The Black Swan

“Wait…” Roy looked from me to Brian, not really getting the great picture. What’s there not to get? I mean he was a stalker and that’s final. Fine, his persistence was kind of odd from time to time, but I found it quite attractive, but this, this was not persistence anymore, this was pure stalking. “You know one another?”

“I’m afraid to say ‘yes’.” I answered, though the words were obstinately not willing to leave my lips. The sentence that came out was barely louder than a whisper. I swallowed loudly looking at Brian’s dumbfounded face. He was just gaping at me soundlessly.

“Well… look at that,” Roy sounded too cheerful; I fixed my eyes on him to see he was smiling warmly. His deep blue eyes were watching Brian, who looked like he was about to drop dead. “Brian, this is my sister- Ally, but I guess you already know her.”

“Your sister?” He jerked his head to the side, so he’d be watching Roy straight in the eye. The other bartender was trying to get passed me, so I thought this was the perfect timing to bail from my tonight’s duty. I simply couldn’t believe it. And it seemed neither could my chevalier. On my way out of the bar, I grabbed myself a clean glass and poured a good amount of Jack Daniels in. JD on the rocks would ease my confusion. At least so I thought.

“The one and only,” I heard him over the loud voices of the overly drunken people at the other side of the bar.

“Sweetcheeks!” I saw a guy leaning over the counter. Oh, please, no, I already was too far away from the bottles to serve him and I think I was not in the shape to even give him that sapless bottle of bud light. I looked down at my arm. My watch was telling me that Jay guy was not returning for another half hour and that’s when I noticed Andrew getting his way through the crowd and behind the bar. He walked so carelessly I really believed he didn’t give a single shit in this world, but then I remembered he always had managed to get his way with anyone with his chilled nature, that’s what everyone liked the most about him. And that’s what I liked the least. He was an awful bartender, but he looked good and that was what kept the customers a.k.a. young and silly girls flowing, the thought they could get him, when the truth was- yes, for a single night and that was tops.

“I got it,” He looked at me stripping off his jacket and placing it somewhere beneath the bar. Andrew winked towards me that made me remember the old times. He hadn’t changed a bit. I believed he wasn’t capable of changing, this lifestyle that he had was everything he wanted. A bartender was like a rockstar, he owned the place, the bar was the stage he rocked. Back home it was a little different for me, I didn’t work at a club, it was more of a café, of course there were the usuals- like Brian and Dimples, who I grew to know through their visiting time, but other than that, I was not a rockstar, I was Ally, the bartender. The girl with hot red hair who happened to make the best red headed slut in the whole OC. It was the only thing I could be proud of. Andrew leaned on the counter, making his muscles flex. He was wearing a black t-shirt that emphasized his athletic figure generously. “Just go.”

He seemed displeased with something. But why did I care? I haven’t met the guy for a long time, of course I remembered his cursed face from time to time, but that was it. I was over him, or was I? No, I was. So why did I feel this uneasy feeling raising in my gut?

“Andrew!” I noticed Nikki standing on her feet. I was just a couple of minutes here, when all the hell hounds had already been set loose. The Vagabond was used to be like another little too dysfunctional, but a-okay family for me and now… I wouldn’t quite call it a family, cause family cares for each other. The Vagabond was just a snake pit with growing drama. I didn’t understand how Roy could practically live in a place like this.

“I’m working, Nikki…” He said with a loud exhale. His palm was holding a bottle of Jagermeister. I decided not to get myself tangled even more in the hot mess their life was. I didn’t need the extra drama. The brown eyed creature I was undeniably approaching, but before I even got out of the bar, something or rather someone grabbed me by my elbow and forcefully pulled somewhere.

“Now please don’t tell me you’re going after him again…” It was Jenna. She dragged me over the whole place so we could get away any unnecessary ears. We were standing outside the ladies restroom. She tucked the strand of her dark hair behind her ear. Her eyes were narrowed at me.

“I don’t understand what you are talking about,” I raised the cold and dewy glass to my lips and took a good mouthful. That poison burned my throat very fiercely. I grimaced. “Fuck,” nevertheless I downed every bit of the liquid in just seconds. Jenna looked from me to the glass and then again at me.

“Goddammit, Ally! You have to be fucking joking!” The whiskey kept burning. I think there was absolutely no bacteria left in my mouth. Sweet baby Jesus, how can people get down this stuff? “Baby, look at Nikki… You want to end up like her? Although she’s never been the wisest of them all, never-mind, the point is,- ”

“What’s with her? A pleasant specimen of female species.” Were we talking about the same Goldilocks that was standing in front of Andrew? Well… barely standing? What was with me? This stupidity, no it wasn’t stupidity, I understood that he was a jackass, each and every of my brain cells screamed- run, Ally, run for your life! But then again… Wait, stop, basta!

“Jesus Christ…” She rolled her eyes. I was not going to run for Andrew and kiss his ass, it was way out of the question, but it was just so hilarious to see how my sweet Jenna was trying to knock some sanity inside that skull of mine so insistently. I just liked to mess with her. A lot. Just like she liked to mess with my fridge. “When will you learn? You need a man,” Her slender index finger tapped on my forehead a couple of times. That hurt. A bit. “Not a gay friend, who imagines you to be a man when you’re having sex. Yes, Ally, I strongly believe that asshole is gay and there is nothing in your power to prove me wrong.”

