Summers & Starbucks - Chapter 10: Chapter 10

Nathan
"What are you doing here?!" She snaps, rolling her eyes.
"Seth is my friend too, he invited me. You don't have to get your panties in a twist, Vanessa!"
I light a cig and inhale the nicotine, annoyed. There's an opening act playing before Seth's band is on. They're okay, clearly amateurs.
"I don't know why Dad bothered to put you in Credence. Wasn't Westbrook a good enough school for you? But no, you had to get kicked out!"
Every word from her mouth is adding to my anger.
"He's not your fucking Dad yet. Stop being ridiculous!"
"Yeah well, it's only a matter of time so you'd better get used to me, brother!" She grins, her dark eyes narrowing.
"I'd much rather die. And nobody at Credence knows about me and I prefer it that way. You will not breathe a word of anything, especially to Kaiden and his friends okay?"
She frowns.
"What's your obsession with Kaiden?" she asks. "He's mine okay, keep your hands off him!"
I laugh, shaking my head.
"What are you, five? Kaiden isn't even interested in you. In fact, I bet you he isn't going to show up," I finish the cigarette, the welcome hit making me calm down a little.
"Well, excuse you, he called me to ask the address earlier!" She snaps, a triumphant look in her eyes. I swallow.
Shit, he doesn't know what he's getting into.
"I don't know what it is you have with him, but you had better not let it get between what I am trying to create here, okay?"
"Vanessa, our personal differences aside, can I ask you something? Actually no, promise me something."
She raises her perfectly threaded brow.
"Why would I promise anything to the likes of you?"
"Because if you don't, I will tell everyone that you had sex with the school counselor."
The stunned look on her face is enough to let me know I have her cornered.
"How did you - ?" She whispers.
"I have to visit him often considering dear Mum told the Principal I have issues," I huff. I have to skip half of lunch for the sessions, but since it's free therapy, I don't mind.
"I saw a note on his desk. It was careless on his part. And I know your signature a little too well," I frown.
"Fuck! Does he know you know?"
"No of course not. But I kept the note as blackmail so don't go trying shit," I warn. I'm not a saint.
"But seriously, Vanessa, that man is twenty nine and you're sixteen! What were you thinking? You're taunting me for getting kicked out, you could have gotten a criminal case!"
"I wasn't thinking! He's hot okay, we all make mistakes!" She shrugs carelessly, looking at her freshly manicured nails. Her dark eyes meet mine.
"What was this promise I have to make, in exchange for you to shut your trap?"
"Promise me you will not try to get with Kaiden."
"What?! No! The whole reason I invited him here is because of that! You can't keep me from trying!"
"Since when do you like him? I've known you six months and you've literally never mentioned him once!"
"Since he got hot, duh?" she says, as if it's obvious.
"Honestly, he was such a loser before, always alone, the short fat kid. His ex girlfriend, Hayley, made a full spectacle out of him last year! It was awful! But now, holy shit, everyone's talking about how amazing he looks and they're right, I would tap that any day!" She laughs. "Who knew right?"
She's talking about him so degradingly, it makes my skin crawl.
"What did his ex do exactly?"
"She posted all of his ugly pictures on social media, even of times when it was supposed to be just the two of them. It was not good. She had really bad captions for them. If I was in Kaiden's place I would have killed her. But, he went off grid for the whole summer and now he showed up looking like a damn snack."
Ouch. I didn't know that. Is that why he was so distant and rude in camp?
"So he's just a conquest to you?"
She frowns.
"Why are you so interested?"
"Don't pursue him, just don't. He deserves better than you."
"You can't keep me from trying Nathan!"
"Fine, try. But if he rejects you, don't go psycho bitch on him okay? Or I'm telling all of your shit to the principal. I'm not even kidding."
She senses the threat in my voice and nods, face sour. I don't want her playing with Kaiden, he's too good of a person to even breathe the same air as her.
The crowd is increasing now. The lights dim and Seth plays the opening beats. He's a really good drummer.
"Vanessa!"
Kaiden walks to us and her face lights up like he hung the stars in the sky. What a fake.
She hugs him and he returns the hug, clearly awkward. He's not a very hugsy person, I've noticed. But he hugged me... Okay, let's not go there.
"Nathan?! What are you doing here?" He asks, eyes widening.
"One of the band members is my friend."
"Weren't you sick? You didn't come to school today, we had social services day. I called you but you didn't answer."
I frown, my first instinct wanting to cook up some lie. However, he expects me to do just that. He always finds out when I'm lying and I can't understand how he does.
"I broke my phone," I shrug.
"What? How?"
Do I tell him that my mother threw my phone at a wall because I got into a fight with her again? His gaze is still on me, scrutinizing me.
Vanessa brings him a beer and he takes it, still waiting for me to answer.
"It fell," I mutter, not wanting to tell him anything else.
If he knows I lied, he doesn't mention it but he looks disappointed.
And gorgeous.
Like, stunning, walk-the-runway type of gorgeous. His innocent gaze and sharp jaw makes him look even more attractive. He changed so much in the month after camp, it's impossible to even say he's the same person. He was so different in the summer, barely speaking, always isolated.
Now, he carries himself with a grace I didn't know he had.
The lights dim and the music starts.
Everyone claps to the beat. I stand beside Kaiden and Vanessa, she's cheering at the top of her voice. Some of her other friends are singing along.
