Page 56 of Secondhand Smoke
Finally, whatever she was thinking set in, and she looked back at him with a determined stare. “I need something to do.”
Barrett raised a brow. “Like what?”
“Anything. Are you guys doing anything tonight?”
“We’re practicing tonight at Toni’s place. It’s not much—we play, mess up, yell at each other, and repeat,” he said. “But you’re welcome to come.”
“Watching you guys mess up and yell at each other sounds like the best thing ever.”
Barrett chuckled. “We start at six.”
She smiled up at him, this time with more life in it than before. Barrett found himself grinning back at her, light-headed.
“See you then.”
His feet remained nailed to the ground as she left with a jingle from the doorbell, and that pesky smile stayed glued to his face.
“I’m not sure what freaks me out more.” Toni stepped up, his arms crossed, with that teasingly judgmental twitch of his brow.“When you look like you’re gonna cry over a girl or when your face is about to split in two because of a girl. I’m not sure I can get used to either.”
“You might as well,” Barrett said, finally able to pull his eyes away after Nell disappeared from sight. “Because she’s coming to practice tonight.”
Toni huffed. “Can’t wait to see how the others react to that.”
* * *
Barrett found his eyes wandering to every passing person outside the wide-open garage door as the band ran through their song. Not that there were many, as most people avoided the area when the guys were slamming on drums and guitars.
Toni’s neighbor, Mrs. Carlyle, loved to rant about it being a noise hazard and “utter trash to this town”. Most people agreed with her, but Seventh Circle didn’t have much choice, nor did they care much.
He sang into the microphone, closing his eyes in hopes that it would keep him focused instead of constantly wondering if Nell was going to show up.
Paulie had begged them to do a cover of Ratt, so Barrett banged his head to the beat ofRound and Roundas he sang through the chorus. He had the hang of it this time. His digits jumped from one chord to the other blending as they should . . .
Then his fingers slipped, and the sound of disjointed chords spliced through the rhythm and echoed through the amp, making them all cringe and the music fade to a stop, instrument by instrument.
It was the third time he’d messed up the same section.
“Come on, Barrett, how hard can that part be?”
Barrett spun to glare at Toni. “Maybe you should drop those little sticks and come show me how it’s done since you know so much better.”
Toni shook his head in disapproval, then his eyes flicked over Barrett’s shoulder. “What do you think, Duncan? He’s teaching you, right? Don’t you think Barrett should be able to handle that little pass?”
Barrett’s adrenaline spiked at the mention of her name, and healmostturned. But he’d been dealt that same joke about five times in the past few weeks. “Nice try. I’m not falling for that shit again.”
“Whoa, Duncan. What’re you doing here?” Dennis was the one who asked this time.
Barrett grasped the neck of his guitar and held the stone still, determined not to fall into their ribbing.
“Scott invited me.”
Barrett snapped his head around because none of his friends were able to imitate Nell’s soft, sweet voice.
“Janelle,” Barrett said. He shouldn’t have been caught off guard, since he’d been waiting for her all night, but he still was.
She wasn’t wearing the same outfit as earlier. She wore sleeves a more appropriate length for the heat, and her hair looked like it had been washed. Her skin, however, remained pale.
“Hi.”
