Face the Music (5 page)

“This is my sister, Allie,” she giggled, yanking on my arm. 

He said hello but didn’t take his eyes off her.  It used to bother me that Emily always got the attention when it came to guys, but anymore I just
expected it.  Her long, strawberry blonde hair fell past her shoulders, and her soft brown eyes were always smiling.  Her outgoing, bubbly personality made up for her petite frame, and she was the queen of vogue, always dressing according to the latest style.  I often told her that she should go to fashion school.  She could take random pieces of clothing and put them together to create any look she wanted.

I, on the other hand, was lucky to find a pair of matching socks.  My fair skin was sensitive, so I wore very little makeup and was all thumbs when it came to styling my own hair.  Hence the frequency of the knot.  Emily was well aware of my incompetencies and had therefore insisted on dressing me tonight.  According to her, the coppery colored eye shadow she used made my blue eyes pop- she
actually
made that sound with her lips when she told me so, and with the aid of a small barrel curling iron, she spiraled my auburn hair into an explosion of tight, bouncy ringlets.  I wore a pair of snug black pants that hugged my butt a little too tightly, a slinky silver tank, and a red,
low-cut, wrap-around sweater.  My only contribution
s
to the outfit
were
the
ten
dollar heels
and a pair of cheap chandelier earrings
.

John pulled back the rope and gestured for us to go in.  “Ladies, have a good time!”  He lowered his voice and nudged Emily.  “Call me.”

We stepped into a narrow, dimly lit entryway.  The muted bass coming from the club vibrated through the walls.  A second, larger door opened up to the main area.
 
Deafening music thumped out of enormous speakers while colored lights bounced around the room.  Tall round tables were set up around a crowded dance floor.

Emily grabbed my hand and pulled me towards the bar.  “Come on, let’s get a drink.  What do you want?”

“Bacardi and pineapple juice.”  She lifted her eyebrows; I wasn’t normally one to drink hard liquor.  “What?
” I said defensively,
grinning
.
 
“
You told me to loosen up and have a good time tonight, right?”

“I did,” she said, still eying me doubtfully.  “Just don’t make me regret it.  I don’t want t
o have to carry you out of here.
” 

She ordered a wine cooler, and we walked around and searched for an open table.  “This is something, huh?”

Her energy was contagious, and I couldn’t help but smile.  “It sure is!  I have to admit, I wasn’t too sure about this place, but this is going to be a great night.”  I tipped my glass to her, and we both giggled.  “Happy Birthday, Emily!”

“Cheers to that!”

We sat down at a small table in the back corner of the room.  The dance floor was packed.  Several
clusters of people
were dancing to the fast-paced remix, and a crowd of onlookers stood nearby.  “Wanna dance?” I asked, swallowing the rest of my drink. 

I stood briefly but fell back onto my stool when I saw Chris Knots leaning over a large table with others from the show.  A tall blonde with legs up to her neck was pressing herself against him.  Cynthia, one of the other
Superstardom
contestants. 
I watched in amazement as she whispered something into his ear and
snaked
a
seductive finger down his arm. 
I wondered if they were an item.

Emily followed my stare.  “What?”

“Nothing,” I lied, dropping my eyes to the floor.  The last thing I wanted to do was talk about Chris Knots.

“You look like you
saw a ghost.  What was it?
”  She scanned the club.  It didn’t t
ake long for her to spot them. 
“Oh my God!” she gasped
, her eyes round
.  “The Stars are here!  Allie, you have to introduce me.”

“No.”  I shook my head.  “I actually don’t know them.”  Besides the kids, Chris was the only one I’d ever spoken to.  And it was
n’t like we’d had any kind of
real conversation.

“You do work there, with them,
right?  You see them every day.
”

“I see them sometimes, but that doesn’t mean I talk to them.  I teach the younger ones, you know, who aren’t old enough to be in a place like this.”  I rattled the ice in my glass and looked back over at the Stars.  “The others all keep to themselves.”

Emily glared at me, her lips pulled into a pout of disapproval.  “Gosh
,
Allie.  If I worked there, they would all know me.”

I didn’t argue with that.  Emily had no problem talk
ing to people she didn’t know-
another
thing that made
us
so different.

“You’re too shy!” she complained.  “How do you expect to meet new people if you never talk to anyone?”

“I talk,” I said
defensively
. 

“The kids don’t count, Allie.”  She sat back down, leaned towards me, and examined my face.  “
You’re not telling me something.
”

“
I don’t know what you’re talking about
.”  I sucked in my lips, the way I always did when I wasn’t being entirely truthful.

“Don’t hold out on me.  It’s my birthday; you have to tell.”

