The Consequence

“Aren’t our groupies attractive?” Logan Thayer smirked into his microphone, mentally undressing the two girls he’d never have as his girlfriend.

Zara Cohen scoffed in response and Evie Vickers sent him a sarcastic smile. The pair were seated on a very uncomfortable, broken amplifier. The boys of My Girl Friday had not yet sorted out a proper seating area for their friends to watch them practice. So Zara and Evie had to make do with the solid side of the amp that had blown up several months back.

“In your dreams, Thayer,” Zara scowled, producing her phone from her handbag and occupying herself with texting someone.

“Oh I have had that dream, several times,” Logan smirked, turning away and joining the group discussion that was currently taking place in the middle of the room.

Zara shook her head. “That boy is disgusting. It doesn’t surprise me in the slightest that he doesn’t have a girlfriend.”

“Mmmm, I guess so.” Evie ran a hand through her hair, smoothing out a few tangles. She gave Zara a sideways glance. It had been months since she started dating Justin, and she still felt awkward around Zara. She wasn’t jealous of her, of course Zara was gorgeous and she and Justin did have a lengthy history, but she was with Stephen and they were sickeningly loved up most of the time. But despite a lack of jealousy and hatred, she still felt awkward around her. Zara Cohen wasn’t someone she could feel comfortable and completely at ease around, and she wasn’t quite sure why.

“Are you not done yet?” Zara asked, loudly, looking over at the five boys, plus Stephen, who was clutching a microphone in his hand.

“One more song,” Justin announced, stepping away from the huddle and grabbing his microphone off the stand.

The boys agreed on a song and started playing. The second hand amps screeched and the microphones wailed whenever someone attempted a high note. Both Evie and Zara knew they weren’t bad musicians, they just owned bad equipment, unfortunately for them. They stumbled their way through a song they hadn’t yet given a title and gave up for the day.

Zara slipped off her seat on the amp and walked over to Stephen, glancing around the room to make sure everyone was watching their minor make out session.

Evie wrinkled her nose as their kisses deepened and Zara’s hands got themselves lost in Stephen’s hair. “Sickening,” she grumbled, grabbing her bag and heading out of the garage door and into the Godsey’s household. She made her way through to the kitchen and poured herself a glass of water, taking a small sip and looking out over the front garden.

The grass was a lush green, and the flowers Justin’s mother had insisted on planting in the spring, were just pushing their way through to the surface of the soil. No doubt they’d bloom soon, creating a colourful frame around the lawn. A heavy sigh escaped Evie’s lips as she looked at the cars parked in front of the house. The paint of her own was sparkling. A sign of daddy’s wealth and how he loved to spoil his daughters.

Evie took another sip of water, listening to the crashing of cymbals and painful yells coming from the garage. Disaster seemed to strike whenever the boys got together and attempted to practice. Someone always got drunk and accidentally spilled beer on a brand new amp, or cut the strings off someone’s guitar, or in today’s case, fell into the drum set, sending everything flying across the room.

She heard footsteps and looked over her shoulder to see Zara leading Stephen towards the front door, their hands clasped together. He had pink lipgloss smears all over his face, accompanied by a wide grin. “See you later, Eves,” he smiled brightly at her, and Zara waved at her, before the front door slammed behind them.

Through the window, she watched them walk towards Stephen’s car. The pair getting lost in one another, staring into each other’s eyes and holding hands, kissing.

Evie poured the remains of her water down the sink and rinsed the glass out, letting it drain beside the sink. She looked out of the window again to see Stephen and Zara had driven off into the sunset.

Spinning around, she was about to head back to the garage to see what catastrophe had occurred this time, but the sight of Logan standing in the kitchen doorway made her heart jump. She clutched her chest and scowled at him. “Logan, you almost gave me a heart attack,” she breathed, leaning against the kitchen counter.

A smirk crossed his lips and he folded his arms across his chest. “Evie, Evie.” He shook his head. “Why isn’t anything ever simple? Like in life? In general, even. I mean, the only two girls I’ve ever really wanted went off and got with one of my best friends. One’s a little insane, but I don’t think she can help that she’s kinda bi-polar. But the other, she’s just -”

Evie raised an eyebrow and stared at Logan. “What are you babbling on about?”

“You, Eves.”

“Um, okay, Logan, what brought all this on?”

He shrugged. “I’m tired of being upstaged by Justin Godlike.”

“O-kay, you and Justin can have your little alpha male thing, but don’t bring me into this. Or Zara for that matter.”

Logan shook his head, “it’s not about that. It’s about the fact that Justin always gets what he wants without even trying. You know I liked you before he did, but he was the one that asked you out and you said yes. It’s just fucking irritating. If I’d asked you out, what would you have said?”

“I don’t know, Logan. Why do we have to talk about this now?”

“Tell me what you’d have said.”

“Logan, I don’t know, okay?”

“No. You’d have rejected me.”

“How do you know that?”

“Because I’m not Justin.”

Evie shook her head in disbelief. “You have some serious jealousy issues here.”

“It’s not jealousy. It’s nothing like that. It’s me being sick of always being second best. He gets everything and it’s not fair. I’m sick of walking in his shadow all the time.”

“Like I said, jealousy issues.” Evie stepped forward and headed for the door, but Logan blocked her path. Their faces were inches apart, his smirk was still in tact. He grabbed her by the waist and pulled her close, pressing his lips to hers. She flailed for a moment, before Logan deepened the kiss and held her closer. She could feel herself melting into him, and then Justin’s face popped into her head and she slapped Logan’s chest, pushing him away. “What the hell?”

Logan grinned. “Admit it, you loved it.”

A crash sounded out and a door slammed. Behind Logan, Justin appeared, a stressed look on his face. He looked at Evie, “you ready to go, babe?”

She smiled and nodded, sending Logan a dark look as she left with Justin.

It was wrong, she knew that much. It hadn’t been an accident, Logan had wanted it all to happen, and it had. And she’d kissed him back, almost forgetting Justin. It had happened, and Evie couldn’t forget it. She couldn’t forget how nice it was to feel Logan’s lips against her own, his arms around her.

And she hated herself for enjoying that one simple kiss.