to late to know better

 

Holly finally found her way home. It took a bit of doing, but she thought she was OK now. Maybe. 

She was so tired. All she really wanted was to climb into bed with her clothes on and not think about any of it. But of course, Stevie was still there. It was three in the morning.

"Where's ..you know who?" Holly wanted to know as she looked about. Stevie was up watching TV. He looked a little under the weather. Maybe even sad and becoming a zombie.

"He went home," Stevie was fairly closed mouth about it as he looked Holly over.

"Just like that?" She could tell he didn't want to talk about it. Her heart was still beating furious. She wasn't sure it would ever be completely calm again. Stevie only nodded as she plopped next to him on the couch. He turned off the TV.

"You look like shit," he told her.

"Do I?" She didn't mean to look so troubled but it had been troubling going to Sal's. Actually, it was a bit of a horror film, but she didn't know how it came about. Honestly. 

"What did you do?" He winced hard as if maybe she'd robbed a bank or something.

"Don't you go accusing me of anything?" She squinted back as if he had no idea what she'd been through.

He only sighed. "What about Carrie?" 

"What about her?" Holly looked at him as if he was just joking. "She has nothing to do with this. Nothing at all." Besides, she was not getting into that side story with him.

"Well, I guess that's one good thing. But are you OK?"

"I suppose." Looking back on the night she knew it was all too good to be true. Trace the bartender was the prettiest man she'd ever seen. Glorious hair and immaculate abs, tall and lean and a serious soon-to-be lover. God, she couldn't imagine that even in a movie.

"Are you going to tell me or not?" Stevie wanted to know as he just stared at her without emotion.

"Well, you know..I went to Sal's after I stayed with Carrie for a while," she still felt sad about leaving Carrie hanging like that. "I drank a few. And I waited a while. Finally, everyone left and it was just me and the new bartender Trace."

Oh, she'd liked his smile. Maybe his teeth were too big she thought now. But they had the whole place to themselves. And well..it was bound to happen cause there was no stopping her.

"It was cool," she nodded. "It started out cool."

"Cool?"

She winced hard and shook her head. Why did nothing go as planned, she did wonder. She didn't really want to tell Stevie everything because she was behind the bar and she actually knew what she was doing. She wasn't that drunk. Sure they made out for a bit. She knew what he wanted and she knew she could give it to him. She tensed then at the thought, nursing her bottom lip.

The timing wasn't right, she now thought. But then it kind of was when she went down on him. She cleared her throat and looked away. Trace got shot. Possibly in the head.

But she didn't scream, even if maybe she thought she did. 

"Everything's cool." She nodded. At least she called the cops after she got away. Even if there was blood all over her. 

"Everything?" Stevie asked with a puzzled look.

About then somebody was beating on Holly's front door. Holly wanted to crawl behind the couch. She was certain they were coming for her.