Tear Down These Walls (2 page)

“What?” Teagan asks. She hesitates, not sure if she
wants to know what he has to say.

“Brianna is here with Blake,” Isaac says slowly.

A very unamused look passes over Teagan’s face. “You
have
got
to be kidding me.”

“She isn’t that bad,” Isaac mumbles quietly.

“Whatever, she’s never done anything but she’s just
annoying. Like nails on a chalkboard annoying. Like the bratty kid from next
door annoying.” Teagan exclaims.  “Ugh whatever.  Let’s go.”

“Sorry,” Isaac calls out when they get out of the car,
trying to catch up with her.  “I didn’t want you to cancel because he
asked her at the last minute.” He gives her pleading eyes.

Teagan looks at Isaac. “I’m an adult. I can handle
it.  Doesn’t mean I am going to enjoy my evening now.”

“Oh, don’t be silly,” Victoria says, pulling on Teagan’s
hand. “You’ll have a blast.”

“Yeah, yeah, yeah,” Teagan groans, though a smile breaks
through anyway. She always has fun with Victoria.

The karaoke bar is six blocks away. “How are you doing
in those heels?” Isaac asks, looking at Teagan’s feet.

“I could run a marathon in heels,” Teagan states
proudly. “I’m fine.”

When they walk into the bar, it’s packed with college kids.
There is barely room to move. The bar has an industrial feel to it. The gray
walls are splashed in color from the overhead neon lights around the stage.
Someone is bellowing out “Margaritaville”. Teagan visibly winces. “Where’s
Blake?” Victoria yells over the music.

Everyone scans the crowd before Isaac says, “Over
there.  Come on.” He puts his hand on Teagan’s back and starts to push her
through the crowd. She isn’t happy about him touching her, but she lets it
go.  When they get to the table, Blake waves. Teagan can never get over
how white blonde his hair is, but his green eyes hold a lot of warmth. Isaac
walks over and claps his hand against Blake’s.  “Hey man.”

“Hey, you guys made it just in time,” Blake
declares.  “Brianna is about to go sing.”

“Oh great.  I need a drink!” Teagan exclaims
dramatically. “What does everyone want?”

“A beer,” Isaac replies. “I can go get the drinks if you
want.”

“No, the farther I am away from the speakers the
better,” Teagan quips. “Em, what do you want?”

“A water,” Emily murmurs, putting her hair behind her
ear. 

“No adult beverage to drink tonight?” Teagan asks. Emily
shakes her head and looks away.  “Okay, and Victoria.  What do you
want?”

“Cosmopolitan,” Victoria replies.

“Of course,” Teagan laughs. “I will be right back.” She
turns and pushes her way to the bar. It’s all warn metal to match the theme of
the place. When she gets there, it is packed. She leans against it and bends
over. The bartender is a guy. He is tall with a shaved head and covered in
tattoos.  Not Teagan’s usual taste. “This will be easy,” she whispers. The
bartender puts money in the cash register and then turns around. Teagan bites
her lip and looks at him. She leans a little farther over and traces her finger
around in circles on the metal.

The bartender smiles and walks over. “What can I get
you?”

There are protests of, “HEY!” from all the other people
waiting.

Teagan smiles, “I need a Miller lite, bottle of water,
cosmopolitan, and a dirty martini, EXTRA dirty.”

“Extra dirty, huh?” The bartender responds, raising up
an eyebrow. The corner of his mouth twitches and looks straight into Teagan’s
eyes. Teagan nervously shifts. “Coming right up.” He turns around and starts to
grab glasses.

Very proud of herself, Teagan beams and looks around the
bar. Suddenly, there’s a horrible rendition of “Like a Virgin” echoing all
around them. Teagan groans and rolls her eyes. The bartender comes back,
shaking the martini shaker. “Shaken not stirred,” Teagan laughs.

“I haven’t seen you around here before,” the bartender
says.

“I come once in a while,” Teagan replies. “I don’t go up
there to sing very often.”

“Chicken?” The bartender quips, grabbing the Miller lite
between shaking the martini.

Shrugging her shoulders, Teagan states, “No, not at all,
I just don’t want people to think I’m a horrible singer.”

The bartender grimaces, “Yeah, sometimes this job sucks
on nights like tonight.”

“I bet,” Teagan snorts.

“What’s your name?” The bartender asks.

“Teagan…Teagan Murphy.”

“Are you old enough to be in here?” He smirks.

With a chuckle, Teagan nods and says, “Yes, I am 21.”

