by London Casey
Calvin walked to his office and I stood there alone.
My head spinning, thoughts swirling like a tornado hell-bent on destruction.
Behind me, the door opened and the bell that dangled from the door smacked against the glass. The smack against the glass was louder than the actual bell.
I didn’t greet the customer. I just stood there.
Then I heard, “Oh, look at this. This is beautiful. Excuse me, miss, how much is this?”
I forced myself to look. The woman was with a friend. She had a hand to the vase I’d just put out.
“That is forty dollars,” I said in a soft voice.
“Forty? I’ll take it.”
She smiled.
I blinked fast, snapping back to reality. I smiled.
I sold the vase in record time at asking price.
The two women shopped a little more, adding a few little knick-knack things.
I couldn’t stop thinking about Osiris. And what Calvin had said.
On the counter, hidden from customer view, my cell phone lit up.
A text from Kim.
Drinks tonight?
I didn’t hesitate. For a second.
I wrote back in a hurry.
Yes… I need it…
Kim picked me up and she picked the place. It was on the edge of town, somewhere I hadn’t been before. A little corner place that smelled of greasy hot wings. That parking lot had nothing but big pickup trucks and a line of motorcycles. In the small windows were neon lights for different kinds of beers. The sign for the bar was on a metal rod that stuck out of the building.
I never got the name as Kim opened the door.
I was hit with the sound of heavy rock music. That was followed by the sounds of voices. I thought me and Kim were going to be the only women in the bar, but we weren’t. Matt was there. Josh and Megan were there too. They were playing pool, all flirty and engaged and crap. Ugh.
Rachel was there, too.
We all grabbed a spot at the bar where it met with the wall. It gave us a chance to sit, stand, talk, and claim some small sense of privacy.
I ordered a beer and I drank it really fast.
Fast enough that Kim raised an eyebrow.
“You’re my DD,” I said to her. “So don’t do anything stupid.”
She grabbed her beer and took a small sip. “No worries. I take it you need another?”
“Please,” I said. “Maybe something stronger.”
“What’s wrong with you?” Rachel asked.
I looked over as Josh stood behind Megan. She was trying to take a shot and he was gently tickling her. Enough that she kept laughing and wiggling.
Kim looked back. “Oh, no. You’re jealous of those two?”
“I didn’t say that,” I said. “I’m not jealous, either. I’m just annoyed. By everything.”
“What’s everything?” Kim asked.
“Just everything,” I said.
My next two drinks showed up. A beer. A shot of whiskey. I was suddenly fitting right in with the crowd. Some rough and tough-looking guys with dirty shirts, tired faces, scruffy beards. The bikers were on the opposite end of the bar, wearing leather and tattoos, their fingers wearing big rings, their hands around their mugs of beer like they were worth millions each.
“Hey, I know what he sent you,” Kim said. “That dick.”
“Who sent what?” Rachel asked.
“Thad,” Kim said.
“Oh,” Rachel said. She rolled her eyes. “Fuck him.”
“Fuck everything about him,” Kim said.
“What about Olive?” I asked, my stomach flipping at even saying the name.
“The name fits,” Kim said. “Little and green. Ugly.”
Rachel laughed.
“Stop,” I said. “That’s not-”
“I don’t give a shit,” Kim said. “And neither should you. What do we have to do, Lara? Huh? Wasn’t your one night stand good enough?”
“Wait,” Rachel said. “You had a one night stand?”
“Who had a one night stand?” a voice asked.
It was Matt, putting an empty beer bottle on the bar, giving the thumbs up to the bartender for another.
“Lara did,” Kim said.
“I did not,” I said.
“You said…”
“I said I was sleeping somewhere. Not with someone.”
“Bullshit,” Matt said. “Hey, don’t be ashamed. I’d take you home.”
“Oh, wow, thanks,” I said.
“Hey,” Kim said and punched Matt’s arm. “What the fuck?”
Matt held up his left hand. “No ring here, Kim.”
“Fuck you,” she said. “Pig.”
“Oink oink,” Matt said and grabbed his fresh beer. He smiled at me. “Where you sleeping tonight, Lara?”
“I’m going to cut his dick off,” Kim said.
“Better get your big knife out,” Matt said.
“Please,” Kim said. “Don’t be so full of yourself.”
“You want to be full of me?” Matt asked.
“Gross,” Rachel said. “Go away.”
Matt walked away.
Then Kim and Rachel set their sights on me.
“So?” Kim asked.
“So what?”
“You didn’t get what you wanted?”
“It’s not what you think,” I said.
“Well, what is it then?” Rachel asked. “I mean, do you really want to work in Kim’s parents’ flower shop for the rest of your life? There’s nothing wrong with having fun. Finding a guy. Or two. Or three.”
“Or four,” Kim said.
“Stop it,” I yelled. “Both of you. You don’t fucking get it. You don’t get…”
They just stared. They really didn’t get it. And they never would. I would never wish it on anyone. And something inside my heart said there was only one person who could even begin to understand.
“Wow,” Kim said. “So that’s the night.”
