Jaded (Rock Star Trilogy) (16 page)

“
Ri... Right away, Miss Ryan,” she finally says.

We follow her to a table. I sit beside Stephan, and Bridgett and Alec sits across from us.

Stephan leans over, and whispers in my ear. “That was so hot.”

“
What?”

“
You, taking charge. I kind of wonder if you'd be like that...”

Bridgett cuts him off. “Ewe. I do
NOT
want to hear about my
sister's
sex life.”

I laugh. “Trust me, there is
no
sex life to hear about.”

The waitress is an older Chinese lady, and thankfully she doesn't recognize us. She takes our drinks order, and quickly leaves to fill them.

“Do people often mistake you for me?” I asked Bridgett.

She shrugs. “It actually hasn't been that bad. People in my community and school knew me growing up, so they didn't really question. I've had a few incidents like at the mall... And when I first went to college it was pretty bad... But once people learn I'm not you, they usually leave me alone.”

“Life would be boring without mobs of fans, and paparazzi,” Alec adds. “Seriously, I couldn't imagine ever living normal.”

“
That's because your dad is a rock legend. You grew up with this. I lived a semi-normal life until I was 15, and even then, it was a year before it got completely
crazy
.”

“
After you won that MTV Award. I remember. I taught you how to ditch the paparazzi,” Alec smiles. “Good times.”

“
That was
not
good times!” I can't help but laugh. I turn to Bridgett and Stephan. “I had
just
turned 16 years old. I was
not
a good driver, I was in LA, and I was trying to get rid of the paparazzi. It was a nightmare. I nearly ran over somebody trying to ditch them.”

“
Oh, right!” Alec remembers. “They came up with some outrageous story about you being drunk! You got so much publicity! The next day, your song hit number one. It was crazy.”

“
I totally forgot about that.” I shake my head. “That was pretty awesome.”

The waitress finally brings us our drinks, and takes our orders. Once she leaves, Alec turns to me. “What are your plans now, Scar? You're so young. Certainly you aren't quitting the music industry.”

“I'm not completely sure,” I answer truthfully. “I haven't been happy with my music for a while now. I'd like to finish my senior year, get a new manager, a new producer, and do what
I
want to do. I'd like to get away from the pop scene, and maybe do a more alternative, punk sound.”

“
Like your older stuff.”

“
Exactly.”

“
What about you, Bridgett? What are your plans for the future?” Alec asks her.

“
I am still undecided about my future,” she answers with a shrug. “I recently dropped out of college, and right now, I'm just trying to figure it out.”

“
You have plenty of time to figure it out.” Alec turns his head towards Stephan. “What about you? You have college plans?”

“
Definitely no plans for college...” he clears his throat. “I have
no idea
what I want. I really enjoy racing, but that's not really a profession.”

“
Of course it is! Nascar,” Alec counters.

“
Nascar really isn't my scene. Plus, I'm not sure if this is what I want forever. It's good for the right now. I guess when the time comes, I'll figure it out. I just want to be happy.”

“
Cheers to that,” I agree, holding up my cup.

11:55 pm

I know that look!

Stephan is paying his way in, and listening to the rules. Bridgett, Alec, and I are all standing by my Mercedes, trying
not
to draw attention to ourselves. We all even bought baseball caps from the gas station.

“
The girls here are skanky,” Bridgett crinkles her nose, as a girl walks by. Her shorts are so short that her butt cheeks are hanging out the bottom.

“
I've seen worse,” Alec counters with a shrug like it's
no big deal
. Of course to Bridgett, it is.

“
Oh, come on,” Bridgett crosses her arms over her chest. “You can't tell me you're actually enjoying this...”

“
Trust me, I have better taste than this.
I like girls with class
.”

And
that
is why I love Alec. He's not just an arrogant rock star that sleeps with
every
girl he can. He appreciates girls. And sure, he may be a man whore, but at least he's not a jerk about it.

“
So, tell me Alec, how many girls have you been with?” Bridgett asks boldly, and I choke on the air.

“
Oh my god, Bridge!”

She shrugs. “What? I'm curious!”

“You can't randomly ask somebody how many people they've fucked. Way too personal.”

“
It's ok,” Alec tells us. “I haven't been with that many women, honestly. I've turned down a lot more girls than I've said yes to.”

“
In other words, he's lost count,” I nudge him gently with my elbow.

“
Ha, ha,” he glares at me. “How many guys have you been with, Scarlett?”

“
Ten.”

“
You're practically a virgin!” Alec laughs, putting his arm around me jokingly. “My sweet, innocent Scarlett.”

I roll my eyes at him. “I am not sweet, or innocent. Though, I wish I was.”

“What about you Bridgett?” Alec turns to subject to her. After all, she
is
the one who started the conversation.

I look at Bridgett, who is now blushing. “I'm waiting for Prince Charming.”

“
WHAT
?” Alec's eyes are huge, as he looks at her. “No way!”

“
It's not a big deal,” she defends herself. “I just want my first time to be special.”

“
That's really sweet.”

Whoa, did the word “
sweet
” just come out of Alec Torch's mouth? This has got to be a first.

