“No way! He’s your hot guy? Small world.”
I didn’t know whether to sit up straighter and hope he noticed me, shrink back and hide under a pillow, or jump up and down and wave my arms, yelling “Hey, remember me?” I did none of the above, but sat there frozen in place, waiting for the music to start.
“Hey, everyone, how are you feeling tonight? We are, proudly, the Frisson.” Hunter’s stance at the microphone was natural, like he was born to be on stage. I looked over at Abby, her eyes focused on him and his on her. The crowd, a veritable ocean of people, clapped and whooped. They clearly had some fans. “Thank you so much for coming. We appreciate the support and love seeing so many familiar faces. We’re going to start with one of our favorites.”
Paolo clacked his drum sticks together loudly and Shay started tapping out the opening notes of what I quickly recognized as Where’s Summer B? by Ben Folds Five. A quirky classic and the perfect opening number, it got all four guys singing and oo-oo-ooing into their mics. The crowd immediately responded by singing along with them, and before I knew it, the laid-back concert had turned into an enthusiastic party. Hunter took the microphone out of its stand and marched back and forth as the guys behind him swayed and tapped their toes while singing. Paolo and Kyle were into it, but Shay was mesmerizing. He was so happy, dancing at his piano and making overexaggerated faces while he played; the stage was his element, and during the complicated piano solo, the audience responded with clapping and hollering. In some ways, his bouncy, joyful performance was more captivating than Hunter’s strutting. I couldn’t look anywhere else but at him.
When the song ended, I clapped wildly, cheering as loudly as I could. I felt a smattering of privilege that I knew these guys, and was proud to be taking part in working to get them some more recognition. I hoped the article Abby would write would be successful. How could it not be?
“I’m going to go up closer to take some pictures. Tatum, take notes.” Abby hopped up and dusted off her shorts.
“Me too, if you don’t mind. Their drummer’s cute.” Tilly stood up, while Abby and I exchanged a look asking Who is this girl? Abby shrugged.
“Sure, you can help.” They strolled off together toward the stage, leaving me to lounge on the pillows with my notebook and pen.
As the next song began, something folksy I didn’t recognize, I felt a light tap on my shoulder that jolted me back to the blanket and out of the world happening on stage. I snapped my head around, mostly out of surprise but a little bit from annoyance that my happy escape was being interrupted, and saw Ashlyn kneeling behind me.
She was a slightly faded version of herself. A little less blonde, no makeup, and her blue eyes, sans the mischievous sparkle I was used to, didn’t quite meet mine. When she withdrew her arm, I noticed her hand was shaking. “Hey.” Ash was many things, but timid wasn’t one of them. Was she afraid to talk to me?
“Hey, Ash. I wasn’t sure you were still coming.” I resisted checking my watch for the time.
“Yeah, we had some car trouble. I wanted to be here for the opener, but it didn’t happen.” She didn’t look at me when she spoke, like she was nervous about what I might say or do. The friendly tone of our last email exchange seemed a thing of the past now that we were finally face to face after two months apart.
Knowing she wouldn’t have said she missed me if she hadn’t meant it, I held out an olive branch. “Well, better late than never.” I thought about hugging her, but it seemed too soon, and judging by how she was acting, I was scared she might stiffen from my touch.
Thankfully, Ash brightened, but she kept her lashes trained to the blanket. At another deafening uproar from the crowd, I glanced back at the stage, where the boys were playing the last lingering strains of their song. None of the earlier bands had gotten so much praise. My heart swelled a little for them.
“So how’s school? Were you taking summer classes?” I figured this was a safe topic. Maybe she’d let her cocoon of what looked like embarrassment open a little.
Ash lifted her head and finally looked at me. “Yeah, but nothing too serious. An SAT prep class and an art history elective. We took a lot of trips into DC to the galleries.” It didn’t escape me that she’d have to drive right by Arlington on her way into the city. Did she think about me as she passed?
“I’m sure your dad must be thrilled you’ve had a productive summer.” I didn’t try to hide my sarcasm, hoping it would make Ashlyn laugh.
Her head went back down. “Yeah, he’s not really thrilled about much these days.”
I smiled wryly. “Neither are my parents. I feel your pain.”
“What do they have to be upset about?”
“Oh, you know, my criminal record. My cavorting with miscreants. The storm cloud of disappointment that lives over our house because of me. Basically, my typical Wednesday. It’s better than it was at the beginning of the summer, though, and my dad will be home soon. I’m trying to be the bigger person, actually. Not be such a brat.”
Ash’s cheeks flamed, and I wondered if I shouldn’t have been so brutally honest. She started picking at her cuticles, a sure sign of distress. She took a long, deep breath and fisted her hands in her lap. “But you didn’t do anything wrong.”
All the air left my lungs. For what felt like an eternity, I’d wanted her to say that. Wanted her to believe it. I knew it was true, but hearing it from her lips felt like vindication. At least partly. I took a breath, as long as she had. “I’m glad you said that. I needed to hear it.”
She smiled sadly. “I’m sorry it took me so long.”
“Better late than never,” I said for the second time that night.
“So it’s been awful?” Her voice was tiny, full of regret.
“Yep. Pretty much. I’ve spent most of the summer afraid you hated me. My dad left the country for an assignment after telling me I’ve disappointed him. Belén put me on her version of house arrest. I’m only here tonight because of Blanche and Tilly.” I smiled. “Tilly and I are becoming friendly, if you can believe that. She’s up there.” I pointed to her crouched down by the stage.