In My Father's Shadow

In My Father’s Shadow

by JL Paul

Copyright
©
2011 JL Paul

Smashwords Edition

Chapter One

Cole Crawford cursed as, both hands full with
luggage, the strap of another bag slipped off his shoulder. He
dropped them all in a haphazard pile near the door to his dorm room
and dug out the keycard from his back pocket. Sticking it in the
slot, he opened the door, holding it so his roommate, and best
friend, RJ Shaw could pass.

RJ dropped his bags and guitar case near a bed with a
huge sigh while Cole stood, still holding the door open. “Hey, how
about a hand, huh?”

“Sorry, bro,” RJ said as he rushed to help Cole heave
his bags into the room.

Cole dumped his stuff before falling on his bed.
“Hey, are Jamie and Ally here yet?”

Cole lifted a shoulder and closed his eyes, stifling
a yawn. He hadn’t had the best night sleep the night before and it
was beginning to catch up to him. He’d had so much on his mind and
more than just going away to his boarding school for his senior
year. “Not sure. I talked to Jamie last night and he said he hadn’t
heard from Ally yet. He was waiting for her to get back from camp
to see if she needed a ride.”

“She was at camp a long time, wasn’t she?” RJ said as
he sat in the desk chair, immediately swiveling it back and
forth.

“Yeah, well, the princess is serious about softball –
you know that,” Cole said, pinching the bridge of his nose and
fighting a wave of fatigue.

“Don’t let her hear you call her that – she packs a
mean punch,” RJ said with an affectionate grin. “I missed her,
man.”

“Yeah, I did, too,” Cole admitted around a yawn.

“I bet,” RJ said as he bounced from the chair, an
endless ball of energy, and landed on the edge of Cole’s bed. “Poor
little Cole, missed his bestest friend!”

“Bite me, man,” Cole laughed, shoving RJ off his bed.
He slid his own feet over the side and hoisted his body to an
upright position. “Let’s go to the Student Center and see if we can
find James or Ally.”

“Okay and hey, maybe we can put up a notice on the
Student Center board for a bassist,” RJ suggested as he kicked a
duffel bag out of his way.

“Sure,” Cole said as he patted his pockets, looking
for his keycard. “But let’s give it a week or two first and see if
we can find someone on our own. You know all the freaks that will
be bugging us to audition.”

“Good point,” RJ said as he yanked the door open and
gestured grandly for Cole to exit.

They crossed the grounds, both pulling sweatshirts
over their heads as the early fall evening air nipped at them,
hinting around that colder temperatures were on the way. Plenty of
people crowded the walkways hauling luggage, shouting out to
acquaintances, or hurrying between the buildings. Several greeted
RJ and Cole but none of them were the two they were seeking. When
they finally made it to the overcrowded Student Center, they paused
near the door to survey the mob.

“Hey,” RJ said, bumping Cole. He nodded toward a line
of vending machines as a mischievous smile slipped across his
face.

Cole grinned as he spotted the sandy brown head of
another of his best friends, Jamie Winston, leaning against a soft
drink machine, chatting with a pretty blonde. Cole grabbed RJ’s arm
and towed him quietly toward Jamie, pressing a finger to his lips
when the girl noticed him.

“Didn’t take him long, did it?” Cole complained
good-naturedly.

“Give it up, jock, she’ll never give you the time of
day,” RJ said, startling Jamie.

Jamie turned, his hazel eyes wide, his handsome face
frozen in a smile, and offered a fist to RJ and Cole. “Hey, what’s
up?”

“When did you get here?” Cole demanded.

“About an hour ago,” Jamie said. “I had to help Ally
get her stuff to her room.” He rolled his eyes as a smile lingered
on his lips. “She packed enough crap for ten girls, I think.”

“She is a princess,” Cole muttered, drawing a chuckle
from his friends.

“Are you going to the bonfire?” RJ asked, eyeing the
snack selections in the vending machine, his hand absently rubbing
his stomach.

“Yeah, Jamie,” the blonde said, tugging on his
sleeve. “Are you?”

