Read Online Fully Automatic (Bullet) by Jade C. Jamison - Free Book Online Page B
Authors: Jade C. Jamison
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for their shows later in the month. Their last practice session had sucked balls anyway, so Brad was hoping this one would help them hone and polish some songs.
The other guys were plugging in and setting up, something Brad had done an hour earlier, so after he’d shown Ethan’s friend where she could sit to watch them play, he decided he needed to talk to her. Jesus Christ, was she cute. She had long brown hair and bluish-green eyes. She wasn’t overly tall, but she was stacked. She seemed oblivious to how attractive she was, though, which drew Brad to her all the more. That was a definite Leah quality. There was something about this girl… something . It was inexplicable, but he wasn’t going to question it. He hadn’t felt this way about a girl since Leah, and it was a nice feeling, unlike the coldness he’d been growing accustomed to.
“Valerie, right? Ethan’s told me so much about you. I feel like I already know you.” She smiled, and then her eyes drifted toward his half-sleeve tattoo. He’d worn a sleeveless shirt after getting out of the shower, probably a stupid move since they’d be hanging out in the cool garage, but he liked showing off his tats whenever he could. He hadn’t gotten them to hide them. He wanted people to look. So when he took Valerie’s hand to shake it after she started nodding, he said, “Like the ink?”
Oh, that was even cuter. Her cheeks turned pink. She had no idea she had nothing to be embarrassed about. “Yeah.”
God, he had to let go of her hand, but he didn’t want to. He felt connected to her somehow. Yeah, it made no sense, and he could have kicked himself. He suspected it was because she was so much like Leah…only better.
* * *
They spent the next hour playing their hearts out for Val. Brad had warned her that neither he nor Ethan had good enough vocal chops, and maybe that was the next thing Brad should work on. For now, though, he hoped warning her would allow her to forgive their rough edges. In terms of music, he knew his guitar playing would rival anyone’s.
Still, they’d played a mix of all their original songs as well as a lot of their favorite covers, and Brad could tell Valerie really was a metalhead when he caught her singing along, first to Judas Priest’s “Heavy Duty/ Defenders of the Faith” (sung by Ethan) and next when he saw her mouthing the words to Marilyn Manson’s “Coma White” (that he sang).
Brad treated Valerie like he would have any girl who’d be sitting in the front row. He wasn’t stupid; he knew that sometimes it wasn’t just the music when it came to females. Sometimes it was also sex appeal. He’d been working on that. In this young lady’s case, there was even more to it than that, but she didn’t have to know that. He was glad he’d been working on that since June—opening up to the audience, making eye contact. Ethan had somehow managed to do the exact opposite. He’d get onstage and look inward. Lots of people thought it was because Ethan was completely absorbed in his music, and Brad knew that was part of it. He knew his friend well, though, and he knew that wasn’t all of it. Ethan was not a stage person. He wanted to share his music with the world, but he wasn’t comfortable with people watching. It had taken Brad a while to figure it out. That was part of why Ethan would indulge before every single damn concert. The music was salvation for Ethan too, so he wished he could find a way to get his friend to slow down. At the rate he was going, he was gonna kill himself.
Tonight, though, Brad’s thoughts were not with his best friend, who, amazingly, appeared to be quite sober. He was tense, but that was nothing new. No…Brad had taken it up a notch tonight. Everything he’d been practicing for months he was using full force on Ethan’s friend, and it appeared to be working. He loved the look in her eyes. At
The other guys were plugging in and setting up, something Brad had done an hour earlier, so after he’d shown Ethan’s friend where she could sit to watch them play, he decided he needed to talk to her. Jesus Christ, was she cute. She had long brown hair and bluish-green eyes. She wasn’t overly tall, but she was stacked. She seemed oblivious to how attractive she was, though, which drew Brad to her all the more. That was a definite Leah quality. There was something about this girl… something . It was inexplicable, but he wasn’t going to question it. He hadn’t felt this way about a girl since Leah, and it was a nice feeling, unlike the coldness he’d been growing accustomed to.
“Valerie, right? Ethan’s told me so much about you. I feel like I already know you.” She smiled, and then her eyes drifted toward his half-sleeve tattoo. He’d worn a sleeveless shirt after getting out of the shower, probably a stupid move since they’d be hanging out in the cool garage, but he liked showing off his tats whenever he could. He hadn’t gotten them to hide them. He wanted people to look. So when he took Valerie’s hand to shake it after she started nodding, he said, “Like the ink?”
Oh, that was even cuter. Her cheeks turned pink. She had no idea she had nothing to be embarrassed about. “Yeah.”
God, he had to let go of her hand, but he didn’t want to. He felt connected to her somehow. Yeah, it made no sense, and he could have kicked himself. He suspected it was because she was so much like Leah…only better.
* * *
They spent the next hour playing their hearts out for Val. Brad had warned her that neither he nor Ethan had good enough vocal chops, and maybe that was the next thing Brad should work on. For now, though, he hoped warning her would allow her to forgive their rough edges. In terms of music, he knew his guitar playing would rival anyone’s.
Still, they’d played a mix of all their original songs as well as a lot of their favorite covers, and Brad could tell Valerie really was a metalhead when he caught her singing along, first to Judas Priest’s “Heavy Duty/ Defenders of the Faith” (sung by Ethan) and next when he saw her mouthing the words to Marilyn Manson’s “Coma White” (that he sang).
Brad treated Valerie like he would have any girl who’d be sitting in the front row. He wasn’t stupid; he knew that sometimes it wasn’t just the music when it came to females. Sometimes it was also sex appeal. He’d been working on that. In this young lady’s case, there was even more to it than that, but she didn’t have to know that. He was glad he’d been working on that since June—opening up to the audience, making eye contact. Ethan had somehow managed to do the exact opposite. He’d get onstage and look inward. Lots of people thought it was because Ethan was completely absorbed in his music, and Brad knew that was part of it. He knew his friend well, though, and he knew that wasn’t all of it. Ethan was not a stage person. He wanted to share his music with the world, but he wasn’t comfortable with people watching. It had taken Brad a while to figure it out. That was part of why Ethan would indulge before every single damn concert. The music was salvation for Ethan too, so he wished he could find a way to get his friend to slow down. At the rate he was going, he was gonna kill himself.
Tonight, though, Brad’s thoughts were not with his best friend, who, amazingly, appeared to be quite sober. He was tense, but that was nothing new. No…Brad had taken it up a notch tonight. Everything he’d been practicing for months he was using full force on Ethan’s friend, and it appeared to be working. He loved the look in her eyes. At
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