Not Just Any Whatsername

Alex looked down at the paper which contained Tre's number. She couldn't believe he wanted her to call him. "Alex!" She heard her name being called, but she barely understood it. It seemed like her ears had filled with a fog, one that no sound could break. "Alex. Alex. Alex!!!!" the voice kept repeating her name, over and over again.

"OW!!!" she felt someone poke her in the ribcage. Hard. She looked up. Alison was standing there, waving her hands in Alex's face. Alex slapped them away, sighing in frustration. She had forgotten Alison was there. "What the hell do you want? Don't you have a T.V to buy? Or a job to go to?" she asked Alison, not bothering to hide her annoyance.

Alison flipped her off. "OK, number one, you'll get the T.V. Two, I have a day off, and three, call him," she said, the latter more of an order that anything else.

Alex coughed. "Ex-CUSE me?" she said, looking at Alison as though her nose had fallen off.

"I said CALL HIM," Alison said, as though stating the obvious, which in this case, she was.

"Why? And who are you to be giving me advice on this?" Alex looked annoyed.

"Your best friend. And I know what's best for you," Alison informed her, folding her arms across her chest.

Alex raised her eyebrows, looking somewhat unamused by this. "Oh yeah?" she queried, slightly leaning to the side. "And what if I don't want to call?"

Her friends face hardened. "Then I'll never speak to you again," she said, raising her own eyebrow.

"Oh really?" Alex said, her voice coated with a cross of sarcasm and doubt. "Well, what the hell would you say to him?" A smirk played across her lips, folding her own arms in an imitation of Alison.

The blonde's face twitched slightly, as she appeared to be fighting back an impulse to say something nasty. "I don't know," she finally replied matter-of-factly. "But I do know this: When you get Tre Cool's phone number, you don't hesitate to call him."

Alex sighed, rolling her eyes as she wiped down the counter. "Well, Allie, maybe my mind works a little differently to yours."

Alison snorted. "I'll say!" she muttered under her breath. "But Newsflash: He LIKES you, OK? That's why he gave you his phone number."

Alex rolled her eyes again. "He probably just wants to get into my pants. Again, she said, handing Alison another cup of coffee.

Alison snorted again. "Bullshit!! If he tries to do anything you don't want him to do, slap him. I know you would."

Alex leaned against the counter, her face setting into a mould that revealed nothing. "Al, it's more complicated then that."

Alison's face clouded over. "Complicated my ass!!!" she said. "Cant you just accept the fact that he may actually like you? And may want to go out with you?"

Alex placed a finger on her face in mock consideration. "Uh, no!" she said, her face hardening yet again.

Alison sighed. She hated the fact that Alex was so stubborn. "You know, he probably doesn't just want to get into your pants again?" she told Alex, leaning onto the counter.

Alex reacted with a sigh of her own. "Why not? I've already proven I'm easy once before, so why wouldn't I do it again?" she asked Alison, leaning against the other bench.

"Because this time it's different," Alison informed her friend, nodding as she crossed her arms.

Alex shrugged, not getting her friends point.

"You're going to be sober," Alison said, leaning back into her chair.

"Well, Allie, knowing me, I'll probably be so nervous I'll be drunk within an hour," Alex said, snorting at an old memory.

"Well," Alison began, a smile creeping over her face. "I could come with you and make sure you only drink soft drink all night."

Alex studied her friend, surveying her closely. "No way!" she said at last. "I know your plan. You just want to meet Mike and Billie, and if I say to Tre that I want a friend to come, he will offer Mike or Billie to come and then you will get to meet one of them. Well, no way."

Alex paused, drawing breath.

Alison was looking at her friends with a mixture of disappointment, hatred and desire to punch her. "I hate you, you know that right?" Alison said to her friend, knowing that she would've figured it out eventually.

"Yeah, I know," Alex said, nodding a little. "But please, I wouldn't bring you on a first date unless I hated the guy."

Alison's face took on a shocked façade. "Hey!!" she said, her tone growing annoyed. "That's mean." She looked down and away from her friend.

"Meh," she heard Alex whisper as she went back to wiping the bench.

"Can you at least promise me you'll think about calling him?"

