Perilous Light (The Afterglow Trilogy #2)(4)
Author: Alyssa Rose Ivy

“Oh, my God! Is that Kevin Calloway? And Marcus Williams?” It still seemed so weird being recognized by people I had never met.

“Okay, I don’t know what you two are doing in here, or what kind of weird stuff you’re into, but let’s pretend this never happened. Just get out of here and get ready for the game on Saturday.” The guy untied Marcus and then moved on to me.

I wasn’t quite sure what the guy was implying, but I didn’t like it. “Um, yeah, sorry about this. It’s just—”

“Like I said, let’s pretend this never happened.” The guy purposely avoided my eyes as he spoke.

I considered trying one more time to explain the situation, but it didn’t seem worth the effort. Hopefully, they were big enough fans that they wouldn’t start any rumors. My legs were stiff after sitting with them tied all night, but I got out of there as fast as I could with Marcus on my tail. The morning sun was harsh as we walked out into the alley.

“So did we seriously spend the night in the storeroom of the Carolina Brewery?” Marcus asked as we gazed up at the sign after going around to Franklin Street.

“Looks like it.” I was exhausted and just wanted to get home.

“Great. I hope Coach doesn’t find out about this.”

“Let’s hope no one does. If anyone asks where we were, we fell asleep at the library.”

Marcus regarded me skeptically. “The library? Like anyone is going to believe that.”

“Then what do you suggest?”

“We spent the night with some girls.”

“Sure, whatever.”

“That is, if you think anyone would believe you were with a girl.” My hands were no longer tied, so Marcus wasn’t so lucky.

Chapter Three

Charlotte

Antsy and excited, I waited for James by the front door. I turned on the outside light and paced back and forth, only stopping to look out the window. The week had flown by, and I couldn’t believe it was already time for the concert. Ready far too early, I ignored the cold and sat out on the porch to wait. When James pulled into the driveway, I got up and met him at the bottom of the steps.

“Wow, you look hot.” James unapologetically took in my outfit as we walked to his car.

“Hot? You’re really picking up on the vernacular, huh?”

“Well, considering I wouldn’t have had a need to describe a girl like that in Energo, I decided your lingo was more appropriate.” James held open the door for me before walking around to the driver’s side.

I was glad the conversation had turned to language because I already regretted wearing the dress I had chosen. The black dress had seemed like a good idea when I picked it out on a shopping trip with Rachel, but it was a little shorter than the ones I usually wore. I had been hyped up and feeling more daring than usual.

James glanced at me before he started the car. “Of course, Calvin would probably have a heart attack if he saw you walking around in that dress, but lucky for me, he’s not here.”

I glared at him. As much as it hurt to hear Calvin’s name, I appreciated that James at least said it. Everyone else acted as though it was a bad word or something. I sat back and tried to relax as we headed to the show. James had assured me a million times that my ID would work, but I kept picturing myself being thrown in jail once the bouncer figured out I was only seventeen.

“Charlotte, please tell me that you are not worrying about getting in again. Trust me; it’s going to be fine. So relax, okay?”

“I’ll try.” I smiled weakly but couldn’t stop fidgeting.

James parked the car and came around to open my door. I had spent enough time with him to know that opening it myself would have just annoyed him. Thankful for the help, I accepted James’s outstretched hand. Getting out of a car in a short dress could be awkward. As we headed down the block to the club, he moved his hand to the small of my back. I was sure that anyone watching us would think we were a couple, but I had stopped caring about it months ago, as Calvin wasn’t there to get jealous.

James had apparently gotten me a good ID. The bouncer barely glanced at it before gesturing for us to enter.

“See? I told you it would be fine.” James pushed me further into the club. “But with that dress, you probably didn’t need the ID.” He snickered.

It was a small venue, and the crowd started to swell. I stayed by James’s side as we walked toward the back. I was out of my element and acutely aware of it.

“Happy Birthday, Char!” Turning around, I saw Rachel and Henry heading our way.

“Rach, you guys are here!” I’d had no idea James had gotten them IDs and tickets, too. I hugged both Rachel and Henry and then gave James a hug for good measure. “Thanks.”

“Wait, the pious Charlotte Calloway is thanking me for getting everyone IDs?” James laughed.

“Oh, come on. Cut me a break. I’m just glad that they’re here.”

“I know. I’ll go get us some drinks.”

Noticing that both Henry and Rachel already had drinks in their hands, I nodded. Rachel gushed about how good I looked, and I complimented her as well, considering we were wearing very similar dresses. The transformation wasn’t quite as extreme with Rachel because she always dressed that way when we went out.

When James got back with the drinks, Rachel took my hand and pulled me away from the boys. “So, this was pretty cool of James, right?”

“Yeah, it was.” I smiled. It was a thoughtful gift, and I wasn’t about to deny it.

Rachel leaned toward me and lowered her voice. “Some might even call it a romantic gesture.”

I nearly choked on my drink. “Romantic?”

“Come on, Char. The guy can’t take his eyes off you.”

I glanced over at where James stood with Henry. “Rachel, you know we’re just friends.”

“Yes, and remind me why again? Is it the same reason you can’t be more than friends with Liam?” Rachel raised an eyebrow. “Because seriously, Charlotte, I don’t get why you would turn your back on such good options. You don’t see me doing that with Henry.” Rachel turned to smile coyly at Henry.

I tried not to roll my eyes. “Um, yeah, clearly you haven’t turned your back on that opportunity.” Many times over the last year I had been tempted to tell Rachel the truth about Calvin and Energo, but she never would have believed me, which would only have made things weird. Even if she did believe me, she would probably freak out that her new boyfriend wasn’t really an exchange student from Europe. Luckily, everyone believed that Henry’s formal speech was normal for a European.