He turned back to the girl and chucked her chin.
“I’ll be down there.”

Blushing, she scurried away to a group of girls
huddling near a sofa.

“Where’s Ally?” RJ asked as he shoved some change
into the vending machine and selected a candy bar. “I haven’t seen
her in ages.”

Scoffing, Jamie leaned against the soft drink
machine, folding his arms across his chest. “She was unpacking and
catching up with Jeana – all that girly stuff.”

Cole nodded, imagining Ally jabbering away to her
other cousin, Jeana Andersen. Ally and Jeana didn’t have as close a
cousinly relationship as Ally and Jamie. In fact, Ally oftentimes
complained about Jeana and her attempts to sway Ally away from the
boys she’d grown up with and turn her into a “girly-girl”.

“She’ll be mad and irritated later, watch,” Cole said
with an amused smirk. “I don’t know why the two room together.”

“Aunt Liz’s idea,” Jamie said. “Do you guys want to
head down to the bonfire now?”

“Sure,” RJ said, shoving the remains of his candy bar
in his mouth. He crumpled the wrapper and shot it at a trash can as
they headed out the door.

They chatted quietly, talking about the plans for Out
of Control, Cole and RJ’s band, as they made their way to the
football field. Jamie tossed out a few suggestions as to who could
take Steve Runyin's place, their old bass player who’d graduated
the previous year and gone off to college.

“I don’t know, man,” Cole said as he plopped on the
bleachers and watched his classmates congregate around the roaring
fire. “I hate messing with auditions but if we want to get serious
about this band, we need someone good – someone willing to work as
hard as we do.”

“Amen,” RJ concurred as he dug another candy bar out
of his hoodie pocket. “Too bad you’re such a jock, James.”

Laughing, Jamie settled on the bleachers next to
Cole. “Hey, my dad taught me to play but I just suck at it. I guess
Ally and I are the black sheep – no musical talent.”

Cole laughed as his eyes searched the crowd, looking
for signs of their missing friend – the final piece of their
foursome. He spotted the cute blonde Jamie had been talking to and
nudged his friend. “There’s that chick, bro. Aren’t you supposed to
hook up with her or something?”

Jamie shrugged. “I’ll talk to her later. RJ, where’s
your brother?”

“I don’t know – he’s a big boy now and I don’t have
to watch him anymore,” RJ said. He released a low groan. “Cole,
watch out, man, Jennifer Mansfeld has got you in her sites.”

“I thought you broke up with her last year?” Jamie
said.

“Yeah,” Cole snorted, a smug smirk on his lips. “But
she just can’t resist my charm.”

“Like hell you’re charming, Cole Crawford,” a voice
said.

Cole snapped his head around and his smirk deepened
as his eyes fell on a dark-haired beauty with glimmering ice blue
eyes. “Jealous?”

“Ha!” she said crossing her arms firmly over her
chest, fighting a smile. “Of what?”

“Jeez, you two,” RJ said as he pulled the girl into a
warm embrace. “How are you, Ally? Softball camp okay?”

She edged back to kiss RJ’s cheek and beam at him.
“It was great. How are you? And your family? You hardly emailed me
at all, you know.”

“Yeah, well,” he said, abashed. A touch of red
painted his cheeks. “You know I’m not good at the whole
corresponding thing.”

“He was busy fighting off all the girls,” Cole said,
standing to tousle RJ’s dark, curly hair. He snatched Ally’s hand
and jerked her to his chest, wrapping his arms around her. His
heart twittered as the scent of her strawberry shampoo reached his
nose. “How are you, Al?”

“Good,” she whispered, melting into him.

Images of the incident that had happened the weekend
before she’d left for camp flashed before his eyes but he pushed
them away. He drew back to smile and study her face. Freckles
dotted her nose and cheeks, brought on from the sun, no doubt, but
her hair was still dark and her eyes still a stunning blue – both
inherited from her father. Her mother had gifted her with a petite
figure and soft features. She’d always been pretty but it seemed as
if softball camp had filled her with a new sort of feminine
confidence she hadn’t had before. “You look good, Al,” he said, the
corners of his lips turning up in a teasing smile.

