Don't Be in the Bath When Opportunity Knocks

Tre. Tre Cool

I was just a skinny lad
Never knew no good from bad
But I know life before I left my nursery
Left alone with Big Fat Fanny
She was such a naughty nanny
Hey, Big Woman, you made a bad boy out of me
***

It was about a four hour drive from Laytonville to the Bay Area, including stops. Lori had driven up to Mendocino County to bring Tre down, since he couldn't drive alone yet. Tre was supposed to stay with Lori, but he convinced her to let him stay with friends- of which he didn't have any yet.
"I'll be fine, don't worry Lori," he assured her when she protested. "Remember, you lived alone when you were 18. And I won't be alone.'
"You're right," she agreed.

He left his bigger stuff with her and she drove back to Santa Cruz, where she was a student. He didn't want to live with her. He wanted to live in Berkeley, where the scene was. It was about four o'clock, so he decided to bum around and get his bearings of the area. He'd been there before a dozen times, mostly to the all-ages club on Gilman Street, but never alone.

When seven o'clock rolled around, he figured there'd probably be a band playing at the Gilman, so he hopped a bus and headed over. He was jacked up with excitement when he arrived. It was finally sinking in that he was on his own and could do what ever the hell he wanted. Nodding to the group of kids smoking by the front door, he entered the club. Loud, thrashy music echoed off the walls and the audience pogoed around the room. He eagerly joined in.

The band took a break and he went outside to get some air. He leaned up against the wall and watched the girls go by.
"What are you, eleven?" the girl standing next to him laughed.
"Sixteen, actually," he replied as casually as he could. She was hot and he was a sixteen year old boy. You know how it is. The girl nodded and offered him a cigarette.
"Thanks," he said.
"Audrey," she said, looking straight ahead.
"What?"
"Audrey. I'm Audrey."
"Oh, Tre," he replied, fumbling with the cigarette, trying not to hack.
"Tre what?"
"Tre Cool."
She broke into laughter. "What?"
"Tre Cool," he repeated.
"Nice," she said, sizing him up. "You're sixteen."

Tre wasn't sure if it was a question or not.
"Uh, yeah," he said. "I just came down from Mendocino County."
"Taggin' with mom and dad?" she said taking a drag off her cigarette.
"Nah, by myself."
"You're all alone?" for a brief moment, her toughness vanished. He nodded.
"Well, where are you crashing?" she composed herself.
"Uh, I'm not quite sure..." his voice trailed off.
"You can stay with me," she offered quietly, so the others wouldn't hear her. "There's a couch you can crash on. Plus, I work a lot, so I won't be around a lot."
"Really?" Tre was surprised by her generosity. "You'd let me stay with you?"
"For a while, sure."
"Cool," he said shaking her hand.
"Très Cool," she said, laughing.