How To Rule Your High School

Chapter 32: What Happens in Huntington Doesn't Stay in Huntington

Brett drove to the bar in Huntington, with Vicky navigating from the passenger seat. I'd gotten dressed in the outfit I'd planned to wear to Danielle's party, shooting my newfound friend a text to apologize for not making it.

You ok? she'd sent back.

Tell you all about it tomorrow. I replied

Hope whatever it is goes okay. She replied, with the slanty frown emoji.

I felt like a jerk for blowing her off, but I needed to see for myself whether Ethan had outright lied about taking his mom to the airport. I hoped I would be able to come back to Brett and Vicky with a triumphant grin to say someone else was playing guitar for the band, but the closer we got to the bar the next town over, the more my dread intensified.

As the dark highway whizzed past, my finger hovered over the send button on the text I'd typed but hadn't had the guts to send.

How's the drive to the airport?

When Brett signaled and pulled off for Huntington, I grew a pair and pressed send. The wait for a reply was agonizing, but none came. I kept telling myself it was because he was driving, but I had a sneaky feeling it might also be because he was on stage at a battle of the bands.

When we pulled up outside the club, I felt like I was three seconds from spewing my dinner all over the back seat of Brett's car.

"You want me to come in with you?" Vicky asked, turning around to survey me. Brett was watching me in the rearview mirror as I stared with trepidation towards the club entrance.

"We're coming in with you," Brett said, switching off the ignition before I could answer. I swallowed when I met his gaze in the rearview, that barely stifled anger still there in his eyes. I had a feeling that if he laid eyes on Ethan in that club that there would be blood.

We climbed out of the car and Vicky sidled up to the bouncer, flashing her fake ID and convincing him to let us cut the line. He stamped my hand since all I had was my drivers' license that said I was very much under 21, but Brett flashed his own fake ID and the three of us strode into the club.

The place was positively booming with sound and hazy from the heat of all the bodies packed into such a small place. The stage was tucked at the back, the music so loud I could barely think.

"We'll get a drink at the bar, you go investigate," Vicky shouted into my ear, while she herded Brett towards the bar at the opposite side of the venue. Brett was straining to see who was up on stage and I figured it would be a good idea to have him on the other side of the room if indeed it was Ethan on stage.

As I made my way through the crowd, the room dipped into a large dance floor area, a few steps leading down into a mass of bodies. I paused at the top and clenched my jaw to keep from throwing up.

Ethan and his band were wrapping up a song I'd never heard before, Ethan jamming on his guitar with a sheen of sweat on his smiling face. As it ended, the crowd went wild and I couldn't stop from staring at him. Their drummer ripped off his shirt and tossed it into the crowd. There was a flurry of motion and I recognized the familiar faces of the girls from Corey's party as they scrabbled for the shirt towards the front of the crowd. I snorted at how pathetic it was, these boys playing rockstar at some tiny middle-of-nowhere club. But mostly I snorted at how craftily I'd been played.

"Thanks, and goodnight," Corey, their lead singer and bassist said, when they'd finished their songs. Setting my jaw, I fought the crowd as I made my way towards the stage. This ended now.