Free Forever summer (Summer # 4) by C.J. Duggan

forbidden, that if I were to be caught it would mean almost certain death. Okay, perhaps a bit dramatic; still, the feeling was intense. My heart ached a little spotting the old familiar faces: Ringer cocked up at the bar, talking to Max who was enjoying a rare night off. I shifted around at an awkward angle to spy my ex, Stan, sitting at a small table near the door with his girlfriend, Bel, a pretty little slip of a thing that I kind of hated without any real reason. She was nice enough but still, her and Stan, just weird. I couldn’t quite see into the poolroom but I didn’t have to, I could hear Sean’s bellows from a mile away. As usual, talking trash and playing pool: some things never changed. I wondered if that was where Adam was, in the poolroom having a quick game? Maybe he had hoped to ditch the dead weight in me and have some real fun. Maybe that’s why he wanted to load me up with beer in the hope I would pass out in the ladies’ toilets. My paranoia really knew no bounds, and if that was the case and he was in there living it up, I would be seriously pissed. I had all but convinced myself that was exactly where he was, unable to spot him amidst the sea of people. I was ready to rip open the divider and storm my way into the poolroom with dramatic flair. Then maybe people would turn their heads, mouths agape, and declare, “Ellie is back.” I was working myself up to do exactly that; Lord knows I had enough liquid courage in me to do it and regret it the next day. And just as I was about to step out of hiding, something stopped me. The crowd shifted; a small group broke away from the bar with their drinks heading toward the poolroom. I stilled, thinking I would wait for them to exit and make room for my grand entrance. But then, my eyes fixed onto the now-visible bar and froze, blinking once, twice.
    Oh my God.
    Adam’s laughter filled my senses, causing my blood to run cold as I took in the sight before me.
    Adam was talking to a girl at the bar, but not just any girl, it was the ghost of girlfriends past:
    Megsy Fucking Swanston.
     

 
    Chapter Nine
     
    The dreaded feeling of your world dropping away. In slow motion, your stomach plunges and your surroundings stand still. It was enough to have any girl running up to her room in sobs of despair, throwing herself onto her bed, and wailing about how life was unfair. Well, thing is, I wasn’t like most girls: I’ve known this for long enough because a) I had been told often enough and b) any reaction any normal girl was destined to have, well, I always seemed to do the polar opposite. Like letting my rage push me forward instead of back, quite literally, as I pulled the divider apart in dramatic flair, unveiling my existence to the entire front bar. Even though I was meant to be low key to ensure a flawless surprise for Tess tomorrow night, I refused to be tucked away in a back bar somewhere.
    “Heeey, look out, there goes the neighbourhood,” announced Ringer who spun around from the bar. Trust Ringer to always create a scene; we were usually vying for the limelight between us. I made a direct line to him, throwing my arms around him and only sensing Adam and Megsy’s eyes on me as they stood to my side.
    “What’s a girl got to do to get a drink around here?”
    “Ah, see, the calibre of service is nowhere near what it should be on my nights off,” said Max, leaning casually against the bar next to Ringer.
    “I’m standing right here.”
    Our attention turned to the voice from behind the bar, to Chris who stood there with his arms folded, a mock-serious stare on his face. If there was one thing that could be said for Chris of late, his new girlfriend Tammy had really taken the broody edge off him; he seemed more relaxed, more in touch with the lighter things in life.
    Chris’s eyes shifted to me. “Squash on the rocks?” he asked with a little smile.
    I laughed, scoffing at the absurdity of it all. “Carlton Draught.” My insides had