Meet Me Backstage, page 2
“Yeah, I'm sure it's alcohol. She’s acting giddy and, well, that’s not Heidi. She’s not the giddy type.”
“You can say that again.” I can't help myself.
“Hey! You don’t know her. I never thought you would judge someone without knowing them.”
She’s right. I was out of order. “Ok, sorry, so what do you want me to do?”
“Well, her parents are out. I don't want to phone them because they'll go crazy, they're mad protective, and Edward is watching Manchester Giants tonight with Liam, so he’s out. It's a lot to ask and I'm so sorry, but could you pick us up? I don’t know who else to ask without us getting in tonnes of trouble.” Harper pleads.
“Are you sure this isn't self-inflicted? Maybe she wanted to let loose.” She sure needed to loosen up.
“You don't know Heidi, but trust me, she would never drink intentionally.” Her voice turns into a whisper. “I think someone in here did it. Please, Coop.” She's pleading now. Like I can say no.
I sigh. Of course I'm not going to leave her stranded. “Give me the address.” She rattles off an address. “I’ll be there in twenty minutes.”
“Thank you, thank you, thank you.” Her voice breaks. I end the call and grab my coat and my keys and say bye to the guys.
I close the car door with a slam, trying to keep my cool but failing miserably. What sicko would do that to a sixteen-year-old girl? Either a girl, jealous of her, or a guy trying to get somewhere with her. She is gorgeous, though. Weird, but gorgeous. Her wavy bobbed hair makes me want to run my hands through it and those tortoise-shell glasses really suit her. She’s not exactly approachable, which makes me think some guy could have wanted to make her more approachable. I clench my fists and unclench them, trying to keep my temper in check as I walk up the path.
I text Harper that I've arrived and wait for her to come out. After a couple of seconds, the door to the club swings open and Harper’s terrified face meets me. “Thank God, Coop - I owe you one for this. You'll need to help me. She’s swaying around and losing her balance, and she might look like she weighs nothing but, believe me, she does not. I need your help.”
I sigh and stare at the floor. How the hell did I get landed with this? Harper isn't my girlfriend, she’s my brother’s, he should be here dealing with this. It’s not even her that needs the help, it's her friend. But who am I kidding? Harper’s like a little sister to me, but even if she was a stranger, I wouldn't see a girl in trouble, especially because of what some idiot did to her.
I step inside the clubroom and follow Harper into a large darkened room with lights flashing from the DJ stand. Kids from school are milling around being loud and annoying, the opposite of a situation I’d usually like to be involved in. You couldn't drag me here.
I follow her to another room - a small private bar at the other end of the party room. My heart lurches as I see Heidi slumped on a bench with her head down.
Okay, Coop, keep calm.
Harper squats down to her and puts her hands on her knees. “Hey, Heidi, time to go. Our lift is here.”
She raises her head, and her zoned-out eyes meet mine. Something shoots through me as though someone has punched me. I've never seen her eyes before. They're an unusual honey colour, sort of a light brown with bright gold flecks, making them almost transparent - seriously cool. Although right now, they appear dead; she’s out of it.
She smiles at me, and it hits me again how pretty she is. “Ed, I knew you'd come. Harper loves you.” She narrows her eyes at me again and realises that I'm not my twin and her eyes widen. “Wait, you're not Edward, you're his mean brother, Cooper.”
She turns to Harper. “What is Cooper doing here? He hates me.” She leans in and whispers, “I wish he didn't, though. He's way hotter than Edward.” She puffs out air and fans her face and I bite back a grin. Not sure why she thinks I hate her, I’ve never even had cause to speak to her.
Harper flashes me a glance. She doesn't know whether to laugh or cry - she turns back to Heidi, “I couldn't get hold of Ed and Cooper stepped up, so be nice or he’ll leave us. K?” She's talking to her as though she’s a baby. Remorse flashes in Heidi's eyes and she leans into Harper, whispering loudly, “It's okay, I don't really think he's mean, I think he so gorgeous I can't even look at him.”
