.

August stared, disbelievingly, at the mysterious tattooed man on the stage. A man who I’d never seen come across as shy. He stood on the stage with his head down, hair in his face.

“You think we can do it?” Haden asked, quietly. Everyone stared at him for a long second, and then August broke into the biggest smile I’d ever seen.

He walked over to Haden, and they clapped hands, tightly.

“Man, we’re going to rock the hell out of that show,” he said.

I slumped back against the wall, my knees wobbling, as I watched the band patting Haden on the back, congratulating him.

He’d done it.

Just like he’d promised.

As soon as we stepped outside, I threw my arms around Haden and very nearly jumped up onto him. The guitar case rattled to the side, and he almost dropped it, but I didn’t care.

“I couldn’t believe you in there,” I said, gushing. “I didn’t know you could play. Why didn’t you ever tell me? Oh my God, that was amazing.”

Haden smiled at me and put his arm around me. He pulled me in tight, close to his body.

“It’s nothing,” he said.

“It’s
not
nothing,” I said. “That was amazing. How long have you played? Why didn’t this ever come up before?”

I had a million questions, and they were all threatening to come out at the same time.

“A few years,” he shrugged.

He smiled down at me, and every part of my body wanted to kiss him, right there. But, I could feel Kyle’s looming presence, nearby. I didn’t want to think about what he might say if I were to wrap myself around Haden the way I wanted to, and I didn’t think that I could tolerate much more of his shitty attitude.

“Where did the guitar come from?” I asked. “Have you been carrying it around this whole time and I just haven’t seen it?”

Haden nodded. “The trunk,” he said.

I sighed, and grinned even wider as we continued out to the car. Kyle skulked along behind us, obviously upset about something, but he was keeping his mouth shut. I leaned into Haden as we walked, and he put his arm around me. He hugged me tight into his body, and I felt myself sinking into him.

We crossed the street to the hospital and worked our way through the parking lot. A sea of cars had appeared, and the lot wasn’t so empty anymore. We slid between the cars until we found at his, and he unlocked the front door and held it open for me. Kyle scoffed and slid into the backseat on the other side.

I looked up at Haden, and he smiled at me. He nodded at the door once, beckoning me to get in--but I didn’t. I couldn’t escape his fiery green eyes, and I felt the overwhelming compulsion to pull him close to me.

Through everything that had happened, Haden had never lost faith in me. He had never lost faith in the fact that we were going to come out ahead, that we were going to figure out some way to make things alright.

He
had made sure that everything was going to be alright. It was because of
him
that we had signed the band.

I reached up and cupped the back of his head in my hand. My fingers tangled through his long hair, and his back bent forward with only the slightest tug on my part. He lowered himself to me, and our lips found each other once again. My heart pounded furiously, and the gentle breeze did little to cool the heat in my brow. His tongue slid across my lips, and they parted to let him in. Our tongues did the same wild dance they’d done before, this time with more passion, more ambition. We stood there in the parking lot, for the entire world to see, not hiding ourselves.

Everything was beginning to fall into place. Everything was beginning to make sense. There was nothing else in the world that mattered right then. Nothing but Haden and I, alone together. We’d toppled walls together, and come out on the other side, stronger. There wasn’t a part of me that didn’t trust him, completely. I couldn’t imagine myself in anyone else’s arms.

I leaned into him, hard, and he fell against the car. I stretched myself all the way across his body, losing myself in the moment. The sun was hot overhead, and I nipped at his neck. I could feel myself losing control, and I didn’t care.

Haden was mine. All mine. And, soon, he was going to have all of me. Everything he wanted.

“Maggie?” a voice called.

I froze, locked in place. I didn’t twitch a single muscle. That was in my head, right?

“Maggie, is that you?” the voice called.

This time, it was as plain as if a car had run me over. There was no mistaking it.

I peeled myself off of Haden, and looked over to my shoulder. The tiny frame of my mother stood between a few cars, a row over. Her mouth was drawn tight together, and she squinted through the summer sun.

“Mom?” I said, not trying to hide anything. I was caught. “Mom, what are you doing here?”

“Maggie, who is that?” she asked, pointing at Haden.

He smiled, awkwardly, between her and I.

