Better Than Me

Riley critically examined every article of clothing she'd brought with her to Alabama after her shower that evening. She could hear Corinne in the guest room, chatting on the phone with Christian. She needed input on what to wear, yet she didn't want to interrupt the conversation.

It shouldn't have been complicated. Why did it matter how she looked? Jacob and David were just people she had known in high school. She would watch them perform tonight, then she wouldn't see them again until the next reunion. Still, she wanted to look nice.

Several of the outfits had been chosen for the trip with Andy in mind and for that reason, they were fairly skimpy and meant to inspire temptation. Good idea when I'm with my boyfriend, Riley mused. Not so much when I'm with Jacob and David. And Cody.

"Riley?" There was a tap on her bedroom door. "Are you ready?"

"No!"

The door opened and Corinne came in. She was in a sleeveless Avenged Sevenfold shirt that didn't quite meet the top of her black hiphuggers. In true Corinne fashion, she had completed the ensemble with a pair of flip-flops. Riley would have laughed if she hadn't been facing an attire dilemma.

Corinne quirked an eyebrow, seemingly amused at discovering Riley in only a bra and matching ruffled boyshorts. "Oh dear. Having a crisis?"

"It's all too...Andy-ish."

"We're going to a bar, Riley. Andy-ish is perfect."

"I don't want David and Jacob to think I'm, like, issuing an invitation."

Corinne rolled her eyes. "They won't. You're dating a true, honest-to-God rock star. You're supposed to look like sex all of the time."

"You don't," Riley pointed out.

"And I'm not the BVB girl that is known for being her boyfriend's perfect fashion match, either." Corinne grabbed two pieces of clothing at random and shoved them into Riley's arms. "Put this on and let's go." She left the room.

Riley obeyed. Corinne had given her a purple spaghetti-strapped top and a black miniskirt. Riley added purple-and-black-striped thigh-high stockings and black knee-high boots with a three-inch heel. Her makeup was easy: purple eyeshadow, black eyeliner, and dark red lip gloss.

She crammed her cell and her wallet into her purse. Securing her hair into a sloppy bun, she hurried to the living room.

"You look nice," Mrs. Winters said.

Riley smiled. "Thanks, Mom."

"Y'all have a good time."

The girls walked out to the rented Hyundai Accent. Corinne wasted no time in slipping the latest Black Veil Brides' CD into the player and cranking up the volume.

Cafe Firenze was not a large establishment. A small entryway opened onto the main room. Directly ahead was a bar that extended for several feet and curved towards a hallway that led to the kitchen, the bathrooms, and an exit. To the left, there were several tables. Televisions were mounted on the wall at intervals. To the right, there was a dance floor. A few tables were placed in the corner, near the soundboard. The far end of the space was dedicated to a stage, low to the floor and barely six feet across. A sliding glass door showed a patio beyond, sparsely decorated with iron tables and chairs.

The place had quite a few patrons, the majority of them clustered at the bar. The stage was currently obscured from view by a large white sheet. Riley saw two guys behind the soundboard, talking intently.

"I'm getting a drink," Corinne said. "Do you want anything?"

"A White Russian."

Corinne squeezed into the clamor at the bar. Riley wandered to the edge of the dance floor. There was no one dancing. A couple of people were standing in front of the sliding glass doors, which had been left open. The tables in the back corner were occupied. Riley spotted a couple of bulging backpacks and a guitar case in the floor between the tables and the soundboard.

Riley checked her cell for the time. It was nine-thirty. David had told them that Lynam would take the stage at ten-thirty.

"Here." A gentle nudge announced Corinne's arrival and Riley accepted the drink Corinne offered. "Any sign of our hosts?"

Riley shook her head, then stopped as someone emerged from behind the sheet hiding the stage. "Oh, wait. Speak and the devil shall appear."

It was David. Even in the dim lighting, the girls recognized him by his height, his build, and his hair. He was crossing briskly in the direction of the soundboard, but he detoured at the sight of them.

"Hey!" he greeted warmly, hugging each of them. "Y'all can go back, if you want. I've just gotta grab my backpack."

