The Road to L.A. (16 page)

              “What the hell are you doing?”

Amanda followed Roy’s dumbfounded gaze and rolled her eyes.

              “Why do you always have to be such a nerd,” Roy said, shaking his head in utter disbelief.

              “Hey,” Aaron began, preparing to lay out his defense, “rock music isn’t exactly good for your ears.  I heard that a lot of rockers go deaf because of the loud volume of the music.  Therefore, I’m protecting my ears from the threat of hearing loss.”

Roy just glared at the twin, his brow furrowed.

              “Don’t make me throw a nacho at you,” Roy finally managed to say. 

Aaron sighed and decided to put the earplugs back into his pocket.

              “It’s starting!” Carly squealed incandescently as the morning host for 106.45 FM appeared onstage.  Fred Calione introduced himself as 106.45 FM’s “caliente” morning deejay, and the crowds cheered.  Calione made several announcements of future concerts that would be held in Cleveland in the coming months, and he wasted no time in informing his “fans” of his upcoming publicity bash at the Rock River Nightclub, to which the crowds again cheered.  Soon after, Calione retreated and the first band took the stage.  They all sat through the first ten or eleven bands, patiently listening to their rock ballads and comparing them to the sounds of the Flaming Dogs.  None of the bands, in Carly’s opinion, had a guitarist who could match the skill of her best friend.  But then, she thought she may also have been a bit biased.  But she didn't care, for she knew her opinion was well grounded in fact.

              “They’re on!” Roy exclaimed after a loud gulp of his soda. 

Carly’s heart pounded as she witnessed the group assemble onstage.  Jake performed the intro to the song with an electrifying solo on his guitar, and the crowds immediately displayed their approval with a barrage of loud cheers and shouts.  For the next two electrifying songs, everyone rocked out to the tunes of The Flaming Dogs.  When the last song ended, the crowd erupted into furious applause.  Once the Flaming Dogs had cleared the stage for the next band, Carly decided she couldn’t wait any longer.  Only two more bands were set to play, so Carly decided it was a good time to slip away and try to sneak backstage to see Jake.  She made her way through the tight-knit crowds, occasionally having to apologize to someone whom she had bumped into.  Having conquered the first obstacle of reaching the stage, Carly now found herself standing in front of the blocked stairwell that led backstage.  A huge burly man dressed in all black with a security shirt and dark sunglasses served as the blockade.  She decided to give it a try and stopped just short of where he stood.  Carly couldn’t tell whether he was looking at her or not, for his dark sunglasses made it impossible to tell.  Carly thanked her lucky stars more than once when the big man was suddenly distracted by a small fight that broke out not too far from the front of the stage.  When he zipped past her to intervene, she quickly ran up the stairs and sprinted around the corner and down the long hallway.  She stopped just short of a small break room to her right side, and fearing someone may have spotted her, dashed inside.  She was in the process of coaxing her thundering heart to slow itself down when Garrett entered the room.  He seemed a bit surprised to see her, but his surprise soon turned into something else.  It seemed to her that his expression hinted at perverse pleasure, and it made her feel somewhat uneasy.  Garrett made his way to the soda machine and stuck his change in the slot, then reached for the cold can that had plummeted into the open tray at the bottom. 

              “Where’s Jake?” Carly finally asked, the feeling of unease burgeoning inside of her.

Garrett failed to immediately respond to her question and took a sip from the open soda can.  He then looked at her and grinned perversely.

              “Jake’s with the band,” he said. 

Carly could feel his bold perusal of her body, and she suddenly felt the urge to escape.  Before she could move, though, Garrett had slipped closer to her and asked, “So, what’s the deal with you two?  Are you really just friends?”

Carly felt it really wasn’t his business, but she nodded her head anyway.

              “Like I’ve said before, we’re just friends.”

              “Really?” Garrett grinned even wider now. 

His eyes seemed to be pinning her down as they roved about her body, then about her face. 

Garrett asked brazenly, “How do you think he would feel if I asked you out on a date?”

