Chapter 3
Jagger
Catching Prey
“How did the mall thing go?” I asked as Wyatt came through the doorway of Cooper’s apartment.
“Pretty good,” he simply stated, not seeming excited. “Some people liked our stuff. Others…well they don’t know good music when they hear it.”
I smiled at my laptop’s screen as I finished writing an email back to Richard, the head of Sun Room Records. He had informed me that he had a lot planned for the band for the next couple months after we arrived inCalifornia, and I was pretty excited to get everything started.
"What are you doing?” Wyatt asked, popping the top off of a beer. “You can’t be doing work.”
“Hand me one dude,” I said, pointing to the can in his hand.
He went to the fridge and threw one across the room at me. “Coop’s not going to like us drinking his stash,” I said, grinning.
Wyatt grinned back at me, sipping from the can. “It’s not like he’ll freak out on us. But seriously, what are you doing?”
“Email,” I said, swallowing a mouthful. “Richard was letting me know what he expects of us when we get down there.”
“And what’s that exactly?” He sat down on the arm rest of the sofa, trying to get a look at the screen.
“Well we have a house set up for us by the beach, which is pretty rad. He wants us to start touring after we pop an EP out, which we have a two month deadline for.”
He sighed. “Are you kidding me? God, he acts like writing songs takes two minutes.”
“And you act like you actually write the songs,” I noted.
“I write my own riffs, which counts as writing to me,” he grinned, downing the rest of his drink.
“Starting early, are we?” I questioned.
He nodded. “Luke, that kid who plays lacrosse or whatever, is holding a party at his place tonight. Want to go?”
“I’m up for it. Not like I have anything else to do,” I shrugged. “What did you do with Matty?”
I realized Matty had yet to walk through Cooper’s doorway and Wyatt was supposed to be promoting us with him.
“I dropped him off at his mom’s place. I figured he wouldn’t be up for partying,” he smiled knowingly.
I let out a laugh as I downed the drink in my hand just like he had before. This was what Wyatt and I did every weekend, at least when I wasn’t busy dealing with school. We’d have our own party before actually joining the party, and ended up face down drunk by the time we even ended up home. That is, if we did end up home. Most of the time I ended up in some unknown girl’s bedroom before I snuck out in the mornings.
Wyatt Larson and I had been best friends for almost four years. I’d met him at some party when I was searching for other band mates to work with and he told he was pretty good at guitar. A few lessons from me and a couple months later, we became a two man band, searching for the final two members of the group. We’d foundCarsonthrough Cooper, who just so happened to be his uncle, and discovered Matty on Youtube.
For a kid who was anxious around people almost one hundred percent of the time, you could put him behind a drum kit and he was a completely different person. When we contacted him, he was a little indecisive at first, but finally called us back two days later saying he was in.
I was closest with Wyatt out of everyone because he knew what it felt like to have a disapproving dad and an unwelcoming mother. We bonded in a way that I couldn’t with Carson or Matty and became tighter as the years went on. We were pretty much the same person, except I wasn’t as cocky as he so willingly showed to everyone. The only bad quality we shared was that we tended to drink a little too much, too fast. But we knew how to handle it.
“So how did the rents take it when you told them about leaving?” he questioned.
I shook my head, logging out of my email with Richard. “Bad. I’m living here now with Coop until we leave?”
His eyes widened. “Are you serious? They took it that badly? Man, my dad may be an ass, but he wouldn’t kick me out for something like that.”
“It’s fine, really. Coop understands what’s going on and we’ll be gone before I know it. I could honestly care less about this town anymore.”
“I’m with you on that,” he nodded.
On that note, Cooper walked through the front door, briefcase in hand. He was quickly talking to someone over the phone, talking about contracts and something about studio time limits. Before he placed his keys in the copper bowl by the door, he mumbled more nonsense and said a quick goodbye. We stared at him, wide eyed and curious.
“What?” he questioned, placing his briefcase down next to the sofa we were sat in.
“What the hell was that about?” Wyatt asked before I could open my mouth.
“Just some stupid kids who want more time to record. They’ve had almost three months,” he scoffed, going towards the fridge. “Seriously? It’s not even five o’clock yet,” he noted, realizing we stole some of his beers.
“We wanted to start early,” I grinned, crushing the can between my fingers.
He sighed. “Jesus. Whatever, I’m not going to act like your dad. Just make sure Michelle doesn’t find out,” he urged, referring to his wife.
“Find out what?” she questioned, coming out of her bedroom and towards the living room. She was dressed in a black pencil skirt and white blouse, her eyes hidden beneath black rimmed glasses.
Wyatt and I quickly tucked the cans behind our backs and got up from the sofa, avoiding confrontation.
“Nothing! Uh, party starts at nine, Jag. I’m coming to get you then. Bye Coop! Bye Mrs. Tally,” Wyatt quickly said, shooting Michelle a boyish smile before running out the door, can still hidden behind his back.
