The Fine Line by Alicia Kobishop Page B

family to me.  Trust me.  He’s into you.  And it’s tearing him up because…”  He shook his head and dropped his smoke to the ground, stepping on it to put it out.  “Has Logan ever talked to you about what happened after his dad died?”
    “No, we’ve never gotten too in-depth about our pasts.” Logan and I had an unspoken understanding that talking about our “sad stories” was out of the bounds of our comfort zones.
    He sighed.  “There are some things that you need to hear from him…it’s not my business to say anything.  But you need to know that he’s been hurt, Liv.  By his own family none the less.”
      I continued to stay quiet.  This conversation seemed to be difficult for him, and I wanted to make sure he had the opportunity to say what he needed to say.
    “Since he met you, I’ve seen changes in him that I never thought would happen.  With the exception of the last few days, that is.  I just think…I can tell that you’re a strong person, Liv.  I just hope you can be strong for him, okay?”
    Matt was obviously a good friend to Logan, and it made me feel good to know that he had Logan’s back.  It was sweet.  It suddenly hit me that no matter what, Logan had become a part of my life, as well.  He was—first and foremost—my friend…and losing him scared the hell out of me.  “Logan is my friend, Matt. I’m not going to abandon him if that’s what you’re worried about.  I don’t know why everyone is acting so weird tonight. Logan is allowed to have fun.  I’m not his girlfriend.  He’s not my boyfriend.  We’re friends .  Nothing’s going to change that.”  I hooked my elbow in his.  I needed this subject to change.  “And, by the way, you are officially not creepy anymore.” 
    “When was I ever creepy?”
    “Are you kidding?  I was scared shitless when I first saw you at River Fest.  You had veins bulging out of your neck!” I giggled.  “But you’re not so bad.  I guess.”
    He looked at me with a friendly smile.  “You’re good for him, Liv.  I hope you stick around.”
    I laughed.  “Why wouldn’t I?” 
    As we headed back down to the basement, I heard a door slam.  Chloe came storming out of the back room, her face flushed and eyes wet.  When she saw me, a look of fury flooded her face, and she stomped over to me and slapped me hard. 
    “Ow!  W-w-what in the ever-loving hell?” I screamed.  As if this night wasn’t weird enough already.
    “You need to wake the fuck up and realize what you’ve got, you stupid bitch!” she angrily shouted as Matt quickly came between us.  Then, her fury melted into sadness as she began to cry uncontrollably.  She grabbed her cell phone and keys off the bar and barreled past me, up the stairs.
    I looked at Matt.  “She’s not driving, is she?”
    “I’m on it,” Matt said and quickly chased after her. 
    Confused beyond belief, I went over and sat down on the couch next to Gavin.  Mel came and sat down next to me.  “Holy shit, Liv, are you okay?”
    “Yeah.  Just…Ugh!  What the hell?” I replied.
    As I rubbed my aching cheek, Gavin reached for his phone, which was lighting up on the coffee table, and answered, “Yeah, what’s up?  Nah…tonight’s not a good night.”
    “Who is that?” Logan asked from behind us.  I hadn’t heard him come out of the back room, and his voice startled me.  Gavin, Melody, and I turned around to see Logan looking completely disheveled with messed up hair and bloodshot eyes.  “If it’s a race, I’m going.” 
    Gavin nodded and began his negotiation.
    “Are you kidding me?” I asked in disbelief.  He had been drinking all night.  Logan glared at me but didn’t say a word.  He didn’t need to.  I could tell that he blamed me for whatever happened in that room with Chloe.  Instead, he turned and took his keys off the bar just before bolting up the stairs.  Terror set in my blood at the thought of him driving in his