In the Shadows

by Jill Nolan

  “Crap! Another shirt bites the dust.”

  “I don’t know why you keep wearing white.”

  “I look good in white.”

  “Not in ketchup-stained white.”

  “Shut up.” I really need to only wear dark shirts for dinner, especially when I'm particularly ravenous. I grab another fry, using it to get the majority of the ketchup off my shirt before eating it. I grab a few napkins, dip them in my water, and get to work scrubbing the stain until it’s as faint as it’s going to get.

  I work on finishing the rest of my fries when the hot guy comes up to our table. I smile up at him, my hand covering my mouth stuffed full of fries as I try to chew quicker. I must be making a great impression.

  “Hey ladies.” If only he knew how far from lady-like I am. What a sexy accent, though. He looks at Allison first, and then his eyes hold mine. I feel my smile grow wider as my cheeks burn with embarrassment. I still have Allison’s dirty comments in my head, throwing me off even more.

  “Hi.”

  “Hel-lo.” Allison sounds amused and flirty.

  “How’s your food?”

  “Great, thank you.”

  “Delicious," Allison says, and it feels like she's not talking about the food.

  “So good you let your shirt have some too?” It takes me a second to register his meaning before remembering my ketchup spill. Damn it. Did he see that or just notice the stain? I look down at the pink spot surrounded by an ugly wet area where I cleaned it. I look like a scrub right now.

  “This was actually me holding back. Normally, I like to bathe in ketchup,” I joke.

  He laughs lightly while simultaneously giving me a strange look. Allison, on the other hand laughs quite a bit, and something tells me she’s not laughing with me…

  “How long will you be staying in the Dells?”

  “For most of the summer. We’re doing an internship here,” I say.

  “What kind of internship?”

  “We’re basically tearing small trees from the ground and burning them and then taking notes on it,” Allison says, effectively summing up our internship.

  “Interesting.” He says this as more of a question. I’m pretty sure he can’t tell if she’s being serious or not. “I hope you don’t burn down the whole forest.”

  “Yeah, me too.”

  “My name’s Nic. And what are your names?”

  “I’m Allison.” She beams up at him.

  “Keegan.” I give him my best smile as well. I’m able to study his face a little more from this close. He is still very good-looking. And his pale blue eyes are so pretty. “Where are you from?”

  “Romania. My uncle started this café a few years ago, and we come here for the summer to work for him. Behind the counter, that’s my cousin, Luca.” We wave at Luca, who waves back with a goofy smile on his face. "Well, I should get back to work, but maybe I'll see you around?" It's more of a request than a question. He gives me a charming smile and turns around without waiting for an answer.

  Chapter 3

  Allison and I get dropped off at a bar, which happens to be pretty packed. So, this is the Dells Saturday nightlife. We squeeze through people until we find a spot at the bar and order drinks. We turn heads as we walk past, boosting my confidence nicely.

  Most of today we spent at a beach, just the two of us. We alternated swimming and reading in the sand while drinking.

  And now we're drinking some more. We get our vodka tonics and head to an open area, since the tables are all full. We really don't know anyone in town yet, but we're bound to meet people after spending some time in a bar. In fact, as I scan the bar, I spot the guy from the cafe, Nic, looking at me. His eyes leave mine to travel up and down my body, a sly smile on his lips. Then he immediately makes his way towards us.

  "It's the guy from the cafe," I say to Allison, before he's within earshot. "He's coming over."

  "Really?" she says, looking around me to see him. We don't have time to say anything else before he reaches us.

  "Hey, Keegan, Allison." He smiles at us both.

  "Hey," we say in unison.

  "Are you here with anyone? My friends and I have a table over there, if you want to join us?"

  Wow. Well, isn't he smooth? "Uh, sure," I say. "We don't really know anyone in town yet." Though we did meet a few guys last night at another bar that was featuring a live band. Their lack of personalities and the fact that they were only in for the weekend made them less than ideal potential friends. Luckily, we were able to use the excuse that we wanted to watch the band so as not talk to them anymore. It wasn't a lie either, at least not for me. I hate talking when a good band is playing, and that one had an awesome bluesy-rock sound that made most people tap to the beat.

  Nic leads us to a small table without chairs at the back of the bar. He introduces us to Luca, Nic's cousin from the cafe, Hanna, a pretty but plain girl a few inches taller than me, and Ben, who is cute, tall, and lanky.

  "So how do you guys know each other?" I ask them.

  Hanna pushes her shoulder-length dirty blonde hair behind her ear as she responds, "I met these two idiots a few years ago when their uncle's cafe first opened. Since I'm here every summer like them, we started hanging out. And Ben goes to school with me in Madison. He's crashing at my place for the summer so he doesn't have to go all the way back to England."

  “Your parent’s place,” Ben corrects in an English accent that has me leaning forward to hear better. “They love me. They might even be in love with me.” It sounds like maybe a London accent, but not as strong.

