Like No Other
Chapter 2
I feel like I’m always running. Kind of like my life is just this one big marathon, my destination still unknown. Perhaps I’m more like the epitome of a guinea pig running on its big wheel, and no matter how fast I run or how long or who’s watching I’m still in the exact same place I was before when I started. I just can’t seem to get to where I need to be. And it’s frustrating.
Now, of course I haven’t always been this way. There was a time when I was happy and carefree, a time when I never worried about things that other people don’t normally worry about like death. There was a time where things came so much more naturally and everything made sense. And most of all, I never had anxiety attacks. But that was a year ago, before I learned that life’s not fair and not everything is perfect, not everything works out the way you think and terrible things happen to good people. That was before the accident that changed my life forever.
When my sister Angie and her fiancé Jack opened up there house for me in Bridgeport I jumped at the opportunity. Who wouldn’t? A whole summer on the beach and a chance to get away from everything I’ve been running from this past year. Everything including the sympathetic faces of everyone around me which was the first thing I noticed that was different when I had arrived in Bridgeport. It was such a relief to see people looking at me, just me, and not the girl who killed two of her friends in a car accident. But more on that later…
I was surprised when they invited me because I guess me and Angie haven’t had the closest sister relationship. She’s older than me by six years so I never really saw her when she lived at home because she was usually out partying with friends. The closest I’ve ever felt to her was on the nights she was sneaking back in from a long night out partying. She had to sneak in my window because my window was the easiest to get into. She was so drunk she couldn’t make it back to her room so she usually just stayed in my bed and slept with me.
My mom was the first one who agreed that I should go. She claimed it would
be a “good thing for me”. Within a week later I was kissing my parents goodbye and boarding a plane to Connecticut which was where I was standing now, looking around for my sister and my brother-in-law-to-be. I found them and they greeted me with awkward hugs. We grabbed my luggage and stuffed it all into Angie’s mini-cooper; we drove off to my new casa.
After only five minutes of driving Angie turned around in the passenger seat so she could see me better.
“Look, Cassie, I know you’ve been through a lot and I just wanted to let you know that if you ever need anyone to talk to I’m here. And I am so sor—“
“It’s okay,” I interrupted her, “Honestly, I’m just here to relax, get a tan, and NOT think about all that stuff. But I appreciate it a lot, thanks.”
She looked down, bit her lip, and nodded slightly then proceeded to turn around. I know she was trying to help but I am tired of people feeling sorry for me and “trying to help”. I came here to get away from it. And if Angie thinks we can somehow magically connect and become close through my tragic life, she’s wrong. Man, not even thirty minutes and it was already getting awkward.
Before I knew it, we had arrived at the house. It was really nice and quaint, only a couple of blocks away from the beach. It was a white, two-story with blue shutters and a wrap-around porch complete with rocking chairs and a swing, and a small garden out front full of pansies, lilies, and tulips. All that was missing was a white picket fence.
“Wow Angie, this is so nice,” I said grabbing my bags and following Angie and Jack up the porch and into the house where they gave me a quick tour of the downstairs which included the living room, dining room, and their bedroom. Then Angie took me upstairs and showed me my new abode. It was a plain white room with a dresser, canopy bed, and a walk-in closet. Nothing too fancy, which was fine by me. I glanced out the window.
“Whoa, nice view,” I said in between my laughs.
Angie looked out to see, across the street, an open view through the neighbor’s window of a fat, balding man doing a vigorous P90X workout.
“Oh, that’s Mr. Sanders,” she chuckled, “Well I hope you like the rest of the room despite the view.”
“No, this is really nice,” I laid my bags on the bed and started pulling out my clothes and assembling them in the drawers of the dresser. Angie stayed a little while to help me out. It didn’t take long considering I didn’t have many clothes appropriate for the beach.
“If you want, I can take you shopping this week. I know some great little boutiques that you would just love,” Angie said, practically reading my mind.
“Yeah, that sounds great,” I said trying to sound enthusiastic.
After a moment of awkward silence she left me to finish getting settled. Looking out my window again I could see Mr. Sanders just had finished doing his P90X. The roof outside the window was slightly slanted. I checked to see if it would open and when it did, I crawled out. I sat on the shingles of the roof with my head on my knees that I had pulled up to my chest. I heard laughter coming from three girls up the street. Two were riding their bikes and the other on the pegs. I stayed out there a long time, long after Mr. Sander’s home went dark and the street lights came on. Eventually, when the mosquitos came out, I went back inside.
Downstairs, I found Angie and Jack curled up on the couch together watching a “Friday Night Thriller” on TV. They were cute together and I could tell they really made each other happy. Jack whispered something into Angie’s ear and she giggled and told him to stop when he started tickling in her “spot” right behind her ear, on her neck.
