Under the Bridge

chapter forty three- "college girl"

THE CLUB IS TEEMING WITH LIFE. It's one of those punk/alternative places with wooden walls, a bar that serves coffee, and all sorts of hipster lights that dangle from the ceiling and make the room seem dim. It's full of people, all dawned in dark colors or aesthetically ripped clothes. I'm just wearing light colored skinny jeans with tears at the knees and the thighs, with a nirvana tee shirt that I thought was too ruined to wear outside of sleep. Apparently, it looks good here. I fit in enough so that people can't tell that I would normally studying right now. 

Hope is really where people's eyes are. She's wearing a pink North Face jacket, leggings, and boots. If anyone doesn't fit in, it's her. She doesn't seem to care though, since she's just smiling and asking me questions about the music.

"So what's your favorite thing about them?" She asks, voice calm and mellifluous, and though she doesn't even care what the people around us think. I wish I had her confidence. 

I bite my lip in thought, recalling every time I've heard them perform. "When Liam sings." I admit. It's not because I've subconsciously pitted myself against Andrea or because just looking at him makes my heart melt, but because I seriously believe he's the most musically talented person up there. It feels like he's singing for me whenever the lyrics come out of his mouth. 

"What's with him and that girl, anyway?" Hope asks, looking up at the stage where the two of them are setting up the equipment. I see a smile fall upon her insanely beautiful face and I feel a pit of internal despair pool in my stomach. 

"It's nothing." I lie. 

My best friend raises her eyebrows. "Which one of them do I need to beat up?" 

I shake my head. "Neither of them." I admit, sitting down at the bar and averting my gaze from the two. 

She gives me a skeptical look and sets her hand on my shoulder. "You can tell me, I won't do anything." Hope won't be avert, but she will probably be really petty in the future when she finds out. I'm not sure if I should tell her, but she is my best friend, and I hate keeping things from her. 

"They didn't date or anything, but they were kind of friends with benefits." I shrug, looking away so Hope doesn't see the look of inherent jealousy in my eyes. "It's been over for awhile, but I don't know. She seems a lot more like his kind of girl. I don't know what he sees in me." 

Hope scoffs. "It might just be my best friend bias, but I think you're insanely out of his league." 

I shake my head, but stay silent, drumming my fingers on the counter. A deep sigh escapes my lips, and I look back over at the band. Liam is silently tuning his guitar, which isn't plugged into the amp, so I can't hear the sound. He isn't smiling, his expression is kind of neutral, which for him looks a bit like a scowl. His calloused fingers move effortlessly over the strings as he searches for the perfect audio. 

I notice that he's wearing his leather jacket, and that he's probably hot under the lights. Knowing him, he'll take it off dramatically after a song and all the girls will stare at his tattooed upper arms. 

I have no idea how someone could ever think that I am at the same, or a higher level than him. He's probably the best looking person in this room, and he's even better when he's smiling. 

Our eyes meet, and he shows me his teeth in a kind grin. It feels like a lot of other people have noticed the brightness that's radiating off of him now, and they look over at me. I send him a little wave and return my attention to Hope. 

"I got Liam to read Eleanor and Park." I tell her, recalling how upset he was about the ending. 

She laughs. "Really?"