Out of the Shadow (41 page)

“
Yet you flaunt your relationship with Robby Redden in his face,” Lila continued like she hadn’t even heard Ally’s denial.

“
I do not,” Ally defended, her anger getting the best of her. “And you’re one to talk. I saw how you swooped down on Cole at the party when he was drunk and vulnerable. I heard you promise to take care of him. I know you probably convinced him to sleep with you.”

Lila stopped and folded her arms across her face, her eyes full of scorn. “No, not at all. You see, you would think that. And maybe there’s a little truth there. But Cole wouldn’t sleep with me. I took him home and helped him to bed but he wouldn’t do anything – nothing at all. And I tried, yes, I’ll admit it.” She closed the gap between them and leered in Ally’s face. “He cried that night, you know. He cried, said he couldn’t even kiss me. He said it would hurt you. He said you’d be disappointed. He said you used to be his best friend but now he didn’t even know what you were anymore.”

Ally staggered backwards, her heart a thumping, frantic mess. All the anger she’d summoned had disappeared like water down a drain. Her head was a mix of emotions and she couldn’t form a clear thought. “He…he said that?”

“
Yes,” Lila said, moving closer, sensing victory. “He did. He still loves you for some reason and yet you continue to hurt him. You should do everyone a favor and stay the hell away from him.”

Ally’s chest heaved as angry, guilty tears spilled down her cheeks. She fled the room and ran down the hall just as Robby exited a studio, Cole, RJ, Ren, and Parker behind him.

“
Ally?” Robby said, taking her by the shoulders. “What’s the matter?”

She shook her head, her tears wildly out of control. “I can’t see you today, okay? I’m sorry.” She tried to shake his hands off her shoulders but he pressed harder.

“
Let me drive you home,” he insisted. “Or…RJ or Ren. You’re in no shape to drive.”

She pushed his hands off her shoulders, still shaking her head. “No. I’m fine.” She brushed past the others, pausing in front of Cole. His worried eyes met hers as she moistened her dry lips. “I’m sorry.”

She ducked her head and bulldozed her way down the hall.

“
Al,” Cole called after her but she couldn’t stand to turn around and see his face.

Chapter Twenty-Five

Ally sat on her bed in her lonely dorm room one cold, March Saturday night and considered the invitation in her hands. She was half-tempted to go, even though her head was hurting a tad and her chest was a bit congested. But she couldn’t stand to stare at the walls any longer.

Robby had taken off Thursday night on a scouting trip to check some bands his father had told him about and wouldn’t be back until the following Tuesday. She missed him, sure, but she was a little relieved to have a break. She had a feeling that he could sense the stalemate their relationship had hit and perhaps that’s why he was eager to take the trip to Florida.

Her parents, who’d been in L.A. for the past two weeks, had decided to travel down to Mexico to visit the little town where they’d been married, so going home for the weekend was not an option.

And Jamie, who’d been trying hard to stay out of the tug of war between her and Cole, had escaped with his parents to visit his grandparents in Iowa, of all places. So, he was no form of entertainment, either.

She thought for sure she could hang out with Shannon but was once again disappointed when Shannon announced she was going home with her new friend, Susan, to spend the weekend. They timidly invited Ally along but she had passed, not really up to pretending to be happy to meet new people.

She continued to stare at the invitation as a mild coughing fit seized her chest. She sat up, hoping to relieve the congestion, and fetched a glass of water.

Sami had caught up to her Friday afternoon while she’d been crossing the campus with Jamie and thrust the invitation into her hands. Ally had opened it and groaned silently at the invitation to the basketball party. She hadn’t asked but had figured that Danielle would most likely be there and Ally certainly didn’t need that headache. So, she’d just promised Sami she’d think about it.

“
I should just go,” she said to no one but herself. “If I stay here, I’ll just think about Cole and fret about how bad I’m ruining my relationship with Robby. Maybe I just need to get away from all those most familiar with me and mingle with new people.”

Talking herself into it, she coughed, blew her nose, and started getting ready.

The bus let her off three blocks away from the address on the invitation, but Ally didn’t care. The air was cool and with the threat of rain, but it seemed to clear her achy head.

She’d opted to take public transportation instead of driving because she was already lightheaded from the beginnings of a cold and if she decided to have a drink or two, she didn’t want to drive. She’d just stay for an hour or so and catch a bus home. It was already fairly late – the way she’d planned it – and she was hoping that if Danielle was going to attend, that she had already made an appearance and left.

“
Ally!” Sami greeted, hugging her fiercely. “I wasn’t sure you were going to come.”

“
Yeah, well, I’m here,” Ally said, wrangling her body from Sami’s grasp. She was immediately accosted by several girls – most she didn’t recognize – and sighed. It was looking like she’d made a big mistake in coming.

“
How are you, Ally?” Rosie asked.

Ally blinked in surprise. She was sure the party was for the basketball team and neither Rosie nor Trudy had made it. She shook the stupor out of her clogged head and managed to rustle up a smile. “Fine, thanks.”