“Which college do you go to?”

“The university,” Teagan replies.

The bartender pours the martini into the glass. “What
are you studying?”

“I want to get into editing,” Teagan answers. “That is my
dream job.”

“Do you write?”

Teagan looks to the side and says, “A little.”

“I see.”  The bartender starts to make the
cosmopolitan. “So, are you here with a boyfriend?”

Oh great.
“No, my boyfriend is working right
now.”

“What does he do?”

Not knowing what to say, Teagan pauses. “He is a deep
sea crab fisherman.”

A slightly dumbfounded look crosses the bartender’s
face. “Like the guys off of TV?”

“Mmhmmm,” Teagan replies.

Blowing out a low whistle, the bartender’s eyes roll
around, scanning the room. “Wow. That’s an intense job.”

“Yeah, but he makes good money,” Teagan sighs. “Spoils
me.” She twirls a tendril of hair around her index finger while looking him in
the eyes.

“That’s good,” the bartender mutters as he pours the
cosmopolitan.

It takes a lot of effort for Teagan not to burst out
laughing. She presses her lips together and holds it back.  “What’s the
total?”

“Here is the beer and water. The total is 20 dollars.”
She hands him twenty and a tip. “Let me give you a tray, so you can carry it.”

“Thanks,” Teagan says, as she grabs the drinks.
Carefully, she carries them back over to her friends.  “The party is
here!”

“Yeah!” Victoria cheers.

Isaac reaches over and grabs his beer. “Thanks, I will
get the next round.”

“Sounds good to me,” Teagan counters. At least she knows
she can count on Isaac to hook her up with free drinks.

A tall blonde girl approaches the group. She has on very
dark eyeshadow, with a lot of eye liner and bright pink lips.  Teagan
notices her hot pink mini dress completes the look.  “Did you all hear
me?”

“You were great!” Blake yells.

“Like nails on a chalkboard,” Teagan murmurs to
Victoria. Victoria giggles and takes a sip of her drink.

“What did you say?” Brianna chirps snidely, looking at
Teagan.

“It is something I will never forget,” Teagan retorts
back, straightening her back.

Brianna eyes her up. “Yes, well, I would like to see you
go up there.”

“Maybe after I have a drink in me,” Teagan takes a sip
of her martini.

“I will sing tonight!” Victoria exclaims. “I don’t know
what I will sing, but I will sing something!”

“So, how did your midterm go?” Blake asks Teagan.

“Fine, aced it, how about you?” She sips again from her
drink.

Blake grimaces, “I got a C. I hate physics.”

“It’s not so bad. I can help you if you want,” Teagan suggests.

“Thanks,” Blake says. “That would be awesome.”

“No problem,” Teagan states, smiling.  She turns
and looks at Victoria. “Guess what?”

“What?”

With big eyes, Teagan announces, “My boyfriend is a deep
sea crab fisherman.”

Victoria gets a confused look on her face. “Say what?”

“I think the bartender was going to hit on me, so I said
I had a boyfriend.  He asked what my boyfriend’s job was, and that’s what
I came up with,” Teagan grins even bigger than before.

Bursting out laughing, Victoria says, “That’s awesome.
Was the bartender not cute?”

“He was alright,” Teagan replies, shrugging her
shoulders. “Just not my type. More like your type. Bad boy to the T.”

“What is your type?” Brianna inquires hotly. “I don’t
think I have seen you with a guy before.”

“I haven’t really dated anyone seriously in a while,”
Teagan replies. Muttering, she says, “Not like it’s any of your business.”

“What would it take for you to be serious about a guy?”
Isaac asks, staring at her. Teagan clenches inside, knowing that he really
wants her to say, “Oh YOU Isaac! You are the perfect package.” She knows it
will never happen, so she proceed with caution to protect his feelings.

“I don’t know,” Teagan answers slowly. “Intelligence.”

Victoria leans in and enthusiastically interjects, “With
a sense of humor, killer body, nice car, and good job.” She elbows Teagan a
little, and they both laugh.

“You make me sound so shallow!” Teagan exclaims. “Shut
up, Victoria. That is
your
dream guy.”

“Oh wait. You’re right; it is.” Teagan and Victoria
laugh hysterically.

Isaac shifts on his feet. “You should give other guys a
chance, too.” 

Heavily sighing, Teagan says, “When the right guy comes
along, I will know it.”

“Until then,” Victoria starts. “She will party like a
rockstar and be my wingman.” Her eyes drift to the bar and she checks out the
bartender.  “Or you could be my wingman right now.”

