uninvited

chapter fiftysix

undisturbed

Ditching seemed like the thing to do. She was so distressed, and she was wishing she was anywhere but at school, and in the next moment she was standing in The Stage. Luckily, no one was there and since Dez hadn't freaked, it went unnoticed.

She lost herself in the music until Frick found her a few hours later. "I knew you would be off pouting."

"I knew you'd be pouting too. And by the way, it looks better on me. You're just sad."

"Since it is your fault, you can entertain me. Just none of the make-out songs."

Thanks to Kellum, they hadn't ban singing. Which was a good thing if they didn't want her going all ballistic on them. But even without a ban, the alien population around here was extremely low. More and more humans were showing up, some of them looking for the way of life they used to have. Some just out of sheer boredom.

What surprised her is that sometimes she would find Frey tucked into a corner watching. Always without the oak tree. Always trying hard to blend in. Jess knew she was waiting to hear her sing again.

And she wasn't the only one. Not all aliens were afraid to feel something. Some were in desperate need of it.

After showing Frick some keyboard action, then her talent with a guitar, she felt better so went about making him feel better.

The guy was one of those people who picked up things quickly and he became a pool shark in under an hour. He couldn't beat her, but she figured it wouldn't take him long before he could.

Which became a game of sorts. Finding things, he wasn't good at.

He won four candy bars off her playing poker. Then, Brady, Johnny, and Chris showed up and he cleaned them out. Darts, he was a master at. Dancing, he wouldn't even try. He just stared at her dancing around him.

By the time the place started getting busy they added making him try new things to the game.

He didn't share her obsession with lollypops. Beat everyone in the place in arm wrestling. The creep stole all her big red, which was all the big red she'd stolen from Julian. Beer confused him. No, he didn't get wasted. It just confused him. Why would people drink something that tasted like grainy horse piss? Good question.

Chris was so pissed that the last beer he'd been able to find had gotten wasted on Frick that he challenged him to another arm-wrestling contest.

Poor Prick didn't take losing too well, and Chris refused to give him a rematch.

"Okay, Hayley. You're up."

"I'm not complaining, mind you, but how did I get roped into this?"

"You don't have a match and neither does he."

"Because he's her guy's best friend." Laney pointed to where Brady was across the room. He was pretending to listen to something his brother and Julian were talking about, but he was just watching Laney wearing an adorable smile.

Yet another one who needed to be shot in the face.

"And I'm with him."

Lee looked around. "Are we really the only chicks in this joint?"

Now that she mentioned it.

Laney shrugged. "Hayden comes sometimes, and that red headed girl who stumbles over her words when Brady gets around her."