An Unexpected Hunger

by Rosa, C.

  “Hey, Lex!” Mia smiled from ear to ear, revealing perfectly straight teeth. It looked like all those years of braces paid off. Her hair was blonder than it was in high school, and she wore a tight black top and jean shorts even shorter than mine. She looked great, and I cowered back, my confidence dropping by the second.

  “Hey Mia,” I said. “How’ve you been?” I tried to sound enthusiastic.

  She shrugged and smiled. “Working here…trying to finish school. Can I get you something to drink?” She placed a cocktail napkin in front of me as I debated what I wanted. I didn’t plan on drinking tonight, but the more I looked around the better the idea seemed.

  “A beer,” I said. She nodded her head, snapped the lid off a bottle, and plopped it front of me.

  “Thanks.”

  “Where’s that brother of yours at?” she asked.

  I looked behind my shoulder. “Oh…I don’t know. He’s around here somewhere.”

  Mia smiled as someone called out for the bartender at the other end of the bar.

  “My ears were burning,” Nick said from behind me. “What are you two talking about?”

  Mia rolled her eyes, but couldn’t help but grin. I didn’t know what magical potion my brother possessed, but he managed to convince every girl around him that he was prince charming.

  Whoever it was trying to get Mia’s attention must have been really thirsty. The longer she ignored his calls the louder he became.

  “Yo, Mia! Anytime today would be nice!”

  “Keep your panties on!” she yelled. She reached down under the bar and pulled out two shot glasses, pouring whiskey in each one.

  I shook my head. “Oh no…I don’t do whiskey anymore.”

  “Since when?” Nick asked.

  I raised my eyebrows, recalling the last time Jack Daniels and I hung out. It was about a year ago, just after I met Danny…the worst mistake I ever made.

  “Since I woke up that one day on my front lawn in a snorkel mask.”

  Mia laughed as she pushed the shots towards us and then left to take someone’s order.

  “Drink!” Nick said, grabbing one shot and handing me the other. “I promise I won’t let you near the front lawn…or a snorkel mask.”

  I stared at the amber liquid for a few seconds before releasing it from Nick’s fingers. He smiled widely as we clinked the glasses and then threw them back.

  The alcohol flamed down my throat, burning up my whole chest. I clicked my tongue a few times, trying to dissipate the taste out of my mouth.

  “Ugh!” I said, wiping my mouth with my arm. “Tastes terrible!”

  “Mia!” Nick called. He held up two fingers, and she nodded in recognition.

  “Don’t you think you should take it easy?” I asked.

  Nick rolled his eyes. “Why? Mom told you to babysit me?”

  I scoffed. “Yeah…pretty much. Like I’m in any position to be a baby sitter. I shouldn’t be within five feet of a baby.”

  Mia came back by our end and poured us two more shots. She had barely poured the last drop the glass would hold before Nick swiped it off the bar and threw it back. He pointed to the shot in front of me, but I refused it.

  “Waste not, want not,” he said, swallowing another shot.

  “Damn Nick,” I said. “Take it easy.”

  “It’s no use,” Mia said, rolling her eyes. “He never listens.”

  “I’m fine!”

  “Don’t say I didn’t warn you,” she said to me just before walking off.

  “So, where are these friends of yours? I asked.

  Nick ignored my question and shifted his line of sight behind me. “There he is!” he yelled out.

  I looked behind me to only to see Ricky Perry, Mia’s older brother, and the hottest and most arrogant guy to walk out of Holy Cross High School. He had the distinct record of being the only kid in Holy Cross expelled for fighting too much. I remembered witnessing one when mom dropped me off late for school. I rounded the corner of the hallway in a rush, only to see Ricky hovering over some kid with a bloodied nose.

  When he walked through the bar, the eyes of the women he passed lingered on him, soaking him all in. I turned around quickly, cursing myself for never listening to my mother. Not so much to gain his attention, but rather to not make it so obvious about the current status of my life. It was a mess, and it showed through my appearance.

  “What’s he doing here?” I asked Nick.

