Free She's So Dead to Us by Kieran Scott

and stare at me.
    Mission accomplished.
    “Hey, Jake. I didn’t even think you noticed I was here,” Lacey said, backing into the velvet-covered wall. Only the can lights over the screen were on, and I could barely see her in the dim glow.
    “I noticed,” I said.
    Even though I hadn’t really. When I went to kiss her she kissed me right back. No arguments, no ducking away. Easy.
    I didn’t need Ally Ryan. I could have any girl, anytime. No strings. No guilt. No judging stares. And that was the way I liked it.

ally
     
    On stage, David Drake was kinda hot. Well, not on stage really. It was more a cleared-out corner of Annie’s wood-paneled basement. But there was a spotlight on him and his band. And ten freshmen woo-woo girls screaming in his face. He was wearing a long-sleeved, gray waffle shirt under a black Doors T-shirt, distressed jeans, and a beanie cap, all of which worked for him. And he had the whole wide-stance guitar-playing thing down like nobody’s business.
    “He’s awesome!” I shouted to Annie, who was bobbing her head in a noncommittal way to the beat. She was wearing a sleeveless, plaid wool dress with a lace top underneath and knee-high boots. Something no one else in the room could have pulled off but that looked perfect on her. It made my plain-old jeans and striped T-shirt look seriously blah in comparison.
    “Not bad,” she said, lifting one shoulder.
    Not bad was an understatement. Everyone loved the music, and the people-watching was a perfect distraction to keep me from obsessing about last night’s party. The one at Hammond’s. The one where none of my old friends had acknowledged my existence, David had gotten hazed, and Jake had ended up fooling around with some sophomore in the home theater.
    Who was that girl? Was she his girlfriend or just some random hook-up? I glanced at Annie and thought about asking her. She, after all, knew all there was to know about the Cresties. She’d obviously know if Jake had a new girlfriend. But if I asked, she’d want to know why I cared, and that would open up a whole can of worms I did not want to deal with.
    Someone stepped on my foot and muttered an apology, bringing me back to the now. My face burned even though no one here knew what I’d been thinking. So much for distraction. Controlled Chaos finished their song with a crash of drums and a peal from the guitar. Everyone in the packed basement cheered and whistled, lifting their cups.
    “Whooo! Yeah, David!” I shouted, clapping my hands above my head.
    “Thank you! We are Controlled Chaos!” David said into the microphone. Then he flung it on the ground, causing a loud wail of feedback, and loped out into the crowd. A few girls hugged him, and he slapped hands with some of his friends as he worked his way over to us.
    “Hey, David! That was incredible!” I gushed.
    He hooked his thumbs into the pockets of his jeans, all casual. “Yeah. Thanks for coming.”
    I blinked. This was not the excitable David I had come to know and was starting to like.
    “Dude. Drop the rock-star act. You know you’re freaking out over all the groupies,” Annie said, shoving his shoulder.
    David held his too-cool expression one second longer, then doubled over and snorted a laugh. “I know! Isn’t this insane?” he whispered to us. “That girl over there asked me to sign her bra!”
    “Wow. Not bad for a first gig,” I joked as he leaned up against the wall next to me.
    “Are you gonna do it?” Annie asked, taking a swig of her soda.
    David’s eyes widened. “Are you kidding? She’s in my youth group at church. I think that would buy me a ticket directly to hell.” I laughed, and David studied me with narrowed eyes. “I’m glad you came.”
    “Are you surprised?” I asked.
    “No,” he said quickly, glancing at Annie. “Well, yeah. I mean, we just weren’t sure you would. Since it’s a Norm party and all.”
    My throat tightened, and I looked down at my cup for a second. For days I