I was trying to make the best of it. There just wasn't enough alcohol at the bar to make me forget I was a fish out of water.
It wouldn't hurt to try though.
"Can I get a vodka and cranberry?" I called to the bartender.
The gruff looking guy shot me a look that should have been enough of an answer.
"Look, man, we got beer and whiskey!" He shouted over the music. "Best I can do is a rum and coke or something!"
I nodded, and the guy pushed himself away from the bar to fetch the drink. The thought of beer made me sick, so whiskey was definitely out. I should have known better than expect anything more from such a shithole bar in the middle of nowhere. It was where Leah had begged us to go. I was still cursing myself for even considering it.
The band on stage was insanely loud. I couldn't even think straight. The light show was pretty impressive for such a little place. It wasn't my style of music, but they weren't a bad band at all. Leah supposedly knew the drummer. It was one of the reasons she'd wanted so desperately to come. I scanned the crowd of dancing bodies but I couldn't see my sister anywhere. It crossed my mind that the long line for the bathroom across the way could very well be Leah's fault if she had gone in there with someone and-
"Here you go, dude."
I glanced down at the drink the bartender had all but tossed on the bar in front of me. Just from the smell I was getting a headache. With a sigh I took a careful sip and watched the jumping crowd near the tiny stage. I looked at my cell phone. We'd been here for well over three hours, though it felt like an entire day to me.
My gaze drifted across the crowded bar. Countless slurred conversations were being shouted across the ruckus of the band. I watched the flirty women drape themselves over the men. Of course Leah liked it here. It was exactly her kind of playground. It definitely wasn't mine.
I spotted a guy at the other end of the bar, grinning at his friend. They were sitting entirely too close just for a mere friendly conversation. It caught my full attention. All I could do was hope anyway. The two men laughed at some joke, and I felt something flutter in my chest. The blonde I had noticed had an amazing smile. He looked almost as out of place as I was in this redneck bar in his collared shirt. He had the cutest looking dimples. Those eyes... they were just breathtaking. Sure, they were a little glazed, but they were as clear and blue as tropical waters. The handsome guy was the most interesting thing I'd seen in the room full of sweat and beer stains.
It didn't occur to me that I was staring until the man glanced up and looked right at me. I blinked and turned my head. A wave of warmth washed over my body. I tried my best to keep my eyes on the dancing crowd, even nodding my head to the rock music I didn't like. Eventually I couldn't help stealing another glance toward the blonde.
He and his friend were both looking at me, but it was the worst type of look I could hope for. I saw how the cute blonde's face had soured into a flat glare. I didn't miss the sheer disgust in his friend's expression.
It was yet another reminder that I hated myself for agreeing to join my sister on a night out.
I took a generous swallow of the rum-and-whatever and slid away from the bar. Even after walking away, I could smell the putrid odor of the glass. It wasn't the rum. Probably a filthy glass no one had bothered to wash. I fought down the feeling of sickness and headed for the crowd. Leah was amongst the sweaty heap somewhere. I had to find her. It was well past midnight.
"Leah!" I called.
My voice was lost in the crunch of the guitars. I bumped my way through the crowd as best I could. It wasn't a huge group of people, but the place was so small that everyone was on top of each other. Each person gyrated or swayed, most of them looked oblivious to where they even were.
I saw a face I recognized at last. Squeezing through the crowd, I came up behind her and took her arm.
"Cheryl!"
The redhead turned. Her face lit up even she saw me. Cheryl had to peel herself off of the man she was dancing with, then flung her clammy arms around my neck.
"Sam!" I could smell the whiskey on her breath. "Hey this is wild, huh? You having a good time?"
It should have been obvious, but I saw the same drunken haze in Cheryl's eyes that the rest of the zombies wore.
"Not really," I told her. "Where is Leah? I haven't seen her in a bit. I need her keys to get in the car!"
The look on Cheryl's face was all too telling. She continued to bounce along with the guitars, but bit her lip.
"Didn't she find you?" Cheryl yelled, leaning in close.
"No."
Another grimace. "Dude, she took off like an hour ago! She was supposed to tell you!"
I stared at my sister's friend. "With a guy?"
Cheryl smiled sheepishly but nodded.
"And the keys?!"
"She was supposed to find you!"
I ran my fingers through my hair. "What the hell, Cheryl? How are we supposed to get home?"
Cheryl's mouth fell open like she was going to speak, but instead she glanced from the guy beside her to me. All I could do was gawk at her. My heart felt like it was sinking into boiling water. I shook my head and turned to claw my way out of the crowd.
"Sam!" I could barely hear Cheryl as the guitar solo started and the crowd cheered. "Sam, I'm sorry!"
I headed for the exit without looking back.
****
It was relatively quiet outside, though the music could still be heard booming behind me. I shivered at the chill in the midnight air. The gravel parking lot outside was aglow from both the blinking sign of the bar and the brilliant full moon in the sky overhead. I clenched my jaw angrily staring up at its beauty.
"Damn it, Leah," I hissed.
Scanning the rows of cars in the rundown lot, I easily found Leah's yellow car. I peered across the lot but I couldn't see inside the windows from here. There was the faintest hope that my sister wound be in the car, but of course, probably not in the shape I'd have hoped to find her. I started across the gravel toward the car.
I spotted a hooded guy in the parking lot, sitting on the tailgate of his pickup truck. He regarded me briefly as I passed, but quietly smoked his cigarette. After the stares I'd been getting the whole night, it actually surprised me that he didn't at least do a double take as I walked by. I was so sick of the place. The conversation with Leah kept surfacing in my mind. Why in the world I agreed to accompany her to a redneck bar in the middle of nowhere was beyond me. Had I expected it to be different?
Shaking my head, I trudged onward. I could see inside of Leah's car now. There was no one in the car, back seat or otherwise. I sighed. A spare key came to mind. Leah used to keep one near her gas tank on her old car. Maybe she still did that. I walked around and flipped open her gas tank. I looked. I felt around. No key.
I heard some laughter coming from a few cars over in the lot. When I looked, my heart skipped a beat. The two guys at the bar were walking between the rows of cars. I remembered the awful looks they had given me. I remembered the sharp sting of hurt and fear.
