Rocked Under
Contents
Title Page
Copyright
Acknowledgments
Chapter One
Chapter Two
Chapter Three
Chapter Four
Chapter Five
Chapter Six
Chapter Seven
Chapter Eight
Chapter Nine
Chapter Ten
Chapter Eleven
Chapter Twelve
Chapter Thirteen
Chapter Fourteen
Chapter Fifteen
Chapter Sixteen
Chapter Seventeen
Chapter Eighteen
Chapter Nineteen
Chapter Twenty
Chapter Twenty-one
Chapter Twenty-two
Chapter Twenty-three
Chapter Twenty-four
Chapter Twenty-five
Chapter Twenty-six
Chapter Twenty-seven
Chapter Twenty-eight
Chapter Twenty-nine
Chapter Thirty
Chapter Thirty-one
Chapter Thirty-two
Chapter Thirty-three
Chapter Thirty-four
Chapter Thirty-five
Chapter Thirty-six
Chapter Thirty-seven
Rocked #2
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Rocked Under
By
Cora Hawkes
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Copyright © 2013 Cora Hawkes
All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced in any form without written permission from the author, except that brief quotations embodied in critical articles and reviews are permitted.
This is a work of fiction. The names, characters, places and incidents are products of the author's imagination or have been used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, events, or locales is entirely coincidental.
Cover photo © Konstantynov at http://www.shutterstock.com/gallery-116797p1.html
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Acknowledgments
To my fiancé, thank you for putting up with the many nights I totally ignored you while I wrote this and for all your support, you're my rock, I love you! For my daughter who is also a bookworm and loves rockers, thanks for supporting me, babe. I love you! To my three little men who have had to share me with this book, I love you all very much. To my sister who has called me everyday and pushed me into finishing this and to my parents for having faith in me, I'm lucky to have you guys and I love you all so much.
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Chapter One
September 2005
Ashley pulled up by a large house in a quiet neighbourhood on the outskirts of town and cut the engine.
“Uh, are you sure we got the address right?” Ashley asked with an edge to her voice.
“Why're you asking me?” I turned towards her, “You put it in the GPS thingy, not me.” I looked at the house with the white picket fence and the high, pointed roof, “And anyway, it looks like the same house in the picture mum showed me.”
“No effing way!” Ash chuckled, looking pleasantly surprised. “This is going to be so much fun!” She squealed, her high-pitched voice made me cringe.
I frowned. “What is?”
She ignored me as she looked out the car window again. “The address did seem familiar…" she said under her breath, her eyes squinting at the house.
“Familiar? What are you going on about, Ash?” I cried.
Ash finally looked at me and must have noticed the worried expression on my face, “Oh, it's nothing to worry about,” she swiped a hand through the air, “one of my friends lives in the apartment above ours.”
“Oh,” for a moment there I had thoughts of someone really bad living there. A thought occurred to me and I laughed, giving her a duh! look. “How could you not recognise the address? We didn’t even need the GPS.”
She shrugged defensively, “Bloody hell, Em,” she took the mick out of my accent, “you know my memory is like a sieve. Do you know your friends’ addresses?”
I sighed, she made a valid point – I didn’t. “What’s she like then? Is she a student too?”
A cheeky grin spread on her face, “Not a she — a he — and he’s very likeable. I've known him since kindergarten.” A farawaying r look entered her expression briefly before it disappeared.
“Shit, Ash," I moaned, "is this someone you fancy?” I could just imagine her sneaking up to his apartment in the middle of the night.
She looked at me and frowned, “No, and don’t you get any ideas about him either.” She opened the car door before explaining further. “Come on.”
Ash was the total opposite of me physically. She had fine, straight, light-blonde hair that stopped above her shoulders, and a petite, willowy figure that the guys went nuts over. We both had blue eyes, hers were light — like topaz — while mine were more like dark sapphires.
I eased out of the car and stretched my legs. We’d been driving for hours so my legs were as stiff as boards. I dug around in my bag for the set of keys that had been mailed to me at my mums house whilst we made our way up the paved path to the door. I pulled them out and unlocked the door. Inside the main front door were two more doors; ours and Ash’s friends’ entrance, which led to the upstairs apartment.
I unlocked our door and stepped inside to the lounge. It was roomy with cream walls and a mahogany wooden floor. The early afternoon sun was shining in through the window, brightening everything. There was an old couch and an equally old TV but not much else. There were two double bedrooms — mine had an en-suite. The whole apartment followed the same colour scheme, cream walls and mahogany flooring. It was a lot different from the places back at home but I didn’t mind that at all. I loved the change, embraced it even.
We had the basic things we would need but I was suddenly ecstatic that I had the foresight to buy my own bedding and towels because the ones that were there seemed like they hadn't seen a good wash in a while. Once we had all our boxes in from the car, we set about cleaning the windows and kitchen cupboards before we unpacked our things.
