Agreeing to do the show tonight was the worst mistake I had ever made.

JD and Aiden were arguing like an old married couple fighting over where to go to dinner. I was ready to knock them both out to get them to close their mouths for a few seconds while I checked the amp in front of me. I couldn't even concentrate on getting the blend right over their yapping.

Anything and everything that could go wrong before the show did.

My guitar was cutting in and out during our run-through and it turned out I had some odd wireless interference with the transmitter. I forgot the backup one I usually carried and ended up having to go old school by using a hard-wired cable. To add insult to injury, Mark had decided he forgot how to have rhythm and kept changing the tempo of the songs. It was pretty common for music to be a little rushed when performing, but if Mark moved any faster, Aiden would have to start singing like a cartoon chipmunk to keep up.

After the horrible attempt at a soundcheck, I slammed my guitar down and headed to the front, where the bar was. The doors had just opened and I figured I would beat the crowd for a drink or two before going on stage tonight.

"What will it be?" Levi asked. He was manning the bar solo tonight. The band drank for free whenever we played. I was going to take full advantage of it tonight. We sounded like shit during setup and it was embarrassing. If these guys didn't start getting their act together, I was going to walk soon.

"Whatever you have on tap is fine." I sat down on a stool at the bar in front of him.

Levi slid the drink over to me and I took a huge gulp down. I began tapping my fingers against the cup as I looked around the bar to check out the crowd starting to come in. The place was filling up pretty quickly. The crowd was larger than I expected, but I noticed it was a lot of the regulars who showed up for anyone. We didn't have much of a following. We were lucky to have even one person watching us.

Two people anyway, Anna was always going to be wherever JD was. They were a package deal like a fucking salt and pepper shaker.

"I think you have a fan." Levi pointed across the room.

My body tensed and I turned to search the growing crowd for the bright blond curls I was anxious to see. Instead, there was the half-dressed purple-haired girl I met at Sean's earlier.

She started walking over to me the second we locked eyes.

"Ezra, right?" She flipped her hair and started her look-at-me routine to try to get my attention.

I nodded at her and downed the rest of my beer. I wanted something a little stronger right now, but I wanted to keep my head in case Riley did show up tonight. I didn't trust what I would do if I drank like I did the first night I met her.

"You know, nice guys offer a girl a drink." She edged in closer to me.

"Well, I'm not fucking nice," I replied.

"I know. Lucky for you, I happen to love assholes." She walked right up to me and stood between my long legs like I had invited her. I had to give her a little credit; this girl was bold.

"I'm sure you do." Her hand was trailing over my thigh and went up to my stomach.

"There he is," Aiden called out as he and Anna walked over towards where I was sitting.

"A shot of tequila." Anna leaned over the bar and hollered to Levi, who went over right away to grab her one. She had a couple of drinks at the house before we left and was already a bit sloppy. She glanced over at the girl standing between my legs and turned her nose up at her. She clicked her tongue and shook her head in disapproval. I never really liked Anna. Even when she was drunk, she thought she was better than everyone else.

"Who's your new friend, Ezra?" Aiden asked with a dopey smile on his face.

"This is Candy." I nodded in her direction.

"Cookie." She smacked me.

"Yeah, that too." I snorted and grabbed my drink again to take another sip.

Anna turned away from us and her shoulders were shaking with laughter as she picked up her shot off the bar. She took it and asked Levi for another. Levi was chatting her up as he poured another drink for her. It was a good thing JD wasn't around to see it. He would have gone nuclear at some guy flirting with his girl.

I was staring at the door for the next twenty minutes, looking for the blond I desperately wanted to see tonight while pretending to be somewhat interested in the girl standing in front of me.

It was starting to get late and we were getting ready to play soon. Riley must have decided not to come after all. Part of me was a little relieved she didn't come out to watch us. It would be the first time in a few days where I wasn't chasing her around like a lunatic. I could take the night off and attempt to feel normal again. I hadn't felt like myself since the second she walked down those basement stairs.

After a few more drinks, Cookie leaned in and began touching my stomach. She turned around and began moving against me, working hard for it. Her thin little shorts were so tight; there was no way she had any underwear on again. I had a little buzz going on and found myself enjoying the feel of her pressed against me. I knew what this girl was and who she wasn't, but I still didn't mind having a little attention tonight.

I heard Anna scream Riley's name and I almost choked on my drink.

She was here. She really did come to see us tonight. I looked around, searching for her. Nothing in this world could have prepared me for what I saw.

Fucking hell, this girl was going to give me a heart attack.

She was wearing this old black t-shirt that was ripped on the sides and held together with safety pins and jeans that were way too low on her fucking mouthwatering hips. Those hips were the most amazing things I had ever seen in my life. The curves looked so soft and mesmerizing. I wanted to know if her skin tasted as good as it looked.

