Dance In The Rain

~34~ Soda, Sticks, and Gardetto's

I've decided that I'm doing daily updates this week. So I'll update today, tomorrow, and Friday.

After talking to a friend last night, I realized just how much writing has been helping me lately. I went through a traumatic experience about 10 months ago, which is why I took a longer than expected hiatus. The nights get really dark, so instead of letting it swallow me I've been writing.

Thank you for supporting and loving me. I'm just a normal person who lives an imperfect life, where bad and scary things happen. Thanks for unknowingly supporting me through it.

Julianne's POV

After I've calmed down, Holden takes my hand and leads me out to the bar, and gently pushes me onto a stool. He pours a glass of Pepsi from the soda fountain and hands it to me, and then writes down 'mozz sticks' on the pad and hangs it on Rusty's turning thing.

Then, he scoops Gardetto's into a black basket and hands that to me in complete silence.

"Soda, sticks, and Gardetto's? How bad we kickin' Mackney's ass, T?" Nico asks in a low voice, and Holden puts his finger to his lips as he motions toward the corner where his parents are still sitting.

"So? If their kid is an ass, he needs it whooped!"

"They already did! Keep it down, Nico!"

"What?" Nico asks in a hushed voice, and Holden grabs him by his arm and turns so Holden's back is facing the Mackney's. He quickly tells him the story and Nico's mouth drops open.

"Oh shit!" Nico says as he looks back at me, taking a rye chip out of the basket and popping it into his mouth.

"Talk about a cock block!"

"NICO!" Holden says in complete horror and embarrassment as he shoots a glance at me.

"Did I say my thoughts again?"

"Uh....yeah!"

"Sorry T...You're around drunk people all damn night and you start to run yur mouth too.....What I meant to say is I'm sorry, Little T. His family don't mess around...And now I feel like it's my fault since it was my class."

Holden starts to say something, when he clears his throat. "Stop," he says simply as he grabs a glass to wipe down.

What is he doing?

"Hey Holden?" I hear, and when I turn I realize what Holden did.

"What can I get for you, Mrs. Mackney?"

"What did I tell you about that? It's Maggie...."

"Maggie," he says with a forced grin as he sets his white towel down and looks at her.

"This glass was a little dirty, could I get a fresh one?" She asks as she touches his arm, and I raise my eyebrows.

She's totally flirting with my brother! With her husband right over there!!!!!

"A fresh glass, or a fresh drink?" Holden asks, slipping into his old bartending ways and flirting back just a little.

He hasn't totally stopped flirting, but he's cooled it enough that Quinn hasn't said anything else about it.

Mrs. Mackney simply grins as she shrugs lazily. "We were supposed to be on a date tonight, so I'll take a fresh drink. Gage just loves your English class, Holden. He says you're a great teacher."

"Thank you, ma'am. He's a great kid," Holden says with ease as he grabs the Bacardi and Grenadine and starts to pour them into the shaker, and then stays silent as he adds some lime juice.