“You just use me to get numbers from guys,” Teagan
laughs.

“That’s because they flock to you,” Victoria counters.

Taking a sip of her martini, Teagan hums, “Mmhhmmmm.”

Suddenly, a hand slides itself across her back.
Startled, Teagan’s heart instantly jumps. She turns to look at the guy next to
her. He is unkempt, with greasy hair. She instantly grimaces and pulls
away.  Her whole body tenses up. “Hey beautiful,” he whispers.

“Dude, who said you could touch me?” Teagan snaps. Her
skin prickles under his hands, and her stomach churns. She does not need this
right now, and who is this guy anyway?

“Me,” the guy replies, putting his hand around her
again.

“Get your slimy hand off of me,” Teagan growls. “Or I
will take it off for you.”

“A girl with attitude, I like that,” the guy purrs. “My
name is Harry.”

“I don’t give a crap what your name is,” Teagan snaps. “Get
your hands off of me.” She moves backwards but is pinned against the table.

“Yeah man,” Isaac says, stepping over by Teagan. 
Get your hands off of her.”

The guy looks over at Isaac. “Are you going to do
something about it?”

“If necessary,” Isaac snarls. He puffs his chest out a
bit, and for an instant, Teagan is flattered that he would protect her. She
knows she can handle this guy.

“Want to take it outside like real men?” Harry seethes.

Teagan’s eyes dart to Isaac, remembering their prior
conversation. “Isaac back off.” She turns to Harry. “I have absolutely NO
interest in you. I am so out of your league it’s not even funny, so, BACK OFF,
before I get a bouncer over here.”

Harry pulls his hand away. “I swear girls like you need
to be put in their place.” She sees his eyes flash with anger, and his lip
pulls up at the corner.

“Girls like me?” Teagan defiantly puts her hands on her
hips and narrows her eyes.

“Yeah, chicks that think they are so hot and can
overlook guys whenever they want.”

Teagan leans forward. “Maybe if you learned better pick
up skills than putting your unwanted hands on women, you would actually get
somewhere.”

“You bitch!” Harry yells. He grabs her arm.

“SECURITY!” Victoria screams at the top of her lungs.

A huge guy suddenly appears next to them. Harry quickly
lets go of Teagan’s arm, but not before the bouncer sees. “You are out of
here!” The bouncer shouts at Harry.

“Whatever, this place sucks anyway,” Harry seethes. As
he walks away, he looks at Teagan.  “One day you will be put in your
place.”

“Not by your ugly mug,” Teagan replies. Something about
this guy really bothers her. Harry growls, but the bouncer grabs him by the
shirt first and yanks him away from Teagan. When they leave, Teagan lets out a
heavy sigh. She gets a shiver. “Oh my gosh.”

“Way to put
him
in
his
place!” Victoria
exclaims. “That’s my girl!”

Grabbing her drink, Teagan tips it back and swallows it
all down. “You okay?” Isaac asks. He seems shaken and worried for her, but she
shakes it off.

Teagan nods. “Yeah, just a little bit of an adrenaline
rush.”

“Are you sure you are okay?” Victoria asks again,
putting her hand on Teagan’s arm.  “That creep really had you going.”

“Yes, I’m fine,” Teagan emphasizes. “No big deal, he’s
gone.”

“I know what will put you in a better mood?” Victoria
squeals in excitement. She starts to clap her hands giddily.

“What’s that?” Teagan inquires, with a big smile, trying
to forget the creep.

“Hearing me sing!” Victoria shouts, throwing her hands
in the air. “That makes everyone happy!” Teagan laughs and shakes her
head. 

Two and a half hours later, Teagan yawns, “Okay,
Victoria, I’ve had enough.”

Victoria giggles and leans over, “Come on, one more
drink.”

“I have only had one drink,” Teagan counters. She looks
down at her phone. “Many hours ago.”

“I know!  You need another one!”

“Victoria, you are stupid drunk. We need to get you
home,” Teagan replies.

“Silliness!  I am fine!” Victoria yells as she
falters over her feet. Isaac catches her.  “My hero,” Victoria giggles,
putting her hand across her forehead like a damsel in distress.

“Wow, okay, we need to get her home,” Isaac states
seriously, practically holding her up.

“I will go get the car,” Teagan sighs. She does not
disguise her eyes rolling. “Want to give me the keys?”

“Sure, here,” Isaac says, fishing the keys out of his
pocket and tossing them over to her.

She catches them. “Thanks, I will meet you outside.”