My sister was really pretty, maybe even beautiful but not in the overly-obvious way. We looked a lot alike except our hair and figure. She was made thin and petite as I was tall with a more athletic body. We both had naturally light brown hair but she had dyed hers blonde and wore it straight were as I had never dyed my hair in my entire life and wore it naturally curly.
“Oh hey,” Angie said as she noticed me standing on the stairs. “Would you like to join us?”
I looked at my watch. 8:37pm.
“Eh, I think I’m just going to walk around, check the place out,” I said.
“Do you like coffee?” Jack asked, surprising me. This was the first time he talked to me since I’d arrived.
“Yeah sure, love it,” I told him.
“Well there is this great little café place right off the boardwalk that stays open pretty late.”
“Yeah, I think it’s open ‘til about midnight,” Angie added.
“Great, I’ll check it out. It sounds good, thanks,” I continued, “I’ll be back soon but don’t wait up.”
“Okay, well call me if you need anything and be careful,” Angie called out, “Hey! Wait up!”
She caught the door with her foot right before I was about close it shut.
“You want to borrow Old Sue?” she nodded toward the yellow mini-cooper parked in the driveway.
I considered it for a moment. “Well, it’s only two blocks away and I could use some fresh air and a nice walk. I think I’ll be fine but thanks.”
“Okay, well if you ever need to borrow her just ask,” she said stepping out of the doorway.
I nodded and started off the porch wondering what the night has ahead for me.
Starting down the street, it wasn’t hard to find the boardwalk. It stretched down most of the beach. There were tons of shops and restaurants and I found the little café with no problem. It was placed right in the center between a movie rental store and a surf shop. No Regrets Café was dainty and dim with tons of flyers for different purposes. There was a babysitting ad and one flyer with a picture of a cute little brown dog on it saying, “Lost Dog! Help!” There were signs too, one in particular that was red and blue and blinked “Live Music Inside!”
It was a little crowded with people of all ages but I found a spot at the coffee bar between an older business looking woman in a suit with her head buried deep in her laptop and a blonde girl about my age looking at the stage, watching the next band set up. I ordered my coffee and by the time I had received it the band was done tuning up their guitars and checking their mics. I turned around in mock curiosity.
“How is everyone tonight?” the lead singer to the crowd, the guitars strumming in the background. He got a few cheers and eager replies which he returned with an incredibly cute and adorable smile.
He had that smile. You know the one, the one that spreads across his entire face and makes an entire room light up. The one that you can’t help but smile back to. You can see his soul and passion in his smile and it’s genuine, not fake like the ones I had been giving people in the last year. He had dark brown hair that hung down in his face but curled at the ends just enough to reveal deep dark eyes.
Then, if it wasn’t the smile that made you look and fall in love, it was his voice. He took a moment, breathed in then out, and then, completely focused, started the opening song. He looked so incredibly relaxed and peaceful, his voice so serene and sure but filled with this undying passion that made you want to lean in and listen to what he was telling you.
I was mesmerized. His eyes, though they looked out into the crowd, you could tell he was somewhere completely different, and not in that little café in Bridgeport, Connecticut. He was in a place full of emotion, deep inside himself. I wanted to be in that place with him. Even though I didn’t know him, where he was from, what his name was, who his friends were, I was drawn to him. I wanted to get to know him from the inside out.
“Great isn’t he?” a voice interrupted my thoughts, pulling me back to reality. I turned to find that the voice happened to be the blonde girl about my age on my left.
“I think that’s clearly an understatement. He’s amazing!” I exclaimed. “Who is he?”
“That beautiful god would be Jeremy Fielding,” the girl replied. Her blonde hair was pulled back into braids out of her tan, but freckled face.
Our attention was drawn back to the stage where Jeremy was introducing his band, “Modern Day Hero”, and the next song that he dedicated to the heartbroken. The songs after that got more upbeat, a lot of them covers from the Top 40’s of the year. At the end of the set, the girl was still sitting beside me and sipping on a fresh frap. I looked at my phone. 10:13pm.
“Sorry, I didn’t catch your name. What is it?” I looked up to see the girl tearing her eyes away from Jeremy long enough to out stretch her hand and offer it to me.
“Cassie,” I replied, taking her hand.
“That’s pretty. Mine’s Becca,” she said. “So you’re new. Who are you visiting?”
“My sister, Angie Newcomb. Well, actually she’s about to be Angie Hudson. She’s marrying Jack Hudson. You know ‘em?” I asked
“Oh yeah, my father works with Jack. He’s a mechanic right?”
“Yep, that would be the one.”
“How long you out here for?” Becca asked.
“All summer,” I got up ready to say my goodbyes and head back to the house.
“So what are you doing the rest of the night?” Becca asked getting up with me. She picked her bag off the floor and slung it on her shoulder.
