Changeling

Chapter 4

The crowd cheers wildly. A few more glasses come up, joining in the salute from the bar. Ava hugs me, laughing. I can't help but laugh as well.

"I told Coach it'd be a hit" She calls over the cheering.

I return her embrace. "I'm just glad we finally got to sing it together."

Her embrace tightens. "I'm gonna miss you so much!"

I laugh, pulling free. "We're still going to talk all the time." I begin walking to the stairs and she follows. "And every time our breaks line up-"

"We do everything in our power to say hi in person," she finishes the promise she insisted on making after we had ended up choosing different colleges.

Fin raises his glass to us as we slide into our seats. "Amazing, as always."

Ava presses a hand to her chest. "You flatter me, as always. Never stop." She picks up her own glass, touching it to Fin's. "To us." She gives me an expectant look.

"My glass is empty," I tell her.

She gives me a look. "Just join the toast."

Picking up my glass I touch it to theirs. "Happy?"

"Yes. To us," she repeats.

"To us," Fin and I chorus back.

Fin and Ava pull their glasses back, taking a drink as I set mine down. A girl walks up behind Ava, dressed in all black with a black leather jacket.

"I just wanted to say great job up there." Her dark eyes land on me. "Your voice is just magical."

I can feel my head tilt. "And I thought I'd heard every compliment there was. Thank you."

Her own head tilts. There's a curious look in her eyes. She nods. "You're welcome. Have a good night."

And she's gone, lost in the crowd.

Ava lifts her glass again, to me this time. "Your voice is magical, darling," she says with an exaggerated southern drawl. "Pure magic."

I roll my eyes. "I'm going to get a refill. You guys want anything?"

Ava draws her glass back to herself as Fin shakes his head.

"I suppose I could use a refill," Ava muses.

"I'll tell Berry you're ready for your rum and coke."

Ava smiles broadly at me. "My hero."

I rise easily from my chair, weaving through the crowd. As I near the bar, I can see Berry is busy, talking with a couple of guys, so I slip into one of the open bar seats. Berry's head turns slightly, and he gives me a wave of acknowledgment. I wave back. He holds up one finger to let me know he'll be with me soon.

"You're one of the girls that were just singing, right?"

I look over at the voice. It's accented, not quite British, but I can't put a label on it. A boy that has to be around my age sits on the barstool beside mine. His light brown hair is almost long enough to reach his dark eyes. His skin is just a little too dark to be a natural tan. He's smiling warmly at me.

I nod. "Yeah."

"You're an amazing singer," he says earnestly. Australian?

"Thank you."

He suddenly extends a hand to me. "I'm Jase."

I'm a bit caught off guard, so it takes a second before I take his hand. "Kaelynn."

His head tilts as he draws his hand back. "No T?"

I shake my head. "No T."

"That's really pretty." I just can't place his accent.

"Thank you. I'm sorry, but your accent. I just- where are you from?"

"Oh, ah," he scratches the back of his neck, "Very far from here, not a well-known place either. I learned English while in the UK."

His answer feels like a dodge, though I guess if it's really unknown, having to always try to explain where it is probably got tiring after a bit. It doesn't change the fact that I'm still curious.

I'm about to respond when Berry appears. "Alright, what I can I do for you?"

My attention snaps to Berry and I smile at him. "Oh, I'm just here for a refill," he nods beginning to move away, "And Ava is ready for her rum and coke, hold the coke."

He pauses, giving me a look, somewhere between annoyance and resignation. "You can let her know she gets her rum when I finally get that ID." And he's off to get the drinks.

I turn my attention back to Jase to find him staring at me. He's not actually staring at me though, but he's also not not staring at me. His focus just wasn't my eyes, it was just to the side of my eyes. "Are you staring at my ears?" I had just worn a pair of simple studs. They weren't that intriguing. "I know my earrings aren't that amazing."

He blinks, eyes quickly finding mine. He shakes his head, smiling and chuckling. "No, sorry, no. I just. . ." He lifts a hand, leaning forward. Normally, I wouldn't let some random guy I just met touch my face, but for some reason, I don't move away from his hand. Gently and slowly, he trails his fingers across my temple, drawing my hair back, tucking it behind my ear. Just as slowly, his fingers trail down my hair before his hand settles in his lap, but he doesn't lean back. "I just really wanted to do that."

I lean back laughing. "That was really tacky."

Jase lets out a defeated breath, leaning back. "Do I get to try again?"

Berry silently slips up, sliding the drinks across the counter to me. I nod my thanks to him, picking them up. Sliding from the stool, I look back at Jase, giving him a smile. "Maybe later."

Jase just smiles, bowing his head in farewell.

Ava looks over as I set her drink down. "Were you successful?"

"He told me to tell you you'd get your rum when you finally gave him an ID."

"Darn." She purses her lips. "I should get a fake ID."

"He knows how old you are," Fin points out.

"Yeah, but it would be funny."

"And he would totally confiscate it," I add in. "I'm sure it'd get a great reaction, but would it be worth it?"

"Okay, so I find someone who is willing to make a super cheap fake."

"If you aren't worried about quality," Fin shrugs.

"It doesn't have to be good. Berry's going to know it's a fake anyway. It just has to look like a real one. Visually." Another beat then she suddenly looks at me. "Were you talking with that guy at the bar?"

I blink, caught off guard by her sudden change of topic. Fin looks over at her in surprise.

"I mean, yeah. How?"

She shrugs. "I noticed him earlier through the crowd and caught a glimpse while you were up there. What? I always notice the cute guys."

I roll my eyes. "Be my guest. I won't stop you. Invite him to sit with us," I dare her.

Ava considers for a second, even glancing over at Fin. "Nah. This is our night. We came to have fun together." She lifts her glass again. "Let's not waste any time we have left."

I lift my glass. "Not a second."