0597092001436358459 eveline vine Read online

  He looked back over at me and I had the sneaky suspicion that he was about to make his way over. No way. I hurriedly got up and walked briskly back to the dorms, knowing that if I’d held his gaze for much longer, I’d have been trapped.

  two

  My first week of exams passed quickly and despite Candy’s best efforts to draw me away, I studied just as hard as I had the previous week. Saturday afternoon came faster than I expected, leaving me unprepared for Candy’s sneak attack. She lured me out of our room with the promise of study snacks, only to push me into her boyfriend’s arms. Mason swung me up over his shoulder and ran down the flight of stairs to his car, laughing at my squeal of protest. Candy caught up to us, a large bag swinging from her shoulders. From the evil smile on her face, I figured she’d packed me some clothes in there too.

  Mason put me down gently and opened the back door of his car, gesturing for me to climb in. I sighed and slid in dutifully. Candy dropped in beside me, a wide grin on her face.

  “We’re going to have so much fun!” she said, throwing her arm around me. I nodded slowly, not wanting to admit that I wasn’t keen on playing third wheel, especially if we were sharing the one tent. I’d just have to sleep outside the tent, I decided. Growing up in an army family, I’d swagged under the stars many a time without the cover of one. I blinked as a familiar looking male opened the front door and sat in the passenger seat beside Mason. He was one of Stone’s friends.

  “Hi ladies,” he said, grinning mischievously at us, “How are you Candy-lips? Still tasting sweet?”

  Candy gave him the finger and Mason punched him in the arm. “Watch it Donny,” he growled.

  The guy laughed and turned his attention to me, looking me over thoroughly. I shifted uncomfortably, well aware that I didn’t look especially great. I’d been studying after all. I was wearing a tight, pink singlet, beneath a short, denim, overall-dress that stopped at mid thigh. My long hair was pulled into a perky-high pony-tail and I was wearing pink, bunny slippers. I must have looked like a small, sickly child, with my skinny frame and cute outfit.

  “And who’s this cutie?” he asked, his smile turning wolfish, “Evelyn Vine right?”

  I blinked at him. How did he know my name? Not wanting to be rude, I slowly nodded.

  “Evie,” I squeaked.

  He smirked, “Is that your initials or your nickname?”

  I blushed. “B-both, I guess,” I stuttered, “B-but I meant, just call me Evie.”

  “Great,” he said, shooting me a wink, “Since Mase is sharing with Candy, are you going to swag up with me?”

  My face turned scarlet and I frantically searched for something to say back. I opened my mouth several times, but couldn’t answer.

  Only if you promise to keep me warm, sexy…

  You wish, perve!

  No thanks, I don’t sleep with musicians.

  Oh my god, yes please! You’re so fucking hot!

  I didn’t say any of that. I turned my face away to look out the window, still blushing madly. Unfortunately, this just seemed to amuse Donny more.

  “I’m Donovan Brody,” he said smugly, “But you can call me Donny.”

  I nodded politely, but didn’t look back at him. “Nice to meet you,” I whispered.

  He chuckled and I couldn’t help but sneak a covert look at him. He was definitely attractive. Tall and lean, with messy black hair and sharp brown eyes, he fit the stereotypical looks of a rock-star. He wore black skinny jeans and a navy singlet, but I noticed he’d dumped a thickly-lined denim jacket at his feet. I glanced at the bag Candy had set between us and wondered whether she’d packed anything warm for me. I shivered at the thought of spending the night in the desert in the little I was wearing.

  I glanced back at Donny, to find him still staring at me with unconcealed interest. “You shy, little darling?” he questioned with another chuckle.

  I inwardly rolled my eyes. Why do people always ask questions they know the answers to?

  Candy laughed. “Be nice Donny,” she said, giving me a one-armed hug.

  “I am being nice!” he protested with mock affront, “I’m making friends.”

  I don’t get handsy with my friends, I thought as I gently eased my bunny-slippered foot away from his naughty fingers. He noticed though, and tugged it back toward him.

  “Did you bring any shoes for my new friend?” he asked Candy with a small frown.

  She rolled her eyes. “Duh,” she said, popping the gum in her mouth with a loud smacking noise. She unzipped the bag and gave me my trainers. I took them gratefully, but would have preferred my hiking boots to protect my skin from the worst of any spinifex grass we might come across.

  “So what are you studying?” Donny probed while I struggled to put my shoes on.

  “Visual arts and Media,” I grunted with effort, “Focusing on Photography though.”

  His eyes lit up, “Photography hey? I’m studying Music. I’m in my second year.”

  “You should take some pictures of our band. Have you ever seen us perform?” he asked, with a quick glance at Candy.

  I shook my head. I’d never gone to the uni club or the local bar, despite Candy’s urging to join her (Mason was a DJ at the uni club, so Candy spent most Friday nights there).

  He shrugged his shoulders as if unfazed by my lack of enthusiasm on the subject. “You should come with Candy next time we play,” he told me.

  I bit back a sigh and grudgingly made an effort to participate in the conversation. I felt incredibly rude letting him carry it by himself.