It's a rock song yet the lyrics are so devastating, it makes me tear up. I blame it on the smoke machine and the blinding lights.
All the anger, hurt and loneliness in the song resonates in my soul, making the lump in my throat painful. It doesn't help that the vocalist has a voice like an angel.
Kaiden smiles at Vanessa, then looks at me. I turn my gaze away, not wanting him to see me on the verge of tears.
A hand slips into mine.
I turn, surprised.
He's still looking at the stage. I try to pry my fingers away but he doesn't let go. The second song begins but he still doesn't let go of me. I give up, enjoying the feeling of his cold, soft hand in mine.
It's comforting and I haven't felt comforted in a long while.
Kaiden
The song was a little sad for an opening number and I wasn't the only one who felt it but Nathan looks absolutely crushed. I don't let go of his hand till the gig ends and the lights come on.
He moves away quickly afterwards, not meeting my gaze.
Vanessa is talking to her friends.
The band members come off stage. The guitarist, a dude with piercings on his eyebrow and lip, walks to Vanessa. She knows too many shady looking people for someone only sixteen.
She introduces me. He looks quite intimidating, with a skull tattoo between his collarbones.
"This is Charles, he's a freshman in college. He wants to become a nurse!"
I am absolutely thrown off by that piece of information. Appearances are fucking deceptive. Charles makes small talk. He is super chill and funny. He even brings us beer.
Seth, the drummer, approaches us later. He fist bumps Nathan and I narrow my eyes at him.
"I know you!" I say, suddenly remembering. "Weren't you at Sasha's party?!"
"Seth goes to Westbrook too, Sasha knows a lot of people there!" Vanessa says.
"Oh you're in Westbrook?" I ask, a sudden nervousness in my gut. "You're the Mexican dude, my friend Raven was flirting with, aren't you?"
"Yep, that's me. You're the guy who challenged Sam to do the backflip, yeah?" He chuckles.
"Actually, it was the other way around."
Vanessa looks very confused. Nathan frowns at me suspiciously.
"We sure missed out on a lot at the party!" Vanessa laughs. "Where were you guys?"
"By the pool," Seth says.
"I didn't know you played drums, man! Those were some good songs! How long have you been in this band?" I change the topic swiftly, not wanting anything about Sam coming out in front of either Nathan or Vanessa.
"Just a few months," he shrugs. "Charles here made me the offer after hearing me play for a friend. I accepted. It's been good so far, even though I'm the youngest and this idiot here, acts like he's my father!"
Charles smacks his head, grinning.
"How do you manage school and sports and this?" I ask Seth. He seems like a really great dude.
"Oh, it's not a big deal, it's just Lacrosse."
"Let's all go eat!" Vanessa says, smiling charmingly. She is gorgeous, no lie. Why is she with that douchebag Adrian, I will never know.
We go to a table at the back, with the rest of the band. They're all chatty and friendly. The bassist and the two vocalists are in their final year of University. I order my food, feeling ravenous. I don't remember if I ate after school.
"So Nessa tells me you guys are a thing?" Seth asks and I nearly choke on the water.
"Um, when did that happen?"
"Wow Seth, real subtle. I said, we're going to be a thing," She says sweetly, batting her eyelashes at me.
"What gave you that impression?" I ask warily.
As far as I know I haven't given in to her advances. I'm flattered but I don't want to date her.
"Because you accepted my invitation today?" she says. "Also you were totally hitting on me at the party!"
Nathan looks at me like I have two heads, Seth and Charles are laughing. The senior three members left us alone, socialising with other people.
Holy fuck, what did I even do at this party?
"Frankly, I don't remember anything," I mumble feebly. An excuse that is overused but it's true.
"What?! So you don't remember me, asking you if you had a new love interest yet? You don't remember yourself telling me that is about to change soon? While you were looking straight at me? I don't know about you but that is a clear indication that you wanted to get with me!"
I shake my head, embarrassed. She is speaking loudly now, causing several heads to turn to us.
"Come on Vanessa, give the guy a break!" Nathan interrupts my pathetic sputtering attempts to give an explanation. He's smiling now. Wasn't he just angry?
"Also, you need to learn that not everything everyone says is because they fancy you! He could have meant anyone in the world!" Seth teases her, flicking her forehead.
"Yeah, Vanessa, you need to learn that!" Nathan says, sitting back with the smuggest expression.
If looks could kill, Nathan would be dead by the daggers from Vanessa's eyes.
"But-but, we shared a cig! I thought you were interested in me!"
Oh god, this is why I shouldn't drink whiskey.
"Sorry Vanessa, but no. You're really pretty but I don't like you romantically," I shrug. I just friend zoned the hottest girl in our school.
Vanessa falls silent, fuming. I am aware I have crushed her fantasies to pieces but I don't think I want someone volatile as her - as my girlfriend.
Nathan now looks like he won a lottery. What is up with him?!
He and Seth talk soccer and colleges. Seth wants to go into engineering.
My food arrives and I dig into the burger, welcoming the taste. It's like heaven in my mouth. I finish it in six bites, drinking the milkshake thirstily.
"Well, Kaiden, Sasha tells me you're coming to our game on Friday!" Seth says and I freeze.
Why doesn't anything stay a fucking secret?