"Sure you don't want to talk about it?" Ryder asked when we were half way home.
I gave him a dead stare before turning back to turn my gaze out the window. "Positive." I mumbled.
"I'm sure whatever he did, he didn't mean it."
"Then we'll talk about it in the morning."
"But you couldn't have talked about it tonight so I didn't have to drive all the way out here?" He asked.
"Ryder." I sighed. "Can we not do this? I'm not really in the mood."
"Yeah, I can tell." He mumbled.
"It's just, I thought that he would get it." I blurted, causing Ryder to look over at me, waiting for me to go on. "Before Jackson became famous, Libby was my only friend and it sucked. But then that movie came out and everyone wanted to be my friend and even if they really did want to be my friend, I couldn't trust that they weren't just using me. It was lonely. And when I got here I thought 'wow, this guy must know how that feels' and then tonight, he told me that I don't understand. That it's not the same because I'm a girl. He's such an ass."
"He didn't mean it." He said after a moment of silence.
"How do you know?" I asked, quickly wiping a tear away from my face.
"Because I know my brother." He chuckled.
"Whatever." I choked right as my phone started ringing in my phone. I quickly pulled my phone out of my purse. "Hello?" I asked.
"Hey, Kale just pulled up but you aren't with him, where are you?" Jackson asked.
"Why is he home? The movie isn't even over yet."
"Beats me. What happened?"
"I'll be home soon." I said before hanging up and leaning my head on the window.
"You're home now." Ryder piped.
I looked up to notice that we were in fact in Ryder's driveway and the car was stopped.
"Thanks for the ride." I said quietly and getting out of the car. I also noticed that Kale's car in the driveway with Kale sitting on the porch.
"Yeah, no problem." Ryder said, also getting out of the car.
"Uh, goodnight." I said, turning towards Jackson's house and hurrying through the yard, which was very difficult considering I was in heals. I just didn't want Kale to follow me because tonight, I just didn't want to talk to him right now.
"Holly, wait!" He yelled from behind me.
Unable to ignore him, I spun around, surprised that he was so close to me. "Can we not talk tonight?"
"I just want to say that I'm sorry, okay?" He asked.
"You don't have to say sorry." I said quickly. "I probably won't understand." Okay, horrible comeback. But I was mad. I spun around and started walking back to the house, just desperately wanting to get away from Kale right now.
Luckily, he doesn't follow me this time. I walked into the living room of Jackson's house but Jackson wasn't downstairs. I let out a sigh of relief and hoped that I could make it into my room without Jackson's interrogation. I tiptoed on the ball of my feet to prevent the click of my heals up the stairs and down the first hallway to my room. When the door shut behind me I took another sigh of relief and walked to the closet.
I got dressed in line green sweat pants and a black tank top before tossing my hair in a loose pony tail down my right shoulder. I was about to brush my teeth when my phone started ringing from my nightstand where I'd left my purse. I fished out my phone and pushed the green button when I saw that it was Libby.
"Hey, Lib." I sighed, walking through the closet and out to the small balcony. The night air was refreshing, unlike the suffocation of my room. The stars were out and dancing lightly around in the sky, but they couldn't take the empty feeling away from my stomach.
"Tell me about it." She said instantly.
"How'd you even find out?" I whined, sitting on the cold concrete floor and leaning against the sliding glass door. Through the black metal railing, I could see the light on in Kale's room but refrained from thinking about him.
"Well Ryder West talked to your brother who talked to me to told me to talk to you so here I am." She chirped.
"Okay, how much do you know?" I asked, pulling my knees up and tucking them under my chin.
"I know that you went to the movies with that Kale kid and then you got in a fight. That's it."
I sighed and then went into the story, starting with meeting all of Kale's friends and ending with seeing Kale when I got home. "I mean, I know I'm overreacting." I finished with tears streaming down my face and I knew Libby could hear my sniffling from the other end. "But I just thought he was different."
"You really like him, don't you?" She asked.
I let out a sarcastic laugh while I blubbered. "Yeah, I really, really like him. Like, a lot. He's nice, and sweet, and funny, and a really good listener. He's amazing."
"Then tell him that, stupid!" She said as I cried, which I don't do often. I hardly ever cry. Damn him.
"I can't because he probably hates me now for acting like a little baby tonight."
"Well, Holly Thorne, you are one of the most determined girls I know and if you like this jerkish boy, then you're going to go for it. I know you."
I sighed through the messy tears. "But this is different. He... I don't know, he scares me."
"And you're brave."
"Not that brave." I denied.
