Cowgirl Up ✔️

Chapter Forty

On my way back from the bathroom, I wished for my bed.
Lethargy seemed to be my middle name lately.
It was barely after eight o'clock at night and I just wanted to go home to bed.
Pyjamas, hot milo and my bed sounded bloody amazing.
Though if I'm going to get to sleep before 10:30PM, it's going to be in the car.
As per the usual course, I had to pass through the front bar to get back to the dining room to join my family.
Hopefully we were going to go home any time now.
The front bar was mildly busy, yet nothing compared with its steady flow of customer's and the yelling to be heard over each other and the music which was the atmosphere every weekend.
Ooomph!
I stumbled backward, having collided with somebody that smelt like strawberries mixed with burnt lollies.
What did Grandma call that smell?
Musk?
I regained my balance and looked up from the floor to find out who I'd collided with, ready to offer an apology.
I froze.
In person, I don't know this woman.
But a memory flashed in my mind from what I'd seen on a phone screen.
Heather.
I felt my vertebrae all lock into place.
On instinct, I clenched my fist's at my side's.
Paul was the one who deserved an arse kicking, but I'd settle for handing this mole's arse to her.
"I- I'm sorry."
Her voice held an irritatingly husky edge to it that made me internally cringe.
"Heather!"
We both snapped our head's around at the sound of the voice.
The all too familiar voice.
It was the voice of the man I was told to call 'step Dad' as I grew up.
Right now I just want to punch him in his butt ugly face!
"Yes Baby?"
I had to clench my hand's tight to stop myself from letting a hand fly to smack little miss red head straight across her Crayola gang banged face.
Paul's jaw went slack when he noticed me.
I felt my blood burning through my vein's.
Finally Paul composed himself and grabbed onto Heather's elbow.
"We need to get out of here."
He urged her.
"Why?"
She looked confused.
I couldn't hold my tongue a moment longer.
"Coz if he hang's around here a second longer, he's dead."
It was hardly a lie.
Grandpa, Uncle Lukas, Blayze, Heath and Jaxon were just twenty meter's away in the dining room.
Has Paul seen them?
Or has he seen me and figured he need's to go?
Or has he seen his own kid's and want's to take off before they're bawling their eyes out and asking question's which he can't or won't answer?
This story's panning out all too familiar in my minds' eye.
He's another gutless wonder who won't grow up and be a man.
"You're a fucking disgrace to man kind!"
I glared daggers at the sorry excuse for a Father or even step father, who stood two feet in front of me.
"A gutless prick of a thing who trick's people into a false sense of security, then rip's that security away from them when he's bored again!"
The word's were spilling from me like I had no control over them whatsoever.
Heather looked shocked, her jaw just about hitting the hardwood floor.
Paul just stood there, rage burning behind his eyes, but doing his absolute best to remain composed.
A sight different to the anger he attempted to unleash on me back in the kitchen of my own house.
"I get that you're angry at me, Bailey."
Paul's voice was strained as he worked hard to hold back the anger he wanted to throw back at me.
Heather whirled to face him.
"You know this woman?!"
What the?
Since when have I ever been referred to as a 'woman'?
"Don't worry, I think all that was actually meant for me."
I bristled, my spine going rigid.
What the hell is he doing here?
Could this night get any worse?!
I turned my body enough that I could keep both Paul and my supposed Father in view.
"You're lookin good Bailey. A pretty dress suits you."
My Father drawled, stumbling into the light orange wall slightly,
Ah great, he's drunk!
"What'd ya do to piss her off Prince Charming?"
What?
I looked from James to Paul and saw James was trying to keep his focus on Paul.
Heather took a slow step backward.
"I think... we should go..."
"I'm not interested in a fight with you, James."
Miraculously, Paul sounded somewhat in control of his temper.
James slumped against the wall, clearly hoping it might help hold him up.
"Who say's anything about fightin?"
I reached to my upper thigh, where I normally have pocket's and bit back a groan when I found the swirling fabric of the long black dress.
Damn it, I'd handed my phone to Blayze when I went to the bathroom because I'd had no pocket's or anything to put it in!
Speaking of, why's nobody came looking for me?
I've been a while for somebody who went to use the toilet before we hit the road, right?
Movement behind Paul and Heather caught my attention.
My heart leapt.
Then it sunk when I saw Aayla and Bindi.
The twin's shot me concerned look's as they took in how I seemed to be trapped between an evidently drunk man who was trying to hold himself up on the wall and a man and woman.
Luckily for them, they don't know any of these people.
Bindi held up a finger signalling 'wait a minute'.
Before I could open my mouth, she took off back the other way.
Uh oh...