“Probably just going back home,” I shrugged.
“Well, if you want, some of my friends are about to be here to pick me up. You can join us. We might hit up this party a couple blocks over,” she offered.
I thought it over but decided against it. I didn’t want my sister freaking out and I was still feeling kind of jet lagged. I declined, making up some lame excuse about having to get up early in the morning and we said our goodbyes.
“Well, suit yourself. I guess I’ll see you around? You really should consider scoping out some parties. We have a lot of fun and the guys are smokin’,” she winked at me and gave me a devilish grin.
“Thanks. See ya,” she walked off and I got a refill and got ready to leave myself.
Walking towards the door, I couldn’t help but think of Jeremy’s voice again. There was just something about him. I was so lost in my own thoughts that I didn’t see the body on the other side of the door. So, when I swiftly pushed it open I bumped into none other than, Jeremy Fielding (you had to have seen it coming). And of course my newly refilled frap went all over the both of us. This wasn’t exactly how I had imagined out first meeting.
“Dammit!” I exclaimed. “Oh gosh, I’m so, so sorry. I wasn’t paying any attention,” I flustered around. Then looked down and tried to clean off my shirt, which was pointless.
“Obviously,” Jeremy retorted.
I looked up expecting to see a scowling face to match his voice, but he had a slight grin on his face. Who is this guy?
“I’m so clumsy and I was just so zoned out.”
Thinking of you, I thought silently to myself. I was going to continue with my string of apologies but he cut me off with a wave of his hand.
“It’s fine. Shit happens,” he looked down at my shirt, “Dang, you going to the party?”
I quickly scanned the crowd outside No Regrets for Becca. I spotted her a couple yards away, but she was already getting in a white jeep with all her friends and driving off. I lied on my instinct.
“Well, I was, but my ride just left me.”
“You wanna ride with me and my band? I can get you a clean shirt too,” he glanced back down at my shirt and then flashed me a smile.
Gosh, his smile I thought to myself. I looked away, trying not to stare.
“Are you sure it’s cool?” I asked him, not wanting to impose.
“Yeah sure,” he made a gesture to follow him.
Holy crap, this isn’t happening to me. What the hell?! I kept thinking over and over in my head. Keep it together. I took a deep breath.
We went down an alley beside the café between No Regrets and the surf shop and ended up at a blue mini-van that looked like it had more than a couple miles in its days. There was a small trailer hooked on to the back of it with a couple of guys, one I recognized as the drummer, moving the last of the equipment into the back of it. Jeremy bent over to grab the last amp, which I gotta say, is a way better view than inside Mr. Sander’s window. He closed the door to the trailer and caught me staring.
“What?” he smirked at me.
“Nothing,” I said looking up at the dark sky, feeling a blush rise to my cheeks.
“Shotgun!” someone ran by me yelling.
“No! That’s not fair, I called it first!” I turned toward the direction of the two voices. The dark-skinned drummer and another guy I didn’t recognize were pushing each other around trying to get in the passenger seat. Jeremy walked over and pushed them apart.
“Could you guys be any more immature?” he looked toward me apologetically. “Sorry about these idiots. Guys, this is…” he gestured towards me, his eyes asking for help.
“Cassie,” I smiled shyly.
“Yeah, Cassie, and Cassie, this is Marcus,” he pointed towards the drummer, “and Drake,” he pointed to the other guy before giving them both a swift hit to the head which resulted in all of them hitting each other.
“I’m driving so I choose Cassie to ride shotgun,” he winked at me again. My heart sputtered in my chest. He opened the door as I climbed in and proceeded to round up the rest of the band. Drake, Marcus, and the other John Doe climbed in the back and Jeremy got in the driver’s seat.
He turned around and rummaged in the back under the guys’ feet and came up with an old band tee.
“Hope it’s not too big on you, but I figure it’s better than a coffee shirt,” he threw the shirt to me.
“No, it’s fine. Thanks.” I said.
He caught me looking down at his shirt. I offered the shirt back to him. He shook his head, looked down at his own shirt, shrugged, and then proceeded to take it off. I couldn’t help but stare at his muscular arms and chest. And those abs, whew, I thought.
“Hope you don’t mind, we gotta drop the trailer off at the studio and then we’ll head to the party,” we pulled out the back of the café and headed away from the beach.
“Do what you gotta do,” I reassured him while trying not to think about him shirtless and resisting the urge to stare again.
“This feels weird,” he replied after a moment of silence.
“What?” I wondered.
“I mean, I don’t even know you. Tell us about yourself,” he shushed the guys in the back so I had everyone’s full attention.
“Um…” I wasn’t sure how to start, “Well I’m Cassie, I’m here visiting my sister, Angie and her fiancé, Jack.”
“From where?” Jeremy asked.
