That's Where You Take Me

Median shook her head as she walked into the bar that evening at seven thirty, half an hour early for her shift. The owner smiled at her and looked approvingly at her outfit of denim shorts, that were short just not skanky short, and a deep purple tank top. She wore sneakers like she had been told. She walked over to the bar where she recognized one of the girls from the night before.

“Hey Median”

“You live in Long Beach Frankee?”

“Hell No, but that’s my mom, she owns this place.”

“Go figure.”

“So you must be the new girl my mom’s excited about.”

“Apparently”

“You ever work in a bar like this?”

“Not like this no, just a summer after I turned 21 I worked at one of the taverns in Tarrant.”

“Where the fuck is that?”

“Montana, long story”

“A country girl covered in tattoo’s with snake bites, different.”

“Yeah, I hate country though”

“Join the club, you can put your stuff back behind the bar in the office. C’mon I’ll show you.” Median smiled. Apparently she had made an impression on the girl last night at the party. She shook her head as she followed the woman behind the bar.

“Hey momma”

“Frankee…do you know Median?”

“Sorta, we met at a party that Lacey dragged her too last night.”

“She’s a sweetie that one.”

“Yeah she is, so I’ll see you later momma, I’m gonna head on home I have to work in the morning.”

“Alright sweetie, I will, you see Lacey tell her I say hi.”

“I will, chances are I’ll run into her she’s probably still in Huntington.” and Median watched as the dark haired girl walked from the room. Median was shown where she could put her purse and a moment later she was grabbing a hair tie from off her wrist and placing her hair back at the nape of her neck, she never put her hair ponies higher than that because she had way too much hair. She was thinking about getting it cut to at least her shoulder blades. Ten minutes later she was clocked in and showing that it may not be a small country tavern, but she knew what the hell she was doing. At around ten Alicia one of the other girls that was trying to befriend Median, and doing a shitty job of it ran over and started jabbering in her ear.

“What are you talking about Alicia?”

“Fucking Avenged Sevenfold just walked in.” Median rolled her eyes.

“And your point would be?”

“Have you ever heard of them?”

“One of my favorite bands, doesn’t mean I have to freak the fuck out about them being here.” Median said and walked away to get a round for the table she had been at moments before. Alicia stood there staring after her for a moment.

“ALICIA GET TO WORK!” Camdyn said. Median hid a smile at that one. She liked her boss. She took the beers back to her table and was passing the bar when Camdyn asked her to get the table that a group of eight had just sat at. She turned and rolled her eyes as Alicia pouted at that one. She walked over and smiled.

“Hey guys what can I getcha?”

“Round of beer.” Leana said and Median nodded. She walked away and Camdyn smiled at her.

“Hun, when they come in I think you’re gonna wait on them from now on.”

“Why?” Median asked as she waited for Camdyn to pop the beers open on the bar.

“Alicia normally does and she fawns all over them.”

“Their just people too.”

“I’m glad I hired you.” and she passed the beers to Median who carried them back to the table. Lacey smiled at her and Gena glared. Leana shook her head at Gena. Zack told her to be nice.

“Why should I be nice, you drove her home, I wake up alone this morning because you had to drive some chick home.”

“She needed a ride back to Long Beach, and obviously Lacey didn’t surface until seven thirty…”

“Just let me know if you need anything else.” Median said and walked away. Great she had a chick pissed off and thinking she was into her boyfriend. Not a good thing. As the night went on Gena and Zack argued about just about everything including her. When Camdyn shouted last call the guys ordered one more round and as she brought it to them she watched as Gena stood and walked out of the bar. She rolled her eyes and handed over the beers and took the spare back to the bar.

