Mindy reels off the address and I add it to my phone’s contacts before calling information for a cab number. It takes a half hour before the cab arrives and then another twenty minutes before we’re pulling up alongside one of the seediest looking bars I’ve ever seen. I really don’t want to have to go in, but I don’t have much of a choice. I notice Ethan’s car in the lot, so I know I’m definitely at the right place.
I make my way inside the grubby bar; it’s dull and humid and my sneakers are sticking to the wooden floor. The air is thick with the smell of stale beer and tobacco, and I feel like I’m in a scene from a movie as everyone seems to stop and stare at me with a ‘what the hell are you doing in here’ look. I’m almost positive someone cut the music the second I stepped inside. I can see Ethan slumped over the end of the bar with his head resting on his arms. A blonde bartender with way too much make-up and far too few clothes on notices me and makes her way over.
“Just a hunch, but I’m guessing you’re Blair?” she asks as she leans over the bar, giving me a perfect view of her over inflated chest that will probably haunt me for weeks to come.
“Yeah, how long’s he been like this?” I point over to where Ethan is currently passed out.
“Oh, a couple of hours at least. Poor boy came in with a face like thunder, started hitting the Jack real hard. After a few drinks he loosened up some and told me all about some girl that had broken his heart. He seemed pretty cut up, carried on drinking and then before I knew it, he was three sheets to the wind and couldn’t stand up. Here you go, sugar.” She fishes under the bar and then passes over Ethan’s car keys. All the while she’s been talking Ethan hasn’t raised his head to acknowledge my presence.
“Thanks for calling me and not letting him drive.” I offer a weak smile and walk over to Ethan and gently shake his shoulder.
“Ethan, wake up baby. We need to go.” He raises his head and squints to bring me into focus.
“What do you want? Are you here to finish me off? Make sure you broke my heart right?” There’s a coldness to his eyes that makes my heart hurt. He really believes that I don’t love him.
“I’m here to drive you back to the camp. Come on and help me out would you? Stand up.” He shuffles around until he finally slips off the stool and comes to a very unsteady stand. His eyes are glazed over and he smells like a whiskey barrel. I position his arm over my shoulder and begin slowly walking him out of the bar as I hear Mindy call time.
“You know you're kind of a bitch,” he tells me as we’re almost to his car. “You played me.”
“Hey now, that’s no way to talk to a lady!” a deep voice booms from behind us, and I look back to see a huge burly guy in a plaid shirt and cowboy boots making his way towards us.
“You're a pretty little thing, ain’t ya? Why don’t you leave your friend here and come have a drink with me?”
“No, I’m good, thanks,” I begin to respond as Ethan interjects.
“Hey asshole, don’t be speaking to my girlfriend like that!” he practically sneers.
“Your girlfriend, huh? Say, miss, why don’t you ditch this loser and I’ll show you what a real man’s like?”
I don’t get chance to process a response before Ethan’s arm is flying past my face and connecting with the asshole’s behind us. The whole thing pans out before me in painfully slow motion as I’m thrown to the side and Ethan’s head snaps back from the guy’s return punch.
The bar is closing and the few guys that were inside are making their way out. Before I know what’s happening someone shouts, “What’s going on?” And I’m suddenly surrounded by a bunch of guys trying to diffuse the fight. One of the men trying to break things up gets hit in the face and then suddenly all hell breaks loose and everyone seems to be joining in. It’s one huge free-for-all as people are trading punches while I’m frantically screaming Ethan’s name to get his attention so we can get away.
I don’t see the elbow coming towards me until it’s too late and I feel searing hot pain shoot through my cheekbone as I stumble back and land on my ass. Ethan is instantly beside me grabbing at me to check if I’m okay. I scream for him to move just as some guy hits him across the back of the head with a bottle sending him falling to the ground out cold beside me. I’m not sure how long it is that I’m sitting nursing his head in my lap before he groggily opens his eyes and murmurs unintelligibly to me.
I stare down at the blood slowly dripping from Ethan’s nose and I'm instantly reminded of the last time I saw blood. If I close my eyes I can hear Emily’s voice in my head right now.
“How do I look?” she asked twirling around in front of her bedroom mirror. She was wearing a midnight blue, floor-length strapless gown and looked breathtaking. The dark material was a stark contrast to her pale skin.
“You look amazing,” I answered with a smile. “If you were ever going to make a play for Ethan Jamison, you should do it in that dress.”