Anything Goes on a Friday Night (18 page)

I WAS A NERVOUS
wreck about tonight. Jane, Finn, Jenna, Tryston and I were all going out together. I didn’t want to screw things up with Finn again. He was giving me a chance to make things not awkward, and I was scared that I would try so hard to make things not awkward that I’d end up making them worse than awkward.

I spent too much time getting ready, and I was scared Finn would notice. I hoped he didn’t think I was trying to look extra nice for him because I totally wasn’t. I just wanted to look nice. I was a single girl now. I wanted to make heads turn.

I heard the horn honk and peeked out the window. Jane had taken her mom’s minivan to haul all of us around tonight. I laughed. We all teased her about that being her parent’s shaggin’ wagon. She didn’t find it as funny as we did.

I grabbed my purse and headed outside. I got in the front seat because Jenna and Finn had already claimed the backseat; Tryston was sitting behind Jane, and I didn’t want Jane to be stuck up front alone. She smiled thankfully at me when I climbed in.

We got to the movie, and Finn and Jenna sat in the row behind us. Jane, Tryston, and I didn’t want to be near them if they decided to take advantage of the dark theater. And truthfully, I didn’t want to see it if it happened. As badly as I was trying to make myself not be attracted to Finn, I was failing. There was something about him that held my attention more than other guys. Even Channing.

I had to pee so badly by the middle of the movie that I couldn’t hold it any longer. We were finally at the good part, and I was going to miss it. This always happened to me. As I was coming out of the bathroom, Finn was coming out of the men’s right across from me. I walked beside him on our way back to the movie. He nudged my side and chuckled when I almost ran into a trashcan. I burst into laughter and tried to do it back, but he dodged me. I rolled my eyes and smiled.

“You better sleep with one eye open tonight.”

“I’m like a ninja warrior, Ellie. You shouldn’t make threats like that.”

I laughed. “You’re full of it.”

He smiled as we neared the door to go in. He opened it for me. “I meant to tell you earlier that you look really nice tonight.”

I stopped midway into the door and looked at him. “Thanks. You look nice too.”

I wanted to tell him not to say things like that. I wanted to tell that him I didn’t look this way to impress him. But I kept my mouth shut for the sake of our rocky friendship.

The space between us grew oddly familiar. It was the day after I shot the gun all over again.
Did he feel it too?
My heart was going to beat right out of my chest.
Damn him for doing this to me!
I put an immediate halt to what was transpiring between us by walking back to my seat.

What was this movie again?

What was even happening?

I was pathetic. It had been a bad idea coming here tonight. Instead of watching the movie, I spent the entire time sitting on my hands so I wouldn’t go tear Jenna away from Finn and stake my claim on him.

After the movie, we all made our way out to the parking lot. I was about to get in the van when I realized I didn’t have my purse.

“Shit!” I shouted.

“What?” Jane said before she got in.

Everyone looked at me.

“My purse. I left it in my seat. I’ll go grab it and be right back.”

I hurried inside and explained to a person that worked at the theater what happened. After I found my purse, I walked back outside. I had just made it to the curb when I was grabbed by the arm. I tried to jerk away but stopped when I saw who had my arm.

Channing.

“Let me go!” I screamed and jerked my arm again until he let go.

“Did I hurt you? I didn’t mean to. I was just trying to get your attention. I’m going in to see a movie, but I’ll skip it if we can talk.”

“What part of leave me alone are you not understanding, Channing? I’ve done nothing to make you think that it’s okay to keep contacting me! Stop!”

The closer he got to me, the more I could smell the liquor on his breath.
Great! He’s been drinking, which means he’s going to be ridiculous!

“Elena, it’s killing me to not talk to you!”

“Yeah, well who screwed that up, Channing? It sure as hell wasn’t me!”

He grabbed my arm again. “Please, let’s talk.”

“Channing, come on, the movie is starting,” one of his friends who was watching everything unfold said.

“No, you go. I need to talk to my girl.”

“Your girl?” I scoffed. I jerked my arm, but he was gripping it so tightly that I couldn’t free myself this time. “Channing, you’re hurting me. Please, let go,” I said through clenched teeth. I looked out into the parking lot for Jane’s burgundy van. I couldn’t find it anywhere.

“Let’s go somewhere like old times and talk.” His words were starting to slur. The alcohol was going to his head.

“Let go, Channing,” I struggled to say through the pain he was causing. Tears filled my eyes. He was scaring me. I looked around, and people were staring.

“She said let go!” I was thankful to hear Finn’s voice from behind me.

“Who the hell are you? Her new boyfriend?” Channing started laughing but didn’t let go. My arm and hand were starting to go numb.

“It doesn’t matter who I am. Let go before we make you let go.”

I looked over my shoulder and saw Tryston standing with him. When Finn saw the tears in my eyes, I swear I saw fire flash in his. I tried to jerk away again, but it only made Channing hold on tighter. I’m not sure what Finn and Tryston did behind me, but whatever it was, Channing didn’t like it. He let go and followed his friend into the movie theater. I rubbed my arm, and Finn put his arm around my shoulders as he and Tryston walked me back to the van. Tryston opened the door for me, and I got in.

