Chapter Ten
Adelaide - May
Cheers erupt as the happy couple kiss.
I can't help but zone out as I watch them walk down the aisle. As Melanie passes, her eyes widen as she notices me in the seats. Before she has the chance to actually grasp that I'm there, Dan pulls her out the doors, the rest of the wedding party following behind.
After the crowd starts to fade, I quickly slip outside. As I make my way outside, I notice everyone sitting at a table, talking with the guests around them. I go off to the side, minding my own business. I don't really know anyone, having not been in Hudson that long.
I'm about to head to an empty table when something catches my eye - well, two somethings. My eyes land on Nash's arm wrapped around a tall dark haired girl, who has her arm wrapped around his waist. They're talking with the band, both laughing at something someone said.
Something courses through me. Anger? Pain? Sadness?
Just as I'm about to turn around and run away, run away from this h*ll that I've dragged myself in, I'm pulled to the side. When I finally drag my eyes away from Nash and this girl, they land on a certain brunette who looks a little pissed at me.
"You cut your hair?!" is the first thing that comes out of her mouth.
I self-consciously run my hands through my hair, before smiling up at her, "Hello to you too. You look beautiful, Mel. Congratulations."
She wraps me up in a hug, "You don't know how pissed I am at you. But I'm glad you're here."
I hug her back, taking comfort in the feeling of being with my best friend again. Not seeing her these past five months has taken a toll on me; I've missed seeing her almost every day.
"What kind of a friend would I be if I missed my best friend's wedding?"
Melanie frowns a little, "Well, you did sort of leave unannounced. I never thought I would see you again. You took off, leaving all of us in a confused frenzy. Especially-" she pauses before continuing. "Especially Nash."
My eyes wander back over to him and something in my stomach flips. It doesn't look like he's had a rough life.
Melanie must sense my confusion because she draws me back in, "You should go talk to him."
"Talk to him?" I laugh, "You're joking, right? That's the worst thing I could ever do. He looks... happy."
The girl with short dark hair leans against his body and he gently caresses her hair. I feel my stomach fall and nausea rise up.
"Everyone hides behind masks, Adelaide. You of all people should know that," she says, giving me a look. "Trust me when I say you need to talk to him."
The sun is setting and delicate lights hanging on the covering of the patio are slowly turning on. The reception was beautiful and dreamy. I should feel elated for my best friend, but all I want to do is run away and never look back.
Music starts playing as dusk begins to fade in. Melanie and I talk for a few minutes - filling each other in on what we've been doing. I tell her about fixing things with my father. She tells me about her life with Dan and Micah.
Even though I'm listening, my eyes keep wandering over to the one person who currently has his arms wrapped around someone else. I know that I don't have the right to be jealous, but seeing them together bothers me.
He should be holding someone else...
A familiar person walks up behind Melanie, Micah trailing next to him. Dan does a double take at me when he notices that I'm standing there.
"Well, who do we have here? I don't think I've ever seen you before," he teases, throwing a grin and wink my way.
I manage a sheepish smile, "Hi Dan."
"Addy - er, Adelaide?"
"Adelaide. Just Adelaide," I say to him.
He wraps his arms around his beautiful new bride. Looking at them brings the biggest smile to my face. Melanie's been through a lot - through h*ll and back actually. Just knowing that she's happy, brings a sense of gratefulness to me.
I didn't even have time to process what is happening before I feel a small weight run into me. Short arms wrap around my legs and squeeze, catching me off balance.
I laugh and pull Micah into my arms, "Well, hello little rascal."
"Addy!" he screams, wrapping his arms around my neck.
"You look quite handsome today, buddy. I see you cleaned up very well."
Micah smiles and then points to Melanie, "She made me put this on. I wanted to wear my Spiderman PJs."
Dan laughs and Melanie gives Micah a look, "Go see Grandma and Grandpa. I'm sure they'd love to dance with you."