It was evening by the time we were finished so we ordered take-out and sat in front of the TV while we ate with a bottle of wine to celebrate moving in.
“What’s the guy upstairs like?” I asked as I polished off my noodles.
She looked up, a grin touching the corners of her mouth. “Scott?”
“Yeah, Scott.”
She frowned, "I'm sure you met him before." She shook her head. “Anyway, he’s a nice guy," she put her fork in her mouth. "He'll be a senior and he's the lead singer in a rock band.” She chewed.
I could feel my eyes bug-out, “A rock band?” I had a vision of a spiky-haired, tattooed guy, who had wild orgies that ended when the sun came up. So much for quiet study-time.
“Yeah, he's got a reputation around here but it's not as bad as it sounds."
"What reputation?"
"He's hot, Em. I mean, seriously hot. He doesn't take any crap from anyone and he — uh — has some commitment issues. He's an asshole when it comes to girls because of it. Shame really." She continued to load food into her mouth.
Worry creased my forehead, he didn't sound that nice.
Ash giggled. "Don't look so worried. He's a good guy really — a good friend — he's got a bad side to him but I doubt you'll see it."
“Right,” he sounds like a dick, “and he’s your friend?”
“Like I said, we were at kindergarten together and we've been friends since. I told yligce. I tou about him — a few times, actually."
I searched my brain and she may have but I couldn't remember it so I shook my head.
"Jeez, Em, were you even with me when we talked?" Her lips were a tight line as she waited for my ans
wer.
She was referring to the many overseas phone calls we used to make to each other before I moved over here. We used to spend hours talking but when things got hard it was more like her talking and me half-listening while I had other things on my mind. Slam! My brain shut that door and I concentrated on Ash again.
"I'm sorry, Ash." My eyes pleaded with her to understand.
She sighed, "Don't worry about it." She flicked her hair over her shoulder. "Anyway, he’s got serious commitment issues and he's never had a girlfriend." She paused, "The reason I’m telling you this now, is because I know how you feel about that type of thing and I just wanted to warn you of his reputation before you get all starry-eyed like the rest of the girls do.”
“You said he was ‘very likeable’!” I mimicked in an accusing tone.
She laughed, “He is, as long as you don’t sleep with him.”
My eyes widened. Why would she think that I would sleep with him? What the f–
“Look, honestly, he’s a good friend and I’ve known him forever, he’s loyal and if you need help or a shoulder to cry on he’s there.”
Ash obviously thought a lot of him and cared for him a great deal. I wondered if it was more than that but I didn't want to ask since it would be admitting that I hadn't listened to her on the phone.
“Is he very noisy?” I had to ask since the guy was in a rock band and lived right above us.
“No, and don’t worry, the guys don’t rehearse here. You’ll like him. You should have no problem with him and I promise he won’t try anything with you.”
Try anything with me? Did this guy think with his little head or something? Because that’s what it sounded like.
Anyway, she didn’t have to worry, I had no intention of getting involved with a tattooed, spiky-haired rock dude who wore his waistband under his ass cheeks, slept around and had commitment issues. Those were the types that had me running for the hills. My mum didn’t haul me away from England for me to make the same mistake she did, and I wouldn’t. In fact, I was pretty much terrified of having any kind of relationship deeper than liking. I had seen my mum suffer, become a shell because of a man. A man that she had clung to no matter what he did.
What I had put her through was awful and she had already spent so much of her life suffering at the hands of my dad. Her divorce had been very straightforward and the settlement was huge. She would never have to work and neither would I if I didn't want to.
When we arrived a little over six months ago, my mum had insisted that I go to college, get an education — be normal. My childhood had been anything but normal. She wanted me to stop worrying about her and make a life for myself and now that he was out of the picture, I could choose what I wanted to do for the first time in my life. It felt great and I wanted to make her proud more than anything to make amends.
I felt better leaving her knowing that she had bought a house near my aunt – Ashley’s mum. I decof s mum. ided to study the music industry. I loved music and it was my only real passion. I didn’t want to perform, I wanted to be behind the scenes, in the hustle and bustle, managing.
“So, when do I meet him?” I asked, feeling a whole lot better about meeting my new neighbour.
“He’s away visiting his dad in the city but he’ll be back in a few days to rehearse before he goes on stage Sunday night.”
Sunday came around quickly. We spent the last few days making the apartment more homey. We filled the kitchen, went shopping for things to make the place our own and by the time we had finished we were both happy with it. Ash and I got ready to go to Macy’s, a rock and alternative music bar that was a five minute walk from our place. I would meet her friends but I was hoping to make a few of my own as her friends were mostly juniors and seniors.
