Page 7 of Losing a Piece of Me

“Yeah, you know, like with our tongues?”

“Okay…” I was only a twelve-year-old kid. I had no idea what I was doing, but I knew I wanted her.

I leaned in again, as did she. Somehow in the process of that first real kiss, the shifter got bumped, which we unfortunately did not realize until we were already in the water. Needless to say, the cold lake water put a screeching halt to the feelings that kiss stirred inside of me.

I shake my head to stop the memories. I need deep, dreamless sleep tonight, which I can only accomplish with alcohol. Without it, the dreams are sure to come and I don’t know if my heart can take anymore right now.

I look back at the house one last time and shift into drive.

Within minutes, I find myself pulling up to the local watering hole. I shut off the truck and walk in. The juke box is blaring while I take a seat at the bar.

“Striker,” Matt greets me.

“Hey, man. Can I get a beer?” I toss some money down and catch a glimpse of myself in the mirror hanging behind the bar. My white t-shirt is dirty from work, my beard is overgrown, and my dark hair is starting to curl around the edges of my hat.

Fuck. Look at me. Even if I see Lex, there is no way she’s going to give me a second glance when I’m looking like this.

I drink deeply from the bottle in front of me. The cold beer is refreshing and I drink it faster than I planned.

Instead of sticking around, I grab my change off the bar and head toward the truck. I have no interest in sitting here, having conversations with the drunks who won’t remember a word of it in the morning. After watching my dad drink his life away, I’m not a fan of alcohol. But sometimes, all you need is a cold beer to put things into perspective. I got just what I needed, a reminder of why I’m not good enough for her.

I want to crash, the emotions of knowing she’s back in town are weighing on me heavily, like something is sitting on my chest.

I fire up the truck and drive home, where I fall onto the couch the moment I am inside. My eyelids drift closed before I can even process another thought.

Chapter 3

Barney Fife opens the door and allows me to step out. “You’re free to go.” He unlocks my cuffs and hands me my purse.

I narrow my eyes on him. “Is this some kind of trick?”

He places the cuffs back into their holder. “Does it look like a trick? Get going.” His tone is rough, and disappointment is visible across his face.

I shrug it off and step around him to walk back to my car.

“Don’t get any ideas while you’re in town. I’ll be watching you.”

His taunting digs under my skin, and I turn around to face him. “I’m not a teenager anymore, you know? I think I can manage one weekend without giving you trouble.”

He grunts. “I guess we will find out, won’t we?” he says, turning to step into his car.

“I didn’t steal that cruiser either!” I shout back at him.

“Yeah? I bet that wasn’t you who defaced our town sign either, huh?”

He’s got me there - I was caught red handed, literally. The red spray paint I used stained my clothes and hands.

He walks closer. “It’s almost like the goat farm incident.”

I can’t help but laugh inwardly.

Cumming is home to a small goat farm, the goats of which were, accidentally, released by Striker and me. The town had rogue goats wandering the streets for days, which wouldn’t be so bad if goats were the peaceful, loving creatures that they would lead you to believe. Taking full advantage of their newfound freedom, they kicked and/or bit everyone in town.

“Or that time the confetti cannons at the football game got filled with ketchup and mustard.” He continues walking towards me, watching me with his arms crossed over his chest. “Do you know how bad it burns when mustard gets in your eyes?” He leans in, waiting for an answer. “Of course you don’t. You knew it was going to happen and made sure to stand out of the way.”

I point my finger at him. “I really didn’t do that one. That was all Striker. I mean, come on, do I look like I would do something that childish?”

The only response I get is a lifted eyebrow.

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