“I’ll have to take your word for it,” Sloane drawled.

I didn’t get it. This was a relatively new building and completely classy. Granted the clientele was different than we usually hung out with, but it wasn’t like creepsville or anything. I glanced at the bar and noticed Neck Tattoos from last time and took a breath of relief. At least I wouldn’t have to explain my addiction to water.

“Ivy!” a muffled voice called out from across the room. My eyes zoned in on the voice and saw Phoenix waving wildly at us. He stood above everyone else in the room and surrounded by his fellow band members and Kenna. Ryder wasn’t with them though and I couldn’t stop my eyes from roaming around the small space searching him out.

I quickly shook my head and waved back, I didn’t really have any right to try to find him here. He wasn’t mine and I was with somebody else. Ok, I was a cruel witch, but not a cheater. I took another quick breath and then grabbed Exie and Sloane’s arms. “Come on, I’ll introduce you to Scoob and the gang.”

“What?” Sloane asked.

I didn’t repeat myself, just kept dragging them through the thin crowd. They so did not fit in here, with their four inch stilettos and designer outfits. They were gorgeous, and drew every eye. But they were uncomfortable which threw off their curse a bit. Thankfully. Although Sloane would be more than welcome in a place like this tonight.

“Sloane, Exie, these are Chase’s friends,” I introduced by a general wave of my arm. “Guys, this is Sloane and Exie, um, my friends.” I laughed a little at my solid introduction. Everyone was looking at each other, sizing the respective strangers up and that only built on the levels of awkward stretching between the two groups.

Kenna especially had the bitch look going on. She was the only girl in the group though, so that could be understood. I smiled at her, trying to reassure her that they were as cool as me…. which let’s face it, was not all that reassuring.

“You made it,” Ryder swooped in from around the corner wearing a huge grin for my friends. Immediately tension started to melt between everyone. “Red, did you introduce everyone?”

“Yes,” I smiled back at him, happy with the attention he gave me.

“No,” Exie cut in, equally happy to see someone she knew. “She said these are Chase’s friends. We don’t even know which one is Chase.”

I flushed bright pink while Ryder laughed at me. “Ok, let me do a better job then. Exie, Sloane, this is my beautiful girlfriend Kenna. This giant over here is Phoenix, this is Hayden, Hudson and Cole. We’re all in the band together.”

“Sugar Skulls,” Phoenix piped up giving Exie an extra-long look.

“Where’s Chase?” Sloane asked, clearly dismissing all the boys in front of her. The hard-to-get-vibe was her signature and so ingrained in every one of her actions I wasn’t entirely sure she knew she was doing it anymore.

“He couldn’t come tonight,” I explained before Ryder could take over for me again. It seemed important that I knew where my boyfriend was in front of this crowd. “He has a big test tomorrow, so he’s at home studying.”

“Bummer,” Exie pouted.

“Lame,” Phoenix booed and then shot Exie a look like they had just connected over one word responses.

“I thought he was in the band?” Sloane’s eyebrows drew down in confusion.

This brought out hysterical laughter from Ryder and Phoenix.

Ryder explained, “Chase avoids this place as often as he can. He’s completely tone deaf.”

“Oh,” Sloane sighed. At the same time I realized Ryder knew more about Chase than me. Which wasn’t that hard to believe, because I had known Chase for all of one week, still it was annoying coming from Ryder.

We all fell into an awkward silence after that and it seemed to stretch out into the next three poorly performed songs.

“So this band is…. good,” Sloane commented dryly.

Phoenix snorted like he was offended. “Do you really think so?”

“Why do you know them?” Sloane asked carefully.

“Yeah, they’re a bunch of tools. Totally sold that they’re the next big thing,” Phoenix shook his head with disgust.

“So you’re better than them?” Exie asked slowly.

“Well, I mean….” Phoenix stumbled, clearly not used to being as cocky as his band mates.