"Okay." She sang skeptically. "But you have to at least talk to him."
"Tomorrow. Tonight, I want to sleep." I said, standing up to go inside and calming down my hideous sobs. "I'll call you later, okay?"
"You got it, love you."
"Love you too." I said quickly before wiping away the last of my tears and hanging up.
I stayed outside for a little bit longer to wipe away more tears and clear my mind just a bit more before going back inside. I blew my nose, brushed my teeth, and then went to bed with a mix of emotions pushing their way through my body.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~''''''
"What's wrong with you?" Jackson asked when I plopped down beside him on the couch.
"Long night." I mumbled with my eyes formed into small, exhausted slits.
"So you and Kale made up that easily?" He asked.
"Make up sex is the best." Another voice piped from my left.
I don't know who it was and my eyes were too tired to look, so I just jutted my elbow in its general direction. I was satisfied when I felt my elbow jut into its gut and the voice grunt.
"I just couldn't sleep." I mumbled. I thought that taking a shower and getting dressed would help me get energized, but I think the heat of the shower just made me more tired. So, here I was, fully dressed in a black crop top with the yellow Batman Logo on the front and matching yellow jean shorts. My hair was almost dry and the top was hidden underneath a black beanie, but I did manage to get on a thin rim of eyeliner and mascara.
"So you haven't talked to him yet?" Jackson asked.
I just shook my head. "Do you always have people over?" I mumbled tiredly.
I heard Jackson chuckle. "Yeah, pretty much."
"Well, does this one at least have a shirt on?"
"Last time I checked." He laughed.
"Sorry to disappoint." The voice said. I couldn't recognize the voice from anywhere, so the curiosity got the best of me and I fully opened my eyes and turned to face one of the people that I recognized from last night.
What was his name? Eric? Aaron? Isaac! His name was Isaac. But he was Kale's friend, why was he here?
"I need to go." I said quickly, realizing that if this guy was here, Kale was probably lurking around the corner and this was all a twisted plot for me to talk to him. I stood to my feet and stumbled towards the staircase but before I could reach the stairs, I heard his voice behind me.
"Wait!" I turned around and saw Isaac coming up to me with a small, pleading look on his face.
"Okay, I have no idea what happened last night, and I'm not getting in the middle of it, but Kale told me to give this to you. And I'm sorry about my sister, she can be a bit... awful." He said, handing out a huge orange envelope.
"Your sister?" I repeated slowly, taking the envelope from his hand.
"Yeah, Kayla. She's actually just my step sister."
I chuckled humorlessly. "Hollywood is a lot more complicated than you warned me about." I said, glaring at Jackson. He just shrugged smugly before turning back around and training his eyes on the TV. I rolled my eyes and looked at Isaac. "I'll just go open this then." I turned around to go back upstairs but before I did, I turned back around. "Oh, and tell Kale that I'm not mad at him anymore. But if he wants to give me something, he can to it himself next time."
He just nodded awkwardly. "Got it. Well, my job is done. I will see you later." He said, backing away and headed for the door. I spun back around and went upstairs. Without stopping in my room, I went up to the studio where I put my guitar earlier. I was too tired to dance, so playing my guitar was a nice choice right now.
But before I could even think about opening the black case...
I curiously opened the envelope but before I could pull out the large piece of paper, a small note fell out. My eyes scanned over the words and read:
Hey, Holly.
So, I'm really sorry about last night. I guess I'm just not used to being around somebody that knows what it feels like to be left behind. Yeah, so I am really sorry, if I haven't said that enough.
Anyway, I kind of heard your conversation last night with your friend when I went out to my balcony. I didn't mean to eavesdrop, but I guess I did. But I just thought you should know that I like you too. A lot. I promise I won't make you cry again. At least, I'll try my best not to.
Okay, so if you want to forgive me, that'd be really cool. Just call or come over or something. Unless you still hate me. Well, I really suck at this letter thing, so I'm just going to stop. Um, I hope I see you later.
~Kale
I giggled at his awkwardness and then pulled out the bigger piece of paper and gasped when I saw what it was. It was a caricature of me and Kale last night, it must have been what that Sam guy drew and Kale wouldn't let me see it. My nose was huge and Kale's ears made him look like Dumbo. The picture was hysterical. I looked at the time, it was already noon. Of course I wasn't going to stay mad. I suck at staying mad anyway, without Kale's adorable attempt at an apology. The whole thing just sent butterflies to my stomach as I reread that one line. 'I like you too. A lot.'
