Free Love Struck by Amber Garza Page A

out. I am completely under Lola's spell. It's like we are the only two people here. I can actually imagine that my apartment isn’t filled with other people.  All I can see is Lola. But then a tap on my shoulder brings me out of my tunnel vision.
    “I can’t believe you, man." Beckett crosses his arms over his chest.
    What is he doing here? I look around for Pierce, but can't locate him. “It’s just a little party. It’s not a big deal.”
    “It is a big deal. Did you see how drunk Star is? She’s in the bathroom cleaning up puke as we speak.”
    I glance over at the bathroom, feeling a little guilty. I hadn't even noticed that she'd drank too much. I hadn't even really noticed her at all. Lola's fingers close around my arm, giving me courage. “So she had a little too much to drink. It’s not the end of the world.”
    Beckett sticks his face in mine. “This is exactly what I didn’t want to happen. I have rules for a reason.”
    “Maybe I’m tired of living by your rules, Beckett. Sure I’m in your band, but that doesn’t mean you get to run my life.”
    He narrows his eyes. “We’ve been friends a long time, man. I thought you understood. Maybe I was wrong.”
    Now I feel like a jerk. I do know all about Beckett's screwed up family and the role alcoholism played in it. “Look, Beckett. Let’s talk about this later, okay?”
    “Oh, we’ll talk about it later, because whether you like it or not I have rules for the members of my band, and there are consequences when those rules are broken.”
    “Rules?” Star’s voice sounds behind us. “What rules?”
    “I’ll explain later,” Beckett says harshly. Lola's fingernails dig into my flesh when he speaks.
    “Rules, shmules,” Star says, swaying slightly, and I cringe. Clearly she's hammered.
    “I need to get you home, Star,” Beckett says, surprising me. Since when did Star become Beckett's responsibility?
    This arouses Lola’s attention. She drops my arm and steps toward Beckett. “You’re not taking her anywhere."
    “She needs to go home, and no one here is in any condition to take her,” Beckett counters.
    “I’ll be fine, Lola,” Star says, slurring her words.
    “I trust you’ll be a perfect gentleman?” The expression on Lola's face is stern.
    “Hey, I’m not the one who brought her to some party and let her get hammered and hook up with a stranger." Beckett sneers. If I didn't know better I'd say that he really cares about Star.
    Lola narrows her eyes and crosses her arms.  “And I’m not the person who upset her so badly tonight that all she wanted to do was get hammered and hook up with a stranger.”
    “Okay, you got me,” Beckett says, and I seriously feel like he's a stranger to me at this point. “So, let me make it up to her.”
    “Just be careful,” Lola speaks to him through gritted teeth.
    After Beckett and Star leave, Lola turns to me. "Do you think it was smart for me to trust him?"
    Stunned, I press my lips together. "Yeah, he seemed pretty genuine. I've seriously never seen Beckett act like that. I'm starting to think maybe he does have feelings for Star."
    "That's what I'm afraid of." Lola stares off in the distance.
    "Hey." I touch her face, gently turning her head so she'll face me. "You're not responsible for Star. She's a big girl."
    "But she's my best friend, and I feel like it's my job to protect her."
    "You can't control everything, Lola. Some things are beyond your control. You need to learn to let some things go."
    "W ell, I think you need to learn how to do just the opposite." She steps closer to me, a challenging gleam in her eye.
    "What do you mean?"
    "Oh come on, you totally let Beckett walk all over you. You need to stand up to him. Put him in his place."
    I know I should be offended by how she's speaking to me. However, she's right. I've never stood up to Beckett before , and I need to. Maybe if I had things wouldn’t have ended with my last relationship. Lola makes me want to be a better