“We’re better than them,” Hayden jumped in, not at all uncomfortable with being arrogant. He appraised Exie with hungry eyes and I felt the strongest urge to step in front of her and sacrifice my own body to save hers from whatever perverted thoughts were happening in his head.

“I guess we’ll be the judge of that,” Exie sighed.

I burst into laughter, knowing she was just kidding, but nobody else seemed to get the joke. She shot Phoenix a wink and he kind of stumbled backwards, not sure what to do under the pressure of the flirtatious winky face from Malibu Barbie.

“She was kidding,” I explained to the group when they all just continued to stare at her.

“No seriously I was,” Exie agreed. “I know you’re good. Ivy hasn’t stopped talking about how amazing you are all night.”

“Really?” Ryder asked in true surprise. He stepped back and cleared his throat as if he was as shocked by his question as everyone else was.

I blushed a deep red and turned around to the bar. I was first of all not used to blushing so much and second of all not going to wait around to embarrass myself more.

Sloane followed me showing how uncomfortable she was more than normal. “Are you Ok?” I asked as we found a place on the bar.

“Yes,” she answered in a clipped tone.

“What are you ladies drinking tonight?” Good old Neck Tattoos asked with a smirk.

“The usual,” I replied casually, careful to keep any tones of flirtation out of my voice.

“Alright, water on the rocks,” Neck Tattoos confirmed clearly disappointed. “And for you?”

“I’ll have a vodka-“

“Uh-uh,” I cut her off before she could continue. “Rehab remember?” I hissed fiercely and pointed at my chest. “I need you to be a good influence on me tonight.” I caught her eye and held it, willing her to make the right decision. We were used to having alcohol thrown at us. Even in public we didn’t have trouble procuring said libations.... but these people thought the worst of me already and I didn’t want to add to the rumor mill.

Which was an anomaly in itself.

Sloane sighed long and suffering, “Alright. Water on the rocks it is.”

“Thanks S, you know I love you!” I wrapped my arms around her waist and gave her a squeeze.

“Sure, Ives. You just better hope they’re better than this band.” She said with no enthusiasm whatsoever.

We walked back over to the band and Kenna. Exie eyed our tumblers of water with greedy eyes and I could immediately tell she assumed incorrectly.

“Yum!” She reached excitedly for my drink and her eyes lit up expressively. She grabbed it and drank from it before I could warn her discretely.

“Oh that’s-“ she stopped confused when the taste of cold water touched her tongue. She stared at me, silently demanding an explanation.

“Water,” I finished for her. “It’s water.”

The band on stage finished a song and the room filled with the sudden quiet that came in between sets. They started to tear down their instruments while our group waited for something to happen between Exie and me.

“Obviously, it’s water,” She laughed, covering for her misguided expectations. “I mean, you did just get out of rehab. What else would it be?”

I winced. This was so awkward.

Thankfully Ryder corralled his band together and they went off to make music. Kenna stared at me like I betrayed her after they were gone so I sucked it up and tried to play nice.

“Is he going to dedicate another song to you?” I asked, hoping a little flattery would go a long way.

“He usually does,” She smiled at me tightly. “So you girls don’t go to Central, right?”

“Nope,” Sloane mimicked her uncomfortable smile. “Brownell Talbot.”

“We have to wear uniforms,” Exie rolled her eyes. “They’re so awful.”

“I can imagine,” Kenna laughed carefully. “We don’t have to wear uniforms, but our school doesn’t have air conditioning. It smells like a gym locker half the year.”

“That it does,” I agreed with a tiny shudder. I missed the warm months this year thanks to my extended vacay in therapy, but spring would be terrible.

“So how do you guys know each other then?” Kenna moved in so that we formed a tight little circle. It was almost relaxed.

“Our moms all know each other,” I explained before they had a chance to jump in.

“Cool,” Kenna commented but then the music started with a strong guitar rift from Ryder and all conversation got lost to the music.

The band was incredible as usual- and most of all Ryder. Not that I was really surprised, and even though I had just seen them perform a week ago, his stage-presence was still mesmerizing. I forced myself not to be completely lost to his lyrics, or him.

