Chapter 3
Driving by the Pirate’s Cove, they noticed that the bar looked packed. There were flashing disco lights inside, people stumbling in and out, and a mean-looking bouncer keeping watch over the door. Avery and Kendra had spent an hour that night driving up and down the street of bars. Carter had to be in one of them, and Avery wouldn’t stop until she found him. Finally, a flash of silver caught her eye.
“Look! There’s his Porche in the parking lot. He’s got to be here!”
Finding a parking spot proved to be a problem, leaving Avery with no choice but to pull her station wagon in way up the street. They climbed out of the car and began walking back toward Pirate’s Cove. Avery had changed into sparkly slippers and a white dress, while Kendra wore jeans, a black button-up blouse, and big shiny earrings.
“Eri doesn’t think we’ll ever be able to get in here,” Kendra said, staring at her phone. “Carter has a fake ID after all.”
“We’re going to get in. Just trust me.”
It was a cool night. The streetlights momentarily illuminated people passing in the opposite direction. The two girls followed a small group heading toward the row of bars, and Avery hoped she would be able to slip in amongst them. But the group crossed the street to head somewhere else, and suddenly Avery had an unobstructed view of the massive black bouncer standing in the way of her love.
Keeping her head down, she attempted to plow right through the open entrance, but a hand caught her on the shoulder that was big enough to palm her skull. She looked up at him and his stern face.
“How old are you?” he asked.
“Old enough to party,” she said, and his face seemed to harden even more.
“Alright, I’m going to need to see some ID.”
Avery felt Kendra poke her in the back, but she waved her off and reached for her wallet. Sighing, she played up her frustration at this inconvenience.
“Fine. Here’s my license,” she said.
“This is a learner’s permit!” he gasped, cocking his head and dropping his mouth open.“So?” Avery groaned, putting her hands on her hips.
“You’re only sixteen! You have to be twenty-one to get in!” the bouncer explained, flipping the permit back to her.
“You don’t understand. I have to get in there!” Avery pleaded, getting in his face. “My boyfriend is inside, and if I don’t talk to him right now, my life will fall apart forever!”
She looked up at him, putting her hand on his arm, but the bouncer was unmoved. He nonchalantly waved in a few noticeably older looking people.
“The law’s the law,” he shrugged.
“Come on, Avery. Just give it up. There’s no way we’ll be able to get him in there,” Kendra lamented.
Avery hung her head and put her hand on her forehead. She had to figure out a way to make this man let her in.
“I’ll tell you what,” she said, looking him square in the eye. “If you let me in, I’ll let you take my friend Kendra here into the back alley for five minutes.”
A glimmer flickered in the bouncer’s eyes as her proposal registered. He started looking over Kendra, his sights settling on her exposed cleavage. His lips started to pucker and a broad grin revealed sparkling white teeth. The bulge in his pants looked like it could karate-chop a brick. Kendra looked up from her phone, her face slack and her eyes wide with astonishment.
“You’ve got to be fucking kidding me, Avery! He’ll dislocate my hip!” she wailed, but Avery was already walking into the dimly lit and crowded bar. Glancing over her shoulder, Avery happened to see a big arm wrap around Kendra’s waist and lift her off the ground.
Maneuvering through the crowd, Avery scanned each face for the sharp jaw line and tanned skin of her Carter. Between the loud music, flashing lights, and constant bustling, it was difficult to get a good look at anyone. As confident as she was, Avery felt small and alone.
To put herself in the right frame of mind, she decided a drink would do just the trick. It was hard to even see the bar for all the people around, but she elbowed her way forward and squeezed in between a few patrons. Shoving one out of the way, the man turned to her suddenly, worrying Avery that she’d inadvertently picked a fight.
“You wanna have a little fun tonight?” the man asked, smiling and offering a few pills in his hand.
“No, thanks. I don’t take any drugs I don’t make myself,” she countered, looking down the long counter for one of the bartenders. She waved her arm out and shouted, but her words disappeared within the noise. When a bartender finally came through, she grabbed him by the arm and gave him a yank.
“Give me a jack and coke, light on the coke.”
It took him a while to get around to making her drink, and in the meantime she huddled against the edge of the bar, looking down each end for Carter. She had seen his car; he had to be here somewhere. Receiving the glass and its dark contents, Avery slammed it down in one gulp, feeling the familiar burn wash down her throat. It was time to get down to business.
Facing the dance floor, she hadn’t taken a single step before an unsavory and thuggish male accosted her. Despite missing one of his front teeth, he grinned, glaring at her. His jean shorts were unbuttoned and unzipped. Sweat dripped from his hair and skin, and even amongst all these people he had a noticeable odor.
“How ‘bout you and me do a little dancing?” he drawled, bringing his arms up to perform a dance move reminiscent of Rock’em Sock’em Robots.
“I don’t think so,” she said, turning on the spot to head in a different direction. Weaving around a few people sipping drinks or waiting to get to the bar, she thought she’d lost him until she doubled back for the dance floor and saw him right there behind her.
“Just one dance, sugar plum,” he begged, looking none too humble about it.
“Stop following me. I’m on my way to the bathroom!” she covered, continuing away from the dance floor and toward the entrance. The bathrooms were off to the right, a long line of men and women waiting to get into each one. Avery brushed past them, disregarding their cries, and ducked into the ladies’ room.
