The One who got Away

Alex leaned against his car and folded his arms across his chest, his eyes boring into mine, and I felt that if I met them for too long, I’d end up breaking down and just admitting everything I felt to him.

“I had fun,” he said.

“Definitely an interesting cup of coffee,” I replied, returning his smile and thanking the fact that the night was hiding the blush I could feel creeping into my cheeks.

He opened the passenger door for me. “Let’s get you home before you collapse right here.”

I laughed as I got in, the day truly taking its toll on me, but that wasn’t the reason why I wanted to go home. A part of me knew that if I spent any more time with Alex, I’d be inviting him up for more coffee, and maybe a little more.

He was closing the door when he stopped. He was looking out at the other parked cars, and I turned to see what had grabbed his attention. A few cars down, I caught sight of one of Heath’s friends.

I had immediately disliked the guy when I had first seen him, and hated how he seemed to be stuck to Garth and Heath’s hips wherever they went.

He was standing between two cars talking to a couple of kids that looked like college students, and as I watched, they exchanged something quickly between them.

Oh shit!

“Hold on,” Alex said, closing the door.

This was not going to go well.

Chapter 13: Alex

“Jack, right?”

Jack swirled around just as I came up behind him, I smiled at the other two as they quickly pushed at each other and rushed away. I saw one of them pocket something, telling the other to hurry as they made their way to a car parked a few feet away.

Jack blocked their retreat, standing in front of me with his arms crossed and eyes squinting at me, an aggressive stance that almost made me laugh.

“Just thought I’d come over and say hi,” I said. “Oh, and maybe tell you that what you’re doing is considered illegal in most states. All of them, actually.”

“And what am I doing, exactly?”

I smiled. “Come on, buddy,” I said. “It’s pretty obvious. I mean, you might as well hang a sign around your neck saying, ‘buy drugs here’.”

Jack pulled himself up straight and took what I honestly believed he thought was a menacing step towards me. “Yeah? And what is it to you?”

“Well, given that it’s my job, I feel obligated to make a citizen’s arrest and take you for a ride to the Sheriff. You know, Kent being out of my jurisdiction and all.”

Jack laughed, actually laughed, and leaned against one of the cars. “That’s cute.”

“Isn’t it?”

“It is.”

“Good, we both see eye to eye, then,” I smiled. “So, easy way or hard way?”

Jack shook his head, stepped closer and looked over my shoulder. “Hey, Jenni, can you tell your friend here to mind his own business,” he said. He looked me in the eye as he continued, “He might get himself hurt.”

I didn’t turn around, and silently cursed the fact that Jenni hadn’t stayed in the car. If things got messy, I didn’t want her close to the action where this dimwit could take advantage of her presence and use her against me.

“Kent’s really not the kind of place where you want to use a threat like that,” I said. “I mean, are you going to beat me with one of those flamingos?”

“No,” Jack said, pulling a switchblade out of his pocket and flipping the blade open. “Turn around and walk away.”

“You’re threatening a DEA agent, you know that, right?”

Jack smiled. “I said, walk away.”