Junie & Jackie - A Love Story

10

I woke back up when the car stopped, expecting we'd be in our dark, quiet(ish?) neighborhood. Instead, we were in an alley with a flickering light.

My first thought was that I was about to be raped. I immediately tensed up, sitting up straight, looking back and forth between the two boys who were laughing in the front seats. The fear sobered me up enough to fight, but between these two boys, one with a gun tucked in his waistband, I had no chance.

"Morning, sleepyhead," Jackie smirked at me, lit cigarette between his lips. It did not ease my fear at all. Anything could happen, I reminded myself. Jackie always had a gun on him; I had seen it earlier today. I was drunk and they could do whatever they wanted to me. I wished I had brought a purse so I would've had my self defense knife ready. Instead, I balled my hands into fists at my side and prepared to fight. "We're at McCollum's. Need some more drinks before we go home."

It was then that I recognized the alley as the same one I was walking alone in just a few weeks ago when Jackie yelled at me for being a drunken idiot. They still had not fixed the flickering light above the bar door.

My posture softened, and I took a deep breath. I was pretty sure Trey and Jackie would never do that to me, but as a woman, you can never let your guard slip too far. That is when they get you.

"Are you okay, dude?" Trey looked genuinely concerned. "Trippin' out."

"Sorry," I sighed. "Just didn't know where we were for a second."

Jackie's eyes lingered on me, burning hot, and a blush crept up my neck and onto my cheeks. I could sense he knew it was more than that—much, much more—but that was the last memory I wanted to relive tonight. I grabbed the door handle and quickly slid out of the car.

"You have marks on your cheek," Trey chuckled as he climbed out next to me. His fingertip grazed my cheek. "From the seatbelt. Sleepin' like a queen in my backseat."

"It's comfier than it looks," I smiled, letting the two boys lead me into the bar.

It looked exactly the same as it had a few weeks ago, but with several more people. A group of boys who were clearly celebrating some type of bachelor's party were sitting in one corner, with what looked like hundreds of beer bottles on the large table in front of them. They were all wearing cutoff denim shorts and flannels, with the sleeves also cut off. I turned my nose up and averted my gaze.

The bar itself was also a lot more crowded than the other day, with only one empty seat. The people in the seats looked like the people who would always be at McCollum's.

The nice bartender was standing behind the bar pouring a drink, and she waved when she saw me. I realized I forgot to ask her name last time.

"What do you want, Junie?" Jackie asked after we settled at a high top table in the middle of the bar.

"Tequila diet Coke," I said. I would have offered to pay for my own, but I honestly doubted Jackie was going to pay for it anyway. He worked here, and he had a way with words sometimes. He could get anything he wanted.

Jackie wandered off, and I watched him walk right behind the bar and start grabbing things. He spoke a few words into the window between the bar and the kitchen. I heard the rumbles of laughter from the rest of the kitchen staff. Trey was talking about Sarah, I thought, but I really didn't know. I was now calm and still a little tired from my nap and pretty drunk and some Elvis song was playing from the dilapidated jukebox. I really didn't have much energy to listen.

I was nodding my head along to the tune when Jackie returned with two open beers and a glass filled to the brim with semi-dark liquid. The color was all off from my normal drinks. He slid it over to me, some of it splashing over the top as he did. I smiled at him, "Thank you very much."