Being Human

Chapter 4

The bar was about a five minute drive from their building and provided the perfect opportunity for talking without being overheard.  It was a place John and Max reserved for talking when there was something important that their superiors could not overhear.  Not that it was strictly serious however, her superiors had so graciously provided her with a fake ID and what was a fake ID and a bar without a little fun?

When Max and John arrived at the bar they grabbed a couple of martinis and sat in their usual spot, in the far back left corner.  It was the ideal spot to sit if you did not wish to be overheard.  The two sat calmly sit sipping their drinks until Max breaks the silence.  “So what’s the deal.”  She cuts right to the point.  Max is not one to beat around the bush.  John fidgets.  She can tell from his expression this is not going to be good news.  “They’re sending you on another mission, I overheard it this morning,” he blurts out.  Max’s face drops, and her shoulders sag.  She deflates. 

Max despises missions.  They’re generally life-threatening and require great time away from school.  Neither of those is good news for Max.  Right as shes about to ask for the details and hand slams down on the table between them shaking the glasses.  “Well, well, wellll if it isn’t liddle misss Max,” Paul slurs.  Paul, a twenty six-year old man is a frequent visitor of the bar and they had recently bonded over a night where they faced off in a shots competiton.  It went on much longer than it should have, Max because of her love of competition and Paul because of his love of alcohol.  In the end they had woken up next to each other passed out in the morning in someones vomit, most likely their own.  Gross, yes? But,  they now had a mutual respect for each other. 

“Hey Paul,” Max replied quickly and turned back to John hoping to continue this conersation.  “Sooo you look perddy today Maxx.” Paul butted in.  Max glanced down at her workout clothes slightly torn covered in dirt and…. was that fake blood? Woops. 

“Um thanks?” Max said.  As she said this she glanced up and noticed a commontion by the door.  A group of about six guys strolled in.  Most looked to be in their twenties except for one who clearly was here on a fake ID as well, he looked to be about seventeen.  He was attractive, but not Max’s type.  Looked too jocky, like he would be a lax bro.  Max usually didn’t go for guys like that.  Then again Max didn’t really go for any guys period.

The group sauntered over to Max’s table and greeted Paul.  At this point Paul decided to introduce Max and John to the group.  “Do y’all know Maxx here shes onee fine ladyyy.”  The group nodded their heads in greeting.  “She’s one finnee lady, fineee finnee finnee.”  At this point he seemed to trail off into a drunken haze.  Suddenly snapping out of it he blurted “she can really hold her own in shots, nearly beat me.”  The other guys raised their eyebrows.  Beating Paul in anything drinking related was no small feat. 

“Hmm…,”  One of the guys seemed to ponder for a minute.  “What do you guys say we challenge this little missy to a drinking match, see if she’s as good as she says she is.”  The others nodded in agreement.

This is how Max found herself later, downing her seventh shot of some un named drink while the rest cheered on.  Three of the six had already either passed out or headed for the bathroom which left Max, some man with curly hair that attempted to be an afro but failed, another guy with a backwards baseball cap and a wife beater, and the boy who Max first believed was a laxer. 

The next shot came and Max gulped it down.  It burned like fire the whole way.  Suddenly The guy with the almost- afro dropped off of the stool.  So now it was Max, wife beater man, and the laxer.  

Everything was getting hazy for Max, the edges of her vision blurred and suddenly laxer guy seemed very large while everything else shrunk.  Maybe Max should have checked what she was drinking because this was certainly not normal.  Then max noticed his eyes.  “They look like seaweed,” Max thought.  The idea of weeds being in someone’s eyes was so funny to Max that she doubled over in laughter.  Mr. wifebeater continued to stare straight ahead, but laxer, noticing her randome laughter looked concerned.  His brow furrowed in his concern  drooping his eyebrows slightly over his eyes causing another ripple of laughter to erupt from Max at the movement this caused in the seaweed.  She saw him mouthing words but all that registered with Max was a low buzzing sound resembling a bee.  She started swatting at her ears trying to get the annoying insect to go away and noticed that it was time to take another shot.  Still swatting with one hand she used the other to down this shot.  Wifebeater tried to down his last shot but ended up sputtering and heading towards the bathroom ready to vomit.