Alex continued to wipe the bench. After a long, awkward pause, she stopped, looking up at Alison through her pink and black fringe. "I'll think about it," she said, a slight grin appearing on her features.

"Damn!!" Alex yelled out in frustration as she paced through her kitchen. Her nails were a wreck, from having been bitten so intently. Her hair was a mess; she hadn't been bothered to wash it. And she was wringing her wrists as she paced her kitchen, trying to make a decision. She sighed, her hands going up to her hair, messing it up more than it already was. She sat down, her head resting on her hands. The number was resting in the middle of the table. She couldn't decide if she wanted to call him or not.

"Hey. Earth to loser!" she jumped as a voice broke into her thoughts.

She looked up. There was Alison. Alex jumped up, snatching the paper off the table and into her pocket before Alison could see it.

"How did you get in here?" Alex questioned her. "I took your key. Didn't I?" she trailed off, her face scrunching up in confusion.

"Yeah you did," Alison answered. "But I had extra copies made in case you decided to take my key away. I also know you keep a spare key under your door mat."

"No, I don't. I keep it in the pot plant next to Ian's apartmentm," Alex said, without realising what she was saying. The realisation then hit her. "DAMN!!" she slapped her forehead as Alison grinned and tapped her head.

"Lodged in the memory my good friend."

Alex groaned. "What the hell are you doing here anyway?" she asked her friend, trying to hide her discomfort.

Alison shrugged, wandering over to Alex's cupboard. "I was bored, and I knew you'd be home," she said, extracting a jar of peanut butter and a bag of cookies from the cupboards depths. She sat down, opening the jar and dipping a cookie in. Shoving the cookie in her mouth, she asked the question Alex had been dreading. "You called him yet?"

Alex choked on the sip of soda she had been drinking, literally giving Alison a cold shower of Coke. "Why is it that you always need to know every detail of my love life?" she asked her friend.

Alison stared off into space for the few moments of silence. "Because I'm your friend," she said, licking the peanut butter off her fingers.

Alex shrugged. "Yeah, so?" she said, not really getting Alison's point. "It's in my job description to ask you shit like that."

Alex snorted. "Please. Your job description says 'Be nice to customers.' Not 'annoy your friend for details of her love life," she said, looking over at her friend, who was digging into the cookie box.

Alison glared at the girl across the table from her, flipping her off as she returned her attentions to the cookies. "Shut up. Anyway, I meant friend job description, not real job description. And you know that's what I'm supposed to think."

Alex cocked an eyebrow. "Really? Do I ask you about all the men you sleep with or the men that gave you their numbers?" she questioned her friend.

Alison pulled her hand from the box and looked down at the floor. "No," she said, in an almost mocking tone of her friend.

Alex nodded. "Exactly." She said, matter-of-factly, crossing her arms over her chest.

Alison shot her another glare, this time more venomous than the first. "But this is different," she said, jutting out her lower jaw.

"How?" Alex asked defiantly, folding her arms across her chest.

Alison rose rapidly, so fast she had given herself a head rush. "This is Tre fucking Cool!!!" she said, throwing her hands up. "Do you need another reason?"

Alex rolled her eyes, letting out a breath she hadn't known she was holding. "Yes, actually I do," she said, in a matter-of-fact tone.

Alison looked floored for a moment, making slight sudden movements with her head, almost like nods. "Well, how about the fact that Tre could have any woman he wanted, yet he wants you? That's GOTTA be a huge ego boost."

Alex shrugged a little, as though considering her friends words. "Yeah, I guess it is, kind of...but...but...but," she trailed off, unable to think of words.

Alison gave a noise, almost a snort, almost a sigh. "But nothing!!" she said, banging her hand down on the table. "He likes you!! Call him!!"

Alex's hand went to the back of her head, gripping and twisting the pink and black locks as she took in Alison's words. "You know, just because he gave me his number, it doesn't mean he likes me. He could just...I don't know. Be looking for a...I don't know..." she trailed off again, the words failing her.

"Exactly, fart-face," Alison said, a hints of sarcasm and gloat threading through her voice.

Alex had a double-take, looking at her friend again. "Fart-face?" She questioned. "What are you, eight?"

