A tall guy with a great build, green eyes, glasses, and Lex Luther’s haircut took the liberty of sitting next to me.

“Hi,” he said, leaning close so I could hear him above the music.

“Hi,” I responded without looking at him.

“My name’s Kevin.”

“Cool,” I said.

“So Cool, do you uh, come here often?”

Oh, please.  “Excuse me, I have to go find my friend,” I said.  I scooted the long way out so I wouldn’t have to try to climb over him, and officially forfeited our favorite booth. 

“Joe!”  Kevin yelled to a guy a few feet away.  Joe nodded and brought two other guys and three girls (A blond, a brunette, and a red head.  Did they plan that?) over to my table.  They all squished into our beloved booth.

“Hey!”  I said.  I couldn’t believe they just stole my booth. 

“Hey, there’s room for you too, Cool.”  He patted a little space next to him.

         I actually sat down next to him.  The bartender must have made my martini with tequila instead of gin.

It wasn’t so bad for awhile.  We switched over to beer, and the guys bought a few rounds; I can’t remember exactly how many, but there were a lot of empty bottles on our table.

“You know what I love about this bar?”  I asked Kevin. 

“What, Cool?”  He tucked a little hair behind my ear.

“The mirrors,” I said and took another swig of my Stella Artois.  “It makes the place look twice as big as it really is.”  I snuggled against his bicep.

“Kevin saw you a mile away,” Kevin’s friend with the goatee said.  “He knew you’d be easy.”

            “Easy?!”  Even in my drunken stupor, I was surprised anyone but the mutt around the corner could hear my screech.

“Easy to scare away,” the goatee man said between laughs.  

“I really need to find a new apartment,” the blond girl said.  She flipped her ridiculously long hair, and it whacked goatee man in the face.  “I think my roommate is casting spells on me.  She’s a witch.” 

Her friends giggled.  “Where do you live?”  blond girl asked me.  “Do you like your place?”

“Oh yeah, I love it.  I live a few blocks from here.  The house across the way has the prettiest bougainvilleas.” 

“Oh, so you’re a rich girl.” Kevin slid his hand along the small of my back, then under the edge of my shirt.  I pushed it away.

“Oh, no,” I said.  “I would never be able to afford my place on my own.  It’s a family home, so I get a deal on it.”

“What’s a family home, like a half-way house or something?  Are you a recovering crack whore?”  The girls started their laughing again.

“No, like my family owns it,” I said.  “Where do you live?”  I asked Kevin. 

“Your Dad pays your rent?”  Kevin asked me.  He pulled away a little. 

“No, my Dad doesn’t pay my rent,” I said, mocking him.  “We own the house, so they only charge what they need to make the mortgage payment.” 

“Are you still in school?”  he asked.  Everyone else at the table was quiet.  It was amazing how Kevin’s eyes looked different all of the sudden.  His green eyes hardened.

“No, I graduated a year ago,” I said.  I wondered why I was answering his questions.  He didn’t understand, and it wasn’t any of his business anyway.

“Why aren’t you on your own then?”  he asked.  He wasn’t touching me any more.  I scooted so far away from him that I was perched on the bench. 

“I am,” I said, trying not to cry.

“No you aren’t,” he said.  He turned away, shutting me out of the group.

“Come on, let’s go.” Ana appeared at my side like a miracle.  I wondered how long she had been watching me, whether she saw me snuggling against Kevin, or whether she heard the things he said to me. 

Ana and I stepped out of Rosie’s Tavern and into the San Francisco fog.  We left Kim making out with Manish in a secluded corner.  In the end, Kim decided to buy a new bed, but she still didn’t get rid of her old one.  She sold her couch to some kids moving in down the hall, and put her old bed in the living room.  She still sleeps on it when Manish is away.