She was off her feet the minute that she got inside the apartment. She was glad she had been told sneakers only. She had barely managed to lock the door and put the chain lock in place. She pulled herself up off the floor after sitting there for ten minutes and smiled to herself as she stripped and suddenly remembered her tips. She stopped turned and picked her shorts up and pulled out the wad of cash she had stuffed in her pocket and grinned. She forgot about getting a shower and sat at the table in the kitchen and counted it out. She was smirking by the time that she stood and headed for the shower. She had a big day ahead of her. She was glad she could do what she wanted tomorrow. She figured on going to the diner tomorrow before work to talk to Lacey and get something to eat, now she was gonna ask if she wanted to get together that weekend and do something. She couldn’t wait. If every night was like this two nights could pay her rent. She tucked the cash in a safe place and got her shower before crashing to her bed only wrapped in a towel.

Lacey looked up from behind the counter at the diner and her jaw dropped as she saw Median walk in. Her hair was at her shoulder blades, and the purple was darker than it had been and it went all the way to the roots of her blonde hair instead of three inches from the top. She shook her head and couldn’t believe it. She also noticed the second piercing in her friends ears.

“Hey there Lacey.”

“Hey, so I guess you like your new job.”

“Yeah, and I think it’s reason enough for us to go out this weekend. You know kind of like a girls night.”

“Sure, sounds like a plan.”

“I got lucky Camdyn’s giving me this Saturday off, do you have to work?”

“Nope”

“You think Rowan and Frankee and Leana would come?”

“Hell yeah I think they would. Forget that I know they would. They really liked you.”

“Yeah it was kinda nice to be around people that didn’t think I was a freak.”

“I bet it was. Hey I’m off in twenty, what time you have to be at work?”

“In an hour, I figured I would get something to eat before I went in.”

“Okay, let me guess, the usual?”

“Nah, mushroom swiss burger and a side of fries. Dr. Pepper to go with it.”

“Holy shit, she eats real food…”

“Ha, I did grow up on a farm Lacey.”

“I know, you’ve told me that.”

“Lacey finish that order and go ahead and clock out, it’s not that busy.”

“Sure, I didn’t eat lunch you care if I take my meal now that I’m off?”

“No, great thanks.” She gave the order for Median and herself to the cook and told the girl replacing her that it should be brought to her table where she was sitting. The girl nodded.

---Huntington Beach---

Rowan was sitting on the deck at Matt’s house watching him as he stared down a bottle of jack. He was trying not to drink it. She rolled her eyes at him. It was over between him and Val, but they had said that so many times over the past years since they had all left high school that no one really believed it. Rowan herself wanted it to be true. She had been in love with Matt since like the ninth grade. But he hadn’t seen her as more than a friend. Although she had caught him looking a few times in the past months that had her praying her was interested in her as more than a friend. Because if she had to stay just friends with Matt she was going to go insane. She stood and grabbed the bottle and as painful as it may have been to throw it at the sink in the kitchen she did. He followed her in.

“What the hell was that for? I wasn’t drinking it.”

“Why the hell do you need to stare down an inanimate object Matt?”

“She left, this time she just left.”

“GET OVER IT, IT’S NOT THE FIRST TIME!”

“She took her shit…”

“Okay that’s a first…” She looked at his face and sighed.

“Are you gonna be okay?”

“It’s gonna be hard to get over her.”

“Betcha I can make you forget about her…” and Rowan moved before he could react and kissed him. He was shocked but after a moment kissed her back. She smiled against his lips and thanked whatever higher power that they weren’t drunk. He pulled her tight against him and whispered in her ear.

“Why didn’t you tell me…?”

“I was scared to.”

“Christ, Ro, I only asked Val out in high school and stayed with her because I couldn’t have you.”

“You’ve got to be kidding me, shit, Matt I’ve wanted to be with you since ninth grade.” He placed a finger to her lips and then leaned down to kiss her. They heard the door open a moment later but they ignored it and he kissed her gently, not wanting to rush what they had now started. They pulled apart when someone cleared their throat. Matt turned not letting go of the red head in his arms and rolled his eyes at Zack.

“I need to seriously start locking that door.”