Page 34 of Saving Micah

We show our ID to the bouncer at the door and walk into the club. It isn’t a very large place. They have a bar to the right that stretches all the way down the wall. The DJ is set up in a raised booth on the back wall of the building. The dance floor is in the center and booths are lined up on the wall to the left of the door and wrap around to the back wall. We head right as we walk in to get our drinks.

The place is packed and already hot with all the body heat that people are giving off. I grab a stool at the bar as Kelly and Macy take a stool on either side of me.

“What you want, Macy? Do you have any idea what your first legal drink is going to be?” I speak loud enough that she can hear me over the music. She looks at me like she’s a kid in a candy store and I told her that she can only have one thing. Her eyes are huge. I laugh as I tell her “Just pick something, we can come back for something else to try later.”

“I think I want a Long Island Iced Tea. Everyone I’ve read in my books orders them and I want to see what all the hype is about” she says.

I don’t argue with her. If a Long Island Iced Tea is what the birthday girl wants, Long Island Iced Tea is what the birthday girl gets. I throw my hand up to the bartender to get his attention. He heads our way as I feel Kelly grabs my arm. “What the…” I ask as I look at Kelly. She is looking at me with this horrified look on her face.

“That’s him. Oh my gosh!” Kelly says as she keeps squeezing my arm.

“That’s who?” I ask and try to pull my arm away from her.

“That’s the guy I was telling you about that I met last week. He works here. Oh my gosh, he works here.”

I remember Kelly telling me about a guy that she met in the park last week. She said that he was really cute and really sweet. He has a dog that he takes there to get some exercise. She said apparently, he runs there too because he was all sweaty and looking ‘really yum’. Her words.

“What can I get you ladies?” Mr. Yum ask me. He is looking at me and he slowly looks to my right at Macy and then to my left to Kelly. I see is eyes widen as he realizes who he is looking at. Her hand squeezes my arm tighter if that is at all possible.

“Hey Kelly” Mr. Yum says to her. She doesn’t let go as she stumbles over her reply.

“Hey.. Um.. Hi.. Jake” she stutters.

So, Jake is actually Mr. Yum’s name. Man, I hate to quit calling him Mr. Yum. Depending on how this whole thing plays out, I still may call him that when talking to Kelly about him.

“What are you doing here?” Mr. Yum, I mean Jake, ask her.

“I’m out with my friends celebrating a birthday,” she says as she slowly lets my arm go. I guess she realizes that he isn’t going to bite her or something and doesn’t need my protection.

“Is it your birthday?” he asks her.

“No. No, it’s Macy’s.” She points to Macy to show him which one she is.

He smiles a little bigger at Macy and says “Well, Happy Birthday Macy. Glad you came to celebrate with us here at Club 3.”

I peak at Kelly and see that she has calmed down some but she is looking Jake up and down. She must be remembering what he looked like at the park. She seems to be drooling a little now. I reach over to touch her face. She grabs my hand before it can make contact and her eyes snap to mine.

“Don’t you dare, Micah” she hisses at me. I burst out laughing and draw Jake’s attention back to us.

“What can I get for you ladies?” Jake ask again.

“Macy here wants a Long Island Iced Tea. This is her first legal drink and this is what she has picked.” I tell him.

“Good choice.” Jake says as he glances back at her. I suppose he is trying to tell her that he understands she has a lot of options but he will make this one great for her.

“I will have a Jim Beam Apple and Sprite over ice and I’m not sure what Kelly wants yet,” I say as I look at Kelly again. She seems to be zoned out so I nudge her.

“Oh what?” Kelly states.

“What can I get you to drink tonight?” Jake ask her.

“I’ll have a Crown and Coke to start with,” she says as she looks at Jake.

I’m floored by her. She’s never acted like this. He moves on down the bar to start making our drinks. Macy leans over me and loudly whispers to Kelly, “what the freak was that?”

Kelly just looks at us. I touch her arm and bring her back from where ever her mind keeps going. “Kelly, talk to us. What is with you? He is just a guy. You have met and talked to several guys. What has you so messed up and acting crazy over this one?”

She just blinks at us with this blank stare and says “I will tell you guys later. I don’t really want to talk about it right now. We are here to celebrate Macy’s birthday and I’m not going to bring all my crazy drama into it.”

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