“Wisconsin,” I replied.
“Hey, I have a question,” some guy from the back said. I turned around and saw it was a chubby guy with curly hair.
“Oh boy,” I heard Jeremy mumble under his breath.
But despite his comment I told him to shoot.
“Is your sister as hot as you are?”
I automatically felt the heat come up from my neck to my cheeks.
“Knew it…” Jeremy rolled his eyes. “That’s Travis, just ignore him. He’ll flirt with anything that has boobs.”
I blushed again. Did that mean he noticed my boobs? Was he thinking about them now? I suddenly felt subconscious at the fact I was in a car with a bunch of guys, guys that I didn’t know.
“Not true!” Travis yelled from the back.
“Cindy, Katerina, Julie…” Jeremy counted off on his fingers.
“Karen, Bailey, Trina…” someone else listed.
“Kelly, Christina, Hayley, Desiree, my sister!”
“Oooh! Guys, remember the twins?” Jeremy asked the group.
“Dacey and Lacey!” everyone exclaimed in unison.
“Ugh, and Helen,” Marcus interjected.
All the guys shuddered.
“Okay, okay. We get it,” Travis moped.
Drake slapped him on the shoulder. “You know we’re just buggin’ on ya buddy. But c’mon man, Helen? Really?”
But there was no more time to think on it or comment any more about it because we had finally arrived at the studio. Travis looked relieved. There was still a slight blush lingering in his cheeks.
The studio was a dingy little place on a corner across from a gas station and a Walgreens called “The Studio” (ironic…) . We pulled around the back and the whole gang assembled out of the van. Jeremy steered me toward a back door and showed where the bathroom was so I could change.
I changed quickly and Jeremy was right, it was a little big. I found a hair tie on my wrist and pulled some of the shirt back. I fixed my hair and checked my make-up before walking back outside.
Emerging from the bathroom and into the darkness, trying to find my way out, I ran into a wall. But the wall turned out to be a body. The body turned out to be Jeremy. Again.
“Gosh, we gotta quit doing this,” he laughed, steadying me.
I smiled shyly. “I was trying to find my way out. Got any lights in here?”
“Oh yeah,” he flipped on a switch and we were suddenly surrounded by light. “Better?” he asked. I was disappointed when I saw he had changed into a shirt himself.
“A little,” I smiled, “Nice shirt.” It was a black shirt with big white letters on it that said “I’M WITH THE BAND”.
He looked down at mine. I caught him checking out the rest of my body too. I suddenly felt self-conscious.
“Not too bad yourself. I actually think have that shirt,” he chuckled.
“Oh really?”
“Yeah, but it looks way better on you,” he winked at me again.
The guys excessively honked the horn outside. He looked toward the door and back at me. “C’mon.” He turned the light back off and headed outside.
“Stop flirting and let’s get a move on!” Marcus yelled out the door before sliding it shut.
I blushed and we looked at each other smiling sheepishly.
The guys had already unhooked the trailer and were all in the car ready to get going. We hopped in the van and headed back towards the beach. I could tell we were approaching the party because a block away we could already hear the music. Jeremy rolled down the windows. Drake stuck his head out the window and started whooping and hollering.
“Hey, look!” Travis called out. “It’s Casey and Nick!” he pointed to the couple in the convertible beside us.
“I bet they’re going to the party too.”
“Watch this!” Drake informed the whole car. He turned his body around, his backside facing the window.
“No Drake!” Jeremy yelled.
Drake ignored Jeremy and proceeded to moon the couple beside us. They turned and looked. The girl scrunched her face up and disgust. The guy just laughed. The girl finally came around and then both of them were laughing. I had to laugh to. It was impossible not to. I looked over and even Jeremy had a grin on his face.
“Get your ass out of the window and into the seat!” Jeremy called to the back, the grin still lingering on his lips.
“Ah, don’t be a buzz kill. Just tryin’ to have a little fun! Ya know, get the party started?” Drake sat back in his seat and slapped Jeremy on the arm.
“Well no need gentlemen, and lady,” he looked over to me smiling, “because we have arrived to the real party.” We approached the big beach house.
The house was literally off the beach, the sand coming all the way up to a deck, crowded with people. It sat on top of some stilts. There were steps leading up to the front door which had people bustling out of it. The music was loud as ever. It took us a while to find a parking space but once we found it the guys were off, Travis talking about meeting some hot girls.
I thought Jeremy was gone too but as I got out and walked to the back of the van, I found him there waiting.
“You can go on with your friends. You don’t have to wait on me,” I coaxed.
“Nonsense, who’s going to show you around and help you meet new people?” he assured me.
We started walking, following a new crowd of people, who like us, had just arrived. I couldn’t help but notice how close we were walking side-by-side and how our arms brushed together. We climbed up the stairs, stopping every so often so Jeremy could say hey and introduce me or punch fists with some guys.