“Are you—”

“I don’t want to talk about it,” I snapped, cutting Jane off.

Nothing else was said the rest of the ride home. Well, except Jenna. She was whispering to Finn in the back, but I turned up the music to drown her out instead of using my fist to knock out her pretty little teeth. The one time I actually wanted to talk to Finn and tell him everything and cry on his shoulder, she was here.

“Jane, take me home. Please.” I rubbed the spot where Channing had held onto on my arm.

Finn: Ellie, answer me. I know I normally stay out of your business, but what happened tonight is fucked up! You have to tell me about this Channing guy now. Has he hurt you before?

That was the 17
^th
text from Finn so far that night. I knew I owed him an explanation, because he had helped me out, but I just didn’t want him to know how messed up my life had been lately. I was broken and was scared it’d scare him away for good, if he knew. But I needed to talk to someone, and deep down, I knew I needed it to be him.

Me: It’s a long story. Too much to text.

Finn: I can call.

Me: K.

He called immediately.

“Hey,” I said as I laid back in bed. “I have to talk quietly, so I don’t wake up Nancy. She gets moody if I wake her up since her hours at work have been shitty.”

“Explain.”

I sighed heavily. “I caught Channing cheating on me with my best friend. It had been going on for four months, and I had no clue.”

“How bad did he cheat? Kissing? Sex? And I’m not justifying any type of cheating, just wondering what exactly happened.”

I explained everything. I told him how I just sat there and listened to them have sex, because I literally couldn’t get my body to move. I told him how I barely remembered the drive home because I was such a mess. I told him how I felt like a bad girlfriend for not giving it up to Channing, even though I knew it was stupid to be mad at myself for such a stupid thing.

“It’s one of the reasons why I’m so reserved now. I used to never be this way. I’m just more careful with people now.”

“One of the reasons? What are the others?”

I closed my eyes and ran my fingers through my hair. I wasn’t ready to discuss how badly my mom, dad, and Nancy had hurt me. “I don’t want to talk about the other reasons right now.”

“Okay. How long did you date Channing?”

“Long enough for it to hurt.” I opened my eyes and grabbed my remote to turn off the TV.

“And now he wants you back?”

“Maybe. He keeps saying he wants to talk, but I won’t let him. He said sorry, and that’s all he owed me. I don’t need anything else from him.”

“Of course you don’t. What an ass! Is he the reason for your black eye and cut lip?”

I laughed. “Yeah. Katie and I hashed it out in the old Walmart parking lot in Fredericksburg. I may or may not have been drinking and felt way too confident.”

He burst out laughing. “So alcohol gives you wings?”

I giggled. “Something like that. I broke her nose, though.”

“You? How did a tiny thing like you manage that?” He was still laughing.

“My mad ninja warrior skills.”

“So we have another thing in common, then.”

I laughed. “Yeah. But what’s our first?”

“We both like to smoke when we drink, remember?”

“Oh yeah.” I smiled. It felt so good to talk to Finn again. He always made me laugh. “So how are things with you and Jenna? And don’t take it the wrong way. I’m not meaning it in some creepy, stalker girl with a crush kind of way. I sincerely want to know.”

“I know, Ellie.” He laughed. “I don’t think it’s gonna work. She’s a nice girl, but there’s just no real feelings. I think we both feel the same way. She and I are thinking about just ending things, but we promised each other we’d give it a few more days to think about it.”

“What could a few days’ change if you feel that way now? You both seemed fine at the movie.”

“Well, we were until after, and we were alone. It’s complicated.” He paused and I heard a door shut. “Anyway, giving it a few more days probably won’t change anything, but she’s going out of town with her family and said we’d talk about it when she got back.”

“Oh.” I chewed on my bottom lip. “I should probably get some sleep. I have to work tomorrow.”

“Me too.”

“Finn?”

“Ellie?”

“I never asked you where you work.”

He laughed, and then I heard him yawn. “I work for my uncle at the mechanic shop he owns. You know, the shop at the four-way stop before you hit the highway toward Llano?”

“Yeah. So, that means you’re good at working on cars?”

“No, it means I’m learning, and I’m really good at keeping the shop clean and answering phones.”

I laughed. “Oh. Do you want to work on cars one day then?”

“I like welding. I think cars and how they operate is interesting, but I’d rather take shit apart and put it back together with fire.”

“You’re a mess.”

“Another thing we have in common.

I smiled so big it felt stupid. “Goodnight, Finn.”

“Night. And Ellie?”

“Yeah?”

“You deserve so much better than Channing. You’re beautiful, smart, and such a great person. I’m glad that you gave me a trial period, and that you decided I’m worthy to be your friend.”

He hung up, and I set my phone under my pillow. I had felt so heavy and burdened until I talked to him. He made me feel light and happy. Like everything I’d thought was a big deal really wasn’t. He made me feel like I could walk on hot coals without ever getting burned. It was so strange how one person could make me forget the hurt with just the sound of his laugh. Jenna would be stupid to let a guy like him go.