Chapter 1 #2
House parties aren’t really my thing. I go to some parties thrown by the label that happen to be in houses, but they are far less wild than this. It fills me with memories of shitty house parties back in Utah. High school days, when I only dreamt of being as famous as I am today.
It fills me with pride to walk up the walkway and have people do a double take.
They know me. They know my band. The fact that I’m here is shocking.
I should be out in the VIP section of some club, hanging out with models, rock stars, and other famous people.
Yet, I’m here at the same party as them.
I can hear them whispering among themselves.
That doesn’t bother me in the slightest. I’ve learned how to deal with the whispers, the rumors, the gossip.
Being a famous rock star has its perks. If the only downside is people talking crap about me, I’ll take that in good stride.
Let them talk. Sell their stories. All it does is create a bigger buzz about me.
“Ben!” someone calls out. “You came!”
My head whips around to find a face I sort of recall. It could be Oscar or someone else from his band or another band entirely. Who knows. I don’t honestly care. If someone is bold enough to call me over, I’m going to go. Might as well have a partner in my crimes tonight. A wingman, if you will.
The guy looks a little younger than me. Probably in his early twenties.
Caramel brown waves sit on his head. A round, boyish face, with a button nose and light blue eyes, watches me as I move closer.
The sleeves of his red flannel are pushed up, revealing a few random tattoos on his light tan forearms, and a band tee underneath lets me know he has good taste in music.
I weave through the crowd, catching a few stunned faces with jaws dropped in recognition.
“Oscar said he invited you. I didn’t think you’d actually show, though.” He laughs. “Is Wes with you?”
“No.” I shake my head.
Wes is who people really want to meet. They consider him the genius behind the music we make.
The lead singer always gets all the glory, and Wes deserves it.
He does a lot of the work to earn it too.
I write a good portion of the music, but the lyrics are mostly his.
My guitar riffs are always my own. Maybe built off his input, but I do my own little tweaks to make it fit my vibe.
Most people drool over the lyrics, though. And Wes is mighty fine with a pen. The guy is a bleeding heart of hope and despair. I can’t wait for people to hear the new stuff. I wonder whether a whole album of love songs will sell.
“Ah. Right, he probably isn’t allowed to party since he is on probation.”
“And on Abbey,” I add with a laugh.
“Not sure I’d want to party if my other option was Abbey, either.” He smiles. “You probably don’t remember me, huh?”
“Vaguely. I have a shitty memory.”
“Cameron Ward. I’m the lead guitarist for Great Falls. We did the tour with you guys last summer.”
“Right. Hard to forget a band like Great Falls.”
I’m not lying, even if the face he makes shows he doesn’t buy it. Great Falls is a pretty decent band. I remember a few of his guitar riffs impressing me quite a bit. Their self-produced album is downloaded on my phone, but I’m not here to stroke the guy’s ego.
“Want a drink?”
We weave our way through the massive crowd of people throughout the house. Every corner is stuffed with people. Hot girls are mixed in with your average wannabe band guys. Music makes talking hard, but not impossible. The air is heavy with booze, weed, and a hint of cigarettes.
I let Cameron lead me through the swarm of people to the giant dining room. The table is covered with bottles of every kind of alcohol you could want. It looks like a liquor store threw up in here.
“Help yourself.”
I pick up a bottle of whiskey, filling up a plastic cup halfway. I want to get my buzz back, but I don’t need to get fucked up tonight. I'd much rather find a willing girl to take home.
“Whose party is this?” I ask as he pours himself a drink.
“Calvin Loudman. He is just renting the place. Every few weeks he throws a huge party at a rental. Shit gets wild, but it’s all good fun.”
“Cam,” a voice cuts in. “You left me again.”
I glance over to see an attractive girl standing to our side.
She glares daggers at Cameron, and I’d assume she is his girlfriend if it weren’t for the fact that she is almost a carbon copy of him.
Just slightly shorter, with great tits and longer hair.
Not long hair, just longer than his. Her caramel hair sits just at her shoulders.
She wears a tight tan turtleneck that sticks to her chest like latex. A short brown skirt highlights the curves of her hips, while the dark tights covering her legs stick to her like a second skin.
Her lips are pouty under the pink gloss she wears. Simple eyeshadow rests over her light blue eyes that look so much like Cameron’s it’s almost eerie. Only her eyes are far less friendly. There is a rage resting behind them, and I’m very tempted to see what would happen if I fanned the flame.
There is a light brown mark sitting at the corner of one eye. It hints that she might be more trouble than she is worth.
She clearly tried to cover up a bruise, and while the idea of someone laying hands on a woman makes me ill, that is not the kind of drama I need in my life. Her honor is not mine to defend, so I’ll kindly stay out of it.
“I just went out for a smoke and ran into Ben here. Chill, sis.”
“I specifically asked you not to leave me alone,” she says sharply. “You know…” Her eyes roam over to me as if she suddenly realized that Cameron mentioned someone else being here.
“Why did you come then?” He chuckles. “Stop being so uptight, Prue. Have a drink and try to have some fun.” He passes her a bottle of vodka.
She eyes me before glancing at the bottle in her hands.
“This is Ben.” Cameron motions to me. “From Haunting Memories.”
“I know who he is.” She raises an eyebrow, letting her eyes dart back to me. “You look different in person.”
“Do I?” I smile. I could show her a whole world of different in person, but I resist the urge to stick my dick in her. Whatever trouble stems from the bruise on her face is not worth whatever pleasure she could bring my cock.
Instead, I let my eyes drift to a group of girls off toward the stairs. They giggle among themselves, glancing my way. Clearly, they know who I am, which will make it a whole lot easier to fuck them.
“What are you doing here?”
I shrug.
“Slumming it.” Cameron laughs. “Reminding us lesser guys what the dream is.”
“And trying to get lucky.” I laugh, nodding to the other girls.
Prue rolls her eyes, lifting the bottle to her lips. She takes a gulp, and I try not to laugh when her face twists in disgust from the burn.
“Why do people drink this stuff?”
“To have fun. You should try it,” Cameron replies. “Have a few more sips and try to make some new friends. Ben and I are going to go try to make some of our own, okay?”
“Please don’t abandon me,” Prue pleads softly.
“I’m not abandoning you. I will be around. Relax and try to have a good time, okay? I won’t be far.”
She nods, taking another sip.
I follow Cameron as he ducks around a few people toward the girls by the stairs.
“Sorry about her. She’s had a rough couple of months. I’m just trying to show her life can be fun, you know?”
“Yeah.” I nod, ignoring the part of me that would like to show her how fun I could be.
The call of chaos is one I’ve learned to ignore after Janet. No girl is ever worth the trouble. Least of all some stuck-up girl with a bruise under her eye.