I couldn’t help it though and looking around at the captivated audience I could tell I wasn’t the only one. Ryder sang with intense heart and raw honesty. His eyes squinched shut while his hands worked his guitar with absolute practiced skill. One hand kept getting yanked through his hair in a kind of nervous gesture that made it stick up outrageously in the sexiest display of terrible hair I had ever seen.

He was perfection as a musician. Everything the audience could hope for. And when the set decrescendo-ed into an acoustic number with only him and his guitar we all sat with bated breath and transfixed eyes.

“This is a song I wrote recently,” he started, his voice echoing in the mic while he looked down to adjust his guitar. “The band hasn’t had a chance to play it together yet, so it will be just me. But it’s uh, about chocolate croissants and coffee.” He laughed at himself, the sound gruff and warm in the microphone and the audience laughed right along with him. I swallowed back a strong wave of panic and forced myself to look casual.

“Is that something special between you two?” I asked Kenna, hoping I was wrong.

“I guess,” she shrugged. “I get one every time I visit him at his work.”

“Oh, that’s cute.” A wave of relief washed over me, I almost stumbled back from the force of it.

But then Ryder started singing about a black-hearted girl that never let anyone get close.

Damn him.

Chapter Twenty-One

Sugar Skulls finished up their set on just the right note. The small crowd went wild with whistling and clapping and Kenna beamed with happy pride next to me. Her boyfriend and his band played an incredible set. She was practically glowing with the raw sentiment Ryder sang with, and still blissing from the solo song she assumed was about her. I thought the song was actually kind of insulting and if I were her and thought the song was about me I would have been pissed.

Actually, I knew the song was about me. And I was pissed. I couldn’t move on from Ryder’s solo number, the words were like razors on my skin with how exposing they felt and the emotion he sang with haunted me. The way his voice sounded husky and pained against the lyrics to his song, how his eyes shut tighter every time he sang the word inscribed on my wrist and then when his song was over how they refused to meet mine, how they looked everywhere but at me.

I had to be wrong about him. There was no way he could write a song about me and not be affected by the curse. And the song was obviously about me. Granted it wasn’t like he sang a love song… it was almost the anti-love song. His rough lyrics about a girl that hated boys and herself more, her black heart infecting everyone she touched, how even though he wanted nothing more than to get away from her, he still found himself pulled to the place her black heart bled.

Yep, sounded pretty accurate to me.

Slowly the band started to pack up their instruments. The music venue was officially closing down for the night, and so house music came on over the speakers. The smaller than normal crowd was subdued after such an emotional performance by the band and left in a kind of ripped apart stupor. Thanks to the emotional response Ryder demanded, everyone’s souls were shredded by the set tonight, not just mine.

“I’ve never seen them play like that before,” Kenna observed excitedly after we stood around quietly for a few minutes.

“Sorry, that’s my fault,” Sloane mumbled and I could tell just by looking at her how bad she felt.

Exie and I knew she would influence the room before we came tonight, but none of us expected this kind of reaction.

“What was that?” Kenna asked, not hearing her at all.

“I said, Ivy was right, they are really good,” Sloane brightened her expression and gave Kenna a winning smile.

“It’s Ryder, he’s so talented,” Kenna bragged. And she had every right to. Even without Sloane to add to his talent, he possessed something incredible every time he stood on stage.

“And so is Phoenix, oh my gosh, he’s like the most talented ever!” I squealed. He walked up behind Kenna and I shot him a huge grin.

“What is this?” He grinned back. “Are these my groupies?”

“So can I get your autograph?” I gave him my best valley-girl impression and stuck out my hip.

“Depends,” he answered slyly. “Are your friends looking for some too?” He waggled his eyebrows at me so I knew, even though we were joking, he was interested.

As if I didn’t know before that he was interested.

As if it was some foreign concept that a male would be interested in one of my female friends.

“Exie is,” I smirked, throwing her to the wolves.