Stevie
Garrick grabs the girl by the arms, yanking her lips off his, and forcibly creates distance between their bodies. “What the hell, Simone?”
“Baby, I have missed you so much.” She attempts to get close to him again, but Garrick keeps her at arm’s length as his eyes meet mine.
I’m two seconds from leaving. I need additional drama like a hole in the head, and I’ve had a gutful tonight. My temples throb in a combination of stress, frustration, and the aftermath of drinking too many beers.
“Don’t leave.” Garrick stares at me as he astutely reads my intention. “Let me handle this, and then I’ll explain.”
“What the fuck, Gar?” Simone spews, glancing over her shoulder at me with a poisonous expression. “Why the hell are you even with her?” An ugly sneer crawls over her face as her gaze skims me from head to toe. She snorts out a laugh, and all it does is highlight her unattractiveness. “She’s a fuckingginger. You cannot seriously have ghosted me for this ugly bitch?”
Keeping my tone level and my expression neutral, I respond before Garrick gets a chance. “If you think I give two shits about a single word that comes out of your nasty mouth, think again. Envy really isn’t a good look on you.”
“Shut your stupid ugly face!”
“That’s enough!” Garrick snaps. He stands, looking like he wants to throttle Simone. It won’t take any convincing for me to help him. He jerks his head at someone or something over my shoulder before leveling her with a cool glare. “Stevie is a friend, and I’m not letting you insult her out of petty jealousy. As for ghosting you, that’s a fucking lie. I told you I didn’t want to see you again. I couldn’t have made myself any clearer. But let’s set the record straight for good.”
One of the bouncers appears, and Garrick hands the girl off to him. “One sec, Rex.”
The beefy dude nods, struggling to hold on to a wriggling Simone while she screeches her outrage at the top of her lungs.
Garrick folds his arms as he eyeballs her, a frown creasing his brow when he notices the people around us pointing, whispering, and taking out their phones. “You are drawing attention, and unless you want to be broadcast all over social media, I suggest you stop fighting Rex, stay quiet, and listen carefully.”
“Gar, come on.” Simone sniffles as silent tears stream down her cheeks, and she deflates in the bouncer’s grasp. The girl is a hot mess. “I love you!” she wails. “Why are you doing this to me? You can’t seriously be picking her over me?”
“I’m not interested in you, Simone,” Garrick calmly explains, purposely keeping his voice low. “We went out one time, and I tried to let you down gently. But now I’m spelling it out. I don’t want to date you. I don’t even want to speak to you. We aren’t compatible, and we have no future. You need to quit messaging me, quit stalking me on campus, and quit hanging around me at gigs. This is your final warning. Next time, I’ll ask the management to permanently ban you. For now, you can cool your heels outside.” Garrick nods at the bouncer, and he starts ushering the blonde away.
“Fuck you, Gar! No one rejects me for a ginger!” She’s still screaming abuse when the bouncer throws her over his shoulder and pushes his way through the crowd.
“Never a dull moment,” Will deadpans.
I had almost forgotten we had an audience.
“Your crazy radar must have been on the blink when you took that raving lunatic out,” Noah adds.
“You’re telling me.” Garrick sighs, looking contrite as he slides back on his stool. “I’m sorry about that, Stevie. She was way out of line.”
“Does drama follow you everywhere?” I work hard to lighten my mood when the truth is I’m done.
“Not usually. I swear.”
I shrug, finishing the last of my beer. “None of my business anyway.”
Garrick ensnares my gaze as he explains. “I went out with her once, a few weeks ago, before I met you. I knew instantly it was a major mistake. She’s in one of my study groups, and she seemed normal. But she freaked me out, talking about weddings and babies and how she’s had the biggest crush on me since last year and she knew if she was patient I would finally notice her.”
“She’s a legit creeper,” Will supplies as Ellen snuggles into his side while shooting concerned looks in my direction.
“I was polite but firm when I told her I didn’t want to date her,” Garrick continues. “I don’t lead girls on. But she’s not backing down. She seems to think it’s some kind of challenge.”
“You should report her for harassment to the university,” Noah says. “That should get her off your back for good.”
“I didn’t want to get her into trouble with UO, but it looks like she’s leaving me with no choice.”
“I would definitely report that crazy bitch before she turns nasty on you or whomever you date next,” I say.
“The only woman I’m interested in dating is you,” Garrick replies, breaking our self-imposed rules already.
“I’m not an option!” I don’t mean to snap, but my patience reservoir is running on empty now. “And redheads are clearly not your type.”
