On the Outside Looking In (Wrong Reasons) (6 page)

“Too bad there aren’t four sisters on
We Three,
” Jessica said, fluttering her eyelashes behind her glasses.  “You could have dressed up with us.”

“Oh, well,” I said, barely sparing her a glance.

Irelyn rolled her eyes as she patted my hand.  “I wasn’t into it this year, either, but Jessica really wanted us to do it.”

That sorted of explained it, in a way.

The band stepped on stage at that moment, effectively stopping conversation.  My gaze immediately found Spencer as he ducked through the strap of his guitar, his messy hair falling into his eyes.  He brushed it away before plucking a pick out of the strings of his guitar.  He began to strum, quietly tuning, as the others prepared to start.

None of the guys had dressed up, which didn’t surprise me.  If I recalled correctly, they hadn’t last year, either.  Lucas had said that it was cool for girls to dress up but thought that most guys looked like idiots.

As soon as they started playing, the crowd roared with delight, drawing a smile to Spencer’s face.  I sucked in a sigh, plastered a generic look on my face, and just enjoyed the music.  Jessica constantly shot covert looks in my direction, thinking I wasn’t aware.

At the end of their first set, they hurried over to the table.  A moment later, Evan appeared with a tray of drinks.  He passed them out, setting a full diet soda in front of me, and rushed back to the bar without sparing me a glance.  Curious, my eyes followed him as he waded through the crowd, back to the bar, the tray bumping against his thigh.  It seemed as though he was upset with me and I had no clue how to remedy the situation.

Nibbling my lip, swirling my soda glass with one hand, I continued to watch Evan as he returned to his station behind the bar and started filling drink orders. That fixed grin was on his face as he laughed and joked with the patrons.

Deciding that I would clear things up later, given opportunity, I turned back to the crowd at my table.

“You guys had a great first set,” Jessica gushed as she leaned into Spencer.  My stomach turned.  “Do you like our costumes?  You didn’t get to see them yet.”

“Yeah, they’re great,” Spencer said as his gaze moved around the table.  It stopped on me.  “Who are you, Morgan?”

I opened my mouth to respond but Jessica beat me.

“Oh, she’s not part of our costume,” Jessica said, pointing between herself, Bailey, and Irelyn.  “The three of us did this.  Morgan just showed up.”

Spencer’s face clouded as a frown tugged at his lips.  Brow furrowed, he looked at Jessica like she was something he couldn’t identify and that, alone, lightened my heart.

“I forgot to let Morgan know about the costumes,” Bailey explained as she shot me a smile.  “It’s my fault.  I’m so damn forgetful lately.”

“That’s all right,” Collin said, wrapping an arm around her shoulders.  “Don’t worry about it.”

“I like Morgan’s costume,” Lucas said, slouching in his chair, his eyes on me.  “She dresses up just like I do – in something normal.”

I laughed as Jessica scowled; swallowing the remainder of her drink before snatching the fresh one Evan had just delivered.

“I think it’s fun to dress up on Halloween,” Jessica pouted.

“Some people like it, some people don’t,” Spencer said, dropping a kiss on her head.  “It’s cool, don’t worry about it.”

My high spirits dropped quicker than a rock in a pond.  I turned my head again, toward the bar, searching for Evan.  As Spencer and Jessica continued to coo at each other, I mumbled a lame excuse and left my seat. 

The crowd around the bar was thicker now that the band was taking a break, so I decided to see if my reserved seat was still available.  When I reached the end, I was surprised to see that a cardboard, tented sign was still there, the word RESERVED in huge red letters on either side.  With a smile, I slipped into the seat, planted my elbows on the bar, and waited for Evan to notice.  It took nearly five minutes and the band to go back on stage for the crowd to clear and Evan to work his way toward me.

“Hey,” he said with lifted brow.  “I thought you were sitting with your friends.”

“Well, since you went to so much effort,” I said, holding up the crudely made sign, “I figured I could sit here for a little bit and have a drink.”

He nodded, suppressing a smile.  “Would you like something other than diet soda?”

He sipped from a beer glass, wiping the foam off his lip.

“Give me a beer.”

“Seriously?”

I nodded.  “It is Halloween.”

