All The Things She Does Make It Seem Like Love.

My eyebrows raised as I walked over to John, who seemed paralyzed. His eyes were on me, still taking in my every movement. I felt kind of weird to have him staring at me like this, but I shrugged it off. I guess you could say I was used to it.

"Are you going to keep staring, or are you going to get me a drink?" I asked him when I got within hearing distance.

It seemed like he snapped out of whatever trance he had been in and smirked at me. "You really know how to make an entrance."

I shrugged, trying to hide my blush. "What was up with that spotlight, though?"

"The Summer Set is playing. They put the spotlight on every pretty girl they see." John grinned at me.

"Is that a compliment, John?" I cocked my head to the side and put my hands on my hips.

"Merely." He put an arm around my waist and guided me to the bar. "Now, bartender, meet...?" John looked at me for a second.

"I never got your name." He stated.

I rolled my eyes. "I never gave you my name." I looked at the bartender and smiled. "I'm Val."

The bartender; a pretty cute guy with brown hair with blonde high lights, smiled at me. "I'm Jack Barakat. I'm not usually the bartender, but I'm the only guy with the best damn taste around here." Jack rolled his eyes.

I laughed. "I can imagine."

"Already poisoning the new girl?" I heard another voice ask.

I turned around and my eyes settled on a guy with curly black hair, sharp cheek bones, brown eyes, and a style that was to die for.

"Shut up, Gabe. You're already taken." Jack muttered.

"Taken? Mr. Saporta is never taken." The guy--Gabe, I presumed-- smirked.

"What happened to Jules, huh?" John asked, raising an eyebrow. "Everyone knows you have a thing for her..."

"Don't believe a thing they say, babe." Gabe winked at me and headed off, but not before flipping off Jack.

"I am so utterly confused." I muttered, but I sat down at the bar anyway. "Hit me Jack, with the strongest thing you've got."

"Well, sex wise, that would be my lips, but if you're talking about alcohol... well, that's the Tequila, you want." Jack poured a white liquid into a cup with rocks in it and put a swish of lime in it too.

I took the cup from his outstretched hand and downed the drink in a second. My mind spun with the alcohol, but I enjoyed the feeling. This was what I lived for; drinking and partying.

"Whoa, the chick knows how to hold a drink." Jack complimented.

I smirked. "You don't get a bad ass reputation in this town for nothing."

"Wait--you're the Val Hastings?" Jack's eyes were widened.

"Um." I shrugged. "I guess so."

"You're a legend in this town. Some of my family lives here and they love gossiping about you."

I smiled. "Everybody in town loves gossiping about me."

"Wait--I've heard about you too." John said from next to me.

"You've lived here before?" I raised my eyebrows.

"No, but Garrett Nickelsen has."

Garrett Nickelsen. That name rang a bell in my head. High School. For sure, that was where I remembered him from. A party? Maybe. Dating...? Oh my God.

"GARE BEAR!" I exclaimed.

"You know Garrett?" John asked.

I nodded, letting some excitement creep into me. "I used to date him in Sophomore year! We ended on good terms; still friends. We would've gotten serious, but he moved."

"Yeah, he moved to Gilbert."

"I know. I remember." I smiled at the memory. "That boy was really something."

"Aly?" I heard someone call behind me.

I turned around and smiled, remembering the old nickname. "Gare!"

I enveloped him into a hug, letting all those old memories capture me. Walking barefooted on the shore of the lake a little ways outside of town, hiking in the desert when the evening was chilly, and just hanging out.

"I missed you." I murmured.

"Me too!" He pulled out of the hug and looked me up and down. "Not so innocent, huh?"

I blushed. Garrett was the only one who ever took out the best of me. It was when he left that everything changed; I got colder and meaner, and just...not so innocent.

"You get such a warm welcome." John muttered. "I get 'stop drooling and get me a drink'." He complained.

Garrett laughed, brushing his hair out of his eyes. He threw an arm over my shoulders; he was the only guy I ever let do that to me.

"That's 'cause we have history." Garrett smiled at me. "You can't beat what we have."

I giggled. "Hells yeah."

"This here, is my girl." He continued.

I rolled my eyes. "Back for three minutes and you're already claiming me?" I joked.

"Ah, she's feisty." Garrett smiled, remembering a memory. "Brings me back."

I laughed. "You have no clue how much everything changed."

"Yeah, I've heard. My Mom still has friends back here and you're the talk of the town. Have been for five years!" Garrett shot me a look that says; I'm proud of you.

I shrugged. "These people have nothing better to do. But then again, what is there to do in little Cottonwood, Arizona?" I sighed. "I'm surprised you guys even stopped here."

"We had too. Roots, you know?" Garrett kissed my cheek.

"Get me another drink, Jack." I asked. Okay, I didn't really ask--I demanded.

"Sure thing, sweetheart." Soon, a drink was in front of me.

"You really have changed." Garrett told me, looking me up and down and then eyeing the drink in my hands.

I took a gulp of the drink, feeling it settle in my stomach. "You have no idea."