The bathroom was even more packed than the bar, and Avery snuck along the wall, only stopping when she noticed a spot smeared with fecal matter. Hoping her nuisance would leave her alone if she just hid for a few minutes, she pulled out her phone to diddle away the time. She had a single message from Kendra that read simply, “Help!”
Rolling her eyes, she put her phone away and decided the coast must be clear. Pushing the door open and returning to the bar’s main interior, she groaned when she saw the hick yokel standing right there in front of her.
“Leave me alone!” she hollered, but this only seemed to upset him.
“Why you gotta be such a bitch!” he spat, reaching out for her arm.
“No one calls me that!” she growled. Curling in her toes, she kicked him in the shin with the front of her slippers. Agony flickered over his face, giving Avery enough time to push him back into the line of men waiting beside the bathroom. Instantly, shouting erupted and someone threw a punch at the bothersome hick. They piled on him, and soon the area was flooded with people trying to watch or join the fight. Slipping away, Avery returned to the bar and the dance floor, which now seemed so spacious.
“Where’s the bouncer!” one of the bartenders yelled, leaving his post and allowing a few drunks to grab bottles behind the counter. As much as stealing booze enticed Avery, she had more important work to do, and after her recent brush with sleeze she was more determined to do it than ever.
Finally reaching the dance floor, she was more hopeful than ever that she would find Carter and put this whole mess to bed. It had gone on way too long, and she was anxious to just forget about it. Weaving amongst dancers, she glanced frantically at everyone. Moving with the rhythm, she tried to at least give the impression she wasn’t there stalking someone.
The bass rung in her ears and pounded against her chest. The song was sexy and fast, and she felt her
desires bloom. There were plenty of good-looking guys around, but only one could make her heart flutter.
And then she saw him. Carter was in the middle of the floor, lost within a crowd of people, dancing away with some slut who looked like she’d just washed up on the beach. But it wasn’t dancing though, it was more like dry humping. The girl had her ass pressed up again his crotch, and the two were just pounding away as if they were in a Holiday Inn elevator. He had a big smile on his face, as happy as can be.
A sick feeling swept over Avery, and she lost all energy to move. Watching him there with another girl felt like getting kicked in the stomach. Her mouth felt gritty and she became a little lightheaded. Closing her eyes, she just needed a moment to think about what to do. She had to do something, but all of these people bumping into her weren’t helping her decide. At the very least, she could tell he didn’t know she was there yet.
Taking a deep breath, she circled around behind Carter and the caboose he was grinding against. Raising her foot, Avery booted her in the backside right before the two could collide again. The girl went sprawling forward, knocking into another couple and falling to the floor. Carter twisted his neck to look back, and when he saw Avery his shocked face went pale.
“What, what, what are you doing?” he stammered.
“We have to talk!” Avery shouted, reaching for his forearm, but Carter recoiled and started distancing himself from her.
“We’re through, Avery! There’s nothing more to talk about!”
“No, wait!” she begged, but Carter had already slipped into the crowd. Biting her lip, she knew she couldn’t let him go until he heard her out. She went after him, and he moved for the exit even faster. In disbelief that he would actually run away from her, she swallowed the embarrassment and chased him.
Carter slipped out the entrance and broke right toward his car. Avery pushed another girl out of the way and spilled outside where Kendra was waiting for her. She stood plainly, looking a bit confused. The bouncer was nowhere to be found.
“He just cried and told me to hold him,” she said.
“Did you see Carter? We’ve got to hurry!” Avery jabbered, sprinting by her. Kendra was a much faster runner, and she quickly caught Avery just a little ways up the sidewalk. They both stopped dead as Carter’s Porche pulled out from the parking lot right in front of them and entered the street. He had an angry grimace on his face, which only further incited Avery.
“I’m not letting him get away!” she said, jogging past the vacant driveway toward her station wagon up the road. Mercifully, he got caught at a red light, and she kept her eyes on the shiny silver car the entire time she ran. Kendra was already climbing in when Avery made it around to the driver’s side door. She threw herself in and jammed the key in the ignition.
“Come on, you piece of shit!” she howled. The engine sputtered, turning over once and then twice before coming to life. “Thank God!”
The light changed and Carter and his Porche took off down the road. Avery pulled out and followed him, cutting off another car. Though her foot was on the floor, she still couldn’t keep up. They traveled away from the bars, entering a section of town that had little life in it at this late hour.
Carter cruised under a yellow light, and Avery smacked the wheel as it turned red. Clenching her teeth, she kept her foot on the gas and sailed through the red light. Kendra braced herself against the dashboard. A car horn blasted, but Avery didn’t look back. Worried she would lose him, she wondered what she would do if he got away.
But the streetlights were working in her favor. Carter raced toward a red light, but instead of stopping he turned into a McDonald’s parking lot. Avery’s eyes grew wide and she took a quivering breath. This was her chance. She jerked the car to the side of the road, leaned over to push open the door, and shoved Kendra out.
“I think I saw a cotton field!”
“That’s really degrading!” Kendra yelped, but Avery had already driven off, the passenger side door hanging open. Pulling into the McDonald’s drive-thru, she entered via the exit, a thin road curving around the building to an empty parking lot in the back. Carter was turning his vehicle around when Avery popped out. They both slammed on the breaks, their cars stopping just inches apart. She’d blocked him.
Loose Lips Sink Ships Page 5