I faced the bar and grabbed the shot glass. I took the whiskey shot and it was fire from the moment it hit my lips until it sizzled in my stomach. I shut my eyes and looked down at the dirty floor.
I need another. Two more. Or three… or four…
I was so pissed off at everyone for no good reason.
Then the entire night changed course with one question.
“Who the hell is that guy?”
12
One Drink, Yeah Right
(OSIRIS)
“Come on. Just one fucking drink, man.”
I stood next to my truck and wiped my brow. “No.”
“Why the fuck are you like this?” Bo asked.
He was as tall as me, only slightly wider because he had more fat than muscle.
Behind him stood Jay and Tommy.
Then Jerry entered the fray. “First round’s on me.”
“The boss man wants a drink?” Jay asked.
“The wife is out of town,” Jerry said. “Visiting her sister down on Wherling. I need to eat. And I need a drink. It’s been a long fucking week.”
“Hell yeah,” Tommy said.
“Bossman is buying,” Bo said.
“You fools go drink,” I said.
“Team meeting,” Jerry said.
“What?” I asked.
“Team meeting. Thirty minutes. At Rickety’s. We need to talk about ideas for new equipment and come up with a plan for the Johnson job. We’re starting to fall behind.”
“That’s because these assholes go out drinking every night,” I said.
“That’s a good point,” Jay said. “We may have a problem here.”
“Good,” Jerry said. “We’re going to solve all our problems. Thirty minutes. Or you’re fucking fired. All of you.” Jerry looked right at me. “All of you.”
Just like that, I was forced into a night out at a bar.
The biggest gamble I ever took was when I asked her if I could buy her a drink. A few of the guys said I should have just d
one it without asking, but I didn’t want to be some cliche asshole. So I walked up to her like a man and asked if I could buy her a drink.
Plenty other people would say that was not the biggest gamble of my life, but fuck them. They didn’t know a fucking thing about me and my heart.
Point being, I didn’t know the fucking odds of walking into a little shit bar and turning my head to see Lara standing there, staring down at her feet, like she was about to throw up.
I stopped dead in my tracks.
I recognized the people she was with. The morons from the campsite. The ones that didn’t bring firewood or food.
I shook my head and started to walk again.
It took all of two seconds until I felt Lara staring at me. I looked back and grinned, seeing the look of shock spread across her pretty face.
Jay and Tommy were at the corner of the bar. Bo was behind the bar, getting us drinks. Jerry was in the corner on his cell phone, a hand against his ear.
I leaned against the bar and stared right down at Lara.
I was considering my options. The last thing I needed was to get involved in a bar scene with her. Yeah, that kiss we shared was lingering somewhere on me, but it couldn’t be anything but that. A stupid fucking kiss. All because she got her ass stuck in the mud trying to get away from me. After she came to me to thank me for helping her. Yet she had no idea that I wasn’t out to help her, save her, anything for her.
My own path was one of obsessive destruction.
“Here,” Bo said. He pushed a mug at me. “Stop fucking thinking and start drinking.”
“So much for that meeting, huh?” I asked.
Bo laughed and slapped my back.
Jerry came over and reached between us and grabbed his beer mug. He slammed it back, chugging the entire thing in one gulp.
“Holy shit,” Jay said.
“Cheers,” Jerry said as he put the mug down.
“Aren’t you supposed to do that before you drink?” Tommy asked.
“Nope,” Jerry said. “Now everyone drink.”
We did.
The second round was a little slower than the first.
I wasn’t going to get plastered. I had to drive back up the mountain later and wasn’t going to do it like some dumb drunk asshole and end up hurting myself or someone else.
From the corner of my eye I saw Lara still looking at me.
I gritted my teeth.
“So, are we going to talk anything business here?” I asked.
“Nope,” Jerry said with a grin.
I shook my head.
“Hey,” Bo said. He slapped Jay on the arm. “Syi. Tell Jay about the time you saved that guy. Remember Ricky?”
“Oh, Ricky,” Tommy said. “He was a fucking idiot.”
“I should have never hired him,” Jerry said. “I don’t know how any of us didn’t die.”
“You fired him, though,” Bo said. “Before Syi pulled that log off him.”
“Wait, what?” Jay asked.
I sighed. I pushed away from the bar.
“Come on, Syi,” Jerry said. “Tell the fucking story.”
“We were out in the woods. We had a section to clear out. Things were going smoothly. Dropping trees. Cleaning them up. Getting ready to haul them back. Ricky decided to climb up on the stack for whatever fucking reason. He was always an asshole like that. Problem was, nothing was secured all the way yet. He slipped and got his ankle stuck. He freaked out like a bear in a trap and next thing I knew he was rolling down to the ground as the logs went with him. I fucking ran to him and had to get the logs off him.”
“You pulled trees off a man?” Jay asked.
“Have you seen this guy?” Tommy asked. “He’s a fucking beast. A monster. Biggest arms I’ve ever seen.”
Then I had a bunch of guys looking at my arms in my shirt.
“I heard the commotion,” Jerry said. “I drove down and there was Ricky under two logs. And there was Syi lifting the logs off. There was one left on Ricky so I made Syi back away. I stood over that son of a bitch and fired him.”