Alison stuck her tongue out at the girl standing across the kitchen from her. Picking up an apple from the fruit bowl on the table, she took a bite of it, shrugging. "Do what you want with the number. We both know that as soon as I walk out of this apartment, you are going to call him," grinning at Alex, she winked and then walked out of the kitchen, grabbing her bag.

A moment later, Alex heard the apartment door open and slam behind Alison. She sat, staring at the patterns of her wooden kitchen table, trying to distract herself from doing what she knew she would end up doing.

"Damn you Alison," she said, reaching into her pocket and pulling out Tre's number. Taking a deep breath, she picked up the phone that was lying next to her. Her hands were shaking as she pressed the number on the paper into the keypad of her phone.

Pressing it to her ear, she leant against her fridge, trying to gain enough composure so she wouldn't completely embarrass herself over the phone. She could hear the ringing of the phone as she waited for someone to answer.

"Hey whoever you are. This is Tre, Mike and Billie. If you are listening to this, we're either recording, performing or with your mother. If you, for some unknown reason, would like us to return your call, leave your name, number and the name of who you would most like to fuck after the beep and if we ever listen to this, we might get back to you."

Alex laughed as she heard the message, feeling a wave of relief course through her. She was about to open her mouth to leave a message, but as she did, she heard the answering machine message continue to play.

"Billie. Why the hell is there a pair of your underwear in the fridge. It's a nice feeling when you put them on... That is seriously disturbing, you know that right... Not really... It's better than you sleeping with a freaking blankie, MICHAEL...at least the blanket doesn't turn me on, BILLIE...will you two give up the fights for a second and help me decide which chick has bigger boobs. Tre, is that all you think about. Not really, I also think about-"

The machine beeped as the capacity of its memory was filled. Alex stifled a laugh as she again opened her mouth to leave the message, when she realised the possible severity of what she was about to do. She quickly hung up, not leaving a message, breathing heavily, almost panting.

What am I doing? She asked herself. I can't do this. Yes I can...no I can't...yes you can.She groaned as she realised she was having a battle with her own conscience. She returned her attentions to the phone she was still holding in her hand. She hesitated, staring at it for a long moment, having an inner battle with herself.

What's the point in calling if it's an answering machine? she asked herself, wondering if she could sound any more stupid.

But what about the fact you can leave your number and he can call you if he wants.

She liked that thought.

Drawing in another deep breath, she pressed the redial button, waiting for the machine to replay itself.

"Give me back my fucking sandwich!!!"

Tre was standing at the opposite end of the kitchen, staring at his friend, who was leaning against the bench, eating a chicken sandwich.

Mike looked up at the drummer, who had a, somewhat furious expression on his face.

"Tre, calm down. Make another sandwich," Mike said, as though there was nothing wrong, which, in this case, there really wasn't. Tre was just blowing things out of proportion.

"Mike Dirnt, that wasn't just any sandwich. That had the last of the special mayonnaise in it!" Tre began to yell, advancing towards Mike, who continued eating.

As Tre walked past the phone, it began to ring, emitting a shrill sound. He pointed at Mike, saying in what he believed to be a threatening tone, "This is not over."

Mike shrugged as he heard Tre say a greeting into the mouthpiece of the phone.

"Hello?" The sounds of breathing could be heard on the other end of the line. Tre heard someone mutter the word "Shit!!" and then the line went dead.

"That was weird," He said, turning to face Mike. "They heard me speak, said shit and hung up. I don't know who it was."

Mike nodded his mouth full of chicken and bread. "Caller I.D," he said, gesturing towards Tre with the sandwich.

"Oh yeah..." Tre muttered, scratching the back of his head. He pressed the Caller I.D button, the number was not one he recognized. He pressed the redial button, and leant against the wall, listening to the sound of the phone ringing.

Alex jumped at the sound of the ringing phone. She couldn't believe he had just answered. Especially after the fact that five minutes ago, she had gotten his answering machine. Her heart was beating so rapidly, she thought she would have an embolism. She breathed trying to calm herself as she reached for the phone. She was sure it was Alison, ringing to check if she had called. Trying to disguise the shakiness of her voice, by being extra-perky, she answered. "Hello?!"

"Alex? Is that you?" an unfamiliar male voice was on the other line. "Yeah, who's this?" she asked, biting her lip. She almost dropped the phone as the man answered. "Alex, its Tre. Tre Cool."