Page 92 of Elusion

I hesitate to answer. Lauren threw Callie out because of what I had done, but for the life of me, I can’t make myself feel guilty. In fact, I’d do it again with a few small tweaks to produce a more favorable outcome.

“I’ll call you when I get to Sutterville.”

“Jordan,” he says, his voice cracking.

“Yeah, man.”

Silence, and then he lets out a breath. “Thank you.”

I follow Connor’s directions to Trey’s house on a dead-end road. The only thing on the paved driveway is an oil stain. No lights appear through the windows on either story. Other than a dog tied up outside, there are no signs of life.

I make a U-turn and head toward Main Street. As I drive past the gravel parking lot behind the bar, I spot Callie’s car. I tell Connor I’ll call him back. The rear door sits slightly ajar with light and music streaming out two hours after last call. I walk around a newer extended cab truck parked near the building, the only other vehicle in sight, and go inside.

Empty cardboard boxes litter the floor of a long hallway. I weave around them, pass a dark kitchen, and head through a swinging door. Neither Callie nor Pete notices me at the end of the bar. He stands behind it, across from her on a stool. They laugh and clink shot glasses before knocking them back. She slides her glass toward him, and he fills it again.

“Next?” he asks.

“Summer before freshman year.”

Pete’s head tilts side to side like he’s deliberating. “I didn’t go to summer camp, and we stayed at the lake all summer long.”

She holds up her glass. “But I still ended up dumping you because you hooked up with Gabby Sinclair behind the boat docks.”

His glass stays on the bar. “Seriously, Cal? My first time has to be with Gabby? If I were going to cheat on you, I’d have found someone better than that.”

“Fine.” Her lips purse. “Tonya White?”

“Acceptable.” He lifts his glass.

They clink, and they drink.

The interaction between them cues the jab of insecurity in my gut. I’ve seen enough of the show and step farther into the room as he pours them another. Wide eyes meet me at first, but then Callie beams and hops off the stool and runs over in shorts, a tank top, and the ugliest brown thermal socks in existence that stretch all the way up to her knees.

“What are you doing here?” She hugs me, and I kiss the top of her head.

“Connor called me on your phone.”

“Oh my God, what happened?” She examines the red, not-yet-bruised area decorating my eye.

“Call your brother first, so he stops worrying.”

She heads off to a secluded corner across the room with my phone, buying me time before I confess to my evening’s activities. I settle on the stool in front of Pete and exchange a head nod with him.

“We’re redoing our lives,” he says, filling a third glass for me. “Every moment we wish we could change or take back. Then we see how everything would have turned out differently. Once we both agree, we drink.”

Ready to play so I can drink, I give a tight-lipped smile. “My fight with Lauren’s boyfriend tonight didn’t result in my girlfriend being kicked out.”

He lets out an audible sigh and raises his glass. “But you still fought him, and I was right there with you, throwing punches.”

We clink, and we drink.

Callie lands on a stool next to me and tosses back her shot. She sets her jaw and slams the empty glass down, turning to face me. I’m guessing she knows the reason behind her crazy Lauren wake-up call. Her glare never wavers as Pete leaves the bottle of whiskey along with a bag of ice on top of the bar. Then, like a smart man, he disappears behind a curtain.

“So, I met Tyler and Lauren tonight.” At this point, I doubt it will do any good, but I set the ice over my eye anyway. Maybe it’ll gain me a little sympathy.

“A bar fight?” she says. “Are you kidding me?”

“He swung first,” I say in defense, pouring another shot.

---