#Chapter 165: All Too Familiar

Ella As Rickie and I pulled away, I felt completely overwhelmed and shocked. Here was this woman, covered in tattoos and piercings and towering over me by several inches, and every bit of her looked terrifying. And yet… I hadn’t received a hug quite like that in a long time. I couldn’t help but feel a bit overwhelmed. Logan was already deep in conversation with a guy who looked like he could have been a rock star, and I found myself frozen to my spot, unsure of what to say or do. “You good, kid?” Rickie said, taking a sip of her own beer. “Look like you’ve seen a ghost.” “I, um…” I cleared my throat with a wry sort of chuckle. “This is gonna sound rude, but…” “No such thing as rude here,” Rickie replied with a laugh. “Go ahead. Spill.” Buoyed by her kind and open attitude, I finally said what was on my mind. “I’m not used to this sort of scene,” I said, gesturing around with my beer bottle. “And I’m not gonna lie: I thought you were kind of scary for a second.”