It was my first night out since England and, boy, had I missed it. I had never stayed home on a weekend before I moved over here. I loved to dance, it had been the one time where I could be myself and let it all go. I was nervous as hell about starting college. I would be a freshman and Ash, a junior, but I was so happy to be going to a place where I would know at least one person. Ash and I had similar interests even though she was a couple of years older, we had always stayed in touch through phone, Facebook and we would see each other a few times a year. She had been my rock the last f
ew months.
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Chapter Two
Macy's was a huge place on the edge of the town. As we approached I could hear muffled rock music coming from inside. I had sweaty palms and dragonflies were dancing in my tummy and all because I was about to meet Ashley’s friends for the first time. She said I would be fine, that they would love my accent and that they were already dying to meet me.
"Do I look okay?" Usually, I didn’t need to ask. I wasn't an unconfident person, I just wanted to make a good first impression.
She looked down and then spent a long time scrutinising my black skinny jeans that were tucked into black, flat, leather, calf-length boots. She looked slowly up all five-foot-four of me, past my hip-hugging, red, fine-knit jumper and to where it slouched slightly off my shoulders. She then ran her eyes over my face, “You look great, as always.” She shook her head smiling.
I grinned at the way she had checked me out, she knew a quick look at me wouldn’t have me believing her if she said I looked good. I managed to sneak a peek at my reflection in a parked car window just to double-check anyway. My almost black wavy hair hung down just past my breasts. I looked okay, I guessed. I wished I had straightened it. Unfortunately, I got most of my features from my dad. My olive complexion, dark hair, curvy figure and rather over-large nose were all visible trademarks of my dad’s Italian heritage. But my dark blue, almond-shaped eyes were my mums and they were definitely my favourite feature.
Loud music and body heat enveloped us as we walked through double black doors into a huge, square open space that was brimming with people. There was a large raised stage in front of us at the far end with a band playing a heavy rock song which I didn’t recoeyegnise. A large bar lined the wall to the left of us and was already packed with people waiting to be served. The bartenders looked rushed off their feet, just like any nightclub. Tables and couches were dotted around the outskirts of the floor. The floor itself was a big space, which was crammed by the stage with college students dancing and waving their arms in the air trying to get the bands attention.
"It's always busy on the nights Scott’s here.” Ash said as she craned her neck and looked for her friends. "They’re over there, come on."
“Is that Scott?” I pointed to the stage. If it was then I didn't like his music.
Ash wrinkled her nose, “No, he’s on later.” She looked at me and lifted her shoulders as she smiled excitedly.
She took my hand and hauled me through the moving, sweaty bodies to a table that was to the left of the stage where a guy and a girl sat talking animatedly.
"Hey, hey!" Ashley sang-shouted. Two heads swivelled toward us.
"Ash!" The girl jumped up and almost ran around the table. She was around my height with a rounded figure and short, fine, light blonde hair.
"Meg!” Ash was squeezed in a death grip.
I noticed that the guys eyes were on me curiously. I smiled at him shyly and looked down at my feet until Ash introduced us.
"I want you both to meet Emma, my cousin." Ash said proudly.
The guy with short light brown hair stood "Hey, dweeb, I’m Newton.” I laughed awkwardly. Dweeb? Really?
I glanced at Ash with a frown and she came close to my ear, “He’s playful. Just go with it.”
His hand shot out to mine. I took it and said hello whilst looking into his friendly eyes.
“Good to meet you. British, huh?" he winked at me then, his warm brown eyes twinkling.
I nodded, I’d have to think of some nerdy, dumb thing to call him in return.
"I'm Megan. It's so good to meet you. Ashley has told us all about her beautiful British cousin." Her voice bubbled
out of her and filled my ears.
I forced a laugh, a knot of alarm flaring in the pit of my stomach, "I hope not too much." Because really, they didn’t need to know too much.
"Aw, don't worry, it was all good." Megan said as if reading my mind. She grinned at me and looked at Ashley.
Phew! My stomach went back to its normal state.
"You're gonna have to keep an eye on this babe." Megan said to Ashley as they shared a knowing look.
I frowned. Why would they need to keep an eye on me? I wondered what Ash hadn’t told me for a second. I made a mental note to grill her about it later.
"I'll keep an eye on her for you, Ash. Don't worry; she'll be
I felt relieved that introductions were over with. It’s always horrible being the newbie, especially within a group of friends that have been hanging out for years already without you. I felt like a bit of an intruder. Ash and I sat opposite the others and we slipped into an easy conversation. They were asking me to say stuff like tomato. My accent was the highlight, which I didn't mind at the moment because I knew they would get over it eventually.
A few drinks later and I was feeling relaxed, the alcohol dulled my initial nervousness and left a feeling of excitement which I missed. This new start would be good for me; my future was looking bright for once. I watched, envious, as everyone danced, moving their bodies and shaking it all out.