Before You

Chapter 20

"Wow. Now this place looks like fun," Boston says, as we pass through the first set of doors and get a peek of the inside.

We're standing in a line, but it's moving pretty quickly. "Barney's" is a place unlike anything I've ever seen. It's a somewhat large building, but nothing compared to the size of the other bars in the area. The exterior is made of wood and looks pretty outdated and sort of run down. The interior is larger than it appears from the outside. There are tables and chairs scattered around. A huge "U" shaped wooden bar is situated on the left side of the space. On the right side, there are tables with an open area in the middle where people are dancing. I look up towards the ceiling and see a staircase that leads up to another level filled with pool tables and a smaller bar area. I love the appearance of this place. I would pick this over a modern bar in Atlanta any day.

We finally reach the front of the line and are greeted by two very large men. Both men are tall, towering over six feet, and have the physic of body builders. I would not want to get on their bad side.

"We need to see some IDs," one of the men says.

We all take out our IDs and hand them over. The man scans each one carefully and looks at us as if trying to be intimidating. He doesn't have to try hard. He is very intimidating.

"Okay, you can pass" he says and hands our IDs back to us.

We walk into the main area, each of us taking in our surroundings. Large groups of people are scattered throughout the space smoking and laughing. Some people are standing while dancing with drinks in their hands. I look at the "U" shaped wooden bar towards the left of the room. Most of the people in the bar are surrounding it. All of the chairs are taken and numerous people are standing as close to it as they can get. There are so many people here and it's very loud. Everyone I've seen looks young. This must be a popular place for the college crowd.

"Okay, let's get some drinks!" Boston yells and walks towards the bar.

"Boston, remember I have work tomorrow. We can't go too crazy" I yell in her ear.

"Yeah, I know. Just a few drinks" she says and winks at me. "I'll be right back".

Boston and Mason go to the bar and leave Zane and I behind. It seems like it's been an eternity standing with Zane. He's pointed out every single girl that he plans on talking to by the end of the night. I'm about to leave and go find Boston when I see them walking towards me. Mason holds his hand out and gives me a shot glass.

"This is a birthday cake shot. I wanted to be the one to give you your first drink" Mason says with a smile.

I can't help but smile back. This is my first time drinking alcohol. Boston and the rest of the group drank from time to time, but I never included myself. Thoughts of my father drinking and getting hooked on drugs always came to mind and kept me at bay. This is just one night though. I won't make this into a habit. I take the clear shot glass from Mason's hand, press my lips against the rim and quickly shoot the liquid down. My eyebrows burrow as I feel the burning liquid go down my throat. Oddly enough, it does taste like a birthday cake.

"Yeah! Here's to Evie! Drink up everyone! You can't stop until the room is spinning!" Boston yells with huge smile on her face.

I can tell she's actually serious. She's on a mission to get wasted. It's typical Boston behavior. Go big or go home. Zane walks up and stands besides Boston. He's holding four shot glasses in his hands with clear liquid inside each of them.

"Hey, these are Whistleblowers. Bottoms up" Zane says.

Everyone takes a shot glass out of Zane's hands. I take mine first. The burning liquid is even stronger this time. My lips come together and I let out a deep breath trying to rid myself of the burn. The sound of a whistle comes out of my mouth and leaves the rest of the group in laughter.

"See! That's why they call it a Whistleblower!" Zane says laughing.

I laugh back at Zane. What he said isn't too funny, but I feel lighter and more carefree. I feel my body relax and any tension I may have had is gone. I pat him on the shoulder and give him a thumb up. Once again Boston, Zane, and Mason start laughing in unison.

"I don't think this is going to be a long night. Two more shots and Evie will probably be stumbling all over the place" Mason says smiling at me. "I'll be right back. I know something you'll like".

The lighting in the bar is dimmed. With the shots I've taken, I have to squint to make out people's faces. The music is so loud, but I love it. They have a house band that's playing and when they're taking a break, they have a backup playlist. A rap song comes on and Boston squeals. She grabs my hand and drags me towards the right side of the building where everyone is dancing. I don't fight back. This is the most fun I've had in awhile. I feel a tap on my arm and turn around to see Mason. He's holding a tall glass filled orange liquid.

"You'll like this. It's a bit more fruity and the alcohol isn't as strong" he says.

I take a quick sip. It's so good! It tastes like a combination of oranges, pineapples, and mangos. It's definitely fruity. I don't know what Mason was saying about the alcohol. It still tastes strong to me. However, I like this drink a lot more than the shots. I take the drink in one hand and put my other arm in the air to keep dancing with Boston. As the song comes to an end, a slow song begins.

"Dance with me Mason!" Boston yells and grabs him by the arm pulling him on the dance floor.

"Actually, I was going to ask-" he says.

I can't hear the rest of his sentence. I'm off the dance floor and looking for Zane. I look around and find him standing next to a table not far from the dance floor. He's holding his phone with one hand next to his ear as he plugs his other ear with his finger. I walk towards him quickly, but he doesn't see me coming.

"Zane! You're missing all of the dancing! Get off of your phone!" I say and grab his phone putting it up to my ear. "I'm sorry, but Zane is busy. He'll have to call you back," I say laughing.

"Evy, it's Gage," the voice says.

My laughter stops and my smile fades. I take the phone away from my ear and push it into Zane's chest as hard as I can. I walk away from him quickly. If I don't, my response may be more than harsh words. Why is he talking to Gage? Is he keeping tabs on me? Questions start to fill my mind rapidly. I've heard Gage's name more than enough times this weekend. I'm supposed to be having fun. I stop about fifteen feet away from Zane. Without thinking I bring the fruity drink to my mouth and down it as fast as I can. The almost full drink is gone within seconds. I feel a tug on my arm and see Boston standing next to me.

"Are you okay? You chugged that drink pretty fast!" she yells.

"Yes, I'm fine, but I promise you this. If I hear Gage's name one more time during this trip I'm going to freak out!" I yell.

Boston looks at me confused, but agrees. "I'm going to get you another fruity drink!"

My eyes are blinking even more rapidly now. I've only had a few drinks. I shouldn't feel like this already, should I? I squint my eyes and scan the room looking for Mason. The lights are dim and it's difficult to see. I look towards the edge of the dance floor, scanning person after person. Suddenly, my eyes go wide as they lock on dark brown eyes staring back at me. I remember those eyes. There's no way to mistake them. I take in a deep breath as I realize who else is here.