I look at Alec, who is looking at Bridgett, and suddenly realization hits me...
I know that look
! That is the look
Stephan
gives
me.

Oh my god!
Alec is totally crushing on Bridgett
!

“
What did I miss?” Stephan asks, coming up behind me.

“
Nothing,” we all say in unison.

“
Ok...” he looks at us all with a curious look. “The race is about to start. If you guys hear sirens, just take off, don't worry about me. If you happen to get pulled over, you know
nothing
. Use your celeb status to your advantage. This is a lot bigger than it is in Hope.”

“
Good luck,” Alec says.

I walk with Stephan to his car. I can't help but feel worried. I've seen him race before, but like he said, this is a bigger deal. He pulls me close to me, and I rest my head on the chest.

“Be careful.”

“
I will,” he promises.

I pull away, and he kisses me gently on the lips. A few seconds later, he's in his car, and pulling up to the starting line. I sigh, and walk back over where Bridgett and Alec are standing.

I'm nervous, so I twirl my hair with my finger. I can't stand to not be moving right now.

The race starts and it's only a few seconds before the cars are completely out of sight. Even though I can't see where they are, I can't help but watch the road for their return.

I hear Bridgett and Alec behind me, they're arguing about something, but I can't bring myself to listen. I'm wondering why they've been gone so long. Shouldn't they be back now? It feels like they've been gone forever.

Suddenly, I hear tires squalling, and I watch 3 of the 5 cars all racing ahead towards the finish. The guy beside Stephan tries to push him off the road, but Stephan pulls ahead, causing the other guy to run off the road. His car rolls over a few times, and I cringe.

I hope he's ok.

Stephan is neck and neck with the other car, but as they pass the finish line, Stephan is ahead literally by inches. I breathe a sigh of relief when Stephan's car comes to a safe stop. I run over to him and throw my arms around him. He hugs me back.

“I was so worried about you.” I pull back from his embrace, and notice the other two cars still haven't came yet. “Where are the others?”

“
They crashed,” he answers, nonchalantly. “The first one went out before we were a minute into the race. The other guy crashed around the last curve. But hey, I'm going to grab my money, then we need to go. That other guy didn't look so good. We need to clear out before the cops and ambulances arrive. Tell Bridgett and Alec to meet us at the gas station we stopped at earlier.”

I run to them, and tell them what Stephan said, and within minutes, we are on the road. As we are clearing out, I hear sirens. I sigh in relief.

“Are you always so lucky? Missing cops, avoiding car accidents...”

“
I'm good,” he sounds a little conceited. “And I've
never
got caught.”

“
Lucky you,” I say.

“
Speaking of luck, I won... Does that mean you'll stay in my room tonight?”

“
And leave Bridgett all alone?”

“
She won't be alone. She will have Alec,” he smiles. “I know you've seen the way he looks at her. It's kind of sickening, actually.”

I can't help but laugh. “You look at me the same way... Which is exactly why I'm
not
leaving her alone with him.”

“
Yeah, I guess I kind of like you... A little,” he shrugs, but I know he's just messing with me.

“
I think you like me a
lot
.”

“
Well, I think the feeling is mutual.”

I can't help but smile. “You are correct.”

1:03 am

This is boring.

We get two rooms, one for the girls, and one for the boys. Stephan wasn't too pleased about it, but I told him I was not leaving my
sister
alone with
Alec Torch
all night. He may be my best friend, but I don't trust him with my very untouched sister.

We aren't tired yet, so Alec and Stephan hang out with Bridge and me in our room.

“I'm starving,” Stephan complains.

“
We just ate! At like, nine...” I laugh at him.

“
Exactly. Four hours ago. I need substance.” He grabs the phone book. “Who wants pizza?”

Alec and Stephan are both hungry, so they order a pizza. I envy their metabolism.

“I'm going to go pick it up,” Stephan says, grabbing his keys.

“
Why not have it delivered?” I wonder.

“
My car was making a funny noise. I wanted to check it out before tomorrow,” he explains. “I want to make sure it'll be alright on the drive home.”

“
Want me to go with you?” I ask.

“
No, it's ok. You can just hang out here. It'll only take me a couple minutes.” He walks out the door, and I go sit on the edge of the bed. Bridgett is laying back on the other bed, switching through channels on the TV, and Alec is messing with his phone.

“
The races were fun,” I comment, trying to start a conversation. All I got was a half nod from Bridgett, and no response from Alec... I'm so glad that this trip is bringing us
together.

Well,
this is boring
.

I pull out my iPhone, and check out my emails. I have one from my dad, telling me about a movie premier I was invited to. He doesn't tell me he misses me, and it's very professional. I delete it without a response.

I have another email, it's from Andrew Davis. I still haven't told him to call off the search for Stacy. I made a mental note to do that in the morning. I open the email.

Scarlett,

I think I found Stacy. I can't give you any details yet, but I will be contacting you soon.

Andrew Davis

My heart speeds up as I read his words...
He found Stacy
. Earlier that day, I had promised myself I wouldn't look for her. Now that he knows, I am not so sure I can just ignore the news. I
have
to know. I've spent nine years blaming myself for her running away. I need to know the
real reason
.