Smiling Politely

After a weirdly quiet day at college Lexi was really quite looking forward to a relaxed night in with her friends and her boy but her boss had other ideas.

"Come on Lex, I can usually always rely on you. It's only a couple of hours work," pleaded Mark, the bar supervisor.

She rolled her eyes, translation - 'You don't have as much of a social life as everyone else so obviously you have no prior plans on a Friday night.'

"If it's only a couple of hours then it's hardly worth me coming all the way into town," she argued into her phone as she wandered down her quiet road.

"It's hardly all the way into town, your flat is fifteen minutes walk from here. Look if you're going to be difficult I'll pay you double time."

That did change things a bit, she thought as she passed the boys' van, it meant that she'd be able to afford that pair of boots she had been swooning over in Topshop the other day, "How long is a few hours?"

"The usual six 'til eleven."

She bit her lip as she let herself in to the building, "Alright. I'll see you in a bit."

"You're a lifesaver Lexi, I owe you one."

"Too right you do," she mumbled as she hung up and climbed the stairs.

When she reached her landing she could hear the music coming from the flat already, maybe they wouldn't miss her for a few hours, she wasn't really in the mood for a party anyway. She pushed the door open to find the band, Kaylah, her boyfriend Dean and their friend Elliott sprawled across the living room playing Guitar Hero.

"Looks like you lot had a productive day," Lexi scoffed, dumping her massive bag on the floor by the couch and rolling her shoulders, glad to be rid of the extra weight.

"Male bonding," announced Dean, his eyes not leaving the screen as he stuck his tongue out in concentration. Mike nodded in agreement, his own tongue pressed to his top lip as he stared at the screen.

She leaned on the back of the couch where Josh was sitting and he titled his head back to look at her upside down, "Hi."

"Hi," she smiled and pecked his lips.

"What'd you want for dinner Lex? You're the deciding vote," Kaylah looked up at her from where she was reading a magazine in the armchair in the corner.

"I have to work, no time for dinner. I'll pick something up on the way."

"Thought you had tonight off?" Josh asked, watching her pull her teal hoodie off and drape it on the back of a kitchen chair.

"Emergency apparently. Boss is offering double time so I couldn't say no," she shrugged, "I'll be finished at eleven. A quick change," she motioned to her shorts and v-neck, "And I'm out of here."

***

As Lexi tore down the busy street her phone rang for the eighth time since she had left the flat. Between trying to wrestle the small device out of her jeans pocket and dodge the abundance of pierced and tattooed people moving in the opposite direction it was a miracle she made it to the venue back door in one piece. She answered the phone as she barreled through the battered and graffitied door and up the narrow staircase.

"Where the fuck are you Lex? Doors open in twenty minutes."

She rolled her eyes, "I'm coming up the sodding stairs Mark, I'll see you in a minute."

As she hung up she reached for the door that led to the back corridor of the club and subsequently crashed into something. A skinny tattooed something.

"Watch where yer goin' love," came a slightly annoyed, worryingly familiar voice.

Lexi stepped back and pushed her sweeping fringe out of her eyes, really wishing she wasn't standing there at that moment, "Sorry Oli," she mumbled.

"Wha-, er. Lexi," the colourful boy frowned in confusion, "What're ye doin' here?"

"I work here. In the cloakroom mostly," she shifted slightly and motioned to the club, "Take it you guys are playing?"

He nodded, "Yeah, in a couple of hours."

She nodded awkwardly, Mark would be ringing her in a second to chase her up again. She hoped anyway, something to break the weird silence.

"He's here, obviously. Bein' our drummer an' all, can't exactly not be," he crossed his arms over his chest that was draped in a shirt from his own clothing line.

"Right," she nodded shortly.

Oliver seemed to think about what he was going to say next, "You really fucked him up, ye know that right? I mean properly destroyed 'im. Not tha' he'd tell you that. Right little liar he can be sometimes. But you really did a number on 'im."

"I know Oli. I know I hurt him and I didn't mean to, alright? There isn't anything I can do to change it now."

He looked at her, they had been friends at one point, relatively close ones at that. It was through his girlfriend that she had met them all. Now his eyes were cold, what she had done to one of his best friends was enough to change his feelings towards her. To be honest she didn't blame him, or anyone but herself.

"Just try an' stay out his way, alright?"

She swallowed the sudden lump in her throat and whispered, "Yeah."

Watching him descend the stairs she leaned back against the wall and thudded her head against it, pinching the bridge of her nose and wondering exactly how much she needed the boots that this shift would pay for.

"Alexandria Edwards, you better appear in five seconds," bellowed a voice from down the hall.

"Fuck."