However, I was too shy to act on anything. I could text him, but the wait for him to text me back would be excruciating and nerve racking. I could call him, but my voice would be way too awkward. And neither of those options were very heart felt. I could just walk over and talk to him face to face, but I didn't have the guts to even set foot outside of this house, especially after reading that note.
I sighed and decided that if I didn't hear from him in two hours, at noon, then I would do something. Call or visit or something to communicate to him.
To calm my nerves, I pulled out the guitar and knew exactly what I was going to play, especially with this new found giddiness inside of me. I sat down on the slippery floor and leaned my back against the wall, facing away from the door.
It took me a few minutes to tune it until I decided that it was ready to play a full song. I prepared to sing the song, but I didn't warm up my voice, I just don't find it important. It's not like I'm performing in front of anybody. When I was ready, I started strumming the guitar and then opened my mouth and sang.
"I've been awake for a while now, You got me feeling like a child now, 'Cause every time I see your bubbly face, I get the tinglies in a silly place"
"It starts in my toes, And I crinkle my nose, Wherever it goes, I always know, That you make me smile, Please stay for a while now, Just take your time, Wherever you go"
"The rain is falling on my window pane, But we are hiding in a safer place, Under covers staying dry and warm, You give me feelings that I adore"
I sang the song with a grin on my face, feeling the butterflies erupt in my belly. Sure, the song was old, but I loved it. It was one of the first songs I learned to play on the guitar and I think it describes my emotional state perfectly right now.
A few minutes later, I came to the end of the song with a smile still stuck on my face.
"And it stats in my soul, And I lose all control, When you kiss my nose, The feeling shows, 'cause you make me smile baby, Just take your time now, Holdin' me tight, Wherever wherever wherever you go, Wherever wherever wherever you go, wherever you go, I always know, 'Cause you make me smile, Even just for a while."
I strummed the last chord and sang the last note before gently sitting the guitar down beside me with a satisfied smile.
"I knew you were good." Somebody said from behind me.
My black Converse squeaked against the polished surface of the floor as I scrambled to get to my feet, along with a squeak that didn't come from the Converse, but my surprised mouth. When I finally got to my feet, I spun around to see Kale standing in the doorway with an amused smile on his face.
"Oh, um, you didn't hear that." I breathed in a flustered manner as I scrambled to get the guitar back in its case. I know he already saw it, but it just makes me feel better, knowing that it's hidden.
"Okay." He said with an amused nod.
I sighed. "Good." Even though I knew it wasn't true, it was easy to tell myself that he didn't just hear me singing. Because if I faced that fact, I might have thrown up. A lot.
"Did you see the picture?" He asked.
I grinned and nodded. "Yeah. I think he really pegged your ears."
"Oh, and you're nose? Identical." He teased.
I giggled and blushed, but stayed silent, thanking the invisible gods for letting us just go back to normal without any awkwardness.
"So I was going to bring you up an 'I'm sorry' rose, but on the way, I ran into Jackson and he told me that you were allergic." Kale finally said.
"Yeah, I am." I squeaked. "But thanks."
"So we're good?" He asked nervously.
I nodded. "Of course, silly. Who else could I beat at Call of Duty? Well, except for Jackson."
He snickered loudly. "You can't beat me."
"I can!" I protested, lightly shoving Kale, but he didn't budge.
"Later, I'm taking you somewhere."
"Where?" I asked as he grabbed my wrist and pulled me out of the studio and through the gym towards the rich people elevator.
"Can't say." He said with an excited smile as we stepped into the elevator.
"Well then fine." I huffed.
He smiled sheepishly. "You'll get over it."
I stuck my tongue out at him childishly and he just laughed.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
"Studio B? What's that?" I asked, sitting in the passenger side seat of Kale's car in front of a big white building with 'Studio B' in big letters on the side.
"It's where we're going, let's go." He said, getting out of the car.
I did the same and followed him across the parking lot and into the building.
"This morning, I asked Tommy and he called in a favor from some of the people that work here." He said.
"I don't get it, what-" Then it finally landed on me. What could Tommy do that Ryder and Jackson can't? Sing. He's a singer, who could call in a favor at a recording studio. Studio. As in studio B.
When Kale realized that I'd stopped moving, and breathing, he smiled and put my hand in his. "C'mon, it'll be okay."
I was shocked by the funny feeling I got when our fingers were entwined, but I liked it... a lot. Without the ability to say no, I followed Kale down the empty hall and into a room that said something on the door, but it passed too quickly for me to read.
