In The Dreaming: Chapter Eighteen "Beers, Bars, and Brawls" (Fantasy Y/A Novel)

-I wrote the following novel nearly two decades ago. In the years between then and now I've honed my craft, and my perception of this world; my thoughts and ideas; have changed dramatically. However, I still enjoy the premise and have decided to do an overhaul of revisions and rewrites, though likely not until sometime next year. (Though I'm sure I'll do a little as I post chapters)

For now I hope you will enjoy a glimpse into my book writing beginnings...

They are the closest of friends though they have never met in waking life.

Prologue-PT1 Prologue-PT2 Chapter 1

Chapter 2 Chapter 3 Chapter 4

Chapter 5 Chapter 6 Chapter 7

Chapter 8 Chapter 9 Chapter 10

Chapter 11 Chapter 12 Chapter 13

Chapter 14 Chapter 15 Chapter 16

Chapter 17

Chapter Eighteen

“Not bad,” Gerald said. Two hours later he wouldn’t remember how he’d gone from abstinent to drunk.

They had all had their turn at pool, Collin and Ben winning game after game. Brent was starting to slur, and Gerald and Jake had gone in the other room to play friendly games of poker with some of the regular patrons.

Gerald walked into the billiard room spilling his drink with every step. He looked pretty damn funny, a silly grin on his normally serious face, his lanky frame more relaxed than they’d ever seen him. Jake, who came in behind him, kept trying to pluck the drink out of his hand, but got his hand slapped several times for his effort.

“How many has he had?” Collin asked with amusement.

“Four!” Jake responded in irritation, making one final grab at his friend’s glass.

“Come on,” he said, “I feel fine.” He punctuated it by downing the last half of glass in a couple of swallows. The jukebox changed songs in the other room, and Gerald practically yelled out how much he loved “this tune.”

The rest of them followed laughing, sliding into an empty booth.

“Hey Collin, you have an admirer,” Ben tipped his glass to the left towards the bar. Collin looked over and saw a very attractive girl sitting there, stealing glances his way.

Brent whistled, “She is a babe!”

“Go up to her, buy her a drink.” Ben stared at him, ready to offer a challenge if he refused.

“All right, watch and learn boys.”

He walked over, swinging confidently into the seat next to her, not looking her way. “Bartender, I need another beer, and I’d like to buy this pretty girl’s next one as well.”

“That’s awful presumptuous of you. How do you know I want another drink?”

He looked at her, his eyebrows raised, “Well if you don’t, I’m sure one of my friend’s will take it.”

“I see.” She took a sip of the drink she held. “I haven’t seen you around before, or your friends for that matter, are you from out of town?”

Collin nodded. “We’re all from different places-Ben and Brent over there are from Boston, Jake and Gerald-Providence, and myself, near Jones beach.”

“What are you doing here then?”

“Gerald and Jake had to come here for business, so we decided to meet.”

“I see,” she said again, taking another sip.

She had dark auburn hair, big almond shaped and colored eyes, a light and attractive layer of makeup, and the most seductive lips he had ever laid eyes on.
She wore a tight white blouse accentuating her nicely shaped chest, and fitting jeans showing off her long legs.

“Do you like what you see?” Her eyes were twinkling, and she laughed at his surprised expression. He had thought he was being subtle in his observation.

“You are beautiful...?”

“Sophia.”

“That has to be a fake name.”

“No, it really is Sophia. And your name?”

“Collin,” he held out his hand to shake and she took it lightly and held it a second longer than necessary.

“So how about you, what’s your story?”

“I’m going to school in the next town, I’m studying Marine Biology.”

“Very nice. I hate to say what I’m studying, people automatically get a picture in their head of a geek with horn-rimmed glasses.”

“Oh come on, it can’t be that bad.”

“Entomology.”

“Bugs? You’re right, I wouldn’t have pegged you for a bug guy,” she laughed airily.

He shook his head and turned on his charm along with a smile most people found sexy. “Specifically, I’m studying Honey Bees. But unless someone is interested in the subject, it’s rather boring. I’d rather hear about Marine Biology, I’ve always been fascinated by creatures of the sea.”

“No, I think that we can leave our studies back at the dorm.” She smiled in a flirtatious way. “Let’s talk about our hobbies instead,” she stirred the straw in her mixed drink.

Collin leaned forward, “Going to bars and meeting intelligent, attractive women, for starters.”

Sophia was about to reply when she was interrupted by some shouting.

“What the hell are you doing?” This came from a big guy at the opposite side of the bar. Collin stared in horror as Gerald climbed on top of the bar and began singing in a surprisingly melodic tenor voice “It’s raining men, Hallelujah, it’s raining men..”

“Hey asshole, are you some kind of fag? Get the hell off the bar before you knock over somebody’s-

Everything that happened next seem to happen in fast forward. Gerald had kicked over the guys drink in mid sentence and was torn roughly off the bar. The guy
cocked back his fist, only to have it caught by Ben and Collin who raced to the rescue of their drunken buddy.

In minutes it had become a full fledged brawl, the buddies of the big angry guy jumping in, Brent throwing his hand in, while Jake dragged Gerald away to a corner. The rest of the patrons had gathered around to watch.

Adrenaline flowed through Collin’s body the second he leapt of the stool, he felt detached from himself as if he was watching his fists go to work instead of willing them too. He’d been in many, many fights, but none that were recent or on this scale.

“Hey barkeep, I don’t think some of these boys are old enough to even be in here. If I were you I would get them the hell out before the cops get here and you lose your liquor license.“ This comment came from a suit who had walked over to Gerald and Jake to see if they were okay.

“Is that true? Are you underage, you get up and get out now!” He tried to push through the outer circle of people but was shoved backward.

Two men walked in just then, an older gentleman with a handlebar mustache stopped short, surveying the place that was quickly beginning to look as if a hurricane had hit.

Jake saw him and turned quickly, trying to hide himself and Gerald in their dark corner, but it was too late, they had been spotted. Terry Lambrou hurried over to them, a look of concern on his weathered face.

“Are you boys all right?” Jake nodded, and Gerald just stared at him with unfocused eyes. “What on earth are you doing here?” He saw them darting looks at the fight, and turned slowly. In a quiet voice he asked if the boys’ roommates were by chance in the midst of the fight and broken bottles. Neither boy answered, turning redder by the second.

He spoke to his friend quietly and then shouted “Brent, Collin, come here immediately.”

The fight broke up, and Collin, Ben, and Brent were left standing in the center, fists cut up, hair a mess, looking astonished at the source of the command. There were guys lying on the floor and Collin had a moment to register that he was responsible for the majority of it. Brent was distracted by the teacher, but Ben was staring at Collin in disbelief, looking first at him and then down at the guys on the floor around him.

“Mr. Lambrou, uh this isn’t as bad as it looks,” Brent stammered.

“Well that’s good, because it looks pretty bad.” He turned to the bartender, “Were you aware these boys are only 16 years old?”

The bartender began to stammer, and Collin strode forward, casting a sideways glance at Sophia, who held a look of comic surprise at the announcement of their ages. “We had drinks before we came in here, he didn’t serve us.”

His nerves were on high alert and he was trying to figure out how he had did what he did.

“Is that so?”

“Ay, yes, they must’ve, because I always card,” the bartender/owner spoke hurriedly, thinking that if the cops could be kept out of this, he would start going to church.

Mr. Lambrou looked around at the boys, and Ben stepped up to them looking sideways at Collin.

“Actually sir, this is my fault. I-

“Stop Ben,” Collin cut him off with venom “Don’t cover for me.” He turned and looked the teacher square in the eye.

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