  He ignored me and waved Ricky over.

  “Hey man,” Ricky said to Nick, completely ignoring me. They did some manly handshake as I pretended not to exist. I let my eyes wander around the bar, recognizing a few familiar faces. I should have known it was going to be a high school reunion.

  It wasn’t until I heard my name that I finally looked directly at him. I got trapped in his dark grey eyes, the color of storm clouds. It had been so long since we last saw each other, just days before I left for California. He and Mia had come to say goodbye, although Ricky looked like he had better things to do the entire visit.

  “Hey Lex,” he said. “Long time no see.” He smiled, revealing beautiful white teeth. My eyes gleamed over his toned and tanned arms. Dimples sunk low on each side of his smile, and his grey eyes were framed with thick brows. Not to mention not one, but two Y’s in his name. He had bad news written all over him.

  Guys like him should be required to wrap yellow caution tape around their bodies before exiting the house. He was exactly the type that could get me into trouble again…something I had been diligent to avoid. That was until I let myself become distracted by Danny. A distraction that was tall, dark, handsome, tattooed, and completely unavailable. A distraction that caused me to loose sight of what was right for the sake of gaining something that I craved.

  “Hey,” I replied, taking a swig of my beer. I needed to occupy my mouth to prevent it from hanging open. He looked good…too good. Suddenly, I had started to regret not taking that second shot of whiskey.

  “What are you drinking man?” Nick asked, calling Mia over again. Between my brother, and the moron at the other end, I wouldn’t have been surprised if she had whiplash by the end of the night.

  “Whatever you’re sucking down looks good,” Ricky said.

  “Nice,” Nick replied, ordering two more whiskeys. “You in Lex?”

  I nodded my head no, knowing one of us was going to have to drive home. It obviously wasn’t going to be Nick.

  “So, I heard you moved back home. Couldn’t handle it in California?” Ricky said.

  I shrugged my shoulders and took another sip. “Or maybe it couldn’t handle me.”

  “I doubt it,” Ricky smirked. “So what are you going to do now?”

  Just as he asked the question, a tall, busty, redhead caught his eye as she walked behind him, trailing her finger from one of his broad shoulders to the other.

  “Hey beautiful,” he said, looking back at her. He gave her a wink, and she practically melted on the floor. She whispered something in his ear as he smiled at the words. I turned my head and rolled my eyes, careful not to spit out my beer in disgust.

  Someone from the back called Ricky over as a few guys assembled on the stage with their instruments.

  “Are you staying for a while longer?” Ricky asked me.

  I looked at Nick who shrugged. “Yeah,” I said. “Sure.”

  A commotion stirred at the other end of the bar. We stopped and turned around to see what was unfolding. Two guys, no doubt inebriated, started to take turns shoving each other.

  “Shit,” Ricky whispered. “Not these two again.”

  My eyes followed him as he stomped over to the two men making a scene. For a second, I flashed back to the hallways of Holy Cross, witnessing Ricky on the rampage just before pouncing on whatever unlucky guy who pissed him off. Ricky yoked one of the guys by the collar of his shirt and jerked him away from his spot near the bar.

  The poor kid didn’t look a day over twenty-one, if he was even that old.
He was short, scraggly, and as thin as a rail. His face scrunched in unsuspecting fear. Ricky, tall with every muscle in his arms popping, did some shoving of his own before dragging the kid through the bar and out the door. People barely even noticed the scuffle and continued on drinking and conversing as if nothing had happened.

  “Glad to see some people never change,” I said.

  A few minutes passed before Ricky returned inside. He opened and closed his fist, shaking his fingers free. Our eyes met for a split second as he walked across the bar. He gave me a wink and half-cocked smile. I zipped my head in the other direction, a bashful blush burning my cheeks.

  Oh no.

  Ricky climbed up onto the stage and cracked his knuckles.

  “He’s in a band?” I smirked.

  “The drummer,” Nick said, sipping his beer.

  My eyebrows shot up. “Seriously?…Wow. Seems like he’s got his shit together.” I mentally went over all the traits of my AVOID AT ALL COSTS list. With Ricky, I had checked off just about every one.

