Backwards

It's him. Stupid grin and all. I fight the urge to kick him in the balls, because that won't be good for anyone, and just grit my teeth. He hasn't seen me so I sneak out of the hallway and head back into the bar before he can have a chance to.

The place has started to fill up with students claiming tables and spots at the bar while they wait for their friends to meet them and start their weekends off right. I have to squeeze through the growing crowd to make it back, nearly spilling someone's beer in the process. I clear my throat to get Regan's attention, but she doesn't let my presence stop her from flirting with Hot Bartender. Fine. I tried to do this the easy way. I take a hold of her arm and pull her closer to me.

"We need to go." I say into her ear. I don't want to tell her what I saw because I know it'll kill her. I am fully prepared to cause a scene to get her out of this bar.

"Riley. I'm not done talking to Sebastian yet." She turns her back to me and puts her hand, possessively, on his knee. He smiles at me and holds up the whiskey he poured before I left to call Paige.

"Yeah, finish your drinks and stay a bit. Next round's on me." He moves a piece of hair away from Regan's shoulder and I swear she's about to swoon.

"No thanks." I say. He seems sweet, really. But maybe another time when Regan's cheating ex isn't dry humping Red in the back hallway just a few yards away. As soon as Sebastian gets up to help out behind the bar, her smile fades and she shoots me a suspicious glare.

"What's going on?" She glances around the bar, looking for something. Or someone. And that's when I become suspicious of her. Why exactly did she choose this place again? Her eyes are scanning behind me frantically, darting from person to person.

I say nothing, and let her go on because I know that she will. She's starting to get frazzled. Once she accidentally lost of one Paige's earrings and instead of doing what I suggested and buy a new pair - identical of course, what Paige doesn't know wont hurt her - she folded like a cheap suit and spilled the beans as soon as Paige was in ear shot. This time, she's at least kept up with whatever façade she had in place for longer than thirty minutes, but now that she knows she's been busted, she's ready to come clean.

"Did you run into someone?" She asks, eyes still searching. Bingo. This is why she dragged us out here. Forget trying something new. She wanted to stalk her ex-boyfriend and use poor Hot Bartender as a way to get Adam jealous.

"Regan! You knew he would be here?" I gawk. "Benji didn't tell you about this place, did he?"

"I saw the name of the bar in one of the pictures she posted online. Then found the address and took a chance that he would be here, with her." She explains in a hurry. I swear girls can find out anything on the internet. She keeps looking around, luckily in the wrong direction, completely unashamed that I unmasked her ploy.

"And what did you think was going to happen?" I ask her. Did she expect him to come groveling back once he saw her flirting with someone else? Or to feel like shit once he did see her? Fat chance he'd even caught a glimpse though. He seemed awfully busy a few minutes ago. Her attitude shifts again.

"I don't know." She slumps in the bar stool and watches Sebastian as he walks over to a few guys who just sat down. They must be friends because they just fist bumped. I'll never understand that greeting. You use your fists to punch people, not say hello.

"Well, well. Never thought I'd see someone like you here." I turn to see the red head that Adam had pressed up against the wall not too long ago. She's obviously talking to Regan, since we've never had the pleasure of actually meeting. I glance at my best friend, who just stares at the red head, cool and collected.

"Marissa." Regan answers back. She looks for Adam, but makes it a little too obvious.

"Lose something?" Marissa laughs and leans over the bar. "Sara! Two." She holds up two fingers to signal the number and it takes me some effort to stop myself from ramming those fingers up her nose. Regan puts her hand on my arm and shakes her head. She's reading my mind and although I know it's probably not a good idea, I still run scenarios of how I'd kick her red headed ass.

Once she gets her beers, she takes one look at Regan and laughs again.

"Seriously. It'll be quick." I tell Regan after Marissa has sashayed away from the bar. She gives me a look of disapproval and I decide not to tell her about my idea of smashing this glass upside Marissa's head.

"He left me for that?" Regan turns to her drink and swirls the straw around. Her retort was meant to be a snuff to Adam and his taste in women, but I think she just hurt her own feelings.

"For that?" She repeats, only this time, her hand is shaking and I can tell she's slowly losing the control she had earlier.

I stare back at Marissa, who's sitting against the wall next to the pool table. Adam comes out of the hallway and leans forward to kiss her. She whispers something into his ear making him whip his head around. It only takes a few scans of the bar for him to notice us. This is definitely not good. I need to get Regan out of here. She's staring down at the bar top and hasn't seen him yet, thankfully. I tug on her arm to go and hope we can avoid further drama but when she looks at me, she's crying. Her beautiful light blue eyes are stained red with strain.

I suck my drink down faster than it took to come out and turn and see Adam smiling smugly at us as Marissa drapes herself on his arm. I stomp towards him and swear I see him take a step back. Good. He knows he's about to be in a world of hurt.

"What the hell is your problem Adam?" I ask with a growl in my throat. Some of the people that surround the pool table stop what they're doing and stare, but I'm not loud enough to get the bar's attention. Marissa on the other hand must not care about discretion because she begins to shout obscenities, making almost everyone turn to look. He pushes her behind him and crosses his arms with that stupid grin smeared across his face.

"It's none of your business, Riley." He says back to me. His face alone makes me want to take a pool stick to it.

"She's my best friend, you dick. She is my business. How can you do that to her? Don't you think she deserves better?" Adam doesn't say anything. He just glares at me. No matter, I have plenty to say to him so he can sit there with his mouth shut. "I mean, you are a piece of shit. But still. You should've broken up with her like a man instead of having your side chick put it out there for the world to see."

Marissa unleashes all hell at her mention and pushes Adam out of the way but he grabs her right before her hand reaches my face.

"You bitch!" She screams.

"Oh shut up. You're a whore and you know it." Regan with the comeback. I was wondering what was going on with her. Usually, she can hold her own, but I was worried that Adam had broken her a bit.

"Nice." I say to her. She smirks and glares back at Marissa who feels the need to express more of her unwanted opinion.

"Yeah? And you're a spoiled little bitch who cries when you don't get what you want. He was sick of you. He wanted a real woman not a-" She doesn't finish her sentence because I lose it. My fist connects with her nose and she goes flying into the people standing behind her.

Someone grabs my arm and I push them in my fury. Adam is on my radar and I'm not done. I find Regan in the crowd and see Sebastian coming up behind her with his goon squad. I have to make this quick. Adam stumbles back and leaves Marissa on the floor. He holds his hands up to surrender like the coward he is.

"I'm not gonna hit a girl, Riley." He leans into the crowd but they push him back towards me.

"Lucky me." I cock my fist back but it's caught in midair. An arm grabs me from behind and wraps around my waist. I wriggle to free myself.

"Let me go!" I shout, anger burning through my body.

"Calm down!" I hear. The voice is loud and seems amused which only fuels my rage. I jerk my body, which is now completely off the ground, and kick until whoever it is that's holding me lets go.

I land on my feet and take my swing, hitting Adam square in the jaw. Suck on that, douche. My celebration is short lived as I'm picked up and tossed over a shoulder. I must be over six feet in the air, my legs pinned to a chest that feels like a brick wall.

"Let go of me!" I wail on the back of the bouncer that's carrying me and scream. "Put me the fuck down!"

"Stop screaming." I feel his chest rumble underneath me as he carries me. He's laughing at me. Big black boots trudge on no matter how hard I kick or punch, he just keeps walking. I feel the cool air of the night suddenly hit the back of my legs and I know we're outside. He reaches up and grabs my waist, setting me on the ground. I don't hesitate. I lunge forward and push him back, but he doesn't even budge. He's huge, solid and smiling at me.