At the top, Jeremy turned to me with that 100 watt smile.
“You ready?” he asked.
“Lead the way.”
Now, of course I haven’t always been this way. There was a time when I was happy and carefree, a time when I never worried about things that other people don’t normally worry about like death. There was a time where things came so much more naturally and everything made sense. And most of all, I never had anxiety attacks. But that was a year ago, before I learned that life’s not fair and not everything is perfect, not everything works out the way you think and terrible things happen to good people. That was before the accident that changed my life forever.
When my sister Angie and her fiancé Jack opened up there house for me in Bridgeport I jumped at the opportunity. Who wouldn’t? A whole summer on the beach and a chance to get away from everything I’ve been running from this past year. Everything including the sympathetic faces of everyone around me which was the first thing I noticed that was different when I had arrived in Bridgeport. It was such a relief to see people looking at me, just me, and not the girl who killed two of her friends in a car accident. But more on that later…
I was surprised when they invited me because I guess me and Angie haven’t had the closest sister relationship. She’s older than me by six years so I never really saw her when she lived at home because she was usually out partying with friends. The closest I’ve ever felt to her was on the nights she was sneaking back in from a long night out partying. She had to sneak in my window because my window was the easiest to get into. She was so drunk she couldn’t make it back to her room so she usually just stayed in my bed and slept with me.
My mom was the first one who agreed that I should go. She claimed it would
be a “good thing for me”. Within a week later I was kissing my parents goodbye and boarding a plane to Connecticut which was where I was standing now, looking around for my sister and my brother-in-law-to-be. I found them and they greeted me with awkward hugs. We grabbed my luggage and stuffed it all into Angie’s mini-cooper; we drove off to my new casa.
After only five minutes of driving Angie turned around in the passenger seat so she could see me better.
“Look, Cassie, I know you’ve been through a lot and I just wanted to let you know that if you ever need anyone to talk to I’m here. And I am so sor—“
“It’s okay,” I interrupted her, “Honestly, I’m just here to relax, get a tan, and NOT think about all that stuff. But I appreciate it a lot, thanks.”
She looked down, bit her lip, and nodded slightly then proceeded to turn around. I know she was trying to help but I am tired of people feeling sorry for me and “trying to help”. I came here to get away from it. And if Angie thinks we can somehow magically connect and become close through my tragic life, she’s wrong. Man, not even thirty minutes and it was already getting awkward.
Before I knew it, we had arrived at the house. It was really nice and quaint, only a couple of blocks away from the beach. It was a white, two-story with blue shutters and a wrap-around porch complete with rocking chairs and a swing, and a small garden out front full of pansies, lilies, and tulips. All that was missing was a white picket fence.
“Wow Angie, this is so nice,” I said grabbing my bags and following Angie and Jack up the porch and into the house where they gave me a quick tour of the downstairs which included the living room, dining room, and their bedroom. Then Angie took me upstairs and showed me my new abode. It was a plain white room with a dresser, canopy bed, and a walk-in closet. Nothing too fancy, which was fine by me. I glanced out the window.
“Whoa, nice view,” I said in between my laughs.
Angie looked out to see, across the street, an open view through the neighbor’s window of a fat, balding man doing a vigorous P90X workout.
“Oh, that’s Mr. Sanders,” she chuckled, “Well I hope you like the rest of the room despite the view.”
“No, this is really nice,” I laid my bags on the bed and started pulling out my clothes and assembling them in the drawers of the dresser. Angie stayed a little while to help me out. It didn’t take long considering I didn’t have many clothes appropriate for the beach.
“If you want, I can take you shopping this week. I know some great little boutiques that you would just love,” Angie said, practically reading my mind.
“Yeah, that sounds great,” I said trying to sound enthusiastic.
After a moment of awkward silence she left me to finish getting settled. Looking out my window again I could see Mr. Sanders just had finished doing his P90X. The roof outside the window was slightly slanted. I checked to see if it would open and when it did, I crawled out. I sat on the shingles of the roof with my head on my knees that I had pulled up to my chest. I heard laughter coming from three girls up the street. Two were riding their bikes and the other on the pegs. I stayed out there a long time, long after Mr. Sander’s home went dark and the street lights came on. Eventually, when the mosquitos came out, I went back inside.
Downstairs, I found Angie and Jack curled up on the couch together watching a “Friday Night Thriller” on TV. They were cute together and I could tell they really made each other happy. Jack whispered something into Angie’s ear and she giggled and told him to stop when he started tickling in her “spot” right behind her ear, on her neck.
My sister was really pretty, maybe even beautiful but not in the overly-obvious way. We looked a lot alike except our hair and figure. She was made thin and petite as I was tall with a more athletic body. We both had naturally light brown hair but she had dyed hers blonde and wore it straight were as I had never dyed my hair in my entire life and wore it naturally curly.