  Nick nodded his head as his friends made their way over. The same three friends he’s had since middle school.

  The whole bar quieted down as someone with a guitar hanging around his neck spoke into the microphone, announcing the name of the band. I craned my neck as they started to play, focusing my attention on Ricky.

  Halfway through their set, the lead singer announced they were taking a quick break. I watched as Ricky peeled off his shirt, revealing a large tattoo near his ribs. He used it to wipe the sweat off his face, and then threw it on the floor.

  I shifted my gaze just before he looked up and out into the crowd. When I thought it was safe, I let my eyes wander back towards his way and watched as he sat with another group of people, most of them women.

  “What cha’ starin’ at?” Nick asked, catching me off guard. His eyes were glassy, and the alcohol seeped through his slurred words.

  “Nothing,” I said. “I think it’s time to go.”

  It was nearly one in the morning, and even though I had no job and nowhere to go the next day, I needed to get out of this bar.

  “But it’s early,” Nick said, bending a small straw in his mouth.

  “Nick…please. Don’t make me beg.” I reached out my hand, and he dutifully handed me the keys.

  “Go ahead without me,” he said.

  “How will you get home?”

  “Mia will take me…right Mimi?”

  Mia nodded her head in disagreement. “Can’t tonight Nicky.”

  “I’ll take him,” Charlie interjected.

  I stared Charlie down. Out of the three, he was probably my brother’s most reliable friend, and that still wasn’t saying much.

  “Are you sure?” I shouted as the band began to play again. I glanced over at Ricky, hammering away on the drums. His faced contorted with the sound of the music, and every muscle in his arms flexed with his movement.

  Look away, I told myself.

  “I’m sure, I’m sure. Stop worrying you ol’ lady.”

  I leaned in closer to Nick, making sure he could hear every word I said. “You better make it home in one piece.”

  He nodded his head up and down, but somehow I didn’t think anything I could ever say would make a difference. I knew mom would find some way to blame me for whatever potential trouble Nick got into, just as she had since we were little kids. I could have been on a different planet, and she still would have managed to slide a guilt trip on me.

  I made my way out of the bar, waving to Mia before I slipped through the door. As I drove home, the feeling that I shouldn’t have left Nick at the bar kept fading more and more as the incessant image of Ricky popped into my head.

  * * *

  I reached out for the alarm clock, patting it over and over, before I realized it wasn’t the alarm making the annoying noise. I leaned up on my elbows in bed, perking my ears. Just as I prepared to plop back down, I heard the doorbell charm.

  I fumbled in my dark room, tripping over my carry-on I never bothered to pick up off the floor. The doorbell rang a few more times on my way down the steps. I swung the front door open, ready to rip Nick a new one.

  “What the - ” I stopped short, seeing Ricky standing in front of me, dragging my brother, bruised and a little bloody.

  “Oh my God! Nick! What the hell happened?” I said.

  I heard mom calling from the top of the steps.

  “Not mom,” Nick muttered as he hobbled through the door. “Make her go away.”

  I ran to the bottom of the steps. “Everything’s fine. It’s just Nick.”

  She nodded, half asleep, and headed back into her room.

  Without bothering to say anymore, Nick strolled right past me and headed up the stairs, leaving Ricky and me alone.

  “He had a bit too much…as usual,” he said. He scratched above his eye, which looked a little puffy. “Had to peel him off some asshole trying to hit on Mia.”

  Nick grumbled as he tripped over a few steps, sliding his hand down the banister.

  “Thanks for bringing him home,” I said, crossing my arms in front of me. I was suddenly aware of my bra-less state, hoping Ricky hadn’t noticed anything through my thin nightshirt.

  “It’s no problem,” he said.

  An awkward pause wedged between us, and I opened my mouth to say goodnight.

  “You left so soon,” Ricky said. “I thought you were going to hang out for a bit.”

  It took a few seconds to spit out the words. “I have a lot to do in the morning. I didn’t want to be out too late.”