“I’m just going to go to the guest room,” I said, waving at the both of them before practically sprinting out of the room.
Cooper may have been laid back and calm, but Michelle was the complete opposite. If she knew I was drinking Cooper’s beers, she’d start a fight and blame Cooper for being a terrible manager because she knew that I looked at Cooper like a father figure. She knew I was above the legal age to do whatever I wanted, but she thought it was a bad habit to get into. She didn’t even touch alcoholic beverages herself.
I settled into my bed, propping my feet underneath a pile of dirty shirts lying at the end of it. I figured I would grab a few more beers when Michelle went out before I left for the party. I decided to relax and watch a movie or two while I waited, but it was almost impossible to hear with all of the yelling coming from the other side of the door.
I was always the cause of some type of chaos wherever I went anymore.
*~*~*~*~*
By nine thirty, I had scooped almost five beers for myself after the Tally’s left for dinner. I was considering myself to be tipsy, even though I was tripping over imaginary lines on the carpeting as I made my outside to Wyatt’s car.
The good thing was, I still had more coming my way when I arrived at the party.
I had to lay my hands against the wall, keeping myself balanced as I made my way through the house and down the walkway outside.
“Had fun when they left?” Wyatt grinned as I got in the car, putting a foot on the gas pedal as I shut the door.
“You know it!” I grinned, pumping a fist in the air.
A few minutes later, we arrived at Luke’s apartment, the bass clearly thumping from the outside. Cars were parked all up and down the road and I found my heartbeat speeding up at the thought of how much fun tonight was going to be. As many times as I did stupid shit, I didn’t regret a thing if it meant I had fun while I did it.
“What’s up dudes?” Luke yelled over the thumping rock music coming from the speakers. Wyatt raised his hand for a high five first and I followed in step.
“Enjoy yourselves,” Luke grinned happily, clearing already a bit drunk.
He stumbled away from us, finding balance from a girl with long blonde hair and piercings in her nose and lip. I decided it was my turn to hunt for some girls, so I left Wyatt behind, knowing he was fine on his own. This was a routine for us when it came time for the weekend and I knew he would make it back home as safely as I always did.
I pushed through sweaty bodies rubbing together in the living room and made my way to the kitchen. There was beer on tap, so I grabbed myself a red plastic cup from the tower on the counter and helped myself. As I sipped, I made my way back to the living room, my eyes scouring the place slowly. I didn’t just hook up with anyone, and this time wasn’t any different.
As I was grazing through the crowd, my eyes landed on two girls dancing together and laughing loudly. The girl with dark blonde hair was swatting her friend’s arm playfully, almost missing her entirely. The other girl with the light brown waves descending down her back was falling over to the side as she swayed back and forth. I grinned, realizing that this would be an easy target because they were both clearly intoxicated.
I made my way through the sweaty bodies again, almost earning myself a punch in the face from a guy who looked like a quarterback because I was pushed against his girl. I said a quick slurred apology as I lifted my cup in the air, careful not to let the beer drip out. When I finally got to them both, I tapped the brunette’s shoulder and she turned to face with me a curious expression.
“Can I help you?” she smiled, holding onto her friend for support.
“Just couldn’t let a gorgeous girl dance alone,” I shrugged, giving her a smile.
She giggled. “I’m not alone, silly. I’m with my friend here,” she said, patting the blonde on the shoulder sloppily.
“But you need a guy to take care of you,” I said, pulling her towards me with a free hand. I downed the drink quickly and let the cup drop to the floor.
“Hey, you better not hurt her!” the blonde yelled over the music. She was gone almost instantly when a black haired basketball player pulled her from behind and started grinding up against her.
“So who are you?” the girl in my arms slurred.
It was amazing to me that a girl who looked so innocent was letting herself be involved with a party like this. Luke’s parties were famous for getting drunk and hooking up and she didn’t seem like the type at all. Her eyes were wide with vicious curiosity and she was dressed conservatively compared to the other girls here. Her pale pink shirt was slightly baggy around her waist and her legs seemed longer beneath her dark denim shorts. And the fact that she was dancing with a friend and not another guy said that she definitely wasn’t the type to be throwing herself at guys. She didn’t belong here at all.
But I wasn’t going to be the one to stop her from having fun.
“Jag,” I grinned, pulling her as close as possible to my body as we danced.
“Your name sounds so familiar,” she said, putting a finger to her chin as she pondered the thought.
“Well I do sing in a band. Maybe you heard of them. Fight the Fury,” I told her, feeling almost like Wyatt with my confidence radiating through me.
“That’s it!” she yelled, slamming a finger into my chest. “Some guys told me about you at the mall today,” she slurred, shaking her hair out of her face.
