Always Never Yours(26)
“It’s going okay,” I mumble. “We’re mostly just working on memorizing. I haven’t done a lot of real performing yet.”
She sets down her tea, a worrisome gleam in her eye. “Well . . . Randall and I have gotten tickets to come to the Ashland showcase.”
Shit. “Wow,” I say instead. “Sounds great, Mom.”
“It’ll be Randall’s first trip to Oregon,” she goes on excitedly. “I was thinking the three of us could go to the lake. I finally get to show him where you grew up, and I know Randall’s looking forward to spending more time with you.”
“That—would be really nice,” I get out.
Mom cranes her neck to look behind her. “He’s in the other room if you have time for a quick hello.”
“Um, sorry. I have a party to get to. How about next time?”
“A party?” Her eyebrows lift. “You’ll tell me about the new boyfriend tomorrow, I expect?”
I roll my eyes. “There’s no boyfriend.” Yet.
Mom gives me a look that says she knows better. “Be careful, Megan.”
“Bye, Mom,” I say loudly before I disconnect.
I shut the computer and put on my burgundy lipstick in front of the mirror. The thought of both parents and their significant others in Stillmont puts me on edge. It’s hard to watch Mom and Randall next to Dad and Rose, the perfect couple Mom and her boyfriend will never be. Mom met Randall online after two years of blind dates and setups in Texas. Dad met Rose months after the divorce. They were married within the year, and with their second kid on the way, they still have Friday date nights and can’t keep their hands off each other.
Because of course Dad bounced back. It’s easier to be the one letting go.
* * *
I park at the end of Derek Denton’s driveway, an impossibly long path to where his house perches on a bluff. Cars are parked the whole way up like it’s Coachella and not a high-school house party. It’s dark here, without streetlights among the trees. This is one of the priciest neighborhoods in southern Oregon, and I can see why. When I look up there’s nothing but treetops and endless stars.
It takes ten minutes to walk up to the door, though my heels are partly to blame. It’s a chilly October night, and I gratefully pull my jacket tight. When I get inside, I’m surprised I don’t recognize everyone here. Stillmont is a small school, and I’ve only been to a couple of parties where the invites reached into other towns nearby, but Derek’s living room is filled with people I’ve never seen before. The house is even bigger than it looked from the outside, with a wide oak staircase up to an indoor balcony where a group of girls lean on the railing, nodding along to the music. I look over the heads of the already inebriated crowd to the double doors that open onto an illuminated azure pool, where a few brave souls have jumped in despite the weather.
But next to the pool I spot what I’m looking for, a cleared space with a drum kit and a couple of amps. Setting up a microphone in front of the drums is the tall, leather-jacketed, gorgeous reason I’m here tonight.
I plunge into the crowd, stepping past the coffee table where Jeremy Handler is presently passed out. Courtney Greene shoves a red Solo cup in my direction. “I’m good!” I yell, not to be deterred.
“Megan!” someone shouts in my ear, and I turn. There are only a couple of voices that could stop me right now, and one of them is Anthony’s, especially when I know tonight’s the night he’s supposed to be out with Eric. He looks no less surprised to see me than I am him.
“Wait.” I recover first. “Wasn’t Eric’s party—” Then I realize. “This is the party Eric invited you to?”
“Yeah,” he says. I notice he’s wearing one of his best outfits—his caramel chinos and the iconic navy blazer over an oxford with the top two buttons undone. “What are you doing here? I didn’t know you were coming out tonight.”
I throw a glance toward the makeshift stage where Will’s now tuning a guitar. Be still my heart.
“I see.” Anthony nods slowly.
“How’s it going with you?” I search the crowd. “Where’s Eric?”
Anthony seizes my arm. “It’s going great. Eric picked me up, and we drove over here together. Which means he’s driving me home.” He gives me a smile I recognize from years of being front row to his flirtations. “High hopes for the night.”
Behind him, I catch sight of Eric in a neon frat tank, holding up two Solo cups and heading our way. Anthony grins, and I gently shove him in Eric’s direction. The screech of an amp cuts through the shitty dance music inside, and I take it as my cue to press on to the back door.
Finally, I reach the stage. “Will!” I shout from a couple feet away, trying to sound like I’m surprised to run into him—not like he’s my single objective for the night and hopefully the next couple months.
“Megan, hey!” Will faces me, looking genuinely surprised. “I didn’t know you’d be coming.” He sets his guitar down and gives me a grin that has me rethinking the whole privacy premise of tonight.
“This house is crazy, right?” I nonchalantly toss my hair. “I heard there’s a path to a bluff with an incredible view.”