Page 1 of Elusion

A drum literally receives a beating anytime someone uses it, but hurl it into one concrete wall, and the shell cracks. This severe design flaw continues to run through my head while I run through the courtyard. I secure the towel around my waist and survey the students walking to class for any new faces.

Johnny’s standing on the roof above me, watching my time tick away on his phone. We’re closing in on the two-minute warning that he’ll all too happily yell out. Excited for me to walk home in a lime-green thong, he wants me to fail, but the joke will be on him when he has to drive me to the hospital for hypothermia. My extremities are already aching and turning red.

This punishment system is archaic. We need a better method for settling shit between bandmates—at least during the winter. Even without a cold front dropping the temperature to sixteen degrees, February’s not the month to run around sans clothes.

“Two minutes,” he shouts, enjoying himself. “Pick it up, dude.”

I sprint around the building where I hope to find an ample number of people, one of whom wants to act as savior to a random guy in a towel. First up, a petite blonde in a sleek black jacket with one of those saggy hats.

I skid to a stop in front of her and, for the eighth time, deliver my line. “Can I kiss you?”

She smiles, and my luck changes the moment her gaze lowers.

She’ll say yes.

I glance up to ensure Johnny’s witnessing my impending victory. He flips me off. For someone who spends so much time without a shirt on, he should know better than to discount the power of a toned chest and abs.

My eyes move back toward the blonde but stop just short of their destination when a bright flash of color enters my field of vision. A red coat stands out against the white snow, dull gray buildings, and all-around lackluster surroundings of campus. The stark contrast draws me in, but the brunette wearing the coat makes my damn eyes refuse to look away.

“You want to kiss me?”

“What?” I ask, my stare hovering over the blonde’s shoulder.

Her gaze follows mine straight to the beautiful girl in the red coat. When her head turns back around, she’s no longer smiling. Understandable, considering she caught me checking out another girl at the same time I was trying to convince her to kiss me. She folds her arms across her chest, and I don’t bother waiting for her no before running off.

Since she cost me a sure thing, my sights set—or reset—on Red Coat. On my way over, I only see one other person in the area other than her and her friend.Shit, where is everyone?Any other day, coeds are crawling all over this place.

By the time I reach her, I’ve entered full-blown panic mode. “Can I kiss you?”

Wide blue eyes give nothing away. Lips show no hint of a smile. She offers no indication of a yes. Nothing.Damn.

I reluctantly direct my tenth attempt at the bundled-up friend. “Can I kissyou?”

My new target looks at my original target, who shrugs, indifferent. Then my new target examines her feet and blushes through her freckles. So, a no from her.

I’m tempted to stay longer to convince Red Coat to overlook the towel, but my last shot walks some twenty yards away, and in a few seconds—

“A minute-thirty!”

“Not helpful, Johnny,” I shout as I dash away.

He laughs, and from three stories off the ground, he begins flirting with the two girls I left behind.

Really not helpful.

This blonde, in a drab brown coat, appears unamused when I saunter up. If ever there’s a time for my confidence to save me, this is it. I take a breath, smile, and attempt a calmer tactic. “Hi, my name’s—”

“Jordan,” she says.

Shit. Do I know her?

A scowl on her face says I know her, but I don’t know how I know her.

“Two weeks ago?”

My mind blanks.

“After your gig downtown?”

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