"Go back?" Riley questioned.

"There's a door behind the stage."

Riley and Corinne went to the stage and slipped past the sheet. They navigated a path through the various equipment, including David's drum kit, and stepped through the door. Both were surprised to discover themselves outside.

Cody was pacing around nearby on his cell phone. He was in a red shirt that had so many rips and slits that it barely deserved to be labeled a shirt, along with black leather pants and studded cowboy boots. His hair was one big black spiky puff. As he circled at the limit of the path he'd created for himself, his eyes landed on Riley and Corinne. He smiled and waved.

David burst out of the building moments later, his backpack slung over one shoulder. "C'mon. Jacob's in the van."

Riley and Corinne followed him to the silver van. David clambered into the passenger's seat. Corinne slid the side door open and Jacob turned in the driver's seat. "Hello."

"Hey," the girls murmured, settling themselves on the first bench seat.

Jacob's gaze hesitated on the plastic cups the girls held. Riley had forgotten that he didn't drink and she had a brief urge to throw hers out of the still-open door.

"Eric messaged me today," David said conversationally, drawing Riley's attention. Jacob again faced the front and focused on his cell.

"Is this relevant?" Corinne asked David, sipping her pina colada.

David smirked. "He wanted to know where we'd gone. He couldn't help noticing that Jacob, Cody, and I had vanished with the hottest girls at the reunion."

"You'd better not have told him the truth, David Lynam," Corinne said threateningly.

"Why? The truth is so good for our reputations."

"But terrible for ours."

"Wow. Thanks, Cori. It's like you're ashamed of us."

"Don't even try that bullshit. You know why the truth can't get out. We have boyfriends, remember? Boyfriends that would probably be pissed off about us skinny-dipping and drinking with you. And you would undoubtedly let Eric believe it went further."

"Cool your jets, Cori," David interrupted. "I'm not out to sabotage anyone's relationship."

"Oh." Corinne smiled. "Maybe you have grown up. A little."

Jacob snorted.

"Thanks for the vote of confidence, Bluegrass," David said sourly.

Riley and Corinne giggled.

"What's going on in here?" Cody's voice preceded him through the open side door. Corinne had to scoot closer to Riley to make room for him on the same seat.

In the glow of the overhead light, Cody's generous amount of eyeliner was visible. His barely-existent "shirt" revealed that there were tattoos on his chest, stomach, and back. Cody was extremely attractive, and it was obvious that he knew it.

Riley tuned out Corinne's answer. Jacob's profile was reflected in the rearview mirror, pale perfect skin and those high model-worthy cheekbones. A hint of eyeliner only served to enhance his impossibly blue eyes, framed by long dark lashes. His hair was even more disheveled than it had been at the reunion, specifically at his crown, where it was spiked and tousled the most.

"Riley!" David said loudly. "Hello?"

Jacob's eyes left his cell at the exclamation. They flicked to the rearview in an almost automatic gesture, meeting Riley's. Blushing, she looked at David. He seemed amused.

"Jesus, Riley. We're not that boring, are we?"

"No. Sorry. I was just...thinking." She glanced back up at the rearview mirror. Jacob was watching her. She quickly dropped her gaze again.

"About Andy?" Cody guessed. "Are y'all one of those disgustingly cute couples?"

"No!" Riley objected.

"Yes!" Corinne replied simultaneously. "They're so perfect together."

Instead of her usual reaction to this--laughing and protesting halfheartedly while really being pleased--Riley frowned. A weird sensation swept through her stomach. Not wanting to talk about it, she downed the rest of her White Russian.

**********

Riley and Corinne snagged the position of front and center for the show. There was nothing between the stage and the crowd, and the stage itself was barely a foot high, so Jacob and Cody were near enough to touch or be touched. David, banished to his drum kit, had no such luck.

The guys did an interesting mix of covers and originals. All of their covers were songs that had been big hits in the 80's. The originals were recognizable strictly because they were the songs that Riley and Corinne were not familiar with. That being said, Riley definitely preferred the originals. She wasn't a big fan of 80's music and though Lynam was obviously heavily influenced by that genre, their music had an extra indefinable something to it that appealed to Riley.