He says bye to me before running off into another direction. As the music continues to play, Dan excuses Melanie and himself in order to have their first dance together. Couples from different tables join them on the dance floor, making the room light up.
My eyes roam back to the same spot they've been wandering to. I know I shouldn't be looking at them, but I can't stop. I'm drawn to them; I'm drawn to him. I have been since the moment I met him at The Black Star.
The spot where my tattoo is tingles.
I need to clear my head.
As I'm walking over to the bar, a familiar dirty-blonde haired guy catches my attention.
Chris.
He's sitting with Jim and his wife, a light haired girl sitting next to him. I can't help but smile a little as I realize that he's happy - that he's found someone.
While I'm over here... alone.
I walk over to the bar that's set off to the side of the dance floor. Taking a seat, I order a rum and coke. The bartender hands it to me immediately, and I'm thankful there is no need for ID to be checked.
I down the drink instantly, letting the cool liquid make its way down my throat.
Over the last few months, I've built up a slightly stronger tolerance to alcohol. That's mainly due to going out with Cassie and Kennedy. Besides, what person my age wasn't drinking? And who was to say I couldn't either?
Wiping my lips, I order another drink - this time, I ask for a mixture of liquor and cranberry. The bartender raises a brow at me and then just shrugs, mixing the drink before pouring it over ice.
I feel a presence next to me, but I don't bother turning to see who it is. I take the next drink and down it in one sip.
"Whoa there. Slow down, tiger," a familiar voice says.
I turn my head and see a tall brunette, dressed in all black - her typical rocker style.
She grins, "What? Cat got your tongue?"
I smile, "Something like that."
Kenzie grabs a drink that the bartender offers her, taking a sip, "When you left, you were the talk of the town, you know? 'Clumsy Blonde Runs Away Without Telling Anyone.' Sure pissed off a certain someone."
Those words jumble in my head, causing me to frown, "Sure doesn't look like anyone missed me much."
My eyes involuntarily return to where I know he is.
Kenzie must notice because she murmurs, "You should know him well enough to realize that that's all an act."
Ignoring her comment, I raise a couple of fingers and ask for a shot from the bartender. I take a sip of the alcohol, drowning my thoughts in the intoxication. When I started to drink more, I finally understood why people drank so much.
Alcohol blurs the pain - it washes away any emotions and feelings.
"Is this some sort of lesbian thing or what?" a cocky, deep voice says from behind me.
Kenzie rolls her eyes and gives the middle finger, "F*ck off, Kane."
"What? You won't f*ck me, so obviously something's wrong with you. And that must mean that you like girls, which is still totally hot."
She makes a disgusted noise and goes back to drinking her cocktail. Under her breath, I hear Kenzie cursing Kane and his manwhore self.
"So, who's the blonde hottie?"
Slowly, I turn around and casually smile. I even bring up my fingers in a mock wave. "Hey Kane."
The look on his face is priceless. If I had a camera, I would snap a shot of it. The cocky smile that was on his face moments ago has fallen and his eyes are as wide as flyer saucers.
Kane's mouth drops open, "D*mn. Since when did you get so hot, ball girl?"
"She's always been hot, d*ckwad. You're just too f*cking blind by your whores to see," Kenzie mutters.
"See, that's something a lesbian would say," he replies, throwing a wink in my direction.
After giving Kane another middle finger, Kenzie takes her drink and walks away from us, leaving me alone with him. I run my finger around the rim of my cup, not knowing what to say.
Kane takes her seat next to me and leans against the table with his arm. The smirk that faded has now come back full swing and I almost want to roll my eyes.
"Abby, right?"
I scowl, narrowing my eyes at him, "Adelaide."
He grins, "There's my sarcastic girl."
"What do you want, Kane?" I ask with a sigh.
"Well, I wouldn't mind if we left this place and fu-"
I kick him in the leg, cutting him off.
"Sh*t," he says, "I was just joking, ball girl."
I roll my eyes, "I'm not really in the joking mood, Kane. And I do have a name."