"Someone's having a good time tonight." Cookie whispered and brushed her hand over my growing dick. Part of me wanted to push her away, but the other part wanted to see what Riley would do if she saw me with her. After the music store incident, I wanted to see if I could get her going again.

Bad attention was better than no attention.

I tried to concentrate on the girl in front of me begging for it, but I was struggling. She had nothing on Riley. I shook my head and tried to clear it. There was no way I was going up on that stage to play tonight and leave Riley alone out here looking like that. She looked like one of those girls from a music video who was touching herself on the hood of a car for the camera.

Like clockwork, Aiden swooped in and attached himself to her. He pulled her into a hug. She hugged him tightly back and they looked like they were dancing across the floor. Aiden was a little drunk now too. I turned away, not able to stand watching him touch her.

The whole band had already grated on my nerves tonight. I didn't want to make the show any worse by knocking the lead singer out before we went on stage.

"Aieee," Riley screamed and I was starting to push the girl standing in front of me out of the way to go to her before I realized what I was doing.

Mark was grabbing her bare hips and whispering into her ear from behind. She turned around and playfully began hitting him on the arm. They were both laughing as I attempted to relax back on the barstool and regain my composure.

Aiden began that thing he always did with girls where he basically offered to be their servant all night. First, he offered a drink and she said no because she was driving. Next, he offered her a ride so she could drink and she turned that down too. I was struggling to hear the conversation, but I enjoyed the animated way Aiden looked like a dejected puppy when she kept turning him down.

JD walked up and his eyes looked murderous when he saw his sister. They were a little too far for me to hear what was being said, but Anna stumbled in between them and worked her magic on JD. He was smiling and hugging her as he gave Riley some sort of lecture.

He motioned to all of us and pointed towards the stage. It was time to go get this suckfest over with. The next forty-five minutes were going to be torture.

I took the last sip of my drink and shoved Cookie away, who was one step away from dry humping me like she was in heat. She looked pissed off that her poor attempt at a seduction was over. Riley started laughing and I raised my eyebrow at her. She looked happy I had pushed her away, which intrigued me a little. I held Riley's gaze for a while and she defiantly stared back at me.

Two guys walked in front of her and broke our line of sight. The blonde one who looked like he belonged at a frat house turned and stared at her. He tapped his friend's shoulder and they both stopped in their tracks to gawk at her.

My fingers were wrapped around Riley's arm and I was dragging her away from them and I didn't even know how I got over to her. One minute I was at the bar; the next, I had my hands on her.

"Jailbait," I called out, knowing it was an instant cock block. Nothing sent a guy running faster than telling him a girl wasn't old enough to consent.

"You know I am eighteen, right?" She huffed as I walked her back next to the bar where Anna sucked down her millionth shot for the night.

"You can thank me later." I pushed my hair back off my face as I looked down at her.

"Thank you for what?" Anna slurred.

"For saving her from those fucking pricks." I pointed to the two guys who were already on the other side of the bar already saddled up to another girl who had a few similar features as Riley.

"They don't look so bad. The blond one is cute in a little boy holding a baseball glove kind of way. I just want to mother him." Anna grinned. She was not helping at all.

Riley was laughing hysterically and a guy with a beard turned and started undressing her with his eyes. Did everyone in this place have to look at her like that? There were plenty of other girls in the bar tonight. Why did everyone have to chase after her?

I knew the answer; it was the exact same reason I was standing there ready to fight anyone who came near her.

"Or you can go with the furry? You could call him Daddy." Anna pointed at the guy watching Riley.

"She is not going to call anyone Daddy tonight." I put my body in front of her to block his view so the pervert couldn't stare at her any longer. I was about to take my shirt off and force her to wear it. If I was walking around shirtless, I still wouldn't have drawn half the attention that she did.

"What if her Dad calls her phone?" Anna teased.

"I could just call him Father or Pops. Maybe Padre? I got it. I'll be one of those cool people like they have on TV and just call him Kurt?" Riley giggled.

She thought she was a little comedian, but instead, she was just a huge pain in the ass.

"Fuck, you two are annoying. Seriously Riley, don't you have a sweatshirt or something you can cover yourself with?" I looked around the bar. Every guy within striking distance was staring at her perfectly round ass.

"It's June." She was a fucking brat. No wonder JD was trying to keep her under control. She was really good at pushing buttons. She had mashed mine in and was sticking her tongue out at me as she held it down.

"You should have brought one anyway!" I pulled my hair and yelled at her. I was going to be bald if she kept this shit up.

"Shouldn't you be up on the stage playing instead of down here with jailbait? Not good for your reputation, you know. Talking to an underage girl is illegal." Riley sniggered.

"Fuck off." I snarled.

"Break a leg, Ezra. Maybe you'll break both if I'm really lucky." She was waving me away and dismissing me.

I was done with this stupidity.

I flipped her off and headed towards the stage. If she wanted to be a bitch, then she was on her own tonight.