  He chuckled. “A lot to do? You just got back...you can’t have that much planned.”

  I squinted my eyes, frustrated that his arrogance was just as compelling as always. Unfortunately, it didn’t detract from his ridiculous good looks. Somehow it made him even more alluring. “Well…you know, wake up, unpack, sort out my life….small things like that.”

  Ricky smiled and took a few steps closer to me. “So how does it feel to be back home?”

  I swept my eyes around the porch, anything to keep from looking right at him. “Fine…not much different than when I left.”

  Ricky looked at me like I had firecrackers shooting out of my head. “I think you would be surprised about what’s different around here.”

  I finally let my eyes fall on him, curious as to what he was referring to.

  “I better go check on Nick,” I replied.

  “Alexa,” he said as I swung the door back at the last minute. “It’s good to see you. Maybe I’ll see you at the Mug again?”

  I nodded my head. “Maybe.”

  He smiled, the devilish grin I remembered from high school. The same one he used to sleep with just about every girl in a plaid skirt and knee socks. Thank God I had known better now, or else I’d be in some serious shit.

  “Okay…well Goodnight.”

  “Night,” I said, closing the door as quietly as I could. When I got back upstairs I took a quick peek into Nick’s room, only to find him passed out on his bed, clothes and shoes still on.

  I headed to my room, knowing going back to sleep with Ricky’s smile burned into my brain wouldn’t be easy.

  Chapter 3

  The Job

  BEFORE I LEFT the house, I put a glass of water and two aspirins on Nick’s nightstand. His body was so still that for a few seconds I thought he was dead. But then he mumbled something in his sleep and rolled onto his back.

  I grabbed the keys to his car, hoping he wouldn’t wake before I got back. I didn’t bother packing any toiletries besides my toothbrush, and mom’s generic shampoo was just not going to cut it with my thick head of hair. I rushed through a cup of coffee before realizing my mother’s car wasn’t in the driveway. Knowing I had the kitchen to myself, I hunted around for breakfast before settling on a blueberry muffin.

  Riding in Nick’s Honda Civic sounded like a million bees in a tunnel. It was sweltering outside, but I opted for the windows instead of the air
conditioning, letting the wind whip my hair.

  I pulled into the Rite Aid and perused the aisles, looking through the organic shampoo. I flipped back the lid of each one and took a big inhale, trying to decide which smelled the best.

  “I’ve never seen someone get high on shampoo before,” a voice behind me said.

  I froze mid-sniff and peered over my shoulder. Mr. Airport was staring back at me.

  I furrowed my brow, trying to compute just how high the odds were of ever seeing him again.

  “Alexa…right?”

  I nodded my head as I chucked the shampoo into my basket. I stared at him, studying his face for any sign of recognition.

  “It’s Ethan…from Memorial. We had pre-Algebra together with Mrs. Roth?”

  I racked my brain, trying to pin the name to the face. “Ethan!” I said, meeting my palm to my forehead. “I thought you looked familiar. How are you?”

  When I took a better look, it was his eyes that I remembered. The palest blue I had ever seen. We had a class together from first through eighth grade before his parents divorced, and he switched to public school.

  “I’m doing good. It’s been forever. I heard you moved out to California.”

  “Yeah…I did. For school.”

  “How long are you visiting home?”

  I shifted the basket full of shampoo, conditioner, and body wash from one hand to the other, clearing my throat. “Um…I’m not visiting, actually. I moved back.”

  “Oh…hey, that’s cool. Always good to come back home, right?”

  I nodded my head. “How about you?” I asked, smoothing down my windblown hair.

  “Still living here. I’m interning at the law firm on Main. I’m picking up some prescriptions for my mom. She’s not feeling so good.”

  “I’m sorry to hear that.”

  “Yeah…” he trailed off. “But hey, it’s great to see you. You look great.”

  I gave him a small smile, knowing it was completely untrue.

  “How about we go out for a drink sometime?”

  “Sure,” I said. No harm in catching up with an old friend, even if he was six foot tall and chiseled like the statue of David.