Free Reborn by S. L. Stacy

Jimmy.
    “Jimmy!”
I shriek. He jumps back in surprise, too. “Oh, h-h-hey.”
    For
a moment, Jimmy’s hazel eyes just look at me. Then, he gives me a lopsided
grin.
    “Siobhan!”
He opens up his arms, and I think he’s going to hug me, but then they drop back
at his sides. “It's great to see you! Thanks for coming. You're here with
Anna?” I nod, and then we both have to step back because some guy is trying to
bypass us on his way to the restroom. I see Carly look at Jimmy, then at me.
She points quietly at the stairs and runs up them.
    Jimmy
closes the gap between us. “So, how are you?” he asks me eagerly. I can't help
but smile. He's adorable even when he's exhausted and sweaty.
    “I'm
doing well,” I reply, my head bobbing up and down as though I'm trying to
convince myself of this along with him. “School's going pretty well.” I should
have more to tell him. We’ve talked so little since high school, but it’s like
everything has evaporated from my brain. “By the way, you guys were amazing out there.” It’s true, but I’m also trying to change the subject.
    “Thanks!
I thought we had a good night.” He stuffs his hands in his pockets and shuffles
a little closer to me still. “Anyway, Anna was telling me you’re studying
science or something?”
    And
we’re back to me. “Yes. Biology, actually.”
    “That’s
cool. I’m not surprised. You were always really smart.” He looks away from me
and down at the ground for a moment, absent-mindedly ruffling his hair with his
hand. “And I hear you’re in a…sorority?” He grimaces, but it quickly turns into
a smile so I know he’s just teasing me.
    I
nod. “That’s pretty much my life right now: school and Gamma Lambda Phi,” I
admit. “What about you? Besides the band?”
    “Search
and Destroy is pretty much my life right now. I’m also a bartender
here.”
    “Oh!
That’s great!” My innate cheeriness is taking over, and I hope I don’t sound
fake. “It’s nice they let you play here, too.”
    “Yeah.”
He shrugs. “It took them long enough to warm up to the idea, though.” He
glances over his shoulder like his boss might have appeared in the doorway
while we were talking.
    For
a few beats, we’re both silent, looking everywhere but at each other. “Well, I’d
better get back upstairs. It’s good to see you, Jim.” I hope he knows I really
mean it.
    “You,
too.”
    “Hey,
Siobhan,” he calls after me as I’m about to go back up. I turn around. “We’re
doing another show this Friday. I’ll let Anna know the details. I hope you can
make it.”
    I
smile. “I should be able to. See you.”

 
     
    Chapter 7
     
    Carly
swipes her card key in the front door of thesorority house, and she,
Tanya and I burst inside. Except for the text books, back packs, hoodies and
dozing laptops strewn about the floor and couches, the living room is empty. There isn’t any
sign of the impending doom implied in Victoria’s email.
    “Oh,
Victoria,” Tanya sighs in exasperation as she heads for the stairs. “She’s such
a drama queen.”
    “Yes. Victoria ’s a drama queen.” I can hear the eye roll in Carly’s voice, but
then their voices become murmurs as they disappear upstairs. I start to follow
them but pause when I notice the light pouring from the open door of the
usually unused guest room on the first floor.
    “Hello?”
I call tentatively, knocking lightly before peeking inside. There’s a woman
crouching down to shove the bottom drawer of the bureau closed, but she shoots
up at the sound of my voice.
    “Oh,
hello there.” When she faces me I feel…
    Star-struck.
    Like
how I would feel in the presence of Charlize Theron or Heidi Klum. Not good
enough. Insignificant. Even wearing a pair of gray sweatpants and an old tank
top, this stranger is seriously stunning. She’s tall and slender with
sun-kissed skin—not a creepy orange like a spray-tan-gone-awry, but the
natural, golden glow my body lotion upstairs