Carly scoffed at this and responded, “It doesn’t matter how he would feel.  Frankly, I’m really not interested.”

Garrett took a purposeful swig of his soda and set it down on the table next to him. 

              “Well, I’m definitely interested,” Garrett said, moving too close for her own comfort.  “Ever since I saw you I wanted to get to know you a little better.”

Carly gulped and suddenly felt like a trapped animal with an imposing predator looming over her.  She glanced at the doorway, hoping someone would walk by.  Garrett followed her gaze, and he made a furtive move to close the door.  Carly could feel her heart racing now.  Garrett began moving toward her, spurring Carly’s backward movements.  When the small of her back hit the edge of the counter, she gasped as she realized she had nowhere else to go.  A cold wave spread through her body like the chill of a winter breeze. 

              “Garrett, what are you doing?” Carly said, her voice wavering and her mind racing with thoughts of escape. 

              “I can’t help it.  Ever since I saw you at the studio, I just wanted to…”

Garrett quieted mid-sentence and began trailing his hand down her arm.  His breathing became heavy and his eyes glazed over with undiluted lust.  Before his hand could travel further down her body, Carly mustered all the strength she had to push him away.  He barely moved, but enough to get his hand away from the swell of her hip. 

              “I suggest you don’t do that again,” Garrett warned.  “You wouldn’t wanna jeopardize Jake’s spot in the band, would you?”

              “Don’t threaten me,” Carly growled, her fear mutating into anger.  “Besides, you need him.  Without Jake, you’re nothing.”

Garrett immediately took offense and became angry.  He stepped forward and pushed her.  Carly’s back hit the edge of the counter again, and she winced in pain. 

              “Don’t fucking talk back to me!” Garrett shouted at her, spittle flying from his mouth. 

Carly shrieked with disgust as he grasped the front of her jeans with his hand and began hastily undoing the buttons.  Carly pushed as hard as she could against Garrett’s chest, only to be slapped across the face by the back of his hand.  He then pushed her to the floor, causing her to hit her head hard against the cold tile.  While she nursed the back of her head with her hand, Garrett roughly yanked her jeans down. He used his left hand to pin both of her wrists above her head and used his right hand to lift her shirt up just enough to reveal her bra.  When she felt him grip the side of her panties, she began using her legs to kick him.  He easily overcame her petite body by getting on top of her and pinning her to the floor.  Carly alternated between enraged screams and helpless cries as Garrett moved his tongue along her neck.  Carly couldn’t believe what was happening to her.  She glanced at the door and prayed more fiercely than she had ever before.  She prayed someone would come and rescue her.  She closed her eyes to the abhorrent act being committed upon her and wished that she could somehow escape this pain and embarrassment.  If any prayer had ever been answered so faithfully, this was one such instance.  The door to the breakroom burst open.  Carly’s eyes flew open.  She saw Jake standing in the doorway, his eyes swirling like a fierce ocean storm.  Garrett stumbled to his feet and put his arms out in front of him as if to ward off an impending doom.  Jake jumped forward and delivered a harsh blow to Garrett’s face, causing Carly’s attacker to fall backward and hit the floor next to Carly.  Carly immediately scrambled to her feet, then swiped her clothes off the floor and ran to the doorway.  Garrett groaned as he struggled to get up, only to be knocked down again by another forceful blow from Jake’s fist on his chest.  Garrett lay sprawled on the floor, grunting and struggling for air. 

              “You ever touch her again, I’ll kill you,” Jake growled at him, suppressing a strong urge to continue the physical assault.  His balled fists yearned to make contact with Garrett’s face at least five more times.   Jake finally walked away, grabbing Carly’s arm in the process and leading her down the hallway and out through the back door of the music hall.  Carly looked at her savior, thankful that he had been there and had rescued her from what would have been a terrible fate.  Unable to hold back any longer, Carly burst into tears.  They stood outside for what seemed hours, her sobs muffled against his shirt.  When her tears began to dry out and she had quieted down, Jake gently caressed her face.  He then retrieved his cell phone from his pocket and called Aaron, instructing the twin to pick them up from the rear of the building.  He told Aaron nothing more.  Jake used his sleeve to wipe any remaining tears from her eyes.

