Zeke parked the truck in front of The Wailing Walrus. The sign had a picture of a walrus strumming a guitar with a cowboy hat on. Neon lights illuminated the dozens of cars already sitting in the parking lot. Thumping music came from the large building. A smell of barbecue floated on the wind. Talia's stomach rumbled.

"Did you eat today?" Zeke asked.

Talia bit her lip. Her nerves had gotten the best of her today. The idea of going to a bar where she would probably see a lot of people she knew made her sick. The thought of eating hadn't even crossed her mind.

"Uh. I forgot today." Zeke furrowed his brow.

"Well, we are getting something in there before you start drinking. I told you I have plans for tonight. You not eating isn't going to ruin them." She blushed thinking about later.

Zeke picked up her hand kissing her palm. Jumping out of the truck he ran around to her side and opened her door. His hands found her hips pulling her out of the truck. She lost her balance and landed against his chest. Pulling her into a hug, his face buried into her hair. Zeke started coughing thanks to the Aqua Net fumes.

"Sorry." She patted her stiff in a strong breeze hair.

Before Zeke could reply, Jeremiah yelled from the car next to them. "Are you two done screwing in public?"

"If you think this is screwing, I don't know what the hell you've been doing, Jeremiah." Zeke yelled back.

Jeremiah smirked at the movie star. "I'm starting to like you, hot shot." He sobered, then said, "Don't make me regret it."

Jeremiah linked his arms with Talia and Chrissy leaving Zeke to walk behind them. Their heeled boots crunched on the gravel. The closer they got to the building the more nervous Talia felt.

"Oh God." She whispered.

Jeremiah leaned toward her. "We are here with you, sweetie. No one will hurt you tonight. I guarantee it."

Talia nodded.

Jerimiah let the girls go then paid the cover for all of them to enter. Taking his place between the two girls again, they walked into the noisy bar. Country music assaulted their ears. Lights flashed all over the bar like a techno club. A cloud of cigarette smoke hung over the place. Through the loud twang of country music, a murmur floated through the crowded bar. People started turning toward them staring.

"Here we go." Talia said to Jeremiah.

"It's fine. Let's find a booth." He said.

"That shouldn't be a problem. I sent Max and Terence here ahead of us. They should have secured an area by now."

Talia stopped in mid stride. "I don't know why they had to come."

Zeke sighed. "I couldn't not invite them. I threatened them to be on their best behavior. If they aren't I will have them thrown out." Zeke walked ahead to the table Max and Terence had saved.

Before Talia could argue anymore something on the dance floor caught her eye. A crowd was doing an intricate line dance. Gag! However, it wasn't the line dance that caught her eye. It was the big guy in the front. He had a huge cowboy hat, big belt buckle and black cowboy boots. A huge smile was pasted on his face. Until he saw her.

Rex stopped mid stomp causing the whole line to crash into him. He landed on his face with two older ladies giggling as they fell on top of him. Talia watched as they "tried" to get up. Each copped a feel of her prone brother.

"Maybe this will end up better than I thought." Talia laughed as another old lady grabbed her brother's ass trying to thwart his escape.

Talia pulled out her phone quickly snapping a picture of her brother's face as the woman goosed him.

"Still can't help yourself, can you?" Talia spun around. Max was sipping a beer behind her.

"What of it? It's a picture of my brother that I am sending to my parents."

"Sure. Just can't help yourself selling other people's misfortune to make a buck."

"Fuck you, Max." Talia tried to march past him toward the table.

Max grabbed her arm then pushed her against the railing between the lowered dance floor and the bar area. "You're just a nosey slut trying to use Zee for all he has. But, I see what your doing. If he's too caught up in your pussy, you better believe you won't be fooling me."

"Get. Off. Me." She ground between her teeth.

"Who's going to stop me?" Max's face was only inches from her. From the outside it probably looked like he was going to kiss her.

"I will. Get your fucking hands off her you entitled prick." Rex's voice broke through her panic.

Max looked at Rex then back to Talia and smirked.

"I've got it under control, Rex." Talia said.

"Yeah I see that."

"We are just having a discussion here, buddy. You may want to mind your own business." Max pushed Rex back.

Rex bumped into a waitress causing her to drop her tray. People around them stared at the scuffle. Talia's panic started to rise again.

"Max, get your hands off me." Talia saw Rex starting to move back toward them.

"I will do whatever the fuck-"

Talia shot her knee between his legs. Max fell to the ground. Stepping over him, Talia walked over to the table.

Zeke met her at the table. "What the hell is going on?"

Talia just shook her head trying to get around Zeke.

"Tell me, Lia." Zeke stopped her with a hand on her arm.

"GET OFF ME NOW!" Talia yelled then ran to the bathroom.

Crashing through the bathroom, she startled the women talking in front of the mirrors. Holding back tears she fell into one of the stalls and slammed the door. Talia leaned against the wall. Her emotions swirled around her. The pure hatred she felt from Max scared her. It had been the first time since high school that she'd felt that. But, what hurt the most was the look Zeke had given her. A look that blamed her for the situation. That hurt worse.

"Tally? Are you in here?" Chrissy's voice echoed through the now empty bathroom.

"Yeah." Her wavering voice called out.

"Are you ok?"

The bathroom door slammed open. "Stay there! I will check on her. Don't you dare come in here or I will castrate you with a spoon." Jeremiah said shutting the door behind him. "Tally, darling, come out from the shitter please."

A snort of laughter escaped her. She shifted the lock allowing the door to swing open. Talia went into the arms of her friends. Silent tears slipped down her cheeks.

"Tell me what's wrong." Chrissy said.

"I don't know." Talia sighed then pulled away from her friends.

"Yes, you do. Spill it before those dummies outside burst in this door." Jeremiah locked the bathroom door just in case.

"I overreacted with Zeke. Max said some shitty stuff to me when he caught me taking a picture of Rex getting molested by those women on the dance floor. But, when I saw the look on Zeke's face." Talia paused to push her emotions back. "I don't know. I couldn't stand that he looked like I deserved what Max did."

"Well, let me tell you something. Max is a douche. Zeke had no clue what happened. All we saw from the table was you kneeing him in the nuts." Talia opened her mouth to protest but Jeremiah put his hand up to stop her. "I am not validating him."

Banging started on the bathroom door. A muffled struggle banged against the door. The three of them stared at the door expecting it to burst open at any moment.

"Lia! Come out here and talk to me, please." Zeke's voice carried through the door.

"Leave her alone, asshole. She doesn't need to listen to you or your stupid friends who treat her like shit all the time." Rex's angry voice now carried over the music playing in the bar.

Talia sighed. "Guess we should go out there."

"Only if you are ready, darling." Jeremiah squeezed her hand.

"If you aren't ready, we can stay in here all night if you want. Fuck 'em." Talia and Jeremiah looked at the usually mild-mannered Chrissy.

A laugh bubbled up from Talia. "What if others need to use the bathroom?"

Chrissy shrugged. "I don't give a shit about those other people."

"We have been a bad influence on her." Jeremiah said to Talia. Talia smiled.

With a sigh, Jeremiah, Talia and Chrissy unlocked the bathroom door. They stepped out into the hallway to see Zeke and Rex wrestling on the floor. Talia inched toward a table at the end of the hall. She grabbed the full drink off the table and dowsed the two wrestling idiots.

Walking back toward the table, she stopped and said, "One of those two will buy you a new drink."

The three friends, heads held high, walked back to the booth waiting for them.