“Oh hey,” Angie said as she noticed me standing on the stairs. “Would you like to join us?”
I looked at my watch. 8:37pm.
“Eh, I think I’m just going to walk around, check the place out,” I said.
“Do you like coffee?” Jack asked, surprising me. This was the first time he talked to me since I’d arrived.
“Yeah sure, love it,” I told him.
“Well there is this great little café place right off the boardwalk that stays open pretty late.”
“Yeah, I think it’s open ‘til about midnight,” Angie added.
“Great, I’ll check it out. It sounds good, thanks,” I continued, “I’ll be back soon but don’t wait up.”
“Okay, well call me if you need anything and be careful,” Angie called out, “Hey! Wait up!”
She caught the door with her foot right before I was about close it shut.
“You want to borrow Old Sue?” she nodded toward the yellow mini-cooper parked in the driveway.
I considered it for a moment. “Well, it’s only two blocks away and I could use some fresh air and a nice walk. I think I’ll be fine but thanks.”
“Okay, well if you ever need to borrow her just ask,” she said stepping out of the doorway.
I nodded and started off the porch wondering what the night has ahead for me.
Starting down the street, it wasn’t hard to find the boardwalk. It stretched down most of the beach. There were tons of shops and restaurants and I found the little café with no problem. It was placed right in the center between a movie rental store and a surf shop. No Regrets Café was dainty and dim with tons of flyers for different purposes. There was a babysitting ad and one flyer with a picture of a cute little brown dog on it saying, “Lost Dog! Help!” There were signs too, one in particular that was red and blue and blinked “Live Music Inside!”
It was a little crowded with people of all ages but I found a spot at the coffee bar between an older business looking woman in a suit with her head buried deep in her laptop and a blonde girl about my age looking at the stage, watching the next band set up. I ordered my coffee and by the time I had received it the band was done tuning up their guitars and checking their mics. I turned around in mock curiosity.
“How is everyone tonight?” the lead singer to the crowd, the guitars strumming in the background. He got a few cheers and eager replies which he returned with an incredibly cute and adorable smile.
He had that smile. You know the one, the one that spreads across his entire face and makes an entire room light up. The one that you can’t help but smile back to. You can see his soul and passion in his smile and it’s genuine, not fake like the ones I had been giving people in the last year. He had dark brown hair that hung down in his face but curled at the ends just enough to reveal deep dark eyes.
Then, if it wasn’t the smile that made you look and fall in love, it was his voice. He took a moment, breathed in then out, and then, completely focused, started the opening song. He looked so incredibly relaxed and peaceful, his voice so serene and sure but filled with this undying passion that made you want to lean in and listen to what he was telling you.
I was mesmerized. His eyes, though they looked out into the crowd, you could tell he was somewhere completely different, and not in that little café in Bridgeport, Connecticut. He was in a place full of emotion, deep inside himself. I wanted to be in that place with him. Even though I didn’t know him, where he was from, what his name was, who his friends were, I was drawn to him. I wanted to get to know him from the inside out.
“Great isn’t he?” a voice interrupted my thoughts, pulling me back to reality. I turned to find that the voice happened to be the blonde girl about my age on my left.
“I think that’s clearly an understatement. He’s amazing!” I exclaimed. “Who is he?”
“That beautiful god would be Jeremy Fielding,” the girl replied. Her blonde hair was pulled back into braids out of her tan, but freckled face.
Our attention was drawn back to the stage where Jeremy was introducing his band, “Modern Day Hero”, and the next song that he dedicated to the heartbroken. The songs after that got more upbeat, a lot of them covers from the Top 40’s of the year. At the end of the set, the girl was still sitting beside me and sipping on a fresh frap. I looked at my phone. 10:13pm.
“Sorry, I didn’t catch your name. What is it?” I looked up to see the girl tearing her eyes away from Jeremy long enough to out stretch her hand and offer it to me.
“Cassie,” I replied, taking her hand.
“That’s pretty. Mine’s Becca,” she said. “So you’re new. Who are you visiting?”
“My sister, Angie Newcomb. Well, actually she’s about to be Angie Hudson. She’s marrying Jack Hudson. You know ‘em?” I asked
“Oh yeah, my father works with Jack. He’s a mechanic right?”
“Yep, that would be the one.”
“How long you out here for?” Becca asked.
“All summer,” I got up ready to say my goodbyes and head back to the house.
“So what are you doing the rest of the night?” Becca asked getting up with me. She picked her bag off the floor and slung it on her shoulder.
“Probably just going back home,” I shrugged.
“Well, if you want, some of my friends are about to be here to pick me up. You can join us. We might hit up this party a couple blocks over,” she offered.
