Hometown Girl

"Shit, Chris, it's Nina. Pull the car over."

I recognised the voice before I recognised the car. The dark blue Sedan belonged to my best friend's father, Richard Lachance. Fortunately for me, Mr and Mrs Lachance were away for the weekend. That meant they missed out on me throwing my guts up in Mrs Ferris' hydrangea plants.

It had gotten dark without me realising, and my memory was hazy when I tried to recall how I'd actually ended up here…..

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Sometimes I wish I was more of a traditional girl. The kind of girl that cries with girlfriends and eats ice-cream when her boyfriend breaks her heart. Unfortunately for me-and him- when I was upset I got mad- mad and drunk.

"Another shot of tequila." I slammed the last of my change on the damp counter and flashed the bartender a smile.

"I think you've had enough." Said boyfriend-recently ex boyfriend-reached for my money but I snatched it away.

"Whether I've had enough or not is none of your business." I turned my back on him and pushed my coins at the bartender. "Tequila here, please Dougie."

Dougie Fraser raised his eyebrows at the both of us. He was used to our fights and he was used to my drinking. Just another day tending bar in Castle Rock.

"Don't even think about it, Dougie," my ex beau said in that quietly threatening voice of his.

There weren't many people who didn't fear him, but Dougie was one of them. His family had been running the bar for generations and it wasn't good for business for him to scare easily. He scooped up my money with an apologetic smile.

"She's a paying customer, Merrill."

"She'll be a dead one in a minute."

As soon as the tequila was set on the counter, I threw it back and spun around on the bar stool. The Cobra gang were nervously playing pool a few feet away.

"So who was it? What one of you ratted me out?"

I knew it was Charlie. He had disappeared about a half hour ago and ever since he'd walked back in the door he'd been having trouble making eye contact with me. Of course he'd called his fearless leader and told him his girl was drinking the bar dry.

Right then, Charlie was concentrating real hard on the pool table.

"Thanks, Charlie," I drawled. "God forbid you'd pull your head long enough out of Ace's ass to mind your own damn business!"

Ace yanked me off of the stool, pulling me round to face him.

"You're my business, therefore you acting like a fucking psycho makes it every Cobra's business to tell me." He was hurting my arm but no way would I fucking admit it.

It was hard for me to pretend the smell of his cologne coupled with the faint smell of beer didn't drive me just a little crazy.

"You got that?" He snapped at his gang. "I take it that I only got one phone call 'cause you all knew Charlie was making one."

There were hurried nods from his pathetic gang, and I rolled my eyes. After glaring at each of them in turn, he turned his attention back to me.

His blonde untidy hair was curling at the ends and his icy blue eyes were boring into me.

"Now, you, outside."

I snorted as if amused. He could order his boys around like soldiers, but no way was I gonna listen to that shit.

"I won't say it again," he warned. When I didn't move, he tried to drag me towards the door. I dug my heels in, grinding to an abrupt halt halfway across the room. He stopped trying to pull me, took a breath to hold his temper, and then acknowledged all the eyes in the room that were watching us both.

"God damn it, Christina!"

The fireman's lift caught me unawares. I struggled and hit him in the back as he carried me outside and dumped me on the uneven surface of the parking lot.

"What the hell is your problem?" I yelled, springing to my feet.

I'd landed hard on my ass and I'd scraped my legs but the alcohol must have numbed the pain because I couldn't feel nothing. Ace whipped out his cigarettes and put one between his teeth.

"My problem, you crazy bitch, is you."

"Fuck you, Merrill!"

He lit up his cigarette, sucked in his smoke, then paused thoughtfully before blowing it back out.

"Alright, let's have it."

"Have what?" I was undeniably confused. He knew exactly what this was all about.

"Let's just get this over with. You're pissed because you saw some stupid chick in my lap while I was out with the guys."

Hearing him say it so brazenly only made me madder.

"And you think that's okay?"

"It's not a big fucking deal." He shrugged. "Did I take her home and bang her? No. Could I have? Sure. So chill the fuck out and stop being so dramatic."

My anger was growing into what suspiciously felt like misery and I tried to fight against it with solid reasoning.

"And what if it was the other way round, Ace? What if it was me in some guys lap but I didn't bang him? Would that be okay?"

A shadow crossed his face and I was reminded just how dangerous Ace Merril could be. He'd been a little rough with me before, but he'd never hit me, despite the fact that I'd swung for him first plenty of times.

"If you call okay being you and the guy six feet under, then yeah, it'd be okay."

Shitty double standards.

"You're an asshole," I said. My hands fell limply to my sides and I felt tears pricking my eyes. Don't cry, Nina, don't fucking cry.

"Come on, babe, you know I've got a reputation to protect." His hands slid round my waist. "Can't let everybody think Ace Merrill is fucking pussy whipped. You're the only girl I take home but if a pretty girl comes over in public-"

"Pretty?" I shoved him away from me. "Fuck you, Ace. Seriously, go to hell."

He looked amused as I staggered back in my heeled shoes.

"Call me when you've cooled down," he called after me.

I gave him the finger without turning around. A little way down the road, I started to feel queasy. The tequila was sloshing around my empty stomach and I gripped a nearby wall to steady myself.

And that was how I ended up throwing up in Mrs Ferris' hydrangea plants…

"Nina, what's wrong?" I was glad to feel Gordie's hand on my back but I was too busy vomiting to answer him.

It was then that another voice spoke up.

"What does it look like? She's drunk off her ass. Again. What did Merrill do this time, huh?"

I may have been drunk off my ass but Christopher fucking Chambers was a pain in it.

"Cool it, Chris," Gordie said. "Grab her some water out of the trunk, would ya?"

I should have guessed Chris would be driving. Gordie would never have had the guts to snag Mr Lachance's car on his own. The Lachance family car wasn't something Gordie would ever have got permission to borrow.

He handed me a kleenex from his jeans pocket while Chris got out of the car and went round to the trunk. I could hear him muttering to himself as he dug out the water and brought it over.

"Here."

I snatched the bottle of water from him before wiping my mouth with the kleenex and rinsing out my mouth. Chris returned to the car, slamming the drivers door hard.

"You okay?" Gordie looked at me in concern as I straightened up.

"Yeah." I actually did feel a little better now I'd been sick. Better out than in. "Could you give me a ride home?"

"Sure, but-" Gordie shook his head hesitantly. "Your Mom will pitch a fit if you go home looking like that. "Why don't you stay over at my place? My folks are away until tomorrow night."

I heard Chris groan from the car and that made up my mind for me.

"Yeah, thanks Gordie."

He patted me on the back as we walked back to the car. Me and Chris didn't say a word to each other, leaving Gordie to attempt awkward conversation with us both. It had been this way since kindergarten. Gordie Lachance had always had two best friends; Christopher Chambers and Christina Willis.

Problem was, the two of us couldn't stand the sight of each other.

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