  “What do you play?” I asked quietly and Mason turned down the car CD player so that they could all hear me better.

  Donny’s face lit with triumph at my tentative question. “I play guitar and I’m lead singer,” he informed me proudly, “I’ve been told I’ve got a sexy voice.” He wiggled his eyebrows playfully.

  Hmmm, I guess I’ll have to come and hear for myself, I should have said, but didn’t.

  I coughed and averted my eyes. “What sort of music do you play?” I asked.

  He shrugged. “Mostly Metal,” he replied, “Some heavy, some not so much. We do a little bit of Rock and Alternative sometimes.”

  I smiled and nodded in understanding. My brother Paulie (the one studying to be a teacher) had dabbled a bit with music and his garage band’s style had varied. I personally didn’t like over-the-top screamer songs, but most Metal music was good in my book.

  “Do you like Metal?” he asked, watching my face curiously.

  “Some of it,” I replied, shifting uncomfortably and wishing he’d stop staring at me as if I was some sort of lab experiment.

  He grinned and gave me a pat on the knee. “Come hear us play,” was all he said, before turning back around and leaving me alone.

  “Don’t worry,” Candy whispered in my ear, “He makes everyone blush. He’s the biggest flirt on campus.”

  I smiled at her, relieved that I hadn’t been singled out. But as soon as we reached the race track and parked, Donny opened my door and pulled me out, tugging me after him with a firm grip on my hand. I tensed again, immediately alert. He was touching me. He was leading me somewhere and Candy and Mason weren’t following. I tried to think of a way to get him to stop…but all I could think to say was that my clothes were back there with Candy. I didn’t mention that though, smart enough to predict the line of conversation that would bring up.

  My mild panic was cut short though as Donny came to a halt. I breathed a sigh of relief that he hadn’t taken me far. Until he pulled me in front of his body and I looked around the campsite at the amused faces before me. Oh my God. My gaze stuck on one face in particular and my knees buckled as anxiety returned full-force. Donny caught me with an arm around my waist, laughing a little as I hurriedly found my feet again.

  “You okay Evie-baby?” he murmured near my ear, a sexy purr in his smooth voice. I didn’t take my eyes off Stone. I nodded slightly in answer and quickly moved out of his grasp, shufflin
g away slightly and looking around at the other members of the band.

  Donny pulled me close again though and I stumbled from the force of his enthusiastic tug. “Hey guys,” he said cheerfully, “I made a cute, little friend. This is Evie.” He placed a great deal of emphasis on my nickname and I wondered if he was making some sort of secret point I wasn’t privy to.

  He threw his arm around my shoulder and grinned at his friends. I glanced at Stone again and shook slightly at his hard features. He seemed stonier than usual. Was he displeased that I’d joined them? Should I leave?

  “Hi Evie,” Briar smiled at me, pulling me away from Donny’s tight hold and shooting him a censoring look, “My name’s Briar-Rose, but just call me Briar or Bri.”

  I studied her face for a moment. She looked sincere and welcoming; her emerald green eyes were warm and lit with mischief. She had tied her messy, wild blonde curls in a ponytail and was dressed from head to toe in expensive designer clothing. Her slim figure was tall (5’7” like me) and barely covered by her small denim shorts and tight black singlet. I seriously hoped the rich city girl had packed something warm for tonight.

  “Bri’s not in the band,” Donny told me with a smirk, “She’s a groupie.”

  “I am not!” she protested, giving him the finger. She pulled me down to share the log she’d been sitting on and smiled. “I’m Stone’s best friend,” she told me, pointing to where he sat on the other side of the circle they had formed, “Stone plays the drums.”

  I swallowed nervously and nodded in his direction, without quite meeting his eyes. He pulled a packet of Smarties from his pocket and some of my tension fell away as I fought to stifle a giggle. Thankfully, Briar quickly moved on.

  “This is Alec Carmichael,” she said, indicating the man sitting on the other side of me, “He’s the base player, but he also does back up vocals.”

  He smiled softly at me and inclined his head. He seemed the kindest of the group and had warm hazel eyes that contrasted with the short, sharp spikes of his black Mohawk. He slid his arm around me in a comforting way and nodded his head toward the girl sitting next to him.

  “That’s Fredi,” he said softly, “She plays the keyboard and sometimes sings.”

  “Fredi?” I asked curiously, looking over at the interesting girl. Her hair was long, the top layer bleached blonde, whilst the layer beneath was died black. Her eyes were two different colours too; the left one green, and the right one blue. She was an average height and dressed in ripped jeans and a tight, red Slipknot shirt that stopped above her belly button. She’d obviously hacked the bottom of it off with blunt scissors, because the ends were ratty and uneven.

  “Winifred Lennox,” she said, holding out her hand and then shaking mine firmly, “But don’t call me that if you want to live.”

  She looked me over, very much like the way Donny had done so in the car. Her eyes lit up and her lips quirked cheekily. “You’re cute,” she said, giving me a small wink. I paled nervously, unsure if she was cracking on to me and what to do if she was.

  Donny laughed and picked Fredi up out of her chair. “I saw her first, woman,” he said with a laugh, then slid her down his body, “When are you going to stop pretending and give me a ride, honey?”