“That’s the spirit,” he said as he fetched a clean glass and placed it under the tap.  Once it was full, he set it in front of me; refusing the bills I tried to hand him. His eyes wandered over to the table where I’d been sitting.  “Why’d you leave your friends?”

“I told you, I thought I’d sit here for a little bit.  You did save the seat for me.”

“Jessica gets on your nerves, doesn’t she?”

I choked on the beer I’d just sipped as I looked up into his eyes.  “She’s fine.”

He laughed, standing straight and crossing his arms over his chest.  “You can’t stand her.  I could tell from here.”

I was beginning to regret coming over here but stood my ground.

“Think whatever you like,” I said in a snooty sort of tone I wasn’t particularly fond of – but it proved a point.  “Like I said, she’s fine and I only came over because you saved this seat for me.”

“Sure,” he said, nodding with that maddening grin on his face.  “Okay, Morgan.  I need to get back to work.”

He spun on his heel and faced the thirsty crowd while I watched Jessica moon over Spencer from the corner of my eye.  Evan was more right than he ever dreamed.

Finishing my beer, I returned to the table to say goodbye, waved to Evan, and escaped.

Chapter Six

After the sort of disaster of Halloween, I wasn’t sure what to expect.  My relationships with Irelyn and Bailey hadn’t reached the level it once was – hadn’t progressed much at all.  Sure, we were on speaking terms again, but that closeness was absent.

“Patience,” I muttered as I crossed campus to the parking lot once I’d finished with classes for the day.  “It takes time.”

“Talking to yourself is the first sign of madness.”

Snapping my head up, I was a little shocked to see Evan keeping pace with me.  “What are you doing here?”

“Looking for you,” he said with a shrug, shoving his hands into his jacket pockets.  “Damn, it’s cold today.”

“It is November,” I said, quickening my steps.

“Yeah, November.  Not January.”

I didn’t answer, was too focused on my parked car and shelter from the wind.  I hoped, in vain, that he would figure out my mood and just fade into the scenery, but instead, he continued walking beside me, jumping into the passenger side of my car once I hit the unlock button on my keychain.

“What do you think you’re doing?” I demanded, standing in the cold wind with my door open.

“I need a ride,” he said, yanking the seatbelt across his body.  “Please.”

Groaning, I tossed my bag into the back seat.  “What if I have to work?”

“You don’t,” he said, grinning.  “I was in there this morning and I asked.”

“I could have other things to do.”

Leaning across the counsel, he stared at me with his dark eyes.  “Do you?”

“I…” I said, my mouth wide open like an idiot, while my brain stuttered, not able to come up with a single excuse or lie. Giving up, I climbed into the car and started the engine. “I guess not.”

“Excellent,” he said.  “I’ll give you a couple bucks for gas.”

“I don’t need it,” I said as I pulled out of the parking lot and to the intersection.  “Where am I going?”

“Plum Park Apartments,” he said as he settled back into his seat, lifting a hand to the radio.  “Thanks.”

“Where’s your car?” I asked as I entered traffic.

“I don’t have one at the moment,” he said, flipping through radio stations.  “I have a motorcycle and it is just too damn cold to ride.”

Ugh, motorcycle.  I hated them.  “So, how did you get to campus?”

“The bus,” he said, settling on a station and cranking the volume.

Turning the volume down, I chanced a quick glance in his direction.  “Why not take the bus to the apartment complex?”

“Not as much fun,” he said, turning the volume up again.

Groaning, I hit the power button, bathing the car in silence.  “So, you take the bus to campus just to have me drive you home?”

“You’re not driving me home,” he said.  “I live above the garage.”

I stopped for a red light and glared at him full on.  “Why are we going, then?”

He grinned as he pressed the power button and set the volume low.  “My aunt manages them and needs me to check out an issue.”

“An issue?” I asked as the light changed and I accelerated.

“Yeah – a clogged sink or something in one of the apartments.”

“Wait – are you, like, a…maintenance guy or something?” I asked.

“Or something,” he said, gazing out the window.  “The regular maintenance guys are at the other complex she manages on the other side of town.  I just fill in when she needs it.”

