Enough Courage

☆Chapter 11

The bar is a ten minute walk from the beach house. I find myself wishing it were longer just so I wouldn't have to let go of Collins hand.

But I don't have to worry about letting go because he does it for me, and my heart drops.

The bar is more like a shack. But a cute shack.

Colored lights shaped like lanterns are hung on the porch and tiki poles are lit around the beach. A fire sits about 100 feet down by the water surrounded by benches.

The bar is surprisingly busy for it being a small town hole in the wall.

We get inside and there's so much going on, it's so loud I almost lose track of the group. Shaina taps my shoulder and waves in the direction they're all walking to.

We make our way through crowds of people to a table in the back.

"Is it always like this?" I basically have to scream over the music.

Collins laughs, "yes." He raises his hand in the air motioning for one of the waiters to come over. "Especially on the weekends."

I nod, feeling overwhelmed. I'm not a bar person, or crowd person.

The waiter comes over wearing practically nothing. A mini skirt you can barely see, and a tight tank top.

"A round of beers for us all." Collins smiles at the waiter.

"Will that be all?" She asks.

"For now." He answers.

Minutes later she's back with a tray of beers. Everybody picks theirs up and a takes a drink.

I hesitate, beer's not my favorite. Actually drinking period isn't my favorite.

Kelesy gives me a look from across the table. I know what's she's trying to say, and it works.

I pick up the bottle, because peer pressure sucks.

I tip the glass bottle and a little bit of the beer pours into my mouth and I force myself to swallow.

"What song are you going to sing?" Collins asks me. We're sitting beside each other so he barely has to yell.

"I don't know if I can do it." I look around. "There's so many people here."

"I'll do a song with you." He says.

I almost audibly laugh at the thought of us together up there singing.

"Ok," I say after a few moments thinking about it. "But I'm gonna need another one of these." I pick up my beer and tilt it up again and chug half of it.

Collins laughs contagiously again. I'm convinced this man could get me to do anything.

It takes five minutes for Danielle and Justin to disappear, nobody questions it. A couple minutes after they disappear, Shawn and Shaina disappear as well. Which surprises me because they didn't seem interested in each other until we got here. And it doesn't take long for Collins and I to be the only two people left at the table.

"Looks like it's just me and you pal."

Collins raises his eyebrow at me, "pal?"

I giggle, embarrassingly. I may be feeling my second beer a little.

He notices my buzzed state and chuckles.

Soon I'm ordering my third beer. I don't drink often, actually, who am I kidding? I never drink. In the back of my mind I know I'm getting out of control but it's a problem for future Ellis.

The room and people dancing in front of us start to sway. The lights from the tiny platform stage start to blur.

Kelesy comes up to me and says something I have no idea what but apparently it was a question and apparently I agreed. Because before I know it she's pulling me through a crowd of sweaty people and she has me dancing in front of the stage.