“Hi, I’m…”

He tried to press pass me, but I stopped him.

“Mom, I’m working,” I said. There was no chance she was going to believe me, but I didn’t know what else to say. There was no easy way to explain things.

Her face tightened and her mouth pinched together. Her nostrils flared out and she gave me the angriest stare I’d ever seen on her. Her hand wagged at Haden.

“Is this who you’ve been so excited about?” she said. Her voice was raspy. “Is this the Scottie everyone’s talking about?”

“Mom, no…” I said, quickly.

My cheeks were burning red. Why was this happening to me? Why now, at the worst possible time?

She stared between us, enraged.

“This isn’t right Maggie,” she said. “It’s not proper.”

Her face was turning red, and she struggled to get the words out. Grandma put a hand on her and pulled her back toward the car.

“Get in the car, Patricia,” Grandma said. “I’ll talk to her.” Mom turned away from me and nodded. She was breathing deeply, more furious than I’d ever seen her. She climbed into the car, and out of sight.

I am adult. Doesn’t she realize that?
I can make my own decisions
.

“Maggie?” Grandma called over. “Maggie, why don’t you ride home with us?”

Grandma stood next to the car, towering over it. Her cheery face was bright pink with the heat, and I knew she shouldn’t be out there.

“What are you doing here?” I said. I nodded up at the hospital. “Why are you
here
?”

Grandma shook her head. She held her hand up to block the sun.

“Maggie please, just get in the car, so we can go home.”

“I have a ride home,” I said. “I have to get the car from the Saloon.”

Grandma sighed, deeply.

“We can get it, later,” she said. “I think you should ride home with us. Now.”

Her tone was unwavering. She never sounded that way.

I turned back to Haden, and gave him an apologetic look.

Why did it have to happen, now?

He nodded toward Grandma.

“Go on,” he said. “Go be with your family. We can talk later.”

Frustration grew tight in me. Didn’t he understand that I wanted to be with
him
?

I blew out a sigh. I knew he was right. Something was going on, and I should be with them.

I gave him a little nod.

“I’ll talk to you, later,” I said. He nodded at me.

As I turned and headed toward Grandma, the tension in her face eased. She climbed into the driver’s seat before I’d even made it to the car. Before I ducked into the backseat, I shot Haden one more smile. He waved, and I sunk in.

I swear, I have the worst luck, possible.

We pulled onto the freeway and jetted off toward Green Falls. Mom was motionless in the front seat, with her head tilted to the side. Grandma drove us along, quietly. Neither of them had said anything since we’d left the hospital. Not a single word.

I studied Grandma from the corner of my eye, wondering what was going on. She turned and glanced at something out the window. Everything was unusually quiet, and I couldn’t take it anymore.

“Is someone going to tell me what you were doing at the hospital?” I asked.

A moment of silence passed, and I almost asked the question again.

“It’s nothing, dear,” Grandma said. “Just some routine stuff.”

“Routine stuff?” I said, disbelieving. She gave me a soft look, and I sat puzzled for a moment. “Isn’t there a hospital in Green Falls?” I said.

Grandma remained quiet, her eyes on the road.

“Who was that boy?” Mom asked. She still sat motionless, looking out the window.

“He’s no one,” I said, quickly. “Just a friend.”

“Do you kiss all of your friends like that?” she said. “What was with all the tattoos on his arms? Is he some kind of gangster?”

“Mom, no, he’s not a gangster,” I said. “His name is Haden, and he’s actually very sweet.”

“Well, first he’s no one, and now he’s Haden and he’s very sweet,” she said. “How am I supposed to keep up, if the story keeps changing?”

“It’s not like that,” I said. “We’re just friends. We work together.”

“For Scottie?” she said.

“Yes, for Scottie,” I said.

“So you met him at the bar?” she asked.

I clenched my teeth together. I could see where this was going.

“It’s not like that,” I said, again.

I gritted my teeth together, and sat staring at the ground outside the window. I didn’t want her to get the wrong idea, but she had
no right
to judge me. I was an adult, and I could make my own decisions.

“You know I don’t want you dating boys like that,” she said, finally.

“Boys like
what
?” I said, challengingly.

She turned around, climbing onto the front seat, and faced me. Her eyes were stern, but her face was sunken.