“Oh,” I said, turning left to skirt the downtown area.  “So, let me get this straight – you work at the garage, at Rusty’s, and as a maintenance guy?”

He snorted a laugh.  “I only help out with the maintenance shit when Susie needs help.”

“Susie?”

“Susan,” he said with another lift of the shoulder. 
“My aunt.”

Out of questions, I focused on traffic until the sign for the apartment complex came into view.  I turned into the lot and waited for him to direct me.

“Follow the road around that way,” he said, pointing.  “The apartment is in the back.”

I did as he asked and stopped in front of a building that housed at least six units.  As the engine idled, I waited for him to get out so I could escape to my own apartment.

“Come on,” he said as he unbuckled his belt.

“Excuse me?”

“I’ll need your help.”

Stymied, I sat where I was as he opened his door.  “I know nothing about plumbing.”

“You don’t need to know anything,” he said, one leg out of the door. 

“What am I supposed to do – carry your toolbox?”

Chuckling, he reached over to shut off the engine.  “No.  It’s a simple thing, actually.  Just unclog a sink.”

“Great,” I said, yanking my keys from his hand.  “How do we get in?”

He produced a set of keys from his jacket pocket as he climbed out of the car.  With a sigh, I did the same, slamming the door.

“Don’t you need tools?” I asked.

He walked around the car, meeting me on the sidewalk, and lifted a brow.  “Offering to carry my toolbox?”

“Not at all, but how are you supposed to fix something without tools?”

“Watch.”

We entered the second floor apartment and were immediately assaulted with the smell – stale booze, lingering tobacco, and old pizza.  Crinkling my nose, I walked through the living room strewn with beer cans, pizza boxes, and overflowing ashtrays.  Posters of popular heavy metal bands and models in tiny bikinis were tacked to the beige walls.  A matching set of battered recliners were situated in front of an entertainment center full of video gaming equipment.

“Looks like someone had one hell of a Halloween party,” Evan said, laughing.  “Bet it was fun.”

I didn’t comment.

The kitchen was smaller than the living room but equally as filthy.  Dirty dishes lined the counters along with takeout containers containing scrapes of rotting chicken, hamburgers, and fries.  The contents of the garbage can spilled to the floor in front of a rickety microwave cart.

“How do people live like this?” I whispered.

“They’re college students,” Evan said as he peered into a sink full of murky, stinky water.  “They’re busy.”

“I’m a busy college student but I still make time to pick up after myself,” I said.

Evan picked up a bottle of cheap, department store drain opener and shook the bottle, smug smile on his lips.  “Amateurs.”

“Oh, and you’re a master plumber?”

“No, but I know better than to use this shit,” he said.  “Wait right here.  I need to grab some stuff from the maintenance closet downstairs.”

I nodded even though I didn’t want to remain in that nasty apartment any longer than necessary – and especially not by myself.  For all I knew, the rats, mice, and roaches would be making an appearance – and I could not stand any of those creatures.

Evan reappeared a few minutes later with a bucket and a large, gray bottle.  He held it up, shaking it at me, like I knew what it was.  I stood back and watched him bail the water out of the sink with a cup, dumping it into the bucket.  When the bottom of the sink was visible, he poured the contents of the bottle into the drain slowly, and then stood back, screwing on the cap.

“We just need to wait fifteen minutes and then flush it with hot tap water,” he explained.

“Great,” I said, pulling my jacket tighter.

“Ah, don’t let the mess bother you,” he said, setting the bottle on the counter.  “This place isn’t as bad as some of the other places.”

“I find that hard to believe,” I said.

Laughing, he snatched a wobbly chair out from under an equally wobbly table and scooted it my way.

“No thanks, I’m good,” I said.

“Suit yourself.”

Eerie silence hovered above us like an awkward bird, daring us to make conversation.  I stood there, wondering why I was in a stranger’s nasty apartment with a guy I barely knew.  How in the world had I gotten myself into such a situation? I imagined what Irelyn or Bailey would do if they were in my shoes.  Irelyn, most likely, would think of something to talk about to put everyone at ease.  Bailey would use her snark to make things interesting.  Me, though, not so much.  I was just boring.  And I was tired of being boring.

