The bright red blinking EXIT sign was tempting. Too tempting. As Ally flipped through the karaoke song book just off stage, I inched toward the door. Her sudden squeal of excitement and toss of her blonde hair made me freeze.
“Are you a Madonna fan?” Her blue eyes flicked up to my face. “Like a Virgin is always a crowd pleaser.”
All the blood rushed to my face. No way in hades was I singing that song. They’d have to do a personality transplant on me first and even then, it was questionable.
Ally grimaced as she watched my reaction. “Okay...so...not Madonna. No worries, there are like, a thousand choices in this book. We’ll find you something.” She flipped the page and leaned over to read the song titles in the limited light.
I couldn’t help but study her. She was exactly the kind of girl I’d imagine Collin with. Gorgeous, sexy, and confident. The kind who drew stares from across the room. Savannah would hate a girl like her. Too much competition.
“How do you know Collin?” The question was out of my mouth before I could stop myself. What did I care how they’d gotten together? It was none of my business.
Ally looked up at me and smiled, her eyes lighting up. “What? He didn’t tell you?”
I shook my head.
“He’s my little bro.”
I drew my head back, feeling at once confused and utterly relieved. “I didn’t know Collin had a sister.”
“Well, not really.” She chuckled and placed her hand on her hip. “He’s my foster brother. Gina and Tripp Kingsley are our foster parents. I’ve been with them for four years, just before Collin showed up. I’ve got two other baby foster siblings. If you take away the awkward court dates, the social workers, and the deranged bio-parents, we’re pretty much a normal family.”
My forehead wrinkled as I tried to make sense of what Ally had just said. I hadn’t realized Collin had an entire foster family. And I wasn’t quite sure what to make of Ally and Collin’s relationship. They weren’t really related, but she did call him her little brother. That didn’t sound anywhere close to romantic.
“Oh, okay,” I said nonchalantly, leaning against the bar behind me. “I’d assumed you two were dating when I first saw you.”
Ally made a comical gasp of horror at my suggestion and wrinkled up her nose. “Ew, no. He’s my annoying little brother. That would be so gross.”
Relief swept over me and I chuckled nervously. “Ha, yeah, I suppose.”
Her sharp gaze landed on my face and she smiled deviously. “Don’t worry, if you’re interested, he’s totally single and ready to mingle. I happen to know that for a fact.”
I gaped at her, feeling my blood pulse rapidly through my ears. “What? No! It’s not like that at all.”
“Sure, sure.” Her grin grew wider and she glanced over my shoulder. “But I know when my little brother has it bad, and he’s totally into you. Just look at the way he’s staring at you.”
She couldn’t be right. That was absurd. But my curiosity got the better of me. Turning suddenly, I caught Collin watching us from a small table near the middle of the room. He was sipping on a soda and when our eyes met, he froze.
There was something different in his gaze. A heated expression I hadn’t seen before. But just as soon as I saw it, it was gone, and Collin went back to watching the stage. My gut twisted in response and I tore my attention back to his foster sister.
“He’s just standing guard to make sure I don’t make a run for it,” I said with a nervous laugh. No way in a billion years did Collin think of me like that. And I wouldn’t have dated him if he was the last man on Earth. “He knows this isn’t my kind of thing.”
“Right...” She arched an eyebrow and shook her head. “We’ll save that topic for another time, then. So, what is your kind of thing? What kind of music do you like?”
I shrugged. This was a safer conversation. “I like country music. Some rock and pop.”
She looked back down at the book of songs and began to shuffle through it. “I’ve got an idea. Just let me make sure we have it...” Stopping near the end, she clapped her hands together and grinned. “Yes! How do you feel about a little Swift? You Belong With Me?”
My chest inflated suddenly. I couldn’t think of a better song to perform my first time in front of an audience. Ally was brilliant.
“That’s perfect! I’ll do it.”
“Yes, it really is perfect, isn’t it?” Her eyes twinkled with an ornery glow. “It’s got a great message, don’t you think? By the way, you’re on next.”
She walked away before I could respond, leaving me to stand on my own and mull over her words. You Belong with Me had been one of my favorite songs for a long time. I could totally feel the frustration of being the girl in the stands and watching the sexy cheerleaders down below get all of the attention from guys.
Of course, now I was off the stands,
but stuffed into a hideous mascot costume. If there was such a thing as a man repellant, that was it. Collin wasn’t into me. He couldn’t be. Girls like Savannah were much more his speed.