Walking Disaster

imagination for anything but showing up
at the bar every weekend. Especially girls that looked like Abby and America.
    I ordered a beer, chugged half of it, and then turned my attention back to the dance floor. Staring wasn’t voluntary, especially knowing I probably had the same expression on my face as
every schmuck watching them.
    The song ended, and Abby pulled America back to the bar. They were panting, smiling, and just sweaty enough to be sexy.
    “It’s going to be like this all night, Mare. Just ignore them,” Shepley said.
    America’s face was screwed in disgust, staring behind me. I could only imagine who was back there. Couldn’t have been Megan. She wasn’t one to wait in the wings.
    “It looks like Vegas threw up on a flock of vultures,” America sneered.
    I glanced over my shoulder, and three of Lexi’s sorority sisters were standing shoulder to shoulder. Another of them stood next to me with a bright smile. They all grinned when I made eye
contact, but I quickly turned around, chugging the last half of my beer. For whatever reason, girls that acted that way around me made America pretty cranky. I couldn’t disagree with her
vulture reference, though.
    I lit a cigarette, and then ordered two more beers. The blonde next to me, Brooke, smiled and bit her lip. I paused, unsure if she was going to cry or hug me. It wasn’t until Cami popped
the tops and slid the bottles over that I knew why Brooke had that ridiculous look on her face. She picked up the beer and started to take a sip, but I grabbed it from her before she could, and
handed it to Abby.
    “Uh . . . not yours.”
    Brooke stomped off to join her friends. Abby, however, seemed perfectly content, taking man-size gulps.
    “Like I would buy a beer for some chick at a bar,” I said. I thought it would add to Abby’s amusement, but instead she held up her beer with a sour look on her face.
    “You’re different,” I said with a half smile.
    She clinked her bottle against mine, clearly irritated. “To being the only girl a guy with no standards doesn’t want to sleep with.” She took a swig, but I pulled the bottle
from her mouth.
    “Are you serious?” When she didn’t respond, I leaned in closer for full effect. “First of all . . . I have standards. I’ve never been with an ugly woman. Ever.
Second of all, I wanted to sleep with you. I thought about throwing you over my couch fifty different ways, but I haven’t because I don’t see you that way anymore. It’s not that
I’m not attracted to you, I just think you’re better than that.”
    A smug smile crept across her face. “You think I’m too good for you.”
    Unbelievable. She really didn’t get it. “I can’t think of a single guy I know that’s good enough for you.”
    The smugness melted away, replaced with a touched, appreciative smile. “Thanks, Trav,” she said, setting her empty bottle on the bar. She could really put them back when she wanted
to. Normally I would call that sloppy, but she carried herself with such confidence . . . I don’t know . . . anything she did was hot.
    I stood and grabbed her hand. “C’mon.” I pulled her to the dance floor, and she followed behind me.
    “I’ve had a lot to drink! I’m going to fall!”
    Now on the dance floor, I grabbed her hips and pulled her body tight against mine, leaving no room between us. “Shut up and dance.”
    All the giggles and smiles left her face, and her body began to move against mine to the music. I couldn’t keep my hands off of her. The closer we were, the closer I needed her to be. Her
hair was in my face, and even though I’d drunk enough to call it a night, all of my senses were alert. The way her ass felt against me, the different directions and motions her hips made to
the music, the way she leaned back against my chest and rested the back of her head on my shoulder. I wanted to pull her to some dark corner and taste the inside of her mouth.
    Abby turned to face me with a mischievous smile. Her hands began at my shoulders, and then she let her fingers run down my chest and stomach. I nearly went insane, wanting her right then and
there. She turned her back to me, and my heart beat even faster against my rib cage. She was closer that way. I gripped her hips and pulled her tighter into me.
    I wrapped my arms around her waist and buried my face in her hair. It was saturated with sweat, and combined with her perfume. Any rational thought disappeared. The song was