I thought it over but decided against it. I didn’t want my sister freaking out and I was still feeling kind of jet lagged. I declined, making up some lame excuse about having to get up early in the morning and we said our goodbyes.
“Well, suit yourself. I guess I’ll see you around? You really should consider scoping out some parties. We have a lot of fun and the guys are smokin’,” she winked at me and gave me a devilish grin.
“Thanks. See ya,” she walked off and I got a refill and got ready to leave myself.
Walking towards the door, I couldn’t help but think of Jeremy’s voice again. There was just something about him. I was so lost in my own thoughts that I didn’t see the body on the other side of the door. So, when I swiftly pushed it open I bumped into none other than, Jeremy Fielding (you had to have seen it coming). And of course my newly refilled frap went all over the both of us. This wasn’t exactly how I had imagined out first meeting.
“Dammit!” I exclaimed. “Oh gosh, I’m so, so sorry. I wasn’t paying any attention,” I flustered around. Then looked down and tried to clean off my shirt, which was pointless.
“Obviously,” Jeremy retorted.
I looked up expecting to see a scowling face to match his voice, but he had a slight grin on his face. Who is this guy?
“I’m so clumsy and I was just so zoned out.”
Thinking of you, I thought silently to myself. I was going to continue with my string of apologies but he cut me off with a wave of his hand.
“It’s fine. Shit happens,” he looked down at my shirt, “Dang, you going to the party?”
I quickly scanned the crowd outside No Regrets for Becca. I spotted her a couple yards away, but she was already getting in a white jeep with all her friends and driving off. I lied on my instinct.
“Well, I was, but my ride just left me.”
“You wanna ride with me and my band? I can get you a clean shirt too,” he glanced back down at my shirt and then flashed me a smile.
Gosh, his smile I thought to myself. I looked away, trying not to stare.
“Are you sure it’s cool?” I asked him, not wanting to impose.
“Yeah sure,” he made a gesture to follow him.
Holy crap, this isn’t happening to me. What the hell?! I kept thinking over and over in my head. Keep it together. I took a deep breath.
We went down an alley beside the café between No Regrets and the surf shop and ended up at a blue mini-van that looked like it had more than a couple miles in its days. There was a small trailer hooked on to the back of it with a couple of guys, one I recognized as the drummer, moving the last of the equipment into the back of it. Jeremy bent over to grab the last amp, which I gotta say, is a way better view than inside Mr. Sander’s window. He closed the door to the trailer and caught me staring.
“What?” he smirked at me.
“Nothing,” I said looking up at the dark sky, feeling a blush rise to my cheeks.
“Shotgun!” someone ran by me yelling.
“No! That’s not fair, I called it first!” I turned toward the direction of the two voices. The dark-skinned drummer and another guy I didn’t recognize were pushing each other around trying to get in the passenger seat. Jeremy walked over and pushed them apart.
“Could you guys be any more immature?” he looked toward me apologetically. “Sorry about these idiots. Guys, this is…” he gestured towards me, his eyes asking for help.
“Cassie,” I smiled shyly.
“Yeah, Cassie, and Cassie, this is Marcus,” he pointed towards the drummer, “and Drake,” he pointed to the other guy before giving them both a swift hit to the head which resulted in all of them hitting each other.
“I’m driving so I choose Cassie to ride shotgun,” he winked at me again. My heart sputtered in my chest. He opened the door as I climbed in and proceeded to round up the rest of the band. Drake, Marcus, and the other John Doe climbed in the back and Jeremy got in the driver’s seat.
He turned around and rummaged in the back under the guys’ feet and came up with an old band tee.
“Hope it’s not too big on you, but I figure it’s better than a coffee shirt,” he threw the shirt to me.
“No, it’s fine. Thanks.” I said.
He caught me looking down at his shirt. I offered the shirt back to him. He shook his head, looked down at his own shirt, shrugged, and then proceeded to take it off. I couldn’t help but stare at his muscular arms and chest. And those abs, whew, I thought.
“Hope you don’t mind, we gotta drop the trailer off at the studio and then we’ll head to the party,” we pulled out the back of the café and headed away from the beach.
“Do what you gotta do,” I reassured him while trying not to think about him shirtless and resisting the urge to stare again.
“This feels weird,” he replied after a moment of silence.
“What?” I wondered.
“I mean, I don’t even know you. Tell us about yourself,” he shushed the guys in the back so I had everyone’s full attention.
“Um…” I wasn’t sure how to start, “Well I’m Cassie, I’m here visiting my sister, Angie and her fiancé, Jack.”
“From where?” Jeremy asked.
“Wisconsin,” I replied.
“Hey, I have a question,” some guy from the back said. I turned around and saw it was a chubby guy with curly hair.
“Oh boy,” I heard Jeremy mumble under his breath.