  “Stop. They really do love him though," she tells us, sounding a bit disgusted. I wonder if they're dating. It doesn't quite seem like it, but they do have some sort of chemistry. Or maybe it's just familiarity. They seem to be very different, style-wise. Hanna is very casual in a plaid shirt and old jeans while Ben is impeccably dressed with a blazer and very stylish-looking jeans.

  I glance over at Nic, realizing I never even registered his outfit when I looked at him. He's also dressed casually, in dark jeans and a print tee that has a few too many things happening. But he looks good. I imagine it's hard for him not to. Minus the eyebrows, of course.

  “Keegan. That's usually a boy’s name, init?” Ben asks, bringing my attention back to him.

  “Yeah. My parents thought they were having a boy, and then out popped me." I fan my hands around my face with a ridiculous smile. "They decided to keep the name they had already picked out.”

  “Brilliant. I love it.” And I'm pretty sure I already love him. Not in a sexual way. As cute as he is (and he's only getting cuter with that accent and personality), he's a bit too metrosexual for me.

  "It's a beautiful name," Nic says, and I'm caught between being flattered and feeling like that was super corny. I like my name, but it's not a name that one would describe as "beautiful".

  "Thanks," I say awkwardly.

  When I look at Allison, she mockingly mouths, "So beautiful". It's all I can do to keep from cracking up. I fight against the laugher trying to escape, only to end up snorting from holding back. My composure completely breaks then, and laughter pours out of me. I think I can hear Allison laughing too, but it's hard to tell through the tears blurring my vision. I know this shouldn't be that funny, but isn't that always when it's funniest?

  "I'm sorry," I say to the group, feeling bad that Nic might think I was laughing at him, even if he was kind of part of the reason. "I was just laughing at...Allison's face."

  That only gets Allison and I laughing all over again.

  I'm saved from further explanation when two guys come over and greet Hanna with a hug.

  I turn back to Nic when I feel his hand on my arm. "What do you do for fun?" he asks.

  "Uh, I read, watch tv, hang out with friends, travel wherever my parents decide we're going...nothing super interesting,"

  "Where have you traveled?"

  "I've only been around the US. We visit South Carolina most often sin
ce my mom's family is out there. I have yet to go outside the country. Well, except Canada once, but I feel like that doesn't count."

  "It counts. Each state here is like a separate country in Europe. I've only been to Romania, Wisconsin, and Illinois, so you've got me beat."

  "...and this is Keegan," I hear Allison say. I turn towards her and the new guys standing between her and Hanna. She must be introducing us.

  "Hi," I say with a wave and a smile.

  "Cody," says the guy right next to Allison, reaching his hand over the table to shake mine. He has a kind face with short black hair and a lean build.

  "Mason," says the other guy, and I shake his hand next. He's taller, probably closer to six feet, and heavily built. I admire his naturally tanned and highly muscled biceps before my eyes settle on face, which is framed by longer dark hair that almost reaches his broad shoulders.

  My attention is drawn back to Nic, who begins to talk to me again. "You sound like you want to travel outside the States. What's the one country you most want to visit?"

  "New Zealand," I answer immediately. "It's on the other side of the world, it's where the Lord of the Rings was filmed, and they have a forest called the Goblin Forest."

  "Don't get her started on the Lord of the Ring," Allison cuts in.

  I don't correct her on the title; she knows what it's supposed to be. "If you would just watch it, you would understand. I'm not even sure how we're friends."

  "It's because I can overlook your nerdiness."

  "Wow, lucky me."

  "I finished my drink. Your turn to buy, nerd."

  "I'm going to get you a gin and tonic," I threaten.

  "Don't you dare!"

  "I'll get the next round," Nic says.

  "It's okay," I say immediately. "Al and I are switching off for the night."

  "I insist. What would you like?"

  "Two vodka tonics. Thanks Nic."

  "Yeah, thanks Nic," Allison says. "Muscles left," she pouts.

  "What?"

  "That guy, Mason, with the muscles." I look around her and see that he's sitting a few tables down from us, with a girl on his lap. "He was so flirting with me, and he was cute," she says.

  "That's probably what the girl on his lap is thinking."

  "What?" she follows my gaze and sighs. "She's probably wondering where the rest of her shorts went."

  I laugh as I notice her cut off underwear shorts with the pockets hanging out. "I'm pretty sure you have a pair of shorts like that." I can't help calling her out.

  "No, mine don't have pockets that hang out."

  "But they're the same length."

  "It's all about the pockets."

  "Silly me."

  I catch Cody looking at Allison and then following her gaze to Mason. He leans over toward us, saying, "What's the point of having pockets if they're hanging out of your shorts?"

  I laugh, wondering if he overheard us, but I think we were talking too quietly and the background noise in here is pretty high.

  "Exactly what I was saying," Allison exclaims, glad to have someone on her side.

