West Coast

Scout’s face contorted into one of disgust as she nearly ate the entire eraser off her pencil. With only one person left to go before her final critique for the semester, the brunette anxiously nibbled away at the pencil she had accidently stolen from her previous exam. Granted her critique went well, Scout would be able to be in her car headed back to the apartment within the hour. The company she had spent the semester interning at had rented out a bar for the evening which meant not being carded or denied drinks despite only being 20 years old.

“Ms Hawkins, if you’re ready…”

The professor’s tired voice pulled Scout out of her day dream about the night’s activities. She quickly gathered her portfolio and scurried into her professor’s well lit office. Scout bit her lip nervously as the older gentleman thumbed through her pieces.

“Well Ms Hawkins,” he began, “your work has really come a long way over the course of the semester. However, I would like to point out that you really need to work on your mounting and construction.”

Scout nodded feverishly, “Of course. I’ve got really unsteady hands so cutting the illustration board has always been my Achilles heal.”

With just a few suggestions and criticisms, Scout was packing her portfolio back up and racing out to her car. It had taken far less time than anticipated for the critique which allowed for more time to get ready for the party later that evening. She tossed her portfolio into the trunk of her small car and hopped in the driver seat before tearing out of the parking lot. As she sat in traffic, Scout began flipping through radio stations before deciding to stream one of her favorite radio stations from back home.

Despite not being able to return home to the east coast for the upcoming holidays, Scout was rather chipper. In fact, she almost preferred not being able to be home for Christmas. She smiled to herself as she opened the sun roof of her car, enjoying the mild weather. It was her first California Christmas and she could not have been happier. She truly regretted returning home for the month long semester break the previous two years.

Once back at her apartment, Scout prepared herself a light snack before hopping in the shower. The hot beads of water massaged away any residual tension in her back and shoulders. Between her internship and classes, Scout had likely spent 50 hours a week hunched over staring a computer screen. At only 20 years old, Scout felt as if she had the body of an 80-year-old woman.

Scout stepped out of the shower and applied very light make-up knowing it was likely the bar would be overcrowded, hot, and sweaty. She groaned as she checked the time on her cellphone which had been charging in her bedroom. Somehow even with more time than she had allotted for herself to get ready, Scout still found herself running late. She quickly finished drying off and threw on a red velvet skirt and black tank top.

Finally pulling up to the bar, Scout could tell the party was in full swing already. She parked in the first spot she could find and pulled out her company ID card to show to security. The brunette bit her lip nervously as the large man inspected her card, silently hoping he wouldn’t ask for a driver’s license. The intern still had another five months until her 21 birthday and this party was one of the last chances she would have to enjoy the bar until then.

“Alright, you’re good to go.” The security guard handed Scout her ID back, fastened a wristband around her wrist, and stepped aside allowing her entrance to the party.

She looked around for a moment, scanning the room, and saw a few familiar faces. Remembering that she had completed final critique for school, the brunette made a bee line for the bar before mingling with any of her co-workers. “Two shots of Fireball please, and a beer- Dogfish Head if you have it.”

The bartended, without second thought, nodded and left momentarily to make up her drinks. Scout turned and scanned the room once more as she waited for her drinks. She couldn’t help but roll her eyes as she saw her fellow intern, Sean, walking over. By the time he got to her, Scout had already put away one shot and had the second one pressed against her lips. The brunette closed her eyes as she felt the Fireball go down with ease. Upon opening her eyes, all she saw was Sean standing a far closer than she would have liked.

“Care for another?” He asked with a smug grin on his face, already reaching down to his pocket to pull out his wallet.

Scout shook her head and raised her beer in front of him before brushing past. The room, as expected, was packed. It was like trying to move through a can of sardines with all the bodies pressed up against each other. Though Johnny’s was a bar and not a dance club, with the amount of people invited and the kind of music playing, it could have easily been mistaken for one that night.

Not being much of a dancer, Scout was excited to scope out a group of her fellow interns sitting around a pool table. As she brought her beer to her lips for another sip, Scout frowned realizing it had taken her so long to venture across the bar that her drink was nearly empty. She signaled to her friends that she’d back in a moment, and turned making her way back to the bar. To avoid a repeat of what had just happened, Scout ordered two beers for herself.

“Excuse me young lady, but I’m going to have to see some ID.”

Scout felt chills run down her spine as someone stood inappropriately close behind her, their arm wrapping around her small waist. She turned slowly in their arm, her back pressed up against the bar. She smirked as she saw Brian Haner smiling down at her. Brian was a close friend of her boss, Zacky Baker who was better known to some of Mister Zacky Vengence.

“What’s an old man like yourself doing in a place like this?” She asked, standing on her toes to whisper in his ear.

Brian feigned hurt before pulling her in for a kiss. They stayed like that for a moment, lost in their own little world, not even realizing that the bartender had returned with her drinks. It wasn’t until someone coughed, loudly, behind them and tapped on Brian’s shoulder that they pulled away from each other. Scout grabbed her drinks and blinked for a moment before realizing that her boss was standing behind Brian with a smirk on his face.

She nearly chugged her first beer in an effort to make time to think of something to say. Brian turned and hugged his friend. “Hey man, great party.” It was so casual.

“Zack, I’m so sorry… I uh-” Scout began stumbling over all her words in embarrassment. Not only was she embarrassed by her actions personally but professionally as well. Kissing the boss’s best friend, at a company party nonetheless?

Zacky smiled and raised a hand to stop Scout’s rambling, “Don’t worry about it. I’ve known about this ‘thing’ for a while.” He reached out and grabbed the second beer from Scout’s hands, “You are underage though.” He took a huge gulp of his beer and threw an arm over Brian’s shoulders, “Watch yourself.” Zack turned and began walking away with her beer and Brian, who shot an apologetic look over his shoulder.

Scout stood at the bar, dumbfounded for a moment, before taking a sip of her beer and walking back toward the group of interns huddled around the pool table. A few of the girls smirked while the guys had stupid smiles on their faces. Scout felt her cheeks burning and it wasn’t from the alcohol. Of course they had all watched what just happened. All the interns had their eyes trained on Zacky like a hawk all night, hoping to get some one on one time. The next time everyone was back in the Vengence University office, Zacky would be announcing which two interns would be getting full time job offers.

For the next few hours, Scout and Brian would exchange glances across the bar without having a chance to actually talk to each other. It seemed that the interns had taken to grilling her with questions while Zack and Brian kept to the other side of the bar. After dodging about a hundred questions, not really knowing what she and Brian ‘were’ either, Scout caught a glimpse at the time. She excused herself from her associates and began heading for the door.

“Sneaking out without say good-bye?”

Scout smiled to herself and turned to find Brian standing, once again, awfully close. “Bye.”

Brian pulled her in by the waist as she went to move away, “That’s not a goodbye. I want a real one.” He leaned down and pressed his lips against hers. They stayed that way for a moment before Brian pulled away with a smirk on his face, “That’s more like it. Come over.”

Scout bit her lip, thinking about it for moment. “I can’t, I’m sorry.”

Not wanting to take no for an answer, Brian pulled her into another knee buckling kiss. “Are you sure you don’t want to come over?” He asked, his lips brushing against hers.

She smirked before giving him a quick peck on the lips, “I’m positive.” Scout pulled away before Brian had a chance to turn it into anything deeper. “Besides,” she yelled over her shoulder as she walked toward her car, “I’ve got to get home to my baby.”

Brian felt his heart stop, “Your baby…? You have a kid?”

Scout laughed which sent butterflies fluttering through Brian’s stomach. She unlocked the car and stepped inside, flashing a smile as she drove off.