"You guys are the weird ones," I murmured in protest, trying to clear my head.
"Well, this weirdo is getting more spaghetti," Grant said, getting up and heading over to the table. This broke up the talk about weirdness and everyone settled back into an easy conversation.
The next hour was spent filling Simon in on all the gossip about Maxwell University, including who was dating whom, who was sleeping with whom, and which professors were the worst. I participated in the conversation, forcing myself to smile and talk easily. The more I forced myself, the more natural it felt. I could do this. Simon was just another guy. Visions and suggestive comments aside, he seemed like someone I could be friends with. He was funny and definitely easy to look at. And just because it seemed like he was flirting with me didn't mean anything. Simon seemed like the type to flirt with everyone and it would be a mistake to take it to heart.
I decided that Simon and I were going to be friends. It wasn't as if I could ignore him. He was Grant's cousin, he was living downstairs at the moment and was now a member of the band. The five of us had our lives intertwined, spending most of our free time together. We had been a tight group since the beginning of our junior year. Simon would just be the sixth member of our group. A friend, nothing more.
With that settled, I found myself laughing a little easier, taking Simon's jokes as just that - jokes. If he looked at me a little too often and for a little too long, I pretended not to notice.
CHAPTER TWO
Around nine-thirty we headed down to the East End. It was only a five minute walk from our apartment, but the October chill made the walk seem longer. I lagged behind the group with Sarah.
"Is everything okay?" she asked, with a concerned look on her face. "All joking aside, you are acting a little weird."
"I'm fine, Sarah, really," I assured her. "It's just been a long week."
"Okay," Sarah said, not looking convinced. "It's not...it doesn't have anything to do with...you know. Does it?"
I forced a laugh. "No, it's nothing like that. Seriously, I'm just a little tired. I'll only stay at the East End for a little bit and then go home and go to bed. I'll be fine tomorrow."
"Okay..." Sarah said, not seeming to completely accept my excuse. "But if you're not telling me something, I'm gonna be mad."
I ignored her warning and grabbed her arm. "Hey, we're here. Come on." I dragged her to catch up with the group and greeted Charlie, the bouncer at the bar. He was at his usual stance just outside the door.
"Hi Charlie," I said smiling. "Glad to see you're dressed for the weather, as usual." No matter the season, Charlie always wore a white short-sleeved t-shirt. I'd seen him standing there all night in the snow with nothing but a t-shirt and jeans, seemingly impervious to the cold. He was tall and heavily muscled. Maybe all his muscles kept him warm.
"This is nothing, honey," Charlie replied with an easy grin. "I would take my shirt off if Joel would let me get away with it."
The guys fist bumped Charlie, or whatever it is that guys greet each other with, while Jenny, Sarah and I gave him a hug. The East End was like a second home since we spent so much time there, especially Grant and Marcus who spent a lot of time practicing there during the daytime. Charlie already seemed to know Simon and I reminded myself that even though we had just met him tonight, he had arrived a couple of days ago and they had already spent some time practicing at the East End.
We filed in, relieved to be in the warmth of the bar. There were already a good amount of people inside, although it was still early. We headed over to an empty table and settled in, taking off our coats and draping them on the back of our chairs. The East End had a coat check, but it was never really in use unless the guys were playing, since it got packed to the walls then.
The East End was a large bar, with a decent-sized stage in the back. Booths lined the walls and tables were spread out,
although they were pushed back when the stage was in use to make a standing area in front. There was a separate game room, with pool tables, dart boards and video games. Music was being piped in, but not to a level where you couldn't have a conversation. It was a great venue for a band and had enough room to house the Henchmen fans that went crazy during their shows.
I wondered how receptive they would be to a new member. There had been lots of complaints about the lack of shows since the departure of Mike and Abe. I glanced over at Simon, who was laughing about something with Jenny. Who was I kidding? There was no way the fans wouldn't eat up Simon, especially the girls, no matter what he sounded like. And I knew Grant was serious enough about the band that he wouldn't let Simon join just because they were related. Simon had to be good.
Just then, Simon turned to look at me. Embarrassed that I had been caught staring at him, I quickly turned away and spoke to Sarah, who was sitting beside me.
"Seriously, only a couple of drinks and I'm leaving," I warned in a low voice. "I'm telling you now because I don't want you twisting my arm later, trying to make me stay."
Even though I enjoyed hanging out with my friends, I was acutely aware that I needed alone time as well. Sarah enjoyed being constantly surrounded by people, which was good for me because it forced me to interact more than I would have on my own, and I found that I actually enjoyed it. But I also needed time to just decompress on my own. When I was alone, I didn't have to worry that I might say something that would reveal how much of a weirdo I really was.
"Okay, I promise I won't," Sarah said, laughing. "Anyway, how could little ol' me twist your arm?"
"Ha," I said with a disbelieving snort. "You have your ways."
Sarah was interrupted from having to defend her innocence by Janice. Janice had been working at the East End for ages. I guessed that she looked older than she actually was, having lived hard and fast. Her raspy voice was evidence of her heavy smoking habit, and her heavy makeup aged her even more. But she was a sweetheart and was a fixture at the East End, just like Charlie.
"Hi y'all," she drawled. "What'll you be having?"
"Let's get a couple pitchers of beer," Grant said, looking around the table. "How about Brooklyn Lager?" Everyone nodded in agreement.
"Gotcha," Janice replied. She looked over at Jenny. "How about you, little thing?"
Jenny pouted. She was the only one out of our group that wasn't twenty-one yet. Fortunately, her birthday was only a couple of weeks away, but in the meantime there was no way Janice was serving her alcohol. The East End had a policy of admitting kids eighteen and older but you still had to be twenty-one to drink. They made the underage kids wear a neon green bracelet to differentiate them, but Jenny usually escaped having to wear one since she was a regular. That being said, since she was a regular, all the workers knew she was under twenty-one and there was no way she was being served. That didn't stop her from trying every time.