  "I always cut the pockets out of my jorts so I don't look ridiculous," he says with a straight face while Allison and I crack up.

  "Why aren't you wearing them?" I ask. "You'd have women all over you and your cut-off jorts."

  "It's too much for most women to handle."

  "I can imagine..." Allison says.

  Nic comes back with our drinks.

  "Shit," Cody says out of nowhere, looking over at Mason.

  "What?" Allison asks.

  "He's about to get into a fight."

  I look over. The girl is still in his lap, and he's saying something in her ear that's making her giggle.

  "How do you know?" I ask.

  "Because he is always getting in a fight. And because her boyfriend is coming over."

  I look to the left, and sure enough, there's a very angry-looking guy heading their way. We have almost a front row view of whatever is about to go down.

  "What the fuck is going on?" the boyfriend asks. The girl shoots up and stands next to her boyfriend.

  "I think I drank too much. I'm sorry. Can you just take me home?" she asks him, her eyes pleading.

  The boyfriend just looks back at Mason like he's going to kill him. Mason stands up, glaring back at him, seemingly unworried about the fact that the other guy is over six feet tall with at least twenty pounds on him.

  "What the fuck are you doing with my girl?" he demands.

  "She came on to me.” Mason looks the other guy up and down. “Can’t say I blame her.” Mason’s expression is daring this guy to do something. It’s like he’s trying to get into a fight.

  The girl grabs her boyfriend's hand, trying to get him to go. "Come on, baby. He's just messing with you. He's not worth it." He shrugs her off, his eyes never leaving Mason. He looks enraged. He throws a punch, but Mason’s able to duck. And then Mason hits him, in the side and then a second later in the face. The tall guy looks stunned but not too hurt. Mason bounces slightly while waiting for the guy to recover.

  People are yelling all around them: some egging the fight on, some telling them to go outside, some trying to get them to stop. I've seen a handful of fights between my high school cafeteria and college bars. Some of them were just kind of pathetic, but I can tell this one will be interesting. I know it shouldn't be as exciting as it is, but what the hell. As long as no one gets hurt, I'm going to enjoy the hell out of watching these two.

  The tall guy swings a few more times, but Mason is too quick and ducks them all, his dark hair flying with him. I admire the way Mason moves with confidence and grace; he must be experienced. I thought for sure the bigger guy would win, but that doesn't seem to be the case. Mason goes low, gets a few hits in, then comes up for one powerful hook to the jaw. The tall guy’s head snaps to the side and stays there as he falls like a board to the ground, with people scrambling out of the way hoping not to get crushed.

  Holy shit. "Did he just kill that guy?" I ask.

  "No, he's just knocked out," Cody answers, moving forward. "It was nice meeting you," he says to us. Then he looks directly at Allison. "Maybe I'll see you another night." With that he makes his way through the chaos that is this bar. While people are trying to make sure the guy is okay, Cody drags Mason out of the bar, probably trying to get his friend out before the cops showed up.

  First, this Mason guy makes out with some guy's girlfriend, then he insults the guy, then he kicks the shit out of him.

  “Well, that was exciting,” I say.

  "Mason's a bloody savage," Ben says, his eyes alight with excitement. He's seems really impressed, which is fun to see.

  "Great," Allison says quietly. "Now that one left too," she says, referring to Cody.

  "Why don't you talk to Luca?"

  "He looks like a dufus."

  I sneak a glance at him and realize she's totally right. "But like a nice dufus."

  She just gives me a look.

  "What about Ben?" I ask.

  "He’s not exactly my type…but maybe."

  We continue drinking and talking and laughing. I feel grateful to have found a fun group to hang out with tonight. And Nic…the guy is a huge flirt. Not that I mind the attention. Nic has his arm resting on the table behind me as we talk. I vaguely hear the rest of the group talking about laundry, as Nic leans closer to me, continuing our conversation. "I'm in my last year at University in Romania. Once I graduate, I'll move here, probably around Madison, and get a job in accounting. How about you? What are your plans after graduation?"

  I take a breath. "Right now, my plan is just to graduate. I don't know what comes next. I wanted to go into forestry or wildlife protection or some kind of environmental thing, but apparently those jobs aren't super common, especially in this area. So, who knows where I’ll be or what I’ll be doing." I picture the unknown abyss that is my future. I don't really know what I want to do, and I don't really know where I want to
do it. But by Spring of next year, I have to figure it out. It's daunting. Even though I love school, I’m ready to graduate, but that doesn’t mean that I want to join the real world. I did the eight to five thing last summer, working in my mom's office. It was soul-sucking. At least this summer job allows me to work outside. It helps that we only put in a six-hour day too.

  I put a stop to my runaway thoughts. I don't feel like debating my future while I'm half-drunk at a bar. I focus on Nic again, smiling up at him, ignoring his eyebrows, waiting for him to just make a move already. I wish he would just tweeze a few of those. Just the stragglers in the middle is all.