I huffed and fell back against the seat. I really didn’t want to go out, and I was still irritated that she’d talked me into it. I hadn’t actually left the house in yoga pants, though I’d considered it. Instead, I’d pulled on a pair of loose jeans and a t-shirt I’d gotten at the Down Syndrome Buddy Walk a couple years before. I was PMSing, I had a zit on my forehead, and I’d refused to put any makeup on in a lame attempt of protest.
As we pulled up to the same bar we’d gone to three weeks earlier, I wished I’d used at least a little foundation to cover the zit.
The place wasn’t as packed as it had been before, but there was still a pretty big crowd of people playing pool and sitting at the tables around the room. After a quick look around, I deflated a little when I realized Will wasn’t there.
Good. I didn’t want to see him anyway.
“Come on,” Mel said, grabbing my hand. “I’ll grab our drinks, you grab that table in the back.”
I made my way across the bar, wishing I’d gussied up a little as I passed a bunch of women who were obviously looking for a hook-up. Their hair and makeup were flawless and almost every one of them were wearing dresses.
I looked like a hobo in comparison.
Oh, well. I lifted my chin a little as I pulled out my phone and placed it on the table as I sat down. Hopefully, Mel would have a drink or two and we could leave. I glanced down at my shoes and felt my face heat as I pulled my feet under my chair. The checkered Vans I was wearing were at least ten years old, and I’d worn them out forgetting that Mel had filled in some of the white checks with Sharpie so it looked like I had a digital dick and balls on the toes of my shoes.
“Beer for you and beer for me,” Mel announced as she sat down across from me. “See, isn’t this fun?”
“We could’ve drank beer at my house,” I replied flatly.
“Oh, come on. You’re not going to be like this all night, are you?” she complained. “Bottoms up—once you have a couple drinks in you, you won’t be in such a pissy mood.”#p#分页标题#e#
“I’m not in a pissy mood,” I bitched. I was in a completely pissy mood.
“How’s work been going?” Mel asked, ignoring me. “And have you and your dad made up yet?”
“It’s fine, and yes. He never stays mad for very long, and then he feels like shit about it.”
“He should have,” Mel grumbled. “It’s not like you’re some skank. He overreacted big time.”
“I think he was just surprised,” I said, taking a large sip of my beer. I’d only drank about half by then, but I could already feel the tension in my shoulders fading away. “He was used to Mase, ya know? He’d be completely freaked out if I started seeing someone now.”
“Well, what does he think? That you’ll just be single forever? That’s ridiculous.”
“I can’t really see me dating anyone.” I shook my head. “I like being by myself too much.”
“Yeah, right. You just haven’t found the right guy yet,” Mel replied, making me wince. “Or maybe you have.”
“Don’t go there.”
“What?” she asked innocently. “I’m just saying, you weren’t all ‘I’m going to be a lonely old spinster’ after that night with Will.”
“Yeah, and look how that turned out.”
“You got smokin’ hot sex the next day? Poor baby.”
“Until he ran out of my house!”
“Maybe he had shit to do.”
“I haven’t talked to him in weeks, Mel. Drop it.”
“Well,” she said softly, glancing over my shoulder. “I have a feeling you’ll talk to him pretty soon.”
“I’m going to fucking kill you,” I hissed, my entire body freezing in place.
“No, you won’t. You’ll be too busy—oh, hey, Rocky.”
I sighed in disbelief as the handsome guy from that first night rounded our table and leaned down to kiss Mel lightly on the lips.
“I didn’t know you’d be here already,” he said quietly, smiling.
“We got here before the rush,” Mel said with a shrug of her shoulders.
“You wanna come sit with us?” he asked, glancing at me before quickly looking back to Mel.
“No,” I replied curtly.
I hated that I could feel Will watching me. I hated that I’d worn old baggy clothes to prove that I didn’t care, and now I just felt stupid. And I hated even more that underneath the baggy clothes, I was wearing one of my only matching bra and panty sets—just in case.