              “We don’t want the others asking why you’re upset,” he said.

She nodded.

              “Because if Amanda and Roy find out, there’s gonna be World War III.” 

She nodded again and tried to smile, but failed.  She just wanted to go home and forget about what had happened tonight.  She shuddered at the unpleasant thought of what could have happened to her.  But she reminded herself that Garrett hadn’t managed to get very far.  Most of the redness in her eyes had dissipated by the time Amanda pulled up, and she didn’t think anyone noticed she had been crying.  Jake put his guitar in the trunk, then joined Carly in the backseat.  Before the drive back to Clanton, Amanda stopped at a gas station so she could fill the car up and so Roy could grab himself a few snacks for the long drive.  While Aaron, Amanda, and Roy browsed the snack aisles of the gas station store, Carly and Jake remained in the car.  He cupped her small face with his hand and looked at her with concern in his eyes. 

              “You okay?”

Carly nodded and said meekly, “Yeah, I’m fine.  Just a little bump on the back of my head.  But other than that, I’m fine.” 

He placed his hand on the back of her head and ruffled through her hair until he could feel the freshly formed knot.  Carly could see the storm beginning to brew in his eyes again and she immediately pacified him.

              “It’s okay, Jake.  He got what he deserved.  Plus, he didn’t get very far, all thanks to you coming in when you did.”

Carly suddenly felt sad and looked down.

              “I’m just sorry that all this came at the price of you having to give up the Flaming Dogs.  Garrett’s never gonna let you play with them again,” Carly said, feeling extremely downtrodden at the thought.

Jake lifted her chin, forcing her to face him.  He smiled warmly at her.

              “Don’t worry about it, Carly.  Garrett is a piece of shit.  What’s more important is that you’re okay.  I can always join another band.”

Jake pulled out a piece of paper from the left pocket of his pants.  

              “One of the bands tonight told me if I was ever interested, to let them know.  Apparently, there was a difference of opinion and their lead guitarist walked out on them.”

He held the tiny piece of paper with a telephone number scribbled on it up for her to see.

“They’re really good.  They’re from Tinsdale.  About 30 miles east of Clanton.”

Carly smiled and whispered in a tiny voice, “I guess everything does happen for a reason, huh?”

Jake chuckled and encircled his arms around her, pulling her close to him.  She nestled against him, propping her head against his upper arm.  She had thought he whispered something to her about getting an ice pack for the back of her head, but she couldn’t be sure.  All her senses were presently consumed by the pleasure of his closeness.  Indeed, she felt safe and protected, and she could have sworn that she felt a seedling of love sprout within her. 

Chapter Twelve

              Lydia Cabrerra rushed into the kitchen to pull the burning pot roast out of the oven.  She grimaced as she beheld the blackened meat and the wrinkled potatoes, then emitted a long groan that did not escape her husband’s ears. 

              “What’s wrong, honey?” Juan asked, striding calmly into the kitchen. 

He glanced at his wife and noticed she was close to tears. 

              “Oh, my sweet little wife,” he said in an overly placating tone.  His attempts at wrapping his arms around Lydia proved futile.  She stubbornly folded her arms across her chest and stomped out of the kitchen.

              “What’s wrong with mom?” Carly asked as she entered the kitchen.  But her thoughts were elsewhere as she hung her black gown over the chair and placed the cap on her head.  She was beaming incandescently.  

              “You look wonderful, my little senorita,” Juan said, radiating with joy and pride at his little high school graduate.  “It’s amazing how fast you guys grow up.”

              “Oh, dad,” Carly said, blushing.  “I’m only graduating high school, not college. By the way, about mom?”

Juan sighed as if the subject were a very tender one that had to be approached very delicately.