Free Tailspin (Better Than You) by Raquel Valldeperas Page A

quick response to Emily and then throw my phone back on the counter. She walks into the house not even five minutes later, while my head is in the refrigerator and I’m debating between a left over Publix sub or frozen macaroni and cheese.
                  “Sorry I’m late class ran over I’ll just be a sec.” I turn around to yell at her, but she’s already running upstairs. I never knew Emily had the capability to just be a sec when she’s getting ready, but true to her word, she runs back down the stairs a few minutes later. “Ready?” she asks, like I’m the one holding us up.
                  “I have so much shit to do, Em. You have no idea.”
                  “I’m super nervous for tonight, Nathan, but I’ll be alright. Thanks for asking.” She rolls her eyes and stalks out of the house. I sigh heavily and follow behind her. Once in the car, she cranks up the radio and we ride downtown in silence.
                  “I’m sorry,” I say when the car is parked. “I should have asked. You shouldn’t be nervous, though. You’ve been around bars since forever.” I wink and she laughs.
                  “You’re right, but what if they don’t like me? A lot of people think I’m…over the top.”
                  “Well, you are over the top, but I don’t know anyone who doesn’t like you because of it.” I smile and grab her shoulder. “You’ll be great, okay? If anyone gives you a hard time, just let me know and I’ll…” I slide my finger across my throat.
                  She rolls her eyes and says, “My hero,” as she opens the door and steps out of the car. “I’ll come by when I’m done.”
                  While she walks away, I’m wondering if I should have said something about the fact that her shirt is kind of short and her pants are way too tight. That’s something a parent is supposed to do, right? I mean, she is twenty now, so maybe it’s not my place? I don’t know.
                  The bar is empty when I walk in, even though we’ve been open since noon. Kait is wiping glasses behind one side of the bar, Georgia is rearranging the drink board and Bridget is leaning against a table, phone in hand. “Bridget. Really?”
                  She slides the phone into her back pocket and smiles at me. “Sorry, Nathan. It’s just been dead in here for a while.”
                  “I’m sure there are things that need to be done,” I say, trying not to sound like an asshole manager but seeing no way around it. “Actually, if you guys wanna come back to the kitchen with me, I want to show you some of the new appetizers we’ll be rolling out next week.” I stop and think. “How long has it been dead, Kait?”
                  She glances at the clock on the wall. “Over an hour, at least. And before that it was pretty slow.”
                  “Let’s close up for a while, then. We’ve got things to do, ladies.”
    ~~
                  Feeling somewhat accomplished, I walk out of the kitchen and almost run into the back of Georgia, who’s staring at the front door. My eyes follow and I see Logan, black shirt and jean shorts, her impossibly long legs on display. I smile and avert my eyes, hoping she didn’t catch my slow perusal. “Logan, you made it,” I say, pushing past the girls. “Let’s go ahead and show you where everything is.”
                  She shifts, looking uncomfortable, and as I get closer to her, I notice something’s wrong. The left side of her face is puffy, like she’s been crying, but I know that’s not what it’s from. I know what a busted jaw looks like. Quickly, without even meaning to, I search the rest of her, only just noticing the scars on her arms and the jagged line on her temple. It looks like she’s been through hell. My blood starts to boil with