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Jims: Well, you know where to find me. Love you. Mean it. {Picture of Evan, Jims, and their kids at Mary’s Pizza Shack.}

Fiona: Love you. Killing this phone now but keeping that picture.

I download the picture to a protected cloud. Then put the phone in a discarded beer pitcher after slipping out the sim card. I pull out a spare burner from below the bar and insert the old sim card. It was time to change, anyway. Tabi’s watching with her head in her hand propped up on her elbow. And although I want desperately want to be Fiona and she fucking hates to be found, Poppy Gelbert’s heart is kind of happy to see her sister from another mister. We gaze at each other and I squeeze her hand that’s on the bar. She says nothing and I turn away.

Maybe I can salvage Fiona’s world and stay numb a little longer if I can get rid of the Greek menace that means well.

I slowly pull a beer, then place two small empty cups in front of her. She raises an eyebrow and I pour the shots. I knock mine to hers and booze splashes over my hand. I shoot it and toss my disposable cup away. As if it’s a dare, she shoots hers too. I wink at her and say, “Time to go home.”

“No. You go home.” Time to pull out Fiona. I grip the edge of the bar and lean toward her.

“Fuck off, Tabi. Seriously. You don’t belong here, cunt.”

“Ohh. Wow. I’m seriously impressed. Someone learned the C word. I can see we’re basically going to sit here and say the same things to each other over and over. Because, no, cunt, you don’t belong here.”

I line up a series of small tasting cups in front of her. Filling them with tequila.

I shoot more. She scoffs at me and says, “You know I can drink your tiny ass under the table?”

“Shouldn’t you be breast feeding?”

She puts her arms in the air, “Pump and dump, baby! Pump and dump. Baby Bellamy is not ready for milk shots.” I roll my eyes and she shoots the shot of the man next to her as well as the three mini shots in front of her. I put my hand up to the customer and refill his drink.

We have the attention of everyone in the bar, but again, I don’t care. Fiona’s a void, a black hole of caring, so what the hell?

I slam it and lean into her face. “You can’t out-drink me anymore.” Tabi shoots another. “I thought it would be Josh and the Alpha posse riding in at dawn.”

“You’re no damsel and you don’t seem like you’re in distress, now do you Pop?” I wince at that name. She notices and nudges Ralph sitting next to her.

“What’s her name?”

He slurs, “You’re the one mad at her, you should know.” I grin, Ralph’s got my back. Tabi stands up on her barstool. I pull some beers and sling some booze while she does her Tabi shit.

She makes her hands like a megaphone, as if she needs to be louder. “Hey! Everybody! Listen up! On the count of three, we’re going to sing happy birthday to your favorite black and red-headed bartender!” Fuck me. Everyone cheers.

“One, Two, Three…”

“…dear Fiona, Happy Birthday to you!” I hold up some bottles and run the shots up and down the bar in our true birthday tradition. Bear looks at me as Tabi leans over the bar and sneers.

“Happy Birthday, Fiona.”

Bear pulls my elbow. “You paying for all this shit?”

“You know I got this.” I wink at him. They don’t ask about the money, but they don’t scoff when I spend it either. They don’t ask questions, so I stay, but I’ve helped the bar out a few nights with extra cash in the till when it doesn’t look like Bear can make payroll. What the hell else do I have to spend it on? I set Fiona up with an untraceable account with a very large sum of money at her disposal. To the world, it looks like I donated to sea lions. A trick Sal told me about. I also donate to sea lions.

I turn and move to wait on another customer. I walk down the bar, hoping she leaves.

She stands on the bar stool again, and Boomer motions for her to get down. She shakes him off. If it were Becca or Natalie, they’d have walked away to regroup, but not fucking Tabi. It’s why they sent her, I’m sure.

Tab yells down the bar, “Dark Willow! Don’t walk away from me!” Growing up, Buffy was our favorite show, and all the girls would gather to watch it together.

I whip around and scream at the top of my lungs, stomping my boots. “Fuck off. I can’t do this. I have to be this. And you have to fuck off.”

Tabi steps up onto the bar again. “Good God, Tab. So dramatic with the up and down on the furniture.”

She stalks toward me, kicking and splashing everyone’s plastic cups out of her way. The crowd parts, as any crowd does when she goes full fucking Tabi.

I spit my words at her. “Leave me alone. You’re not Xander. You can’t bring me back. I’m this now.”