“We’ll see you later, Raven,” he says to her. I was expecting her to be coming with us, but she only waves with a mischievous smile. I have never skipped school before, but there is something about Kai that makes me want to live a little more freely than I have been.
“We will go towards the office like we are signing out for lunch, but not. Okay?” I nod and follow his lead. We make it to the parking lot without anyone stopping us.
I feel like such a rebel when we pull out of the parking lot. “Now what?” I question as we drive onto the highway leading out of town.
“We have a few hours until we have to pick up Khloe-bug. We could go to my friend Jake’s place. He’s cool, you’ll like him. He plays the drums in Cooper’s Religion. We hold rehearsals in his garage. That’s where we are going actually,” he decides.
Chapter 10
Jake’s place turns out to be a really old farmhouse on the outskirts of town. He lives in an apartment over his parent’s garage where Cooper’s Religion rehearses. Before we get out of the car, Kai tells me a little about Jake. He says that Jake’s parents were killed a few years ago in a car wreck, his senior year to be exact. He cannot bring himself to go in the house so he stays in the garage instead. The story is really depressing.
A guy, I am assuming to be Jake, comes from the garage with a cigarette hanging from his bottom lip. This guy is covered in tattoos. His ears are pierced from top to bottom. Jake has his dirty blond hair in a long braid slung over his bare shoulder, and it almost touches the top of his jeans it is so long. I have always been jealous of men with better hair than mine.
Kai and I get out of the car and they greet with a fist bump. “Jake, this is Kat…Kat, this is Jake.”
“Damn man, you breaking off a piece of that?”
Kai punches him and says, “Don’t be a dickhead.”
“Oh, you like her.” He winks at Kai. “Don’t worry, Kat, when you get tired of the boy,” he teases, and hooks his thumb over to Kai, “I will be here to show you all about a real man.”
“Oh, you know where I can find a real man. Please tell me where this real man is?” I retort.
“She’s got jokes. I like her.”
“She sings too,” Kai brags softly.
“No shit.” He snuffs his cigarette out on the block wall of the garage.
“Come on.” Kai takes my hand and leads me into their rehearsal room.
I take a seat on a nearby leather couch. I have to say I am impressed. I was expecting this room to look like something out of frat house…empty pizza boxes, beer bottles, and dirty socks. The room is clean, and the instruments seem to be well cared for. The drum set is on display in the center of the room with the band’s logo in bright red gothic lettering.
Jake goes over to a mini-fridge in the corner and tosses Kai a soda. “What’s your poison kitty Kat?” He looks to me with a suggestive brow.
“I’ll take a water if you have one.”
He brings the bottle to me instead of throwing it. Flopping down beside of me on the couch, he drapes his arm behind me, letting it hang from the back of the couch. “So, you and Kai...” He digs his elbow in my side.
“I watch his sister.” I shrug. I am so lame. Kai is watching us, but I don’t think he is listening to our conversation.
“Hey man, how’s Raven? She hasn’t been around lately.”
“Good. Busy. Working,” Kai answers coldly. I wonder what that is all about.
“You ever heard Kai sing?”
“Briefly, in the car.” I smile at the memory of the two of us relaxed and the sound of our voices melding in perfect harmony.
“You should come to our next show.” Jake winks at me and jumps up from the couch.
Needing something to do, I untwist the lid to my water and take a hard drink. Being choked, I cough loudly. Kai rushes over, patting me on the back gently.
“You okay?”
“Just went down the wrong pipe,” I mutter.
After deciding I am fine, Kai and Jake excuse themselves, something about Jake needing help changing the battery in his truck. I think they are lying but whatever. I wander around the room checking out their instruments and various pictures of them performing. Kai looks so at home on stage. My fingers brush over a photo of him, Raven, Jake, and Kirk—Kai’s older brother. Raven’s eyes are locked with Kirk’s, but she is hugged up to Kai. Interesting.