Chapter 7
Vanishing Floors
Lilah crinkled her nose at her reflection in the mirror, the latter of which was covered in scrawls of flaking lipstick and beer labels. She was wearing the strapless denim dress that Seth had stolen for her, which was simultaneously slipping down her chest and riding up her hips. Back in the parking lot, beneath the orange glow of a nearby streetlamp, Seth had brushed a thick layer of glittery black eyeshadow across her eyelids and even managed to wrestle her tumbles of long hair into a messy knot atop her head. Now, loose tendrils of red hair escaped from their pins and fell across her face and bare shoulders. In another setting, the hairstyle might have looked nice, but beneath the harsh lightning of the public bathroom and the curtain of cigarette smoke that drifted out from underneath the occupied stalls, Lilah thought she looked like a clown – a clown in an ill-fitting, stolen dress, and fidgety hands with giant black X’s slashed across them. She grimaced at the ink anxiously, knowing she’d have to scrub her hands raw later that night so the telltale marks wouldn’t be a dead giveaway to her father. Sighing in resignation – she might just have to wear mittens inside for the rest of the weekend – Lilah gave the bottom of her dress a sharp tug, then made her way through the gaggle of drunk girls that was blocking the bathroom exit.
Outside the bathrooms, Seth was nowhere to be seen, and the house lights had been dimmed for the first set of the night. Lilah anxiously made her way through the darkened auditorium, feeling rather small and vulnerable in a crowd that appeared to be mostly college-aged guys. A high-pitched whine and a sharp crackle let her know the opening band had taken to the stage. Within moments, angry, discordant notes rang through the towers of speakers that were far too loud for such a modest concert venue. Weaving through the crowd with her hands clamped over her ears, Lilah stood on her tip-toes to try and find Seth above the sea of bobbing heads and shoulders. A glimpse of studded leather caught her eye – he was in the middle of the crowd, just a few feet away from the stage, talking to some guy.
Benny? She gawked at the taller boy in surprise. When had the two of them started talking again? Wouldn’t Seth have mentioned something about it? Feeling puzzled and more than a little hurt by Seth’s omission, Lilah shoved her way through the crowd of giants, doing her best to avoid the glowing tips of lit cigarettes and sloshing cups of cheap beer. She had intended on marching right up to Seth and demanding an explanation – after all, he’d totally ditched her outside the bathrooms – but when she was just within shouting distance of the two of them, her eyes fell upon the little baggy of pills that was being passed between them. It looked almost empty. And now that she was closer to him and Benny, she could see how bloodshot their eyes looked.
What the hell are they thinking? She hugged her body tightly, wondering if there might be a payphone nearby. She’d be grounded for a month for lying to her father, but at least she’d be home and away from this place.
A sharp tap on her shoulder made her jump. She whipped around, half expecting her father to be standing behind her, ready to hoist her over his shoulder in typical fireman fashion and stomp out the door.
A quiet gasp escaped her lips.
“Hey,” Jace smiled, taking a sip from a plastic cup. Somehow, the backs of his hands were completely ink-free.
“Oh, hey!” Lilah exclaimed, then grimaced. Be cool, Lilah!
“Are you here alone?” Jace asked. Even in the dark, his chiseled face starkly illuminated by red strobe lights, he was so handsome. His blond hair had been combed away from his face, and his tight, black sweater was rolled to his elbows, exposing muscular forearms that had been hardened from years of baseball practice.
Lilah shook her head, suddenly remembering that he’d asked her something. “Sorry, what? It’s so loud in here!” On stage, the guitarist had dropped to his knees to screech out a shrill, drawn-out riff.
Jace started to say something, gave up, then motioned for her to follow him, holding his free hand behind his back as he pushed through the crowd. Lilah stared at it awkwardly as she followed close behind, unsure what to do. He glanced at her over his shoulder, grinned, then took her hand in his. Lilah’s heart raced in her chest; Jace McKinnon was holding her hand! His skin felt warm and rough against hers. Half-lidded with bliss, she allowed herself to be pulled through the crowd, going so far as to pinch her arm to make sure she wasn’t dreaming. Jace led her to a staircase that connected to the balcony level of the venue, then jogged up the stairs, two at a time. Once they reached the top, Lilah sighed in relief. From up there, the music wasn’t nearly as loud, and only a handful of other people were standing around, most of them leaning against the ledge of the balcony to watch the concert below. A few couples were making out in low booths on the far wall, their dwindling cigarettes abandoned to ashtrays. Lilah bit her lip as she watched them, grateful that the red lights of the club camouflaged the crimson flush in her cheeks.
“That’s better,” Jace smiled, turning to face her. He was still clasping her hand in his. Lilah’s eyes trailed to their entwined fingers, unsure whether it would be more awkward to pull away, or keep holding on. In the end, she shoved both her hands in her frayed dress pockets, which not only provided a good excuse to let go, but also prevented the stupid thing from riding any farther up her hips.
“I was asking if you were here alone,” Jace asked, taking another swig from his cup. “I figured you’d be here with Seth.”
Lilah’s eyes trailed to the floor below, where Seth and his supposedly-ex-boyfriend were standing. They had abandoned their conversation in favor of other, far more physical activities. Was getting back together his plan this entire time? Lilah frowned at her friend. Or did the pills do that?
Jace’s eyes followed hers to the center of the room below. “Oh. Yeah. Guess we both got ditched tonight, huh?”
Lilah could only manage a nod. Her stomach was filled with butterflies, and something about the flashing strobe lights below was making her head spin. She pulled her eyes away from the floor, focusing on Jace instead. That only made the butterflies worse. “Wait… You got ditched too?”
“Yep, I came with your buddy’s date. Benny’s sister was supposed to come too, but she got sick at the last minute. So now it’s just me.”
Lilah’s shoulders fell. “Oh. I–I’m sorry.”
Jace shrugged. “Eh, what can you do? But, hey, at least it’s a good excuse to talk to someone new.” He took a long swig, then reached forward to brush a strand of hair from Lilah’s face.
Keeping her features composed took everything Lilah had and then some. “S–Sorry, but I don’t understand. You haven’t talked to me in years. Why are you suddenly interested in hanging out again?”
Jace shrugged for a second time, then took another gulp of his drink. “Well, I’m talking to you now, aren’t I?
A familiar smell hit Lilah’s nose; she knew it from spending Sunday afternoons with her dad while he watched football. “Are you drinking beer?”
“Yeah, do you want some?” he asked, offering her his cup. “My stepbrother lent me his ID for the night.”
Lilah shook her head firmly. A little too firmly – it made the balcony spin in a way that sent her stomach lurching. She gripped the railing, trying to steady herself. The strobe lights were pulsing in rhythm with the furious riff of the electric guitar below, and something about the intermittent flashes made her head ache. Badly.