Luckily, Alicia liked to talk, just like Michelle, and she chattered on and on before finally, Adam came over and slid onto the bench next to me.
The band was taking the stage now, and a couple of other people had joined our group. No one introduced me, but it didn’t matter. In a few minutes, it was going to get too loud in there to hear anyone, anyway.
“Having fun?” Adam asked.
“Yeah,” I lied. “Thanks for inviting me.”
He looked at me, like he could tell it was a lie. “How were your classes?”
“They were good.” I took a sip of my soda. “My organic chemistry professor is kind of intense, but I’m excited.”
“Klaxton?”
I nodded. “You know him?”
“Everyone knows him. He’d a legend at Cambridge. One of the toughest professors around.” He leaned in. “Make sure you do the reading. Oh, and make sure you ask a question or two every class. He doesn’t tell you this, but he grades on participation.”
I must have had a look of panic on my face, because Adam laughed. “It’s fine,”
he said. “You’re going to do great.” He stood up and picked up my empty glass. “What we’re you drinking?”
“Diet Coke.”
He nodded and then headed toward the bar.
Alicia, the girl who had been sitting next to me, was now deeply ensconced in conversation with someone on the other side of her. I jiggled my foot nervously, and my flip-flop slid off and onto the floor. I slid it back on.
I looked around the bar and tried to find something to occupy myself.
That’s when I noticed them. A group of guys in the corner, staring at me. Empty beer bottles littered their table, and they all had the heavy-lidded look of people who’d been drinking for a while.
When one of them caught me staring, he said something to the other two without taking his eyes off me, and then they all laughed. I looked back up toward the bar, but Adam was still waiting for our drinks.
I glanced back at the guys, and told myself they were just a bunch of drunk idiots, and nothing to be worried about. But the way they were staring at me was unnerving.
The one slouched in the corner looked vaguely familiar, and then I realized why.
He was one of Justin’s friends.
One of the guys who ran into us on the street last night.
My heart thudded in my chest and I looked around the bar wildly. Was Justin here? It was impossible to tell. More and more people were pouring through the doors, and the room was turning into a crush of bodies.
The thought that he could be here sent a rush of electricity thrumming through my body.
“Here you go,” Adam said, back at the table.
“Oh. Thanks.” I took the cold drink from him and gulped it down.
He slid back in next to me on the bench. “You sure you’re okay?”
“Yeah, I’m fine.”
“Because you look a little flushed.”
“Really? I don’t feel flushed.” I took another sip of my drink. Justin, Justin, Justin. I hated myself for thinking about him, and I hated him for intruding on my night.
I should have been enjoying my time out with my friends. Now, instead, I was completely on edge. What if he was here? Would I talk to him? Would I yell at him? I wasn’t sure if I was mad at him or not. Technically, he hadn’t done anything wrong.
I’d told him to go. But still. I’d wanted him to stay with me. Okay, so maybe I was testing him and maybe that wasn’t totally fair. But he’d failed that test. He hadn’t really tried to stay with me, he’d gone off with his friends like it was what he wanted to do.
I glanced back over at the boys in the corner. They weren’t looking at me anymore. There were girls at their table now, and one of them was making out with Justin’s friend. I wondered if they’d just met. And then I wondered if that’s the kind of thing that Justin did, if he met up with random girls and made out with them.
Justin hadn’t even tried to kiss me last night. Why? Did he not want to? Was that why he’d left with his friends?
“Earth to Lindsay,” Adam said.
“Sorry,” I said. “I guess I’m just a little distracted.”
“It’s okay.” He grinned and moved closer to me on the bench until his leg was touching mine. “You just need to relax.”
He took my soda and poured some of his drink into it. “What is that?” I asked.
“Vodka,” he grinned. The bar was eighteen and over, but Justin was twenty-one, and had a wristband that allowed him to purchase alcohol.
I’d never been much of a drinker. In fact, I’d never been drunk before in my life.
But for some reason, right now it seemed like a good idea. I took a sip, grimacing. But after a couple more, I started to feel a little sleepy and relaxed.
“Feel better?” Adam asked.
“Yes.” I took another gulp as the band began to play. The music was loud, but the songs had a sort of soft, alternative feel to them. It reminded me of the kind of music you’d hear in indie romance movies, when the hero and heroine were at the crossroads of deciding whether or not they could be together.
It made me sad for some reason, so I took another sip of my soda.
Adam grinned and poured a little more of his drink into mine.