I ran a hand along her face and tucked a few strands behind her ear. I moved to her ear and said, “I have a thing for hot brunettes.”
I pulled back and she frowned playfully. “But I don’t have a thing for singers.”
“Oh really?” I asked, grinning. I leaned down slowly, watching her eyes as I pressed my lips to her lightly. I pulled away just as quick, teasing her. “You have a thing for singers now?” I questioned, my voice husky.
“Maybe,” she smiled, running a hand down my chest.
I leaned down to kiss her again and pried her mouth open with my tongue. She accepted graciously, biting my lip briefly. I growled into her mouth as I ran my hands down her back and to the ends of her hair. I welded our bodies together as we kissed, gripping her thighs as we played along with each other. When I knew it was time to get a room, I pulled away unwillingly.
“How about we take this somewhere quieter?” I asked, running my hand down her arm and interlacing our fingers.
She only nodded, the goofy grin still grazed on her lips. I pulled her through the throng of people, making sure I didn’t lose her grip. When we made it down a hallway, the lights were out and we stumbled our way against the wall. I pushed her up against it, trapping her between my hands as I kissed furiously. We somehow ended up in a room with no takers as we stumbled to the bed.
She ripped the dark blue t-shirt I had on off my body as soon as I closed the door. I followed suit, leaving her in nothing but a bra and skinny jeans. As we kissed, I pulled her with me to the bed, falling on top of her in the process. She undid my belt buckle and played with the hem of my boxers as my hands grazed along her backside.
“You sure you’re okay with this?” I breathed as I pulled away.
She merely nodded and went back to taking off my pants. I took hers off slowly as she played with the ends of my hair. My hands traced her body over every crevice embedded in her, taking my time. This wasn’t usual, I realized, as I was always willing to get it over with as quick and pleasurable as possible. When she pulled at my hair, I felt this weird feeling in the pit of my stomach and couldn’t help but groan at the contact. I could feel her shivering as I lightly ran my fingertips over her skin. This time I just knew it was different than any other. I didn’t know how, I didn’t know why, but the feeling coursing through me wasn’t one I was used to.
As the atmosphere began to be too much, I reached down onto the floor for my jeans, fumbling with my fingers in the dark. I pulled out the condom I strategically placed in the back pocket and ripped it open with my teeth. There was no going back now.
As the night wore on, we fumbled with each other, our moans and groans mixing with one another’s as we kissed. After we had both hit our peak more times than one, I fell off of her, hitting my head against the wall on accident.
“Ow,” I seethed, rubbing a hand over the spot. She giggled breathlessly next to me, throwing a sheet over her body. “Shut up,” I said, smiling over at her.
I never usually talked to the girls I slept with, making it as impersonal as possible. The only noises made in the rooms I had girls in were moans of my name and grunts of finished work. Maybe it was because I was partially drunk, or maybe it was because I was just too tired to care after all of that, but I didn’t care too much when she giggled like that at me.
“Is your head okay?” she cooed, rubbing a hand affectionately over my hair.
I grinned at her. “It’s fine. You never told me your name?”
For some reason, I found myself wanting to know her name, unlike the others. This feeling that made my stomach feel light wasn’t normal, and I was acting upon impulse this whole night with her because of it. I wouldn’t say she was different than all the others, because I was merely only in this bed for one thing. But, I just felt like I needed to know her name for listing’s sake.
Yeah, I’ll just keep telling myself that. I just want to know her name so I could make sure I didn’t do anything with her again, keep her name in a mental checklist of some sorts.
She murmured two soft words, names I was guessing, before fluttering her eyes closed and slipping into a drunken slumber. I shook her arm, trying to get her to repeat the name because I hadn’t heard her, but there was no point. She was going to be out for the rest of the night.
Before I knew it, I was passed out too. I made sure I wasn’t wrapping my arms or legs around here at all, keeping myself a safe distance away for the night. It was crucial to remain unaffectionate when it came to girls and sex. If I acted like I cared throughout the night, she would be more hurt in the morning. It was safer to do things this way. I would wake up early and be gone before she saw who I was. That’s how it always worked.
As I pulled on my clothes the next morning, a little before sunrise, I checked her out one last time. I noticed I’d never seen her around campus before, or anywhere near this city actually. The chances of my knowing her name were slim to none and I didn’t know how I felt about that.
She was on her side, only a mere white sheet covering up the body I traced for hours last night. Her mouth was open only a little as she breathed lightly. I decided to do her the courtesy of hanging up her jeans on the chair by the computer desk and leaving her clothes in a pile in front of it. Before leaving the room, I looked back at her one last time and mumbled a quick, ‘Fuck’, to myself for acting off of this pit of my stomach feeling and even being curious as to what her name was.
She was just going to be another on added to the list, I kept telling myself.
This, I noted, was probably the biggest lie I’d told in my life.