Power Over Me

II - Fire Away

ELLA

The girl laughed at her friends' stupidity as she tried to complete a drawing in her notebook. Everyone was gathered in the only park in the small town of Charming. It was the last day of summer break before most of them started their senior year of high school, herself included. And that's why they decided to take advantage of the pleasant late afternoon temperature by enjoying themselves.

“Oh come on Ella. Don't you have any cute guys in your sights? Please tell me you're not getting back together with Michael. I love the dude, but he's such an asshole when it comes to the two of you." - said Olivia, leaning her head on her best friend's shoulder while trying to take a peek at what she was drawing.

"Please, O... have more faith in me, I won't get back with him... again." - said the blonde with a smile, showing the sketch of the group together, even though inside she wasn't as sure as her voice showed. Michael was an asshole, but she felt loved by him, and the few times he treated her right, he was an amazing guy. And both she and the brunette knew that it was completely possible for her to end up getting back together with Michael again.

A few minutes passed, and the only thing the two could hear were the pencil against the paper, and the laughter, and the screams of the boys playing improvised flag football. Until one of the boys approached and sat down next to them. "Hey Ella, we're arranging to go to Fairhaven after the match and have one last proper party day before school starts." Thomas said.

After another ten minutes, the game finally ended, and the boys came over. "What are you guys laughing so hard about?" Jackson asked curiously as he drank some water. Olivia tried to put on her best angel face while Thomas tried to hold back a laugh and Ella smiled. “We were just talking about how cool it would be to go to Fairhaven." She mentioned before turning her back to her friend, who was also graduating that year and throwing a mischievous wink at her friend.

...

An hour after leaving the park, the two cars carrying the friends arrived in front of one of the busiest bars in the small seaside town of Fairhaven (according to Google Maps). They had taken longer than expected to get there because they had to wait until Maya finished getting ready.

"I swear if you took one more minute I would leave without you Maya!" - Brian said humorously as he got out of his car, an old battered SUV but in good condition. His girlfriend just stuck her tongue out, and everyone walked toward the entrance of the establishment. "Are you sure this is the place Harper?" - Ella asked as she glanced at the large number of motorcycles parked in front of the place and also at some men who looked like they came out of an action movie where they were the villains. "Yes Ella, let's go!" - answered the other girl.

...

Nobody asked for documents and as soon as they got to the place, they could hear loud music playing, not the kind of music that makes you want to dance wildly around the dance floor, but also not the kind of music that makes you want to sleep. Ella ended up being left behind when her friends rushed to reserve a table. "What a minx like you doing in a place like this?" asked a guy, tall, olive-skinned, muscular, and dressed in leather, leaning way too close to her. She took a step back and looked around, looking for her friends but with no luck.

"Leave the girl alone, Santiago. Have you fixed your bike muffler yet?" - a slightly hoarse voice sounded from behind her, making Ella jump slightly in the air with fright. The man's face twisted into a grimace and she thought he was going to say something else nasty to her, but he just nodded, turned, and left.

"I'm sorry about that, some people just can't be fixed." - said the voice. "But he's right, you know? You shouldn't be here."

Ella turned and was met by the most beautiful pair of green eyes she had ever seen in her life. She opened her mouth to try to say something but nothing came out. This caused the brown-haired man to giggle. "Nick." Said another woman behind the bar, looking at the man like it was waiting for something. "Your turn."

He gave the woman a thumbs-up and then turned to Ella. "Your friends are over there." - He said, pointing to a specific place in the corner of the bar before winking slyly at the blonde and passing over the bar, exchanging a few words with the other woman and disappearing from her sight.

Ella stood still for a few seconds, feeling a strange shiver over the back of her neck, then she stirred herself and walked over to her friends. "Where have you been Ella? We were after you. Have you been making out with someone?", said one of her friends, trying to provoke a reaction from her. She just gave Harper the finger and tried to keep the red from creeping into her face.

"Excuse me. I was told to send this to you." Said the same woman who had called Nick, she was carrying a tray with a bucket containing at least half a dozen beers. "Who sent this gift?!" Michael asked. The woman didn't even try to hide a giggle before looking at Ella slyly. "He's over there.", she said before pointing to the stage. Anything her friends were saying got silent on the moment she saw the same guy from moments before going up on the stage, with a guitar slung over his shoulder.