At one point during their set, Jacob came to the edge of the stage. His guitar grazed Riley's bare shoulder, his knuckles were mere millimeters from her lips, and his knee bumped her arm. Riley figured he wasn't paying attention--after all, he was busy encouraging the crowd to sing along with Journey's "Don't Stop Believin'." But when Riley raised her eyes to his face, she found him smiling down at her.

A few songs later, Jacob again planted himself in front of her. He angled his guitar to the side and leaned down. Nothing separated them and soon, his hair tickled her face; then, his forehead was resting against hers. Riley laughed and pushed him back. Inside, though, she was trying to ignore the way her heart had given an odd little flutter and her stomach had squirmed with something very much like nerves.

The band took a break at twelve-thirty. Corinne immediately dragged Riley to the bathroom.

"They're awesome!" Corinne enthused as she disappeared into a stall. She had continued drinking while Riley quit after one White Russian.

"They are," Riley agreed, checking her makeup in the mirror that stretched across the wall above a line of sinks.

"And Jacob..."

Corinne didn't have to finish her thought. Riley knew exactly what she was going to say. Jacob hadn't been kidding when he asserted that he broke free of his shell on the stage. He was nothing like the shy reserved guy Riley vaguely recalled from high school.

Corinne finished her business, washed her hands, and fixed her makeup. They had barely made it back to the main room before David descended upon them, sweaty and pumped up with adrenaline.

"So?" he demanded. "What do y'all think?"

"Y'all rock!" Corinne said.

"Really? Or are you just telling me what I want to hear?"

Corinne arched an eyebrow. "Would I ever tell you what you want to hear just to make you happy?"

"Touché." David faced Riley. "What about you? Are you a fan?"

Riley nodded. Seemingly against her will, her eyes were drawn to the far side of the room, where Jacob was posing for pictures with a couple of girls. "Excuse me," she murmured to David and Corinne.

She approached Jacob and the two girls. She didn't cut in, just waited for Jacob to notice her. He smiled at the sight of her.

"Well?"

Riley rolled her eyes. "You know y'all are amazing."

"It's still nice to hear."

"Wow. Have you been taking arrogance lessons from David?"

"Nah. Cody."

Riley spied Cody surrounded by a bunch of half-naked girls. "Is that what you hope to achieve?"

"Who wouldn't want their own personal harem?" Jacob's blue eyes glittered with laughter at Riley's wrinkled nose.

"You're really talented, Jacob," Riley said sincerely. "You deserve to have all of the confidence in the world."

"Thank you." And now, Jacob's expression was one of pleased embarrassment rather than feigned arrogance.

"You're welcome."

Corinne, David, and Cody joined them and the rest of the band's break was spent taking pictures together. The girls hurried back to the front as the guys filed back onto the stage.

Lynam's second set was only forty-five minutes long. Riley and Corinne danced and sang. They weren't alone; by this time, nearly everyone was drunk and acting without restraint.

At the end of the show, the band was besieged with requests for merch, autographs, and pictures. Riley and Corinne procured a table and when security began ushering everyone out, David claimed the girls were with the band and they were allowed to stay.

"We're going to Denny's," Cody said, pausing in the act of packing up his equipment. "Y'all wanna come?"

Corinne looked at Riley. "Will your parents mind us coming in so late?"

"Cori, we're in our twenties."

"Second question: do you want to stay out with the guys again tonight?"

For a second, Riley almost refused the invitation. She considered the fact that she'd barely spoken to Andy in the last two days. She had called him the previous night as they left the bar and they'd talked for maybe fifteen minutes. Today, she'd sent him a text message, wishing him luck at their show and telling him she loved him. If she and Corinne ate with Lynam tonight, she knew she and Andy wouldn't have what was supposed to be their nightly conversation. Not even fifteen minutes.

"Yeah," Riley said to Corinne. "I could go for some waffles."

It's only one night, she reasoned as Corinne informed Cody that they would tag along to the diner. Andy will understand.