“Let me see if it’s working,” Evan finally said as he peered into the sink.  He turned on the tap, his finger under the water, testing the temperature.

I watched, more out of boredom than curiosity, and sure enough, the water ran down the drain without a pause.

“Excellent,” he grinned as he lifted the bucket and slowly poured the water into the sink.  “Problem solved.”

“Great.  Can we go now?”

“Yep.
  Just let me put this stuff away,” he said as he gathered the bottle and the bucket, pausing to put on his coat.  I followed him out of the apartment, to a closet on the ground floor where he stored his equipment before locking the door.  “Let’s go.”

Nodding, I pushed through the door as he removed a cellphone from his pocket.  I caught snippets of his conversation as he got into the car.

“Yep, it’s done,” he said, fastening his seat belt.  “I’m on my way home so I can get ready for work at Rusty’s.”

Starting the engine, I waited for him to end his call.  There were several garages in town and I hadn’t a clue which one he worked at and lived above.

“Okay, let’s go,” he said, tucking his phone into his pocket. 

“Where?”

“Home,” he said, fiddling with the radio.

“I don’t know where your home is located.”

“Mel’s Garage on Eighth Street.”

I left the parking lot and entered traffic.  Evan toyed with the radio, pushing the preset buttons and snorting at my choices.  Ignoring him, I hurried through town, desperate to get rid of him so I could get home.

“Turn left here,” he said.

I did as he asked even though Eighth Street was still a few blocks away.  “Please tell me that we’re not running another errand.  I’d like to get home.”

“No more errands.  I have to get to work, you know,” he said, hiding a grin.  “This is a shortcut. Turn down this alley.”

Driving slowly through the alley, I waited for him to tell me when to stop.  I’d pretty much lost track of where I was.

“See that blue building on the right?” he asked.  “Pull up behind it.”

I did and put the car in Park.

He pointed at a staircase leading to a door in the back of the blue building.  “That’s where I live.  Cool, huh?”

“Sure,” I said.

Laughing, he leaned over the console to peck my cheek.  “Thanks for the help.  Maybe I’ll see you at Rusty’s tonight.”

“I doubt it.  It’s Wednesday and I have class tomorrow.”

“It’s Ladies’ Night,” he protested.  “We run specials for the ladies.”

Rolling my eyes, I glanced out the windshield.  “I’m sure you do.”

“No, it’s cool, really.  Ladies get one free drink and eat off the menu at half-price.”

“It’s not my thing,” I said.

The lopsided grin fell off of his face as he withdrew.  “All right.  I’ll see you around.”

Slipping out of the car, I watched as he jogged up the staircase and unlocked the door.

“Damn him,” I groaned as I pulled away from the building and headed home.

But I couldn’t relax.  I sat in my favorite chair with my laptop, the volume on the television low, but couldn’t concentrate on a single thing.  All that floated in my mind was the smile slipping off of Evan’s face.

Groaning, I shut my laptop and set it on the low coffee table.  Trying not to think about what I was preparing to do, I hurried to my bedroom and changed my sweatshirt for a deep blue sweater.  Running a brush through my hair, I put on my coat and boots, grabbed my purse and phone, and headed out the door.

I’d never been to Rusty’s for Ladies’ Night and wasn’t sure what to expect.  It was still fairly early – only a little after seven – so I didn’t think it would be too crowded.  From my experience, most coeds in the area didn’t hit the bars or clubs until around nine.  How they managed to go out so late and get to class in the morning was beyond me.

I parked in the lot, relieved to see it mostly empty, and rushed through the bitter wind to the door.  The bar was about as empty as the lot – only a few older students sitting at the bar watching the sports channel.  Two tables were occupied with couples, but that was it.

Standing near the door, clutching my purse while shifting my weight from one foot to another, I contemplated whether I should sit at a table by myself, looking like an idiot, or amble up to the bar and listen to Evan razz me.

Shaking the thoughts from my head, I crossed the room and slipped onto an empty stool.  I had come because I’d felt bad about turning him down. I’d just grab something to eat and return home.  I didn’t owe him anything.

“Well, look who’s here.”

The familiar voice chilled my blood and stiffened my spine.  “I should have known that you’d be here on Ladies’ Night.  Looking for your next victim?”