The First

"Allison Everly?" I turn around, and sure enough, it's him. Dave. I cringe just thinking his name. "It is you! Damn, it's been a long time! Where have you been?"

"Around." I say, avoiding greeting him back. He ignores the fact that I'm being short, and carries on.

"You're still looking sexy, as always." His eyes rake my body and I find myself wishing I was wearing more. "Damn." His eyes focus back on my face. "Can I buy you a drink?" He smiles smugly. I know exactly what he's thinking, and I'm not about to fall for it. I've changed. I'm not the same person I was the last time he saw me, and I'm not falling for his stupid games anymore.

"No thanks." I say, but I know in a heartbeat I shouldn't have said those words. If there's anything that bothers Dave, it's being told "No". That word has never been in his vocabulary. I don't know why I care, though. Who gives a shit if I piss him off? He's surely got someone else he can toy with now, I've been gone for years.

"Oh, c'mon, Al." I hate it when he calls me that.

Before I can protest, a voice sounds from behind me. "She said no." Brian's voice is low, threatening, as he steps up next to me.

"Sorry, man. I didn't realize..." Daves eyes have widened. He doesn't finish his sentence. His eyes dart back and forth from Brian to me.

"Go find someone else to harass, Dave." Brian says, warning him.

"Y-yeah." Dave says, cowering back into the crowd. "Sorry." He says, just before he disappears. Hopefully he doesn't reappear ever again, at least not anywhere I am.

Wait, Brain knows Dave? But how?

"When you didn't come back right away, I thought I'd come check on you. When I saw him, I knew he was up to no good. That man is trash, Allison, you should stay far away from him. I'm just giving you a fair warning." He says, as we walk up to the bar to get our drinks.

"How do you know him?" I ask him. He clearly didn't hear the beginning part of my conversation with Dave, before he'd asked to buy me a drink, so he doesn't realize that I know him already. Unfortunately.

"I don't per say. Dave has been a known drug dealer around here for years. He actually just got out of prison, I'm not sure why, though, it's clear he hasn't changed much and the time did him no good."

"Oh." I say, simply, not wanting to dive much deeper into this conversation, for fear that Brian might find out more about my past.

"Yeah. I would avoid him at all costs, if I were you. I've known of several people that got involved with him and it lead them no where good." He grabs the two drinks the bartender has just sat down and leads me back to where the group is sitting.

"I will." I say, then clarify. "Stay away from him."

"Good to hear." He smiles at me, and I smile back.

We both sit on one of the couches, across from Zach and Johnny. Matt and Brooks are at a tall table nearby discussing some kind of music festival. I immediately take my drink from Brian's hand and take a long swig. The liquor feels so good, as it slides across my tongue and down my throat. I didn't realize just how parched I was, until I've almost finished the drink.

"Damn, Allie." Johnny says. "No one's trying to take the drink away from you." He laughs.
I look at my cup, and take the final drink that rests at the bottom.

"I was thirsty." I smile and laugh along with him.

"I was just about to get up." Zach says, standing to his feet. "Do you want me to grab you another?" He motions to my drink.

"Amaretto Sour." I smile at him. "Yes, I would love that."

He laughs. "Coming right up."

--

It's almost midnight, and I'm having a great time. I'm not sure how much I've had to drink tonight, but I feel loose and carefree, I love it.

"I wanna dance." I say, standing up. I look back at Brian, waiting for him to stand with me.

"Are you sure that's a good idea? It didn't end so well last time." He laughs, and I frown. "Oh, alright." He says, defeatedly and walks with me to the dance floor.

--

Brian comes over to my side of the car, and opens the door for me, reaching his hands out to me to help me out of the car.

"Careful there." He says, as I stumble. He walks closely to me, one arm wrapped around my waist, keeping me upright and steady, as we near my apartment. "Do you have your keys handy?" He asks, as we get to my door.

I reach into my clutch and pull my keys out, handing them to him. He unlocks the door and leads me inside, closing the door behind us. He leads me down the hall and into my bedroom, gently sitting me on the edge of the bed. Once he feels I'm not going to fall off, he backs away a little.

I reach behind me, trying to grab the zipper on my dress. I'm struggling here. "Can you help me?" I ask, looking to him for help.

"Sure." He says, not the least bit affected by the alcohol he drank tonight. How much did he drink?

"Do you not drink much?" I ask him, as he carefully unzips my dress. I feel one of his fingers gently touching my skin, as it leads the zipper down my back. Feeling his contact, I shiver.

"Are you cold?" He asks, noticing my shivering.

"No." I say quickly. "Answer my question." I turn to him, my dress still affixed on my shoulders.

"Not really." He half smiles. "I used to drink a lot, but I don't find it as enjoyable anymore. I do drink some, just not enough to get shit-faced."

"Oh." I say, suddenly feeling stupid for being drunk in front of him, yet again.

"Everybody has their own ways of having fun. Drinking used to be fun for me, it's just not as much anymore." I think he can tell that I'm feeling off, so he follows this up with, "Please don't be ashamed to drink in front of me. It's not like I'm a recovering alcoholic who is going to relapse at any moment." He laughs slightly. "Don't ever feel like you have to feel guilty for having a little fun."

Little does he know what used to be fun for me. If he knew, he would probably walk away right now and never look back. He would probably tell me that I should indeed feel guilty for all of the shit I've done.

Regardless of these thoughts, his words bring back some of my confidence.

"What do you like to do for fun?" I ask him.

"Well I am in a band, so I guess you could say I enjoy music." He laughs. "I've always loved making music and playing my guitar." He smiles.

"Is that all?" I ask, gently reaching up and knocking the dress off my shoulders. I let it fall down the front of me, until it pools at my feet. I'm standing in front of him now, my body clad in only my black lace bra and panties.

I can tell that his eyes have dilated. His breath seems to have hitched.

"What are you doing?" He takes a step back, and I find myself offended by this action. This is just like earlier at the club, when he quickly removed his hand from my waist, upon seeing his friends. Why can't I just take a hint? He clearly isn't attracted to me, but yet here I am trying to throw myself at him.

"What is it, Brian?" I ask him. "Are you not attracted to me?" My voice just rose an octave, and my hands are starting to shake. I need to control myself.

"That's not it at all. I'm just..."

I stop him before he can say any more. "Just get out."

"What?" He says, dumbfounded that I just tried to throw myself at him, and now I'm kicking him out of my apartment.

"Get out!" I yell. I find the nearest thing, a pillow, and throw it at him. "Now!"

He dodges the pillow and frowns. "What the fuck?" He asks, but he's already backing away.
When he gets to the door, he turns on his heel and disappears.

Soon after I hear the door shut, and I quickly go to the living room to lock the door behind him. I then race back to my bedroom, throwing myself onto the bed, and scream into my pillow. By now, I've sort of sobered up and I'm hating myself for just ruining that moment with him.

Why am I so fucking stupid?

Notes

Another update coming up! Please enjoy this one for the time-being!
Thanks for reading!

- J