Chapter 15 Hayden
CHAPTER FIFTEEN
hayden
PRESENT DAY
By the time Sierra and I arrived, Rudy’s was already packed with people coming in from the rodeo and the fair.
She won the barrel racing during today’s performance round, so naturally I had to keep the competitive spirit going and challenge her to a round of carnival games before we met up with the rest of the crew at the bar.
This led to us showing up a bit later than planned.
“Damn, it’s busy,” Sierra muttered as we pushed through the crowds trying to find our group.
The fair had a beer garden, but Rudy’s had grown in popularity in our small town after Juniper, Liv, and Nico helped develop themed nights for the bar, including western swing and line dancing, barrel night—which was popular because you could get six shots and a mixer in a small plastic barrel for ten dollars—and bingo. Tonight was—to my dismay—karaoke.
“Hayden! Over here!” Jake’s voice rose over the music and the person screaming into the microphone. I scanned the bar and saw his head poking above the sea of people.
“This way.” On instinct, I took Sierra’s hand to lead her through the masses.
She didn’t protest, probably because she didn’t want to lose me.
The minute we got to our group, though, she shook herself free from my grasp.
It worked out in her favor—and mine—that Mikey handed me a beer at the same time, lessening the sting a bit.
“Hi!” Juniper came up to me, hugging me around the waist. Her eyes were a bit glassy, and it was obvious she’d been drinking a bit. “It’s so good to see you!”
I hugged her back, chuckling a little at her drunken state. “Hi, Juniper.”
Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Sierra talking to the other guys and Ellison.
“Good to see you again, Sierra. I hear Haydie over here has been a joy to live with,” Jake teased.
She narrowed her eyes. “What makes you say that?”
“Oh, nothing. Just that our boy here says he’s been—”
Lightning fast, I punched him in the ribs. Jake clutched his side, moaning and groaning about the pain. I rolled my eyes and then shot Jake a glare to send the message to quit messing around. “He’s just being a dick. Don’t listen to him.”
“Okay…” Sierra’s brows furrowed, but then Ellison and Juniper stole her away to the bar.
“What the fuck was that for?” I grumbled to Jake after they were out of earshot.
He shrugged. “Hey, I’m just trying to help you out. It’s clear you’re still in love with her, dude.”
“And you think saying that she put me in the friend zone is going to help? How would you like it if I went up to Caitlin and did the same thing?”
Jake hesitated, allowing Mikey to pipe up and cut in. “It worked for Isa and Reid.”
“Yeah, well, those two were idiots.” Colter laughed, adding, “No offense, Reid.”
Reid rolled his eyes. “None taken, I guess.”
“Wait, weren’t you the one telling me to tell Juniper how I felt about her before it was too late?” Mikey asked, putting his elbow on my shoulder even though I was three inches taller than him and it looked weird. When I didn’t respond, he exclaimed, “You were! Dude, take your own damn advice!”
I made up some lame half-excuse, unable to look him in the eyes. “It’s different.”
“How? How the fuck is it any different?” Mikey’s tone almost sounded annoyed, like meeting Juniper had turned him into a hopeless romantic all of a sudden.
An exasperated sigh escaped my lips. “It just is. There’s a lot of history and baggage there that I’m not sure she—or I—is ready to unpack.”
“Take your time, brother.” Colter clapped a hand on my shoulder.
When I raised my brows at him, he shrugged. “People don’t heal overnight, but if it’s something you want—really want—to work out, it’ll be important to talk. Untended wounds fester.”
My mouth pinched into a thin line as I nodded.
Colter understood my position probably the most out of all the guys.
We all had our own demons and shit we’d gone through, but Colter had also supported Ellison through her grief and trauma from losing her dad in childhood.
Everything he said was true. One day, Sierra and I would have to talk about what happened if we wanted to move forward and secure a future for ourselves.
No one said anything for a minute, all of us looking around at each other, just staring.
Jake finally clapped his hands together. “Alrighty, then. Let’s get this party started, shall we? No more sad face. Turn those frowns upside down! Everyone, go put in a song right now, or else I’ll choose one for you, and you probably won’t like it.” He pointed to the songbook right next to the DJ.
Sierra and the girls popped back to the group as he was saying this.
“No way in hell am I singing karaoke,” Ellison protested, putting one hand on her hip as the other brought her drink up to her mouth.
“Come on, Ellie girl, have a little fun!” Jake scrubbed his hand through her hair, and she swatted his hand away. “You and Colter can sing Grease!”
“What are you going to sing?” Sierra nudged me with her elbow, a silly grin spread across her features.
I shook my head. “I’m going to sing nothing.”
“You party poopers can go shit on someone else’s night.
The exit’s right there. It’s Juniper’s first time back since she moved!
The least you can do is have some fun!” Jake flung his arms around as he gestured toward the front door.
I guessed he’d had at least two or three beers already.
“I’m putting in songs for all of you if you don’t get your asses up there right now. ”
“All right, all right. Let’s go, Blaze.” Colter wrapped his arm around Ellison’s shoulders, leading her to the DJ booth.
“That’s the spirit! Come on now!” Jake ushered the rest of us behind them, despite a couple grumbles from me and Reid.