There were two guys in the studio already, sitting behind the sound board and just talking. The room was kind of small and was split in half with a glass window. On one half, there was a microphone with a thick music stand and headphones. On the other half was the soundboard, computers, stereo systems, and three rolling chairs, two being occupied by the two guys. One of them had dark skin with short black hair that was hidden under a rec, yellow, and green colored beanie, he had a small amount of facial hair bristling his jawline. The other guy was lighter skinned and had brown shaggy hair with a goatee and a Michael Jackson shirt. They both were obviously artists of some sort.
"Kale, hey!" The darker one said, smiling and standing up to greet us along with his friend. They both shook hands with Kale, apparently pretty happy to see him.
"Hi, Jay." Kale responded with a polite smile on his face.
"Tommy said you were coming today, how are you?" Jay asked.
Kale sighed. "Good. This is Jackson's little sister, Holly. Holly, this is Jay and Jonas." He said, pointing to the two guys, both looking around their late twenties. I kind of deflated a little bit when he introduced me as Jackson's little sister. Not 'my friend' or 'my complicated relationship' or at least 'my creepy stalker'. Any would have been better than 'Jackson's little sister'.
Jay and Jonas looked over to me and smiled, offering me friendly handshakes that I instantly accepted. "It's nice to meet you, Holly." Jay said with a white smile.
I smiled back, more timidly. "You too."
"So are you two, like, together?" Jonas asked, motioning towards our still entwined hands. We both immediately yanked our hands away and a weird warmth was gone from my body.
"Um, no." I answered for both of us.
"Awkward." Jay mumbled awkwardly. "Anyway, are you ready?" He asked, looking at me.
My heart started beating extremely fast and for a little moment, I wondered if this is what a heart attack felt like. Maybe I was moments from dying and nobody knew it. "R-ready for what?" I asked, looking expectantly at Kale.
"You're going to sing." He told me with an innocent smile. "Just one song. And they're going to put it on a CD so you can take it home and listen to it and know that you really are a good singer."
"Y-you want me to sing? Kale, no! You know I can't do that."
"No, I know that you don't think you can do it, but you can. Just us three are the only people that will hear you. And these two don't really matter." He said, causing Jonas to hit Kale in the back of the head with a thwack and Kale to chuckle.
I took a deep shaky breath and shook my head. "Nope."
"Well, no pressure. We're free until three. So we'll leave you two alone to discuss while we go eat lunch." Jay said as both guys exited the room quickly.
"C'mon, you can do it." He said. "If I didn't think you could, I wouldn't have brought you here."
"But I can't." I choked.
"Please?" He pleaded, his face was so close to mine that I could almost feel his breath on my face. He was really close. For a short second, I wondered if he was going to kiss me, like he did last time he was trying to restore confidence in me. Just the memory of that night sent goose bumps rattling down my arms.
"I wouldn't even know what to sing." I sighed, the first signs of giving in were settling in.
He let a smile perk up at the corners of his mouth. "You can sing that song that you sang in your dancy room."
"Dancy room?" I chuckled.
"Don't change the subject." He joked.
"Changing the subject is the only thing that can save me now." I whimpered.
"Nothing can save you." He slightly smirked.
"What are you going to do? Kiss me again?" I asked with raised eyebrows. I don't think I fully understood what I was saying until after I said it. And when I did, I gasped and turned away from Kale's surprised gaze.
Jay and Jonas chose that perfect time to enter the room again to prevent any awkwardness.
"So, what's it gunna be?" Jay asked.
"Yeah, I'll do it." I choked, nervously putting a few strands of hair behind my ear.
"Great, do you know what song you want to do?" Jonas asked as they sat down at the sound board, along with Kale. From what I could tell, he still looked surprised by my outburst, just as surprised as I was.
I told them the song and then I was suddenly in the next room with the sound proof glass separating me from everybody else. Being in there, alone, it was nerve-racking. I was probably trembling and sweaty but clammy at the same time. I had to check multiple times to make sure that I wasn't passed out or dead, but I always seemed to be alive and in a sound booth. About to sing. In front of people. Strangers.
The music started streaming through the head phones and my breathing came to a stop. The few measures of music past and right when I figured it was time to call it quits, I surprised myself by opening my mouth and letting the words flow out. It had to be on pure instinct because I wasn't doing it willingly.
"I've been awake for a while now, You've got me feeling like a child now..."
I'm alone. I told myself. Nobody can hear me. I'm alone. Alone. Alone. Alone.
"Cause every time I see your bubbly face, I get the tinglies in a silly place"
My breathing started to become normal again and if I just kept my eyes closed, being alone was believable. I started to tap my fingers on the side of my leg with the beat and a smile crept onto my face with the chorus.
