Chapter 10-Tell me your story

"Penny Lane I wanna hold you in my arms,
you’re the only one who cares,
dressed in life for so much more,
Penny Lane standing by the band room door,
you give your heart and so much more,
Penny Lane, my Penny Lane"
-"Penny Lane" Acid Eyeliner-

-&-

The room smells like cigarette smoke. Some guys are around a pool table, shooting the shit, while we make our way into the basement. My hand is firmly wrapped in Aldan's, the other around my bottle of liquor. Chad is in front of us, that stupid smile still on his face.

"Hey, remember Laila?" He asks the guys.

"The chick you dated in high school?" One asks in return, his eyebrows furrowed as if the question is the hardest one in the world. Yeah, clearly all his steroid use has gone to his brain.

"Yeah."

Gee, it was nice to know that all I was known for was dating Chad. Makes my heart all warm and fuzzy.

"Yeah, she was a looker. I would've banged that."

I laugh wryly and look at the guy. He sort of looks like a cavemen. "I wouldn't let you near me if I was dying and your sperm was the only thing that could save me."

Aldan chuckles from beside me, his eyes sparkling in amusement. Glad to know someone thinks I'm funny.

"Dude? Laila? You're smoking hot!" The Neanderthal replies.

I sigh and shrug my shoulders. I could say thank you, but that would be the nice thing to do, and I sorta like being a bitch. Always have.

Chad looks at me and says, "You remember Bud, don't you?"

"Oh, how could I forget Bud?" I tell him sarcastically.

He chuckles and throws an arm around my shoulders, separating me from Aldan. "Man, I've missed you Lai. How's the singing thing going?"

Ah, there it was. Not even five minutes of conversation and he brings up one of the main reasons I broke up with him. See, Chad thinks me singing is silly, and a phase. He thinks I should become a lawyer, or something equally stupid. He's never supported me. . .no one has really.

"Just fine. How's the football thing going?" I answer sweetly, well as sweet as words laced with venom can be.

He pats his shirt over the abs I know are rock-hard. He weight lifts constantly, and he's always running somewhere. The man is like a freaking boulder, there's no cuddling with him. He walks us over the pool table and hands me a stick, his eyebrow raised. "You still good at the game?"

I scoff and take it from him. "Please, I perform at bars. Of course I'm good at the game." I tell him, adding a small, "Dumbass," under my breath. Aldan steps up behind me, his hand on my hip. I smile and bit my lip. Take that Chad!

Chad apparently sees the small gesture, because I see a slight frown mar his "perfect" features. "Good enough to play for money?"

I think about what's in my pocket. About. . .a hundred bucks. It would be a shame if I lost it, cause I need it. But, I also live with my Dad again. . ."Yeah, give me your money."

He laughs and takes out a fifty, throwing it on the table. I add a twenty to the pile and two of the goons throw in some money. I smile and back up, sorta hitting Aldan. He doesn't move though, which makes playing a little difficult to concentrate on.

But an hour later, I've managed to wipe them out. I laugh and pick up my money, waving it in front of them. "Thanks boys, this will help me towards buying a new guitar."

Chad groans as I stick the money in my pocket. I turn to Aldan and give him a hug, kissing him on the cheek afterwards. "Good job," he whispers in my ear. "Remind me to never take you up on a game of pool."

"Noted and stored." I reply.

"Remember the fun we had down here Lai? Late night talks, watching movies. . .among other things." Chad speaks up.

My lips press into a tight light and I face him, making sure I throw him my deadliest glare. "Yeah, I remember. But, it's in the past. Stop bringing it up."

He arches an eyebrow. "Come on, I know you had fun Lai. Dating the quarterback. . .instant popularity."

"Please, it wasn't everything. I could never be who I wanted to be. And I always had to show up at your stupid games, but you never once came to one of my gigs. Explain that to me."

He shrugs his shoulders. "Couldn't make the time. I had practice."

I scoff. "Please. You know what, you were an ass then, and you're an ass now. It's nice to see some things don't change." I look at Aldan and say, "Let's get outta here."

"Whatever you want Laila."

"Oh please! 'Whatever you want Laila,' how sad." Chad says, standing up from where he'd sat down. His buddies are off in the corner, watching us intently.

"Chad, just stop. It's been three years since school. We haven't really seen each other since then. Just. . .forget about me and go back to your life of college fraternities and Sunday football games. I never fit into your life, and I never will."

"That's where you're wrong. I haven't forgotten you Lai. You're the only girl I've ever really-"

I hold up a hand and laugh. "If you say what I think you're going to say, just stop right there before I kick you in the nuts."

"What? You don't want to hear that I loved you? Admit that maybe you loved me too. Come on, we were amazing together."

I cannot believe I'm doing this with Aldan here. I knew this was a mistake. "Just. . .leave me be Chad." I grab Aldan's hand and practically drag him up the stairs.

We're not so far away that I don't hear Chad yell, "See you soon!" though. Damn.

I sit on the hood of my car, beckoning for Aldan to join me. It's only eleven-thirty, so we just pulled into the park near Chad's house before we have to go back and pick up my sister. I couldn't find her as I stormed out. I'm going to kick her ass when I see her. Which is probably why she was hiding. "Sorry about that." I tell Aldan, smiling sheepishly.

"Don't worry," he replies, sitting beside me. "We all have crazy exes."

"Yeah, well. . .mine is crazy and rich. Who knows what he meant by 'see you soon'."

"I'll protect you." Aldan says and flexes his muscles.

I laugh and put my head on his chest. "Thanks."

He kisses the top of my head and I feel myself melt. Gah. Why is he so amazing?

"Tell me what happened between you guys." He says quietly after a couple moments.

I clear my throat and look up at the night sky. "Pretty much. . .I was sick of everything. I mean, don't get me wrong, Chad can be a great guy when he wants to be. But dating him meant that I could never be myself. I had to pretend I was some. . .someone I wasn't. And he used to tell me I'd get nowhere singing. That it was a phase I'd grow out of. He had this perfect life planned out. Me and him, our three little boys who would follow in Daddy's footsteps. . .I just didn't fit into the equation. I don't want to settle down and have children right away. I wanna see the world, I wanna. . .I wanna sing. I wanna play my guitar and not have a fucking worry in the world."

I look up at him and run my hands over his stomach. He's looking at me, his face calm. "Yeah, I get that. But, I also think he's crazy for letting you go."

I can feel my cheeks flush and try to hide them, but he simply raises my chin with a fingertip. "Thanks," I whisper, not knowing what else to say.

But Aldan does. He presses his soft lips to mine, and all thoughts of Chad fade from my mind. I shift and move my hand to his head, tangling my fingers in his brown hair. The dress rides up around my thighs slowly, but I'm too wrapped up in the feel of Aldan so close to me to care. When we pull back, his eyes are a bit darker, and my lip gloss is smeared all over his face. I laugh and wipe some off. He laughs too, but then goes right back to kissing me.

All in all. . .the end of the night wasn't too damn bad.

A/N: Yay, a new chapter! Lol. I liked writing this one, so hopefully everyone likes reading it :) Thanks to everyone who's been reading so far. I'll start naming reviewers next chapter, because it's like 2:30 am right now and I'm dead tired, but I will start doing that. Le sigh. Review and let me know what you thought!
Faith