“Oh? We’re talking about Andrew? Fucking hell, Jenna, seriously?” My palm hit my forehead, I could be a great actress when I wanted, mix there in some alcohol and I become an excellent actress. “This whole time I thought it was Will. I was planning on going to a cheap motel with him later. Oh the good old days…”

“What?!” Jenna’s brown eyes grew wide. It seemed like she was about to rip that ugly red restroom door out of the hinges and bash my head to nonentity. I think I kind of deserved it. “You…” And that was when she got it, I received a good smacking either way. My shoulder was bruising now and I was dying in a good laugh. “You and that lame-ass are clearly related,” she pointed out to the place where Roy was having a small chit-chat with Brian, Dimples and look at that, even Will had a word to say. There was no way in hell I would do something with Jenna’s ex, woman solidarity or not, but I was just too long around him to start getting only sibling feeling towards him. He killed my good vibe way too often in the past to let that pass unnoticed. “Okay, shithead, pinky-swear me you won’t do anything with Andrew... It would be so fucking awesome if you wouldn’t even speak to him.” She placed her hand on her plaid shirt, I guess looking for her heart. She looked beyond happy with the thought of me not even glancing at Andrew’s way. “A girl could dream…”

“Pinky swear…” I hooked my finger with hers, “So can we now return to the party? I’m kind of willing to smack the sense out of Brian.”

“Oh, so it’s true. You and him…?”

“Jenna, for God sake… There’s nothing between me and him.” The kiss the other day claimed differently, but I think this was not the right time to inform my dear friend about it, she would get chipmunk happy and make me drink some tequila shots, which was not the wisest idea at this moment. Maybe there was still something left in me that screamed for Andrew, so triggering those feelings with tequila wasn’t a very good idea. “I just don’t understand what he’s doing here. I thought it was a joke…”

“What was?”

“He wanted to see me today, I told him, I’ll be in Miami and he replied ‘he knows’… I thought he was joking.”

“Oh,” She made this silly face in the same time scratching her neck. Oh, heck no, please, Jenna, say you didn’t, say you’re the good friend, please. “My bad, I kind of told Matt you’re going to Miami and I started whining that I also kind of wanted to go. So Matt brought me along, they have a show here.”

“A show?” I think I looked like a retarded person. A blond girl just ran into the restroom, too much booze to handle. The cleaner person won’t be happy. I remember, when I used to work here as a waitress, it was my job to clean that mess up. To be completely honest, I hated my job, hated it with a passion. Just like Jenna hates Buttercup. Why? My fluffy animal once ripped her pants, honestly, he made them look better and even Jenna knew that, she was just too stubborn to admit it. Since then they claimed hate.

“Yeah, tomorrow evening. The venue’s really beautiful. We went there when you were at that dinner thing.”

“Wait, hold up. I’m really not following, what kind of a show?” Oh, they were a band, right… Ally, you really need to start taking something for your memory.

“Their band is playing.” She said simply. I threw a glance on the place where our escorts where hanging and suddenly it all was crowded. A busy night for the bartenders. Thank god I bailed just at the right time. I couldn’t make it out if Andrew was still working or not, but why did I care, I made a pinky promise to Jenna. I always kept pinky promises.

“Oh, so their warming up the audience or something?” We started walking back to the bar. A lot of happy girls were coming our way, they were whispering something to each other, that made me thinking, was Andrew really that generous tonight? Again, you’re thinking about him, Ally, stop doing that.

“They’re headliners. Boy, Al, in which cave have you lived in?” Headliners? Suddenly it got a lot hotter here. I think I went pale. No, please, no, I could live with a little fame from Brian’s side, but not another celebrity. It was bad enough to have a crush on a bartender, now this? I think I was slowly chocking. I needed air. This was not right. Who will be the next one, Obama or pope?

“The one on the west. Less crowded. No stray dogs. Has even cable.” I joked a little, but it sounded just like a lame attempt to make a joke. I was not feeling well.

“Synyster Gates, did you see him?” We had almost reached our previous space, when I over heard two girls talking. Fine, I wanted to overhear, so I could find out why can’t I get to my brother? There was some China wall being built around him, but of course, it was not him.

“What?” A light haired girl raised her head to look around.

“He’s standing right next to the bar. I can’t believe he’s here…” I caught on Jenna’s hand, I needed the support, both physically and mentally.

“I’d so let him stick those,-“

“Jenna, please don’t tell me I know this Synyster Gates person…”

“Of course. It’s Brian.” She looked at me like I was completely crazy. And there he was. Brian got his way through the crowd and stopped right in front of me. Moments before he looked uneasy, like he was about to mentally fall apart, but you know what? I was. It felt like a wrecking ball came crashing straight into me. I already felt the daggers that each and every girl was sending me.

“Ally, can we please talk… Somewhere more private?” I wasn’t even sure if I could get an answer out. There was something clogging my throat. I just managed to nod. Jenna smiled a warm smile to Brian and let go of my hand. No! No! I’m falling apart, Jenna, no! I was about to faint. I already saw my future, it was like being together with Andrew, just multiply it with five hundred.