"It starts in my toes and I crinkle my nose, wherever it goes, I always know, that you make me smile, please stay for a while. Just take your time, wherever you go."
Soon, my foot was tapping and I was having fun. I thought of the feeling I got when I was with Kale. Kissing him, even if it was brief, holding his hand, again- brief, and just being with him.
About two thirds of the way through, I dared to open my eyes just a little and I could see all three members of my audience looking at me. Oddly, I didn't choke up. I was okay with them hearing me.
"I've been asleep for a while now. You tucked me in just like a child now. Cause every time you hold me in your arms, I'm comfortable enough to feel your warmth."
I smiled brighter and followed into the next part, which just so happened to be my favorite part of the song.
"It starts in my soul and I lose all control. When you kiss my nose, the feeling shows. Cause you make me smile, baby, just take your time now, holding me tight."
I finished the song softly and when the last note was played, I could finally breathe. I slid the headphones off of my head and saw that five more people had joined the room and everyone was clapping for me. That means that eight people in total just heard me sing... and they liked it. Or they just don't want to hurt my feelings.
When I got the okay, I hurried into the room and was suddenly overwhelmed by five new faces coming at me.
"Darling, that was absolutely amazing! What's your name?" One lady asked me. She had on a business suit with thin rimmed glasses and straight, light brown hair.
"Um, H-Holly Thorne." I said timidly. I could feel myself blushing like a maniac under all of the attention I was receiving.
"Who's your manager?"
"My what?" I asked. Manager? Why would I have one of those?
"You're manager, darling." She repeated, as if I was stupid.
"I don't have one?" I squeaked.
"She knows Tommy, we were just making them a quick CD." Jay explained to the scary lady.
"I'm Nina." Another girl piped, stepping in front of the scary lady and holding out her hand.
I smiled a little smile and shook her hand. "Hi."
"How come you're not famous?" She asked.
I chuckled. "Stage fright." I answered after a short pause of thought.
"Well, we should go. Before you get mobbed for autographs." Kale said, coming to my side.
I nodded eagerly and looked up to the other people in the room. "Nice to meet you." I squeaked. We thanked Jonas and Jay for making the CD and they told us that they would just send it home with Tommy next week.
Then, we squeezed out of the room and back down the hallway.
"See? I told you that you could do it." Kale chirped.
"I still feel like I'm going to throw up though." I defended. "But it was kind of fun."
"Which brings me back to told you." He smirked, slipping into the driver's seat of the car.
We drove off down the road towards a nearby McDonald's for lunch. "Well, thank you." I sighed. "But I will never do that again. Like, ever." I said quickly.
"Why not?"
"Did you not hear me when I said that I feel like I'm going to throw up?"
"But you did it. And you were smiling the whole time." He countered.
"Because there's a big difference between three people and eight people." I defended.
"You're just making excuses." He countered.
"Am not." I fought back.
We had this argument through lunch and all the way back to my house.
"Now can I beat you at Call of Duty?" I asked with a smirk as we parked in Kale's drive way.
"No, but you're more than welcome to try." He said, matching my smirk.
"Race you to the game room." I yelled, jumping out of the car and racing towards the front door to my house.
I could hear Kale hurrying behind me, but he was no match! I ran through the door and up the stairs an grinned when I didn't hear his footsteps behind me. Looks like somebody is a slow stair stepper. I got to the third floor, where the game room was located, and spun around the corner towards the right door.
However, instead of running through the hall, I ran into somebody who decided to come off of the elevator at this time. Luckily, this person stretched their arms out to catch me but we both ended up falling to the ground with the other person on top of me.
When I opened my eyes to thank my savior, I was met with none other than Kale. I was going to speak until I realized how close our faces were. Like, we're talking less than an inch apart! He didn't say anything, he just looked at me, so I did the same. I looked at him. I could feel his breath and I could see that weird look in his eye. That look that told me what he was about to do. I didn't stop him, why on earth would I? I was still a little surprised when he ducked his head down to close the small distance between us and for the second time, we kissed. Yeah! You heard correctly! We kissed. And this time, I kissed back.
And this kiss was better. It was longer, much longer. His lips started moving against mine and I followed suit. I didn't think it was possible to feel so many tingles and shock waves and goose bumps all at once. It was like some explosion going off.
When he pulled away, I was breathless and the only thing I could think to say was, "Let's call it a tie."
_________________________________________
Also- Me and my friend are in a debate, help? Here it is: Batman or Superman?
The cover over there --> is by Kitty__Kat <3
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