I watch as Kane orders a drink, also asking for the bartender to refill mine. The buzz of the alcohol hasn't hit full on, but I feel my body start to loosen up.
"So what the h*ll happened to you?" he asks.
Looking down into my cup, I swirl the rum around. A sigh leaves my lips and I shoot him a look.
"Life happened," I say.
A silence passes over us and I finish my drink. I'm about to order another glass, but the bartender beats me to it. He sets a fresh glass down in front of me and raises an empty glass in mock cheers. All I can do is smile.
Kane clears his throat, "I hate her. All she does is boss him around. And it drives me f*cking crazy."
My brows scrunch in confusion at his words. Who the h*ll is he talking about?
"He thought the best thing for him to do was to move on and forget about you. God knows that will never happen," he pauses, taking a sip of his drink. "He's not himself, you know. He hasn't touched his guitar in months and he sure as h*ll doesn't act anything like himself. That b*tch doesn't let him do anything, but he's too much of a dumba** to see it."
"Kane..." I say, warning him.
He continues, completely ignoring me, "Like after you left, he shut down. He fled back to Chicago, taking me with him. I admit, I took him to bars, trying to get his mind off of you, but that didn't work. I thought he needed to be f*cked really good. But I'm starting to think that all he really needed was... well, you."
My heart warms at Kane's words.
"A couple weeks ago he met her - Carter," Kane says her name with disgust in his tone. "Apparently they f*cked and the next thing you know, they are d*mn couple. He's been looking like sh*t ever since he met her though."
Well... way to crush my heart, Kane.
Carter. Her name is Carter. And they've slept together - something that Nash and I almost did. Something that I may have really wanted to happen. But the moment was never right and we were always interrupted.
And this girl Carter... has him - heart, body, and soul.
As for me? Well, I've got a cup of alcohol and a manwhore who won't just leave me alone.
"Why are you telling me all of this?" I ask, feeling utterly crushed.
Kane scoffs, "It's obvious, isn't it?"
I shake my head.
"Well, if I can't have you, which by the way, the offer is still on the table," I push him on the shoulder letting out a small laugh. He continues, "Well, if I can't have you, then I want him to."
I blush, though I don't know why. Maybe it's the fact that Kane wants me? Or maybe it's the fact that he thinks I should be with Nash.
My mind drifts back to the talk that I had with Kane months ago - the one where I learned how Nash and Kane met. My heart warms when I think about the fact that Kane hasn't left Nash's side. He's been his brother - his protector.
Underneath that cocky exterior, he has a good heart. Even if it sure as h*ll is hard to find.
"Thank you, Kane."
He grins, "Anything for you, hot stuff. Really, though - anything."
We sit in a comfortable silence until Kane leaves, drawn by some random girl that passes by him. Who she is, I have no idea. But I say a short prayer for her.
I take another sip of my drink, thinking about what Kane said. I run his words over and over through my head.
Nash isn't himself. He's distant. Kane wants me with him.
I groan in frustration.
I need to get out of here. I need to leave. I don't want him to see me. But I really want him to.
Just as I'm about to stand up and sneak away, I hear a familiar voice fill the patio. It's the same voice I used to hear every night before I went to bed. The same voice I fell in love with. The same voice that belongs to the person I fell in love with.
The voice I ran away from.
The voice that now belongs to someone else.
The voice that mesmerizes me.
And it's a voice that I really don't want out of my life.
Ever.
But it just might be too late now.
Hello everyone!
Sorry that this was no Nash chapter, but we felt it was necessary to tell more of the wedding from Adelaide's POV. We hoped you enjoyed the chapter anyway – it has some of our favorite scenes ever. Can you guess? ;)
Anyway, Ana and I have been so busy we forget that it's update day sometimes. AP Biology is killer. I don't think I've ever been so tired or mentally drained in my entire life. But regardless of us and our busy schedules, we thank you all for the love and patience!
xoxo, Gabby from The Aurora Honor