“
Let’s get you a drink,” a tall girl with beautiful caramel skin suggested. Ally shrugged and followed the crowd into the kitchen. Another girl was mixing drinks and handed one to Ally. Ally sipped the fruity concoction, gave the bartending girl a thumbs up, and fled back to the living room.

She mingled, relieved to see no signs of Danielle, and started to relax. She carried the same drink around for awhile, having no desire to load up on booze, and found herself having fun. Even Rosie and Trudy weren’t their usual annoying selves.

But as the night wore on and everyone talked of hitting the bars, she declined. Her head started to ache more and her skin started to sizzle. She found that she could barely climb the steps to the bathroom without having to stop to catch her breath or give in to a coughing fit. Her throat was on fire and she dumped out the last half of her second drink and filled the cup with cool water. The clock on the microwave declared it to be quarter past midnight and she figured she’d stayed long enough. She wanted nothing more but to go home and climb into bed.

She bid everyone goodnight as they hopped into their cars. She turned down their offers for a lift - she didn’t want to get suckered into going out with them. She tugged her jacket around her body and dashed the three blocks to the bus stop in the light rain. She found the unsheltered bench and stood, hopping from foot to foot, hoping the bus would come quickly.

After half an hour of waiting in the increasing rain, she decided the bus was not coming that late and she’d either have to walk the four or five miles back to campus or find another ride.

She shivered incessantly as her head started to spin. She sat on the wet bench and scrolled through the numbers in her address book on her phone. Raindrops dripped from her hair and fell on the screen as she skipped one number in particular and landed on another.

“
Come on, RJ,” she muttered. “Please don’t ignore me. Pick up.”

But it went straight to voice mail. Her stomach lurched and she closed her phone so she could run to a fenced in yard and vomit in their bushes. She prayed the homeowners wouldn’t look out their window and call the cops on the girl, hurling in their landscaping.

She wobbled as she stood back up and pressed a hand to her head. Utterly miserable didn’t describe how she felt – not in the least. She gave up and dialed the other number.

“
Hey, Al,” he said as he yawned. “It’s kind of late. What’s up?”

“
Cole,” she croaked and paused to cough. “Can you give me a ride?”

“
Where are you?” he demanded, all trace of sleep out of his voice. “Are you all right?”

“
Yeah, I’m fine,” she said. She quickly explained her situation, tears now mixing with the rain on her face.

“
Stay there. I’m on my way,” he said.

She hung up and sat back down on the wet bench, drawing her knees to her chest. Her eyes remained vigilant even though she was in a fairly safe part of town. Still, one couldn’t be sure who’d be lurking about at odd hours of the night.

The rain didn’t increase but didn’t lessen – instead it came down steadily, enough to completely drench her. Another fit of coughing wracked her lungs and stole her breath long enough to scare her. When she recovered, her head pounded harder than ever and her throat felt as if she’d swallowed an entire package of razor blades.

She rested her head on the back of the bench, her nose nearly as congested as her chest. She closed her eyes, wishing she was in her own bed, either at home or in her dorm – she wasn’t particularly picky at that point.

A car stopped at the curb and she lifted her head, fear pounding in her aching chest. But she recognized it – even in the dark – and leapt off the bench.

“
Cole,” she gasped in relief.

“
Damn it, Al,” he said as he crossed in front of the headlights and removed his jacket. He wrapped it around her shoulders and herded her to his car. He opened the door and helped her inside, buckling the belt around her.

He climbed in the car and cranked up the heat as she snuggled in the seat. “Thank you, Cole.”

“
No problem, Al,” he said, his eyes on the road. “I’m going to take you back to my place tonight so you can get into some dry clothes and get some sleep. Tomorrow we’ll decide what you want to do.”

It was almost like déjà vu but it didn’t matter. She nodded. “Okay. I’m sorry I woke you up. I tried to call RJ but his phone went to voice mail.”

“
He went to a late movie with some girl,” Cole explained.

“
Oh,” she said as her weary body slid slightly toward him. His elbow rested on the console and, without thinking about it, she wrapped a hand around his bicep and rested her forehead on his arm. She nearly felt as though she was floating outside of her body. “I’m sorry I messed up everyone’s life.”

He started and his muscles tensed. “Ally, you didn’t mess up anyone’s life. Please, don’t think that.”

The warm tears fell on her hot cheeks and she was helpless to stop them. She coughed again, long and hard, and when the fit passed, she leaned against his arm. “Sorry.”

“
Ally, stop apologizing,” he said as he stopped for a traffic light. He lifted a hand from the wheel and brushed the damp hair off her cheek. “Just rest, okay? I’ll get you home and fix you up.”

Another apology was on her lips but she held it in and nodded instead. “Cole,” she said in a tiny voice. “I just want you to know that I never…um…slept with Robby. Ever. You’ve always been…the only one.”

“
Al,” he groaned as the light turned green and he accelerated. “We’re not talking about that now.”

“
I know,” she said as she yawned. “I just wanted you to know.”

“
Thanks,” he said and chanced a quick kiss to her head.

***

He helped her into the house and steered her directly to the bathroom. He shut the lid on the toilet and made her sit as he turned on the shower and waited for the water to warm up. When he deemed the temperature appropriate, he turned to her.