Old Orchard

Annabelle

I am making my way up to the bar when I see Hannah from the tattoo shop in her same green maxi dress, except this time, her hair is pulled off to the side in a fishtail braid that I wish I could do. She notices me as I walk by and waves, the guy with her turns, and I see her ex-boyfriend she was talking about earlier is, Luke. When I see Luke glancing up at me, instead of my stomach clenching up, it drops to the floor. Luke is her ex, and she said she would be getting back together tonight. I turn, walk to the bar and order a double screwdriver. I take a drink as soon as the bartender hands it over. It burns a little as I swallow and cannot remember the last time I had an alcoholic beverage this previous year.

Walking back to the table, I try not to look over in Luke or Hannah's direction. I brush past a guy who stops me and rubs my arm "there you are," I hear Matt, Oliver's, brother saying to me. "I thought you got lost; they told me to send out a search party," he says, laughing. Knowing I am in the eyesight of both Luke and Hannah, I lean into him and let him bring me back to the table with his hand in mine. Like his brother, he pulls out my chair to sit down. Carla notices my choice of beverage and smiles at me.

"To Maine," I say, holding up my glass and taking a drink. The rest of the table says the same thing and takes a sip. Of course, he has a girlfriend. I am mentally kicking myself while everyone at the table is talking about some event coming up in a few weeks. The first guy I would possibly like in the past year would have a messy breakup and get back together with his pretty blonde girlfriend.

"Annabelle," Matt says, turning to me after he got back with a round of refills for everyone. "Do you know what you are going to college for?"

"She doesn't even have a school picked out," Carla says; her tone is taking on her condescending tone I was so used to hearing throughout high school.

"School wasn't my thing," I say, shrugging to concentrate on the conversation. But I am distracted when I spot Luke walking Hannah out; he is probably telling her how much he wants her back.

"That's cool. I'm going to Syracuse for business classes," Matt says.

"Neat, how did you pick there?" I say with no enthusiasm, and Carla kicks me under the table. Matt goes into a ten-minute story about how he had always known he would go there, and it was pretty determined since his dad had gone to Syracuse and how he plans on doing the whole fraternity and pledging. I could care less, so I sit there sipping my screwdriver till I have to get up to get another. "I'll go with you," he says, pulling my chair out for me. Such a gentleman, I want to sneer at him since I am in a horrible mood.

Standing at the bar, I see that there are now two bartenders, and the one that helps us, of course, is Luke. He must have walked Hannah out to her car and probably set up plans for another date. "Hey," he says, looking at me. Matt must not like that he knows me and puts his arm around me, marking his territory. Typically, I would have pushed his arm off my shoulder, but instead, I lean into him since I do not feel like a complete reject.

"We will take two screwdrivers," Matt says, handing him a twenty. Luke drops off two screwdrivers plopping straws in them, and I sit there picking something off of the top of the bar. "Keep the change," Matt says, taking both drinks in his hand and handing one to me. When I'm turning, I can see Luke's lips moving but cannot hear what he is saying. I tell myself I do not care what he had to say to me. I lamely walk back to the table with Matt. Taking a sip of my drink, I taste no vodka; I only taste orange juice, and I smile a little.