Say My Name

Chapter Eleven

"Yeah," she said hoarsely, followed with a clearing of her throat. "Yeah. Sorry. My throat was just a little dry." She gathered the confidence to speak again. "I'm just looking for him. That's all."

Toni swung the wet cloth over her shoulder and placed her hands on the bar, preparing herself for their conversation. "You don't just look for Forsythe." Her face turned serious. "He looks for you." She bent over the counter, now leaning on her forearms. "Look, you seem like a nice girl, which is why I feel like it's my place to tell you that this isn't a bar you can just waltz right into. Look around." Her voice lowered. "Every single one of these guys has killed."

Betty opened her mouth slightly, letting air find its way through her parted lips. She gazed at the girl's eyes, noticing she hadn't blinked in a while. The girl's frightening words attracted pressure to her own chest, and suddenly, Betty felt like she was too aware of her breathing. She turned her head, examining the room full of bikers with snake tattoos and beer bottles in their hands.

She felt the heat radiating from the girl's body as she noticed her leaning closer to her. "Notice the side-eyes half of them are giving you? That's because you have a giant target on your back right now," she said in an even lower voice. "Like a rabbit in the middle of a pack of wolves. So whatever your friend owes, let him deal with it himself because when it goes down, and Jones is fed up with not getting what he wants, he won't hesitate to charge." She straightened back up. "And trust me, you don't wanna get yourself caught in the crossfire." She got distracted by a man whistling, shaking his half-empty glass full of ice at her. She huffed. "One sec," she said to her before walking over to the man.

Betty peeked at Veronica, who was pulling a piece of gum out of her purse and started unwrapping it. "This place is scary," she said, still eyeing the gum, then stuck it in her mouth.

She nodded in agreement before side-eyeing a guy sitting at the opposite end of the bar, who was staring at her coldly. She crossed her arms uncomfortably and turned away. The girl walked back to her position in front of them and started filling an empty glass with bourbon. "Do yourself a favor, go home, and don't come back." She set the bottle full of bourbon down on the counter. "Didn't your mommy ever tell you to stay away from the Southside?" She picked up a tiny straw and dropped it in the glass. "Should've listened to her." She walked back over to the man, handing him the beverage.

Truthfully, her mom always did warn her about the Southside, but she never mentioned the Serpents. Betty always visioned the Southside as the place on the other side of the tracks--forbidden and rundown. One step over the train tracks, and you'll be swooped away by a mean man who preys on little kids.

"B, let's just get out of here," Veronica said in a loud whisper as she grabbed her arm.

"No." Betty yanked her arm out of her friend's grip. "I'm not leaving until I talk to him."

Veronica sighed, and Betty walked around the bar to where Toni was hovered over the counter, giving the man a friendly smile as he took a sip of his alcoholic beverage.

"Is he even here?" She talked over the drunk conversation by two bearded men happening next to her.

The girl sighed, clearly irritated by Betty's persistence. "No."

"Well, do you know where he is?" She flung her arms up in the air, then dropped them back down dramatically.

"No. No one keeps tabs on him. He comes and goes whenever he pleases."

"But I just --"

"Look..." She cut her off. "Pay the debt you owe or don't make drug deals with dangerous gang members. That simple."