“Yeah, well, you’re still as ugly as ever,” she said,
her eyes dancing in amusement. “How was your summer? Horrible
because you were pining for your best friend?”

“Sure, princess, whatever. Tell yourself that if it
helps you sleep at night,” he said.

She extricated herself from his arms and smiled at
her friends. “So, what’s up tonight?”

Cole shrugged as he resumed his position on the
bleachers. “I know of a party off campus.”

“I’m game,” RJ said.

“Yeah, me, too,” Jamie added.

“Jamie,” Ally warned, her eyes blazing. “If you get
caught drinking they’ll kick you off the football team.”

“Jeez, Ally,” Jamie said, blushing. “I’m not
stupid.”

“Yeah, princess,” Cole chided, slapping Jamie
playfully on the back. “He’s not an idiot.”

Seething with fury, she bent to glare into Cole’s
face. “Do not call me that.”

He grinned and stood, towering over her. “Sure,
whatever.” He turned to the guys. “Are you ready? I’ll drive.”

Ally snagged his sleeve, fisting the material of his
sweatshirt. “I’m going with you guys. Someone needs to
babysit.”

He wrenched his arm free. “Fine, but we’re all grown
here so you don’t need to nag, got it?”

She narrowed her eyes, grinding her teeth. “Got
it.”

His heart did the weird little flutter thing again as
her unwavering gaze burned into his eyes. “Let’s go,” he said,
intending to sound hard but sounding a little hoarse instead.

He drove them off campus and through the tiny town to
a slightly isolated house with a large front yard full of cars. It
was hard to make out the models and who the vehicles belonged to in
the dark but Cole already had a basic idea as to who would be
attending. As RJ and Jamie jumped out of the car, Cole grabbed
Ally’s arm.

“What?” she demanded, startled by his actions.

“There are a lot of older guys here, Al. Stick close
to me,” he said.

“I can take care of myself,” she said.

“I know,” he said with a hint of pride. “But just the
same, stay close, huh?”

She opened and closed her mouth then nodded. “Sure,
but only because I need to keep an eye on you.”

He released her with a laugh and got out of the car.
He slowed his stride so she could keep up and chuckled inside at
her need to look after herself and not depend on her overprotective
male friends. But he already knew she was self-sufficient. She had
to be, growing up the only girl in a group of boys. The band their
fathers belonged to was sort of like an extended family – a
close-knit group of friends who often gathered to celebrate
birthdays, holidays or just their friendship. Although Ally and
Jamie were the only ones related to each other, it oftentimes felt
like they were all cousins or siblings. Until recently.

Cole once again shoved those forbidden thoughts from
his head. Ally was his friend – his best friend – and he didn’t
want to think of her any other way. He couldn’t. Not only would it
possibly ruin their friendship but he just didn’t want the stress
and strain of a relationship when he had a band he was trying to
get up and running and off the ground. He did not want to depend on
his father or his father’s friends to get them the fame and
notoriety that he so badly craved. He wanted to do things the same
way his father had – lots of hard work, sweat and talent.

The party was in full swing by the time they walked
through the doors. RJ and Jamie had already disappeared, probably
in search of food and girls, though not in that order. Cole grabbed
hold of Ally’s hand and pushed his way through the crowd, looking
for Randy, the host of the party.

Loud, thumping rap music reverberated through the
living room and they both winced as sweaty, grinding bodies impeded
their progress. Cole managed to find and path and eventually made
it to the massive kitchen.

Meat and cheese trays along with veggie trays were
sprawled out on the table and counters, already picked over and
wilting in the warm air. Three large tubs were on the floor, full
of ice and many varieties of beer, soda, and water. Cole dug
through them and produced a couple of soft drinks, handing one to
Ally. He wrinkled his nose at the food and glanced around the
kitchen, not recognizing any of the people. Maybe it was a mistake
to come.