Zen and Xander Undone by Amy Kathleen Ryan Page A

I’ve ever seen,” Adam says through his teeth. He watches the door as a large, leaning man stumbles through it, keys in hand. He lurches to his truck, burping loudly. After him comes a very small woman wearing a tight-fitting denim vest. “Give me those damn keys, Harvey, I mean it!” she bellows as she yanks them out of his hand. He sort of crawls, sort of falls into the truck and she crawls in after him, swearing loudly.
    â€œCharming,” Adam says as he takes off his jacket.
    â€œWhat are you doing?”
    â€œYou wait here. I’m going to see what she’s up to.” He pulls his tie off over his head and unclips his cummerbund. “Do I look like a kid who just left the prom?”
    I grudgingly look him over. His normally springy hair is slicked back, and his shadow of whiskers adds years to his face. “You’ll pass.”
    He points his finger in my face and says sternly, “You stay here.”
    I hit his hand away and fold my arms over my front. I expect to hear the car door close, but instead I hear, “I’m sorry, Zen.”
    I turn to look at him. He’s leaning into the car, his face solemn and sad. His eyes are too honest. He isn’t just apologizing for talking to me like I’m a child, or for leaving me alone in the car. He’s apologizing for preferring Xander to me. I’ve known him long enough to see that.
    I’m furious that he would expose me like this, and I turn away from him, twice as angry as I was before. He can have her, as far as I’m concerned. Let someone else baby-sit her for a change. I’d love the vacation.
    He slowly walks to the door of the bar. The steady way he’s stepping over the gravel shows how scared he really is. He opens the door, and a loud swatch of guitar music sails into the night. The door closes behind him, and I’m all alone in the quiet.
    I can hear crickets chirping, and every so often a frog’s throaty call. We must be near the river that runs through town along the railroad tracks until they veer north. The door opens, and I see two youngish guys come out. One of them says, “I knew she wasn’t twenty-one.” I peek into the window to see Xander fast-talking a tall, pretty woman who is holding up a phone and pointing to the door.
    The door swings open again. Margot stomps out in her sequined platform sandals. When she sees me, she marches over and opens the rear door so hard, the car jiggles. “Thanks a lot, Zen. And after I did all your makeup!”
    â€œWhat happened?” I try to sound surprised.
    â€œAdam told the bartender we had fake IDs!” Margot yanks her crystal combs out of my hair, none too gently. “Where did he get
that
idea?”
    â€œHe said he just wanted to check the place out.”
    â€œYou shouldn’t have told him where we were! You know how protective he is of Xander!” She angrily shoves the crystal combs in her own huge hair, which swallows them up. “He’s totally in love with her!”
    I don’t say anything to this. It makes me feel shaky. I just want to get out of here.
    The door slams open and Xander flounces out. She’s heading for our hatchback, but when she sees Margot sitting in the back seat of Adam’s car, she makes two fists and stomps over to us. “What the hell are you doing in his car?” she slurs, her face twisted in a nasty scowl at Margot.
    â€œI don’t want to drive with you,” Margot says to her. “You’re drunk.”
    â€œI’m not!” Xander says. She doesn’t even look at me. She only ignores me like this when she’s insane with fury.
    Adam comes out, tucking his wallet into his back pocket. “I paid your enormous tab,” he tells Xander angrily. “Get in my car.”
    â€œGo to hell,” Xander says, and takes off toward the hatchback.
    Adam marches up to her and grabs her elbow. She jerks away from him. “Who