Now I full out laugh. She will die inside tomorrow. Still, kinda like that I have an effect on the girl.
Harper’s attention turns to me, grinning. “Well, you gonna help me or not? And please pretend you didn't hear that.” She stands and grabs Heidi's hand, “Come on, rock chick, time to get you home.”
“Why do you call her rock chick?” I ask.
She shakes her head. “Sorry, personal joke.”
Hmmm, this girl is getting more and more interesting.
Heidi slowly tries to stand on Bambi legs, then plops back down. Yeah, no way she can walk. Can I carry her? She’s slim but tall, it's not gonna be easy. Plus, everyone at the party will see me carry her out. She will be the talk of the school on Monday. If I can support her weight and she can walk, it will be so much better and save her the embarrassment.
I bend and get hold of her arm, throwing it around my shoulder, and slide my arm around her waist. “Okay, work with me, try to stand and I’ll support your weight.” I can't help but notice how she smells of apple blossom. What is going on with me and my reactions to her? I’m noticing her scent – who does that?
She stands and I take most of her weight as we walk. “Don’t tell, but I like you the best.” She mumbles as she slides her hand around my waist, grabbing firmly at my t-shirt there. I’ve gotta say, I don't hate the feeling.
“Glad to hear it. Concentrate on where your feet are going.”
“That’s why I can't look at you,” she says, sadly.
“Why wouldn't you be able to look at me?” Trying to talk and get her out isn't easy, but I want to know why she has such a reaction to me.
“You're scary and too hot to talk to me.” Her words are slurring at this point.
“I look exactly like Ed, and you're friends with him.”
She shakes her head, lolling it from side to side. “Oh no, you're nothing like Ed.”
I smile to myself. She’s right - we’re identical in appearance, but that's where the similarity ends. He's all ‘ray of sunshine’ and I'm a storm cloud. Even Mum says it.
“No, I'm not, you're right. Come on. We’re nearly outside.” Harper has hold of her on the other side. People are watching. It's obvious she’s hammered, so I guess hiding it didn't work too well.
She puts even more of her body weight on me, leaning into me further. “Do you want to kiss me?”
I can't hold back my chuckle. “I'm good, thanks. Maybe another time.” She will be mortified in the morning and through no fault of her own. I'm gonna ask around about this. It’s one thing choosing to drink at these parties, but it's a whole different matter getting that decision taken away from you.
We get to the car, and I lift her in. “You're so strong.”
These compliments could go to a guy's head.
Harper rolls her eyes. “Yes, Heidi, he’s so strong, now don't go to sleep and don't throw up.” She glances at me. “This is just booze, right?”
I assess Heidi. She just seems drunk. I nod. “Yeah, I’m pretty sure. Any idea who did it?”
She shakes her head, “No, no way, not a clue. She had a can of coke when we went to the bathroom. Maybe someone put it in her drink then?”
I frown. “You didn't take your drinks with you?”
“Well, no, it was the toilet, and we trusted the guys that were there. There was a windowsill outside the bathroom. We left it on there.”
How could they be so stupid? I shake my head. “Seriously?”
She frowns. “Now is not the time for a lecture. Can we go home? This night has been a disaster.”
“I want to play.” Heidi mutters.
What? Play what?
Harper says, “She plays guitar.”
I knew this girl was interesting.
“Is that what the ‘rock chick’ comment was about?”
“Yeah, it's a joke because she is the opposite of a rock chick, but she plays rock music when she plays.”
I stiffen. “Does she play at school?”
She shrugs. "Yeah, why?”
I shake my head. “No reason.”
Could she have been the one playing that day? I tried to question the music teacher about the identity of the guitar player without seeming too keen, but the music lover in me needs to find out. Whoever was playing is talented. Maybe I’ll make a few more enquiries on Monday. I take in her glasses, her outfit, all of her. She doesn't seem like the secret guitar player, but what does an amazing guitar player look like? There are no rules. I would be something else if it was her...
I sigh and get in the car. I can't believe they left their drinks unattended. Who does that at a party?