But despite his comment I told him to shoot.
“Is your sister as hot as you are?”
I automatically felt the heat come up from my neck to my cheeks.
“Knew it…” Jeremy rolled his eyes. “That’s Travis, just ignore him. He’ll flirt with anything that has boobs.”
I blushed again. Did that mean he noticed my boobs? Was he thinking about them now? I suddenly felt subconscious at the fact I was in a car with a bunch of guys, guys that I didn’t know.
“Not true!” Travis yelled from the back.
“Cindy, Katerina, Julie…” Jeremy counted off on his fingers.
“Karen, Bailey, Trina…” someone else listed.
“Kelly, Christina, Hayley, Desiree, my sister!”
“Oooh! Guys, remember the twins?” Jeremy asked the group.
“Dacey and Lacey!” everyone exclaimed in unison.
“Ugh, and Helen,” Marcus interjected.
All the guys shuddered.
“Okay, okay. We get it,” Travis moped.
Drake slapped him on the shoulder. “You know we’re just buggin’ on ya buddy. But c’mon man, Helen? Really?”
But there was no more time to think on it or comment any more about it because we had finally arrived at the studio. Travis looked relieved. There was still a slight blush lingering in his cheeks.
The studio was a dingy little place on a corner across from a gas station and a Walgreens called “The Studio” (ironic…) . We pulled around the back and the whole gang assembled out of the van. Jeremy steered me toward a back door and showed where the bathroom was so I could change.
I changed quickly and Jeremy was right, it was a little big. I found a hair tie on my wrist and pulled some of the shirt back. I fixed my hair and checked my make-up before walking back outside.
Emerging from the bathroom and into the darkness, trying to find my way out, I ran into a wall. But the wall turned out to be a body. The body turned out to be Jeremy. Again.
“Gosh, we gotta quit doing this,” he laughed, steadying me.
I smiled shyly. “I was trying to find my way out. Got any lights in here?”
“Oh yeah,” he flipped on a switch and we were suddenly surrounded by light. “Better?” he asked. I was disappointed when I saw he had changed into a shirt himself.
“A little,” I smiled, “Nice shirt.” It was a black shirt with big white letters on it that said “I’M WITH THE BAND”.
He looked down at mine. I caught him checking out the rest of my body too. I suddenly felt self-conscious.
“Not too bad yourself. I actually think have that shirt,” he chuckled.
“Oh really?”
“Yeah, but it looks way better on you,” he winked at me again.
The guys excessively honked the horn outside. He looked toward the door and back at me. “C’mon.” He turned the light back off and headed outside.
“Stop flirting and let’s get a move on!” Marcus yelled out the door before sliding it shut.
I blushed and we looked at each other smiling sheepishly.
The guys had already unhooked the trailer and were all in the car ready to get going. We hopped in the van and headed back towards the beach. I could tell we were approaching the party because a block away we could already hear the music. Jeremy rolled down the windows. Drake stuck his head out the window and started whooping and hollering.
“Hey, look!” Travis called out. “It’s Casey and Nick!” he pointed to the couple in the convertible beside us.
“I bet they’re going to the party too.”
“Watch this!” Drake informed the whole car. He turned his body around, his backside facing the window.
“No Drake!” Jeremy yelled.
Drake ignored Jeremy and proceeded to moon the couple beside us. They turned and looked. The girl scrunched her face up and disgust. The guy just laughed. The girl finally came around and then both of them were laughing. I had to laugh to. It was impossible not to. I looked over and even Jeremy had a grin on his face.
“Get your ass out of the window and into the seat!” Jeremy called to the back, the grin still lingering on his lips.
“Ah, don’t be a buzz kill. Just tryin’ to have a little fun! Ya know, get the party started?” Drake sat back in his seat and slapped Jeremy on the arm.
“Well no need gentlemen, and lady,” he looked over to me smiling, “because we have arrived to the real party.” We approached the big beach house.
The house was literally off the beach, the sand coming all the way up to a deck, crowded with people. It sat on top of some stilts. There were steps leading up to the front door which had people bustling out of it. The music was loud as ever. It took us a while to find a parking space but once we found it the guys were off, Travis talking about meeting some hot girls.
I thought Jeremy was gone too but as I got out and walked to the back of the van, I found him there waiting.
“You can go on with your friends. You don’t have to wait on me,” I coaxed.
“Nonsense, who’s going to show you around and help you meet new people?” he assured me.
We started walking, following a new crowd of people, who like us, had just arrived. I couldn’t help but notice how close we were walking side-by-side and how our arms brushed together. We climbed up the stairs, stopping every so often so Jeremy could say hey and introduce me or punch fists with some guys.
At the top, Jeremy turned to me with that 100 watt smile.
“You ready?” he asked.
“Lead the way.”