  “Never,” she said, pushing him away, “I’m not into meat.”

  I snuggled closer into Alec’s embrace, hoping to hide from anymore attention. No such luck. Candy and Mason’s arrival brought the attention back to me. Candy pulled me away from Alec and handed me a fold out chair.

  “You meet everyone?” she asked brightly, passing me a can of diet coke. I nodded briskly; nervously aware that everyone’s eyes had once again moved back to me.

  “Where’s Jamie?” she asked Donny with a frown.

  “He’s racing. On his dirt bike,” he supplied and then turned to me to explain.

  “Jamie is our lead guitarist,” he said with a grin, “James Frederick William Van Os the third!”

  I giggled at the name like I was supposed to, knowing that pretty much all of these people came from rich families, and that some of those families gave their children horribly embarrassing names. That was probably the reason everyone called Stone by his last name. I chuckled at the possibility his first name was something horrible like Bernard or something ridiculous like a fruit.

  Ha ha, Banana Stone?

  I glanced over at him and tried the name out with the visual. His head turned and he stared back at me in some sort of challenge. I burst out laughing at the thought of calling this man ‘Banana’. Then immediately clamped my mouth shut and reddened in humiliation as everyone stared at me curiously.

  “Nothing,” I muttered, praying that something, anything, would come along and distract them.

  “Hey guys!” a sultry voice called out and everyone but Stone turned to look at the big-breasted blonde that was approaching.

  Chloe, I thought with relief, she should distract Stone for me.

  Stone’s eyes still hadn’t moved from me though. Briar groaned and I glanced over at her curiously. She caught my look and rolled her eyes, sticking a finger in her mouth and pretending to gag.

  “I thought you got rid of her,” she whispered to Stone. His eyes left my face to look down at her (She’d moved to sit next to him). He gave her leg a gentle pat, as if mockingly pretending to soothe her annoyance. She scowled at him, but couldn’t stop the smile tugging at the corners of her mouth. I studied the friends curiously, fascinated by how two very different people could be so close. According to Candy though, Briar and Stone had grown up together; their fathers were close friends.

  Candy was a useful friend to have. She knew everything there was to know about everyone at our university. She, unlike me, had gone to school with most of them. That was one of the major set backs I had. I came to the campus knowing no one, while everyone else already knew each other and didn’t bother trying to make new friends.

  “Stone, honey,” Chloe purred, “Are you going to vote for me?”

  I glanced at her tight, white polo shirt and realised she was one of the rig girls (girls that posed in skimpy clothing and ‘promoted’ the event). He spared her a fleeting glance and raised one eyebrow. His expression barely changed, but it was clear to everyone what he was saying: Do I look like I give a shit about who wins the Miss Rig Girl competition?

  Chloe pouted, her full pink lips plumping as she wrapped her arms around his neck from behind. “Aren’t we still friends?” she murmured, giving his cheek a fleeting kiss, “You aren’t sore that I left you are you?”

  I hid my smile in Candy’s shoulder. Stone looked completely unaffected. I suspected from the way she was hanging all over him that she’d only broken off with him for attention. It looked as though her plan had backfired. Stone carefully removed her arms from his body and gave the seat next to him a pat, sending a glance at Briar to tell her to make room. She glared at him, but obeyed, letting Chloe sit down on the long log. As soon as she sat down though, Stone shoved earphones into his ears and turned the sound up on his iPod, effectively dismissing her.

  “Don’t you have promotional stuff to be doing?” Briar asked sweetly.

  Chloe smiled back and flipped her long, blonde hair. “I’m on break.”

  “Wow, it must be so tiring for you,” Fredi said with a wink, “Looking as hot as you do must be exhausting.”

  Chloe studied her a moment, presumably trying to decide whether Fredi had been coming onto her or making a snide remark.

  Donny stole her chance to respond though, by slapping Fredi’s ass and laughing loudly. “Not everyone is as effortlessly sexy as you, Pooh-bear,” he said with a wink.

  Fredi punched his arm. “Don’t call me that Donovan,” she snarled.

  He just laughed and pulled her flush against his body, “Mmmm and you can call me whatever you like, Winnie-Pooh.”

  She pushed and kicked at him, trying to get out of his grasp.

  “Quit it you two,” Alec said with a laugh, thumping Don
ny on the back, “Let her go, Don.”

  Donny huffed, but obeyed, quickly jumping out of the way when Fredi took a heated swing at him. Stone reached out and grabbed her, pulling her down to sit on his lap, before closing his eyes and zoning out to his music again. Chloe glared at her and tugged on Stone’s shirt sleeve.

  “Stone, I’ve got to go now,” she said, leaning into his body. He nodded once to show he heard, but didn’t open his eyes. She frowned ever so slightly and leaned forward to remove an earpiece. Stone frowned and opened his eyes, his annoyance clearly written on his face. She hesitated, but eventually leaned forward and whispered something in his ear. He shook his head slightly and then replaced the earpiece, closing his eyes again and bouncing Fredi gently with one knee. Chloe stormed off without saying goodbye and Fredi moved to take her seat.