Don't Say Anything

95. Your Foolishness

Shit. Shit. Shit.

“I’m not sure. Twenty to thirty minutes?” I say already standing. “Why? What’s wrong? Is Will there?”

“Yeah he’s here. I hate to ask this over the phone, but is he some sort of recovering alcoholic? I think he’s already consumed nine or ten shots and it’s hardly affected him.”

“No, but he used to drink a lot. He doesn’t anymore. I mean, not really.”

I have no idea where the keys to the other cars are kept. Will never drives the other cars, so he carries his keys with him. Mary would know where they are.

“Jessi, he doesn’t seem to be stopping and I don’t know what to do. It’s not normal for someone to drink this much. I wouldn’t have brought him here if I’d have known he would be like this.”

I put my hand over the speaker. “Mary!” I yell from the kitchen. Damn this house for being so big. If she’s upstairs, there’s no way she’s going to hear me. I can’t go over to their side of the house. Will would be livid, regardless of if their home, and I don’t know my way around at all.

“Don’t let him drink anymore,” I say in a rushed voice.

“I would have stopped him five shots ago if I could do that.”

“Mary!” I call again but there’s still no response.

“I need to call a cab. I’ll be there as soon as I can.”

I don’t even bother asking what they’re doing at a bar or why Will insisted on going to one. That’s the least of my concerns right now. My main one is getting to Will before things get out of control.

I’m in a cab and pulling up to the sketchy looking bar before I can blink. Suddenly time seems to be flying by. Everything in the last twenty minutes happened in a flash. Now I’m standing face to face with a man twice my size with twice as many tattoos as Will.

“Hi,” I say as he blocks the entrance to the dark-lit room.

“It’s past ten o’clock,” he says in an abnormally deep voice. I’m tempted to make some sort of “no shit” comment, but I don’t think it would be best to anger him. He resembles a bull more than a man.

He holds out his hand when I don’t respond.

“If your fake ID is as satisfactory as your body, I’ll let you in.”

I feel like laughing and throwing up at the same time. Heat rushes to my cheeks, but not the good kind that all ways appears when Will talks to me. This man is creepy. Beyond creepy with his bizarre pick-up line.

And on top of that, I don’t have a fake ID. There’s no way I can convince this guy I’m twenty-one when Avery always jokes that I still look like I’m in high school.

I take a step back to put some distance between creeper and me while I think of Plan B. Just as I’m about to call Vinny, I see him pop up from behind the man.

“Jessi!” he says squeezing through the door with giant creeper crowding most of it. “This is my friend Box. He’s very nice once you get to know him.” Vinny has to reach up to pat the guy on the shoulder. I don’t think I’ve ever met someone with a stranger name than Box.

“You know her?” Box asks looking at Vinny.

“Close friend,” he says with a smile in my direction. “She can come in, right Box?”

He looks between the two of us before he finally steps to the side. His eyes rake up and down my body as I brusquely walk past and I suddenly feel very self-conscious. Actually being inside the bar doesn’t make it much better. It smells like smoke and beer and sweat, none of which are pleasant.