After Jake handed in his song request, Colter and Ellison followed. Mikey put in a song, too, but I didn’t know if it was a duet with Juniper or not. Reid wrote something down but stuck the card back in his pocket when Jake wasn’t looking.
“Are you going to do one?” I asked Sierra as she flipped through the book of songs.
She raised her brows at me in this inquisitive way. “Am I going to get yelled at if I don’t?”
“It’s about fifty-fifty. Hopefully by the time everyone goes up, he’ll be too drunk to notice.”
That got a laugh out of her, and I grabbed her hand, leading her back to our table without ever putting in a song.
“Did you put in a song?” Jake came up behind me and grasped my shoulders after Sierra and I sat down at our table.
“Yup.” I took a swig of my beer and nodded, lying through my teeth.
“Did you?” He turned to Sierra next.
She shrugged. “Couldn’t find one.”
Jake shook his head, wiggling his finger at her. “I’ll give you a pass this time since you’re new. But next time I’m going to sign you up!”
“Up next to sing, we’ve got Jake!” Evan, the new DJ, announced into the microphone.
“That’s me. Prepare to have your minds blown, motherfuckers.” Jake started to make his way to the DJ stand, smacking us all on the back as he passed.
After he grabbed one of the cordless microphones, giving Evan a nod, the opening notes of “Mr. Brightside” started to play.
Jake started scream-singing the first verse, and Colter shook his head. “Of fucking course he did.”
It certainly had an effect on the bar, though, because when the chorus started, everyone in the building was singing at the top of their lungs. Jake hopped up on the bar and was leaning down over the sea of people jumping up and down. The floor shook, and the vibrations traveled up my legs.
“I had no idea he was this spirited.” Ellison chuckled as we all watched him make a spectacle of himself.
“It’s his alter ego coming out. He won’t remember any of this in the morning.” Reid laughed.
“And he expects us to follow this?” Juniper shook her head in disbelief, knocking back a shot. “I might need some more alcohol for this.”
“You couldn’t feed me enough liquor to do that.” Sierra crossed her arms over her chest, her shoulder brushing mine.
“I’m with you there.” I nodded, raising my bottle in agreement.
“What, you didn’t put in a song?” Mikey asked.
“Nope,” I said, popping the P.
Colter raised his brows. “You didn’t put in a song, but how much do you wanna bet Killer up there put one in for you?”
“I don’t know. Guess we’ll find out.”
Jake’s song ended, and the crowd went absolutely wild as he hopped down. The guys sitting near the bar clapped him on the back, and he threw out a few cocky smiles at some of the girls nearby before stumbling back over to our group.
“How about that performance from Jake! Let’s keep up the good mood, shall we?” DJ Evan laughed into the microphone. “Come on up, Mikey!”
“Ah, that’s me!” Mikey chugged his beer, handing it off to Sierra before speed-walking over to the microphones.
He performed a very poor rendition of “SexyBack,” and then Evan called up Colter and Ellison, who, to Ellison’s obvious dismay, performed “You’re the One That I Want.”
Colter went all out, pulling out some ridiculous dance moves that made Ellison blush and roll her eyes as she stood next to him.
“Give it up for Colter and Ellison! Next up we’ve got…Hayden!”
My eyes widened and mouth gaped as Jake whipped his head toward me and winked.
“Go get ’em, Tiger!” He pushed me toward the DJ booth, despite my protests, even going so far as to threaten me, saying, “I’ll drag you over there if I have to!”
I had no idea what song Jake wrote down for me, so this was truly the worst kind of roulette to play. I fiddled with the microphone in my hands as “Can’t Take My Eyes Off of You” began playing.
“Are you kidding me?” I muttered, whipping my head toward Jake before lifting the microphone up to my lips. “Who do you think I am? Heath Ledger?”
The bar erupted into laughs, but I wasn’t playing around.
Of course Jake would choose this song. If this wasn’t an attempt at matchmaking between me and Sierra, then I didn’t know what it was. I’d get back at him one day, though. I was sure of it.
Reluctantly, I started singing along with my eyes focused on the lyrics on the TV screen and my feet glued to the floor.
“Come on, Haydie! Give us a show!” Mikey yelled from our table, and I dared to look over at them.
Ellison was clapping along to the beat, encouraging the rest of the group to get involved, and Jake was doing some kind of weird dance move.
By the time I locked eyes with her, Sierra had a big, radiant smile on her face. I didn’t know if it was because she thought I looked ridiculous up here or what, but if making a fool of myself was how I could get her to smile, then so be it.
As the chorus started, I sang so hard I thought my lungs might burst. Walking over to the group, I took one of Sierra’s hands in mine, lifting it to my lips during a break between lines before serenading her.
The way her face turned scarlet was enough to make up for the humiliation of Jake putting in a song for me.
“Wow, Hayes. I didn’t know you were such a rockstar.” Sierra giggled when I returned to the group. “If cowboying doesn’t work out for you, I’d say we send you to Nashville. Or send in an application for you to be on one of those singing competition shows.”
“Only if you come with me, Skip.” I winked.