We pull up to Heidi's house. There are no lights on – her parents are still out which is a relief. Heidi’s head slumps down, almost touching her knees. She is struggling to stay awake, or maybe she's already lost that battle. “Heidi, do you have a key?” I ask.
She mumbles something about her bag, so Harper fumbles through it and retrieves the key. “Her parents are out tonight. She was supposed to come home with Sara and message them when she was home. I’ll text them from her phone when I get her settled. If they find out about this, they'll never let her out again. They're so overprotective of her because of her.... well, it doesn't matter, but it's best they don't know. Sara wanted to stay at the party once she knew you were coming. She’s getting a lift with her other friend’s dad.”
“You need to tell her parents, Harp. This is serious.”
She sighs. “I'll talk to Heidi about it tomorrow when she's awake.”
I nod and get out of the car, walking round to the back where Heidi is slumped. Harper gets out too. I nod towards the door. “You go open the door and I’ll carry her inside.”
I bend to talk to Heidi. “I'm gonna carry you. Can you put your arms around my neck?”
She lifts her head, and her eyes meet mine. There are tears in them. “I don’t like this feeling.”
Anger washes through me again. How could someone do this to her? This shouldn’t have happened.
“I know, honey, I'm sorry that this happened to you, but you'll be right as rain tomorrow. Well, maybe you'll be feeling a little ill, but you'll feel more like yourself.”
She shakes her head, and a tear rolls down. “Someone like you would never look at someone like me.”
My gut twists to hear her say that. She has such a low opinion of herself.
“Why do you say that? Why wouldn’t I look at you?”
She shakes her head. “You just wouldn’t. I'm so sorry you’ve had to come.”
“Don't apologise. None of this is your fault. And by the way, if you are who I think you are, you’re bloody amazing.”
Those honey eyes stare at me, and she gives me a small smile.
I lean even closer to her, “Put your arms around my neck. I've got you.”
She whispers, “You've got me.” And then she does as I ask, as I slide my arms under her legs and lift her from the car, adjusting her so that I have hold of her firmly. I straighten and make my way down her path.
She’s so vulnerable. I have the sudden urge to take care of her, a girl I don't even know.
I'm almost at the front door when I hear, “What the hell are you doing to my daughter?”
Oh crap. Terrible timing.
I turn around and a man and woman are stalking towards us. The woman looks Korean, and the man is tall with greying hair. They're obviously Heidi's parents. Well, isn't this perfect timing? My night was going so well until I answered my phone. Why do I own a mobile phone... but then, I look at Heidi, in my arms, her head resting on my chest, her glasses crooked. Helpless. No, I'm glad I answered the phone, whatever happens next.
Chapter Three
Cooper
“Your daughter isn't well, so I'm seeing her home.” They'll never believe me, even I can see this doesn't look good and I know it's innocent.
“Put her down. Put her down right now!” they shout. “What the hell have you done to her?”
Her dad is furious but I'm sure they don't want me to put her down in the middle of their driveway. There’s no way her legs will support her. My arms are going to drop off if I don't put her somewhere soon. I ignore him and walk towards the house where Harper has gone inside. Yeah, cheers Harper.
I step inside as I hear her dad’s voice bellowing. “How dare you go inside our home!”
I sigh and walk inside, ignoring the ogre behind me. I see the living room and carefully place her on the couch. She curls away from me, her face in a cushion, and starts to snore lightly. I can't help but smile to myself. She hasn't got a care in the world right now. Harper is flustered and grabs a throw to cover her. She speaks to Heidi’s parents. “Mr and Mrs Garrett - it's not what it looks like.”
Her Mum speaks in an uppity tone. “Well, it doesn't look too good, does it? Would one of you want to tell me what has happened to my daughter tonight?”
Harper sighs, “I’m not sure what happened. We’re guessing that she had alcohol, that someone maybe spiked her drink.”
Her mum gasps and goes to sit on the couch with a snoring Heidi.
“You think it's alcohol? How sure are you? Do we need to take her to hospital?” Her dad asks Harper, ignoring that I'm standing there.