“While he was being crushed,” Bo said. “Jerry’s fucking crazy when he’s pissed.”
“Then what happened?” Jay asked.
“After he was fired,” I said, shrugging my shoulders, “I pulled the other log off him. He went to the ER and had a broken rib and wrist. Never saw him again.”
“Fuck that guy,” Bo said.
“So I know now if I ever get stuck, you’ll get me out?” Jay asked me.
“Nah,” I said. “I’m not as strong as I once was.”
Jerry laughed. “Young fucking pricks. That’s what you all are. Young fucking-”
I heard glass shatter.
I turned my head and raised an eyebrow as I saw Lara grabbing at the edge of the bar.
“Drunk chick warning,” Bo said.
“Easiest ones to get,” Jay said.
“I’m licking my chops right now,” Tommy said.
Tommy moved and I threw a fist at him. I hit him so hard in the shoulder he flew back into one of the bikers that were sitting at the bar.
“Nobody fucking move,” I said.
I watched Lara reach for one of her friends. Her friends grabbed for her arms.
Looked like shit was hitting the fan.
I gritted my teeth and sighed.
“Syi?” Jerry asked.
I looked at the guys. “She’s all mine.”
13
I’ll Take the Bitch On
(LARA)
I couldn’t stop watching Syi. And the fact that he acted like I didn’t exist just made me hate him and made me drink more than I should have.
“Okay,” Kim finally said to me. “You’ve been staring at him for a while. What is it?”
“Nothing.”
“That guy is super hot. Is that… wait a second.”
“No,” I said.
Rachel came to my other side. “What are we talking about?”
“The hot guy across the bar. The lumberjack-looking dude.” Kim nudged me. “I think that’s the guy Lara has been banging.”
“Oh, nice,” Rachel said. “I’d love to grab those arms. Look how strong he looks. The other guys aren’t bad but he’s…”
“You two need to shut up,” I said. “You don’t get it.”
“Oh, here we go again,” Kim said. “The you don’t get it attitude.”
“Fuck you both,” I said. “He’s the guy that saved me in the woods. Okay? His name is Osiris.”
“So hot,” Rachel whispered.
“I went up to his place to thank him for saving me. Since you all think I tried to commit suicide, which I didn’t. I just didn’t want to be there camping. With the engagement bullshit. And then there’s no firewood. And no food. You trying to push Alex on me. He’s a loser.”
“Whoa,” Kim said. “Take a breath.”
“Nobody shoved Alex on you,” Rachel said. “We were…”
“Just stop,” I said. “Stop getting involved in my life. No, I don’t want to work at a fucking flower shop for the rest of my life. Yes, I wish I didn’t lose my job. And, fine, I can’t stand what Thad did and I can’t just let that shit go and let someone else fuck it out of me.”
“I bet that guy could, though,” Kim said with a grin. “Osiris… you’ll be screaming O while he’s giving you an O…”
“I’m done,” I said.
I tried to step back and missed my footing. I could trip when I was sober. But being drunk… yikes.
I grabbed for the bar and missed. I grabbed my glass and threw it to the floor. It shattered. I stumbled back and Rachel put her hands to my back. I threw an elbow at her and grabbed for the bar. I got my balance.
“Whoa,” Kim said. “Lara…”
“No way,” I said. “I want to fight you, Kim.”
I stepped up to Kim.
“You want to fight me?” Kim asked. “Why?”
“You’re a bitch. Everything you say and do to me
.”
“Oh, I’m sorry. Just helping you from ruining your life.”
“Why don’t you two cool off?” Rachel said as she tried to get between me and Kim.
I knew there was jealousy flowing through me and it was a nasty thing. I knew the right thing would have been to back away and maybe even call for a ride home. Or maybe go up to Osiris and throw a drink in his face for being such a…
What? What did he do that was so wrong? He was only honest.
I hated that word right then. Every time someone was honest, I got hurt.
Just like Kim being honest…
“Go pull the stick out of your ass, Lara,” Kim said.
My hand swung before my head could control my heart.
I slapped Kim across the face with a loud smack that garnered the entire attention of the bar. Everyone made noise as Kim stood there, staring at me.
I went to move my hand again and she grabbed for me.
We were locked in a struggle. The truth was that we were both trying to get away from one another but we didn’t trust the other person not to do something stupid.
As fast as it began, it ended when I felt something insanely hard come between us. And when I looked up I saw Osiris standing there.
“Syi,” I whispered.
“Sugar,” he said, his voice rough.
I could smell beer on his breath.
There was pain in his eyes.
“Get her out of here,” Kim yelled.
There were a few cheers. Then chants for more fighting.
“What the hell are you doing?” Osiris asked me.
I made fists and backed up. I unleashed on his chest but that was like hitting a steel wall.
My hands hurt as I then turned to talk to Kim.
I watched as he moved toward the door to the bar.
“If you’re the one who saved her, do it again,” Kim said. “She’s out of her fucking mind!”
I ran toward the door, right at Kim, right at Osiris.
He managed to get me with one strong arm and then carried me out of the bar like I was a toy. I thrashed my arms and realized I was being a complete lunatic.