I looked at her for a minute,
surprised
at how well she
could read
me.  “Okay, fine. 
I talked to
Chris Knots,” I admitted, looking back over at his group.  “I dropped my stuff in the hall
,
and he helped me pick it up.  We chatted for a minute.  No big deal.”  I took a long swallow from Emily’s wine cooler.

“Hey!  Get your own.”  She snatched the bottle
out of my hand and looked over at him
.  “What was he like?”

“Aside from being really hot?”

She nodded eagerly.

“Kind of a jerk.”

“Really?  What makes you think so?”

I told her about how he interrupted my class.  “Tuesday he practically laughed in my face, and Thursday
he completely ignored me.”  I watched him for a minute. 
He was performing a
dance
move that resembled a lawn sprinkler.  He held one hand behind his head, his elbow sticking out to the side, and his other arm was extended out in front of him.  His torso twisted around in a jerky, circular motion, and everyone, including h
im, rolled with laughter.

Emily frowned.  “Oh come on; that doesn’t make him a jerk.”  She got up and pushed her stool aside.  “Come on, let’s go talk to him.”

“Absolutely not!”  I remained firmly planted in my seat.  “I have to work with these people, and I refuse to make an idiot out of myself.  He already has plenty of people to talk to.” 

Emily groaned.  “You are so boring, Allie!  You promised to have fun tonight.”  She stuck out her lower lip.

“That only works with Molly,” I laughed, picturing my niece’s pouty face.  No
doubt who she
learned it from.  “
I did promise you a good time, so l
et’s forget about them and go dance.”

“Fine,” she huffed, “let’s go.” 

Cher’s electronically enhanced voice filled the room. 

“I love this song!” Emily said, thrusting her hips from side to side and throwing her hands up over her head. 

I enjoyed watching her dance.  She was so free and alive, like she didn’t have a care in the world.  Wanting to be more like her, I closed my eyes and danced too, relaxing as the alcohol worked its warmth throughout my body.  It felt good to let loose- it had been way too long. 

We dance
d straight through three songs.  By the time
the next one
came on
I was overheated and sticky with sweat.  Emily had found another partner, so I made my way to the bar for a
nother
drink. 

It was busy.  The three bartenders couldn’t keep up.  The man to my left ordered something called a
P
ainkiller, and I curiously watched as the bartender mixed together a dark colored rum, coconut cream, and pineapple-orange juice.  It looked good, despite the gruesome name, and I was about to get one for myself when someone behind me called out an order.  “Two
Captain
and Cokes, please.”

Fully intending to educate this rude person about taking turns, I turned around to find Chris.  The blood drained from my face as he clapped me on the shoulder.  “Hey!”  His eyes were wide as they
ran down and then back up
my frame.  “Wow, you look amazing.”  He paid for the drinks and handed one to me.  “I don’t know what you like, hopefully this is okay.”

“Oh!  Thanks.”  I
decided against giving
him the lecture
on manners and instead took a sip from the tumbler. 

Amusement touched the corners of his lips
.  “
A teacher who drinks.
  Isn’t that il
legal or someth
ing
?
  I thought you all were supposed to be hermits who live in your classrooms.”

“Ha, ha. 
So funny
.”

He said something else, but the music was too loud.  I pointed to my ear and shook my head, signaling that I couldn’t hear. 

“Do you wanna dance?” he asked, a bit louder than before.

I thought about it for an entire second but decided it was probably better if I just steered clear of this guy.  I didn’t trust myself to keep my head, especially
with the alcohol in my system.  Getting involved with him was the last thing I needed
.  Even though he was sexy as hell
.

“No.  Sorry, I’m here with my sister.”

He looked taken aback, as if I’d caught him off guard. 
Poor baby
, I thought, trying to stifle a laugh.  He wasn’t used to rejection.

“Oh, come on, one won’t hurt.  I won’t tell anyone.”  His
dark
eyes burned into mine, daring me to refuse again.

All my willpower melted away.  It wasn’t fair.

He had all kinds of wild moves I couldn’t keep up with.  I mostly just stood there, bending my knees and swinging my hips while he danced circles around me.  At one point, he pulled my arms up over my head and spun me around.  I twirled like a stiff board, nearly toppling to one side.  “Loosen up!” he laughed.

I was relieved when a slower song came on.  Taking one of my hands into his own, he pushed the other against the small of my back and pulled me close.  He was at least six inches taller than me; the top of my head didn’t even reach the bottom of his chin.  The combination of dancing, alcohol, and being pressed up against his hard body had me sizzling. 
S
treams of sweat trickle
d down my back.