Starting Fires by Makenzie Smith

microphone stand as he reached the chorus.
    He was wearing a dark grey shirt and every time he moved, the fabric rode further up his stomach. Unlike Fontenot, I couldn’t see his boxers poking out of his jeans. It was nothing but perfectly tan skin. I wondered if perhaps he was going commando, and couldn’t stop the shudder that ran through me. I was so mesmerized by his beautiful, strong voice, and too busy watching his neck strain to even pay attention to what he was singing.
    Far too quickly, the song was over and the crowd went wild. Lucas smiled and looked to me. As our eyes connected, I swear his smile grew, so I flashed him as much teeth as I could and cheered. He ducked his head adorably and turned around to look at Ian. They whispered something to each other and then Wally started playing the first few chords of the next song.
    The entire bar roared their approval and I realized they were playing Hunger Strike by Temple of the Dog. Lucas began singing Chris Cornell’s part. His voice was smooth and rich. Filled with emotion. Another voice joined in and I looked to Wally and Charles trying to see if the Eddie Vedder impersonator was one of them. To my surprise, it was Ian. Quiet and reserved in regular life, but up on that stage—still looking every bit the preppy fraternity boy—he poured out his soul into his microphone. I brought my hands to my mouth in shock. The entire bar began singing along. Not able to help myself, I added my voice to the choir. Seeing me enjoying myself, Lucas looked down and winked.
    For the next hour, the band played some obvious crowd favorites, but mostly cover songs. By the time they were finished, I was sweaty from all the body heat pouring off the people around me and in desperate need of a bathroom break. I left Nicole and Lacey at the stage and rushed to the restroom.
    There wasn’t a line, but the stalls were full. Two girls were carrying on a conversation about some “gorgeous guy” as they relieved themselves.
    “You are so lucky,” one of them said. I rolled my eyes and wished that they would just handle their business and get the hell out of there. My bladder was bursting.
    “I know,” the other sighed, flushing her toilet. I said a prayer of thanks and politely smiled as a pretty blonde came out. She held the door for me as I went in after her. The other girl joined her at the sink. “I’m gonna ask him to take me home tonight,” the blonde continued. “Last time, we made out in his car so long I could hardly stand it. This time I’m inviting him in,” she giggled.
    Skank , I thought and immediately chastised myself. I didn’t know anything about this girl and so what if she wanted to have a little fun. Who could really blame her? I wished I were more open about my sexual needs like that. A good, no strings attached, bang might be good for me. I thought of Lucas and gulped. Perhaps I wasn’t quite ready for that. Besides, he wouldn’t be someone that I could avoid once my embarrassment set in. I finished and walked to the sink to wash my hands. The blonde smiled in the mirror at me, and moved to the side as she fixed her already perfect hair.
    When I walked back into the bar, I saw the guys still standing close to the stage with a crowd around them, along with Nicole and Lacey. Charles saw me and his face lit up. He reached through the crowd and pulled me to his side. “So, what’d you think? Do we kick ass?” he asked.
    “You totally kick ass,” I smiled.
    For the next two hours, I laughed with my old friend, Charles, and discovered that I genuinely liked Nicole and Lacey. They were fun and completely open. I didn’t see much of Lucas. Occasionally, he would join our table before he had to go deal with something at the bar or he went off to talk with other friends.
    It was just after midnight and I realized that I’d barely spoken to him. With the alcohol running through my system, I felt brave. I wanted to find him, and spotted him behind the bar