I turn to him, “She was acting drunk, giddy, happy, she’s fine, she’ll sleep it off.”
He steps into me and grabs my jacket, leaning into me. “You need to get out of here now before I do something to a teenager that’ll end with me getting arrested. This isn’t the last you'll hear of this. I’ll be speaking to your parents, to school and to the police. You will regret ever messing with my daughter.”
I preferred it when he was ignoring me.
Harper tries to speak, “Mr Garrett...”
But he carries on, he's on a roll. “And I don't want to speak to you either, young lady. You both better leave right now.”
Well, this is a disaster.
I turn to Harper, knowing nothing can be resolved right now. “Come on, Harp, we better go.”
There is silence as we leave and the door slams behind us. She cringes.
Once we’re back on the road, she turns to me. “What a mess, I'm so sorry I got you caught in it.”
I sigh, “Yeah, not one of my best nights. She’ll put the record straight, right? When she wakes tomorrow?”
I don't want her dad on my warpath.
She nods, “Yes, of course she will. We will sort it out. I feel so awful, you doing this good deed for me and getting man handled by her dad.”
“I get it, what dad wouldn't do that if he thought it was me that spiked her? Heidi will clear it up I'm sure, don't worry.”
Let's hope she remembers....
***
I wake around ten and groan as last night comes flooding back to me. Crap, I suppose I better go tell Mum and Dad to expect a phone call. Unless she's already told them what happened, of course, but my guess is she’ll still be sleeping. She was so innocent and vulnerable lying there on the couch. My blood boils. I need to find out who did this to her. Not just to clear my name but because they need to pay for doing that to an innocent girl.
I lie in my comfortable bed cocooned in my duvet, trying to force myself to get up. God, her eyes. Wow, I've never seen anything like them. She’s so beautiful, but I shouldn't be thinking that right now, or ever. I need to sort this mess out. No wonder Harper dreaded phoning Heidi’s parents, they are scary. Poor Heidi - they'd be hard to live with. She was so cute last night, and that invitation for a kiss was so tempting. Wouldn't mind kissing those lips of hers when she's sober though. Trouble is, when she's sober, she can't even meet my eye. Maybe that's why, maybe she's crushing on me. I like that. That, I can work with.
As I'm putting on my shorts, I hear Mum shout. “Cooper, can you come here for a minute?”
My stomach sinks. Time to face it.
I take my time going downstairs, Mum and Dad are both sitting on the couch in the living room.
I lean on the wall, “What’s up?”
“Do you want to tell us something?” Mum bites her lip.
She doesn't believe I would spike some girl’s drink, does she?
“Is this about last night?” My voice is rough from waking.
“I’d say so, I've just got off the phone from a furious and unpleasant man, accusing you of awful things,” my dad says, “Tell me it's not true, son.”
I open my mouth to speak and he raises his hand and carries on talking. “You wouldn’t spike some girl’s drink, we know that, but did you get this girl drunk?”
I shake my head, unbelievable. “Can't believe you'd think that. No, I didn't. She’s sixteen. I wasn't even at that party.”
Mum sighs, “You rarely even go to those parties. Why were you there?”
My dad speaks up. “Let him tell us what happened.” They both stare at me, waiting for my side of the story.
“Why don't you ask Harper?”
Mum frowns. “Because we’re asking you - why would we ask Harper?”
I snort, “I see Heidi’s dad hasn't given you the full story.”
I don't want to replay it all, but I don't have a choice. I explain what happened and Mum is relieved but Dad gets angrier and angrier as the tale goes on.
I finish, “So you can check with Harper when she’s here later.”
Dad shakes his head, “No need for that. You're telling me you went out to help a girl in trouble and you are getting punished for it?”
I shrug, “When you put it like that, yeah. He said he wanted to speak to you, school and the police, that I’d regret messing with his daughter. I’d hoped that Heidi was going to put him straight, but maybe she doesn't remember anything, she was out of it, or maybe she’s still asleep.”
Dad stands. “Right, that's it, get dressed. We’re going there now and straightening this out.”
