Lady Luck (A Chase Elliott Fan Fiction)

Chapter 4

Much later that night, I find myself back hanging out with Blaney at Garfinkel's Sports Bar. This's become our spot since we arrived in Vail. Some would classify it as a dive bar but Blaney and I would argue differently. It has good vibes, delicious nachos and a beautiful bartender with blue eyes named Livi. I can't think of a better place to drown my sorrows.

"So, how was it dude?" Blaney asks as I slide into the seat next to him. He's sitting in our usual spot at the bar, nursing a beer and catching up on the hockey game from earlier.

"A fucking nightmare," I mutter, settling in. I pull my phone out of my pocket and shoot a quick text off to Bubba letting him know where we are before placing it on the bar. Blaney turns his attention from the tv to look at me but doesn't say anything. No one can dispute that he's the strong, silent type. The motherfucker doesn't say much.

"Can I get you something, cowboy?" Livi drawls in her southern accent, startling me. She's wandered over after finishing serving some customers on the other side of the bar. Livi's dressed in her usual bartending attire of a black tank top, jeans and she has a towel slung over her shoulder. Her blonde hair is piled on top of her head in one of those messy buns girls always seem to have.

I don't know much about Livi but I can tell you she's way too smart and pretty to be working at this place. I wonder what her deal is. I'll have to ask her some time. She's always been friendly to Blaney and me. I have no idea if she's ever recognized us- if she has, she's never said anything about it.

"Yeah, a shot of Jack, please and keep 'em coming," I tell her, resting my forearms on the bar. My plan is to get shit-faced tonight. I want to forget. About the interview. My dad. Everything.

"Coming right up," she responds, disappearing to grab the bottle and a shot glass. My eyes linger a little too long on her ass as she walks away. Fuck. I always seem to forget how hot Livi actually is.

I shake my head to refocus and continue with my story. "It was like being interrogated by the FBI," I tell Blaney. The lunch flashes through my mind. It has to rank up there as one of the crappiest experiences I've had in awhile and that's coming from a guy who nearly knocked all of his teeth out trying to land a Backside Triple Cork 1440.

"The lobster mac cheese was delicious though," I say, thinking back to the food. Definitely on the top of my list. That was the highlight of the whole shitty thing. I might have to put that on the top of my list of go-to places.

Blaney nods, sipping his beer quietly. I know he's waiting for me to continue when I'm ready. He appreciates I like food but we've been friends long enough for him to tell I'm stalling before I get to what I really want to talk about.

"She asked about my dad," I murmur, running a hand over my face. My voice sounds strange, even to my own ears. I'm trying not to get emotional. "Mostly questions about how my mom and I felt being abandoned by him." My eyes flick over to Blaney to see his reaction.

He winces when I share the news with him. Blaney is one of the only people who knows how deeply my dad hurt me, including the emotional scars I have. He's familiar with all the gory details right down to the nightmares I still have about Bill leaving us. It's hard to hide those kind of things when we basically spend all of our time together.

I clear my throat awkwardly. I don't want to lose it here, not in front of other people. "The whole thing was just ridiculous," I complain, staring off into space. I trace my index finger along the scratches on the bar, while resting my head on the fist of my other hand. What's taking Livi so long? I need my whiskey.

Swallowing past the lump in my throat, I press on. "It was a total joke. The conversation started out okay, then she got more and more pushy with her questions. I decided then I had enough. I ended up dumping her phone in a glass of water," I chuckle, reliving the moment. Damn, was that ever satisfying.

I look over at Blaney, only to realize that he's not even paying attention. His eyes are focused on something behind me.

"Earth to Blaney!" I wave a hand in front of his face. I blow out a sigh. "Dude, if you didn't want to hear about this in the first place, why did you ask?" I question him angrily. I would've been totally fine sitting in silence and drinking my feelings. He's the one that brought it up! Maybe I need to spend some more time hanging out with Bubba. Then I wouldn't have to deal with all this "emotional" bullshit.

"Chase," Blaney whispers, leaning closer. "Don't look now but there's a psycho bitch at two o'clock," he comments, tilting his head.

Huh? What's he talking about? Confused, I turn to look in the direction Blaney's facing. My blood runs cold when I recognize Shannon standing in the doorway. She looks absolutely fit to be tied. Fuck. The bouncer at the door is the only thing stopping her from rushing over here and attacking me.

When we lock eyes across the bar, I panic. She looks like a raging bull that's about to trample anything and everything in its path, including me. I swear, if looks could kill, I'd be six feet under right now.

"Chase! You asshole!" She screams across the bar. "You owe me a new phone! You fucking destroyed mine!"

"That must be her," Blaney comments, trying to hide a ghost of a smile.

If this situation wasn't so terrifying, I'd probably be laughing. Leave it to me to find the one psycho bitch in the whole town. I don't need this kind of shit.

Blaney pulls me out of my trance by shaking my arm. "You better get out of here," he says, slipping from his stool. He drains the rest of his beer and adjusts his hat lower on his head. "Let me handle this." He pats me on the shoulder as he heads towards the entrance of the bar to confront Shannon.

I stare in awe at Blaney. I don't think I'll ever have the balls that he does. He approaches every situation with a cool confidence the rest of us could only wish we had.

Snapping back to reality, I realize I better get the fuck out of here. Standing, I quickly rush past the tables towards the back of the bar. Dodging a few people, I finally make it to the door I know leads into an alley. Blaney and I discovered it one night when we were drunk. Good times.

Speaking of which, Livi never came back with my shot. Weird. But now's not the time to worry about that, Chase. Priorities. Hurriedly, I push open the metal door and step out into the night. Once the door slams shut behind me, I double over to catch my breath. My heart's racing. Shit, maybe I should learn how to stay out of trouble. It's not worth the effort.

"Chase."

I jump a mile in the air when I hear my name spoken. I'd recognize that voice anywhere. 

*****

Poor Chase just doesn't seem to be having a good night! I wonder if this mystery person will only make it worse? New chapter tomorrow!