Taming Hall

CHAPTER 2

  Regan drove into Hashville with high hopes and an optimistic mind, she had just gotten a new job at the local news agency which had prompted her to leave her small town back in Michigan and head into the mid sized one she was driving through. Regan Summers had grown up well to do, her family had come from money, not so much but just enough that she and her brother Gabriel had been given all they needed and a little extra by their parents. She had attended Berkeley where she studied Journalism and she had graduated a couple of years back. Wyatt and Nicole Summers had done everything they could to take care of their children and train them to be upstanding citizens before their unfortunate death four years ago but while Regan blossomed into a kind hearted, strong willed woman, her younger brother Gabriel made himself a pest doing everything illegal he could get his hands on. Gabriel had been arrested three times in the 23 years of his life and he wasn’t looking to make any change in his character.

Regan drove past the commercial part of the town and took in the sights of coffee shops, diners, burger stands, restaurants, saloons, laundromats, one of the three high schools in the town and a few others stores and shops she couldn’t place, she loved the place already and was glad she was able to convince her two best friends to relocate with her. Hope Reinhart and Michelle Beckham were her best friends and they had been together since High school, Hope had managed to get herself transferred from her company’s Firm at Michigan to the branch in Chicago where she would resume as the head of the HR team, Michelle had started her own restaurant and it hadn’t been difficult for her to move from the small town in Michigan to Hashville.

Regan parked her car in the parking lot of the mall and got out, the air was cold and wasn’t as clean as he small town but she loved it anyway, she was getting a brand new start and she was going to make it count. She walked into the mall and replayed the conversation she had with her brother the previous night;

“So how is the new place?” Gabriel had pretended to be interested.

“It’s so beautiful, I think I might want to live here forever, how are you doing?, have you changed your mind?”

“You want me to come there, I will think about it and if I decide to then I’ll be there within the week.”

“Alright, remember, the Watsons will be by the house to collect the deed and sign the papers, okay?” she had changed the subject.

“I still think we shouldn’t have sold the place, it was ours.”

“Yes it was, but more than that it was a constant reminder that they weren’t here anymore.”

“I get that, I think my share can get me a nice enough place in Chicago.” Gabriel said.

“Yeah it can, I got my place by pure miracle. I hope you move here Gabe.”

“I know, I’ll think about it.” he had said and hung up.

Now her mind raced thinking of her brother, her job she was to resume the next day and the celebration she was having with her friends in the evening. She grabbed plates and cups, other kitchen utensils, groceries and headed out of the mall. As she opened the trunk of her small SUV her phone rang, she picked it up and saw Michelle on the caller ID,

“Hey you.” Michelle sang into the phone.

“Hey, are you already drunk?” Regan slammed the trunk closed and walked to the driver side of the car and got in.

“What! No! I’m just celebrating. I got into town a few hours ago and checked out the space for the restaurant, it’s better than I expected.” Michelle’s excitement could be heard over the phone.

“I’m so happy for you, have you settled in?”

“Yeah I just finally finished everything, I’m ready to party.”

“It’s not going to be a party, we decided on that.” Regan backed out of the driveway and sped down the street.

“Well I’m changing the agreement. Period, get ready to go out this evening.”

“Yeah, you wish.” Regan snickered.

“Oh you think I’m kidding, you’ll see.” Michelle chuckled and hung up. Regan was sure that whatever she was planning was not going to end well, in the time they had known each other Michelle had been arrested once for vandalism, gotten in three bar fights and one street fight, never had a relationship that lasted more than a month and yet she never seemed to be satisfied, she was the wild card in the group and they made it their duty to both enjoy and contain her impulses.

She was just done arranging her apartment when the doorbell rang, she looked through the peephole and opened the door to Hope and Michelle.

“Heyyyyyyyyyyy!” Hope squealed and hugged her with intense force that when they broke the embrace Regan was sure she had broken a few ribs.

“How’s settling down going?” Regan beamed.

“Oh please, I had everything shipped and arranged before I move into town, you knw I don’t like stress.” Hope shook her head and walked into the spacious apartment. She had grown up wealthy and her life was stress free in its entirety.

“You ready to go Regan?” Michelle asked already at her fridge and taking out the tequila.

“No no no no no, we aren’t going anywhere and we are definitely not drinking. We are meant to have a quiet time today, just enjoying each other’s company.” Regan tried to make her voice as stern as possible.

“Gag, definitely not, today is the one day I get to have my way.” Michelle kept pouring the liquid into shot glasses.

“What do you mean? You always get your way.” Regan chuckled.

“Okay look at it this way, you need to met a guy immediately. I mean look at you with your sweatpants and sweatshirts, you look like you’ve declared yourself asexual forever. I think about you and I feel sad.”

“Hey, now I feel a little hurt.” Regan whined.

“I mean think about it.” Michelle handed a glass to Hope who was smiling amused with the entire conversation and held one out to Regan and smirked, “You are alone, unloved, single, desperate, lonely, sad,…….”

“Okay okay okay, I get your point. I’ll get ready now.” Regan shook her head, took the glass and downed the shot.

“Was that your plan, tease her till she decided to go with us?” Hope asked laughing as soon as Regan went to the bedroom.

“Well yeah. Worked like a charm.” Michelle smirked and took another shot.

They walked into the nearest bar they could find and Michelle went straight for the bartender dragging Regan and Hope with her.

“Hi there, what do you recommend for us ladies, we are trying to have a big night.” She smiled at the bartender who looked like he had come out of a gothic promoting magazine shoot.

“Well, I’ll suggest these. You shouldn’t take more than one though, it’ll really mess you up.” He placed three glasses of a pinkish colored drink on the bar and winked at them. Regan shook her head at them and handed her glass to Michelle who drank it without hesitation.

“I’ll be heading out, I think this is already too much for me” she said and gestured to the tightly packed room, there were people everywhere, dancing to the intensely loud music the DJ who looked rather old to be in a place like this was playing, there were people in at tables doing shots of different drinks, people were at booths laughing and drinking, she turned to look at Michelle and saw her already in a full on make out session with a dirty blond haired guy.

She walked out of the bar and into fresh air, Hope and Michelle followed behind and stopped behind her.

“I’m sorry, I just can’t be in a place like this. I’ll see you tomorrow okay?” She looked at them hoping they would understand and cut her some slack.

“Fine, but you gotta start living, you can’t live in a bubble forever.” Michelle sighed and hugged her.

“Get home safe, I’ll call you tomorrow…..if I can still remember what a phone is by then.” Hope hugged her and they both went back inside.

She decided to walk a little and after a few minutes she got to a diner, it looked almost empty. She looked around and saw just a few tables were occupied, a group of four guys were sitting to the left close to the window at the very end of the diner, a woman sat at the table close to the door with her laptop obviously getting some work done before she had to go home and a young couple sat at the right end of the diner. She walked to the counter and asked for the first thing that came to her mind.

“Can I have some fries and a milkshake, chocolate please?”

“Coming right up, please take a seat.” the waiter smiled from behind the counter.

She sat and looked around once more, the couple seemed to be in a deep conversation and the woman was hard at work, she shifted her gaze to the men by the window and locked eyes with what was the most gorgeous man she had ever seen.