Maybe Just a Dash of Cliché

Julian awoke suddenly to his speakers screaming out profanities. He looked towards his stereo and saw his uncle standing next to it, turning up the volume.

"Time to get up." His uncle said, lowering the sound so his nephew could hear him. Julian grunted, signally he heard him. The uncle turned and walked out of his room. Julian reluctantly got up and went to the bathroom. He passed by his uncle on the way there. "Julian, I'm working late tonight, so you have to fend for yourself tonight." Julian grunted again. "And be careful." His uncle warned.

"Yes, Uncle Lawrence." Julian replied dully. Lawrence chuckled. He watched as his nephew entered the bathroom. He shook his head side to side as soon as the door closed.

"You grew up so fast..." Lawrence murmured. He grabbed his coat and headed to work.

Julian stepped under the cold water, waiting impatiently for the water to turn at least warm. When it did, he started to wash himself. When he was done showering, he stepped out and wrapped a towel around his waist. He walked back into his room, shutting the door behind him. He rummaged through his drawers, trying to find some clean clothes. He finally found some. He pulled on his boxers and some jeans. He put on a plain black shirt and his leather jacket on top. He towel dried his hair and left it undone. He went back into the bathroom and brushed his teeth. After he was done, he rinsed his mouth. He dried his mouth on a random towel, trying to avoid his lip ring.

When he was done, he grabbed his keys for his bike and left the apartment.

Lily rummaged through her closet, looking for a presentable dress. She finally decided on one of her plain black dresses. She found matching shoes and set it beside the dress. She glanced at the clock. She had six hours until her date with Gregory. She didn't take long to get ready, so she went downstairs and watched TV. She got bored after an hour of watching TV. She decided to go upstairs and go on her computer.

When Lily entered her room, she closed and locked the door behind her. She went to her desk and turned on her laptop. As soon as it was loaded, she went to her music list. She plugged in her speakers to her laptop and music soon blasted through the speakers. She danced along to the beat. Giggling slightly to herself when she almost tripped over her rug.

After a few songs, a slow song came on. Then she remembered. She had a recital soon. She bent down and searched under her bed. She finally found it and pulled it out. The top of the case was dusty, proving that she hadn't practiced in awhile. She unzipped the case to reveal her award winning violin. She's played for years.

She walked over to her laptop, gripping the violin and bow in one hand, and lowered the music a bit. She raised the violin to her head and rested her chin on the chin rest. On the right note, she joined in, gliding the bow over the strings. She closed her eyes, taking in every note. Near the end of the song, there was a knock on her door.

She stopped and set her violin and bow on her desk. She unlocked the door and saw Ana standing there, smiling. "Come in." Lily said, opening the door wider. When Ana was in the room, Lily locked the door once more.

"I heard music from downstairs. Then I heard your violin." Ana explained.

"Yeah. I haven't practiced in awhile." Lily said, rubbing the back of her neck.

"Could you play for me?" Ana asked.

"Sure." Lily walked to her desk and once again picked up her violin and bow. She restarted the song, but lowered the music so it could be barely heard. She closed her eyes again and began to play. At the end of the song, she stopped. She looked at Ana expectantly. "So?" Lily asked.

"That was fantastic!" Ana exclaimed, clapping slightly.

"Are you sure? I missed a lot of notes in the middle." Lily stated.

"Really? I didn't even notice." Ana said. Lily rolled her eyes at her.

"Well the judges will notice. I have to practice a lot now. That song is really hard." Lily said while putting her violin and bow away.

"Well shouldn't you keep practicing right now?" Ana asked.

Lily shrugged her shoulders. "Eh... I don't wanna right now. The recital is almost two months away. I think I have enough time."

"Tsk, tsk..." Ana replied, shaking her head side to side. "You are such a procrastinator."

"Wow... Ana, I thought you knew that. And when did you learn such big words." Lily said sarcastically, breaking into a fit of giggles.

"Shut up..." Ana responded, shoving her slightly.

"I'm kidding!"

"Whatever... I have to get back to work. And stop procrastinating!" Ana chided her, wagging her finger in Lily's face. Lily shoved her finger out of the way.

"Yeah, yeah, yeah..." Lily said as Ana closed the door behind her. Lily sighed. Then she yawned. "I might as well take a nap..." Lily said to herself, getting under her covers. She closed her eyes and fell asleep.

Julian walked into a diner, greeting the waitresses. He got behind the counter and took off his jacket. He set it aside in the back room. He grabbed an apron and a spatula. This was one of his part-time jobs. He was the cook when the regular cook wanted or needed a break. He flipped the pancakes and the eggs. He got flour on his jeans. He wiped at it, dusting it off.

"Julian, hurry up! We got a lot of orders backing up!" The head waitress/co-owner of the diner yelled. She's been working her since it opened up. That was over 30 years ago. The cook's her husband; the actual owner.

"I know! I'm working on it!" He yelled, sliding some eggs and bacon on a plate. He set it on the counter, going right back to the stove and grill.

By the time his shift was over, he was dead tired. He grabbed his stuff, said his goodbyes to the staff, and made his way over to his next job. Sure, he was tired, but he needed the money. His next part-time job was over at the mechanics. He didn't get paid all that much there, but they also give him free check-ups, oil changes, and stuff for his bike. So he took the job.

As he was working, some prick was bothering the whole staff. He kept asking about his car and kept saying about how he had a date tonight and that his car had to be ready by 7 o'clock. Julian rolled his eyes as he turned something with a wrench.

This guy looks stuck-up. Wait... Let me correct that. This guy IS stuck-up.

Julian thought closing the hood of the car he was working on. He noticed that this was the prick's car. He grinned to himself. He reopened the hood and messed with a few things. The prick wouldn't notice it for awhile. He re-closed it and grinned.

This is going to be fun.

"Boss, his car is ready." Julian said, interrupting the prick before he could complain anymore. The boss turned to Julian and mouthed, 'Thank God...' Julian held in a laugh.

Julian handed the prick's keys back to him. Julian went to the desk and got the information of the man. Red convertible. Oil change. Owner: Gregory Philips.

Gregory?! That sounds so snobby!

Julian shook his head side to side.

How can this guy even have a date?

He typed into the information box that Gregory took his car back. He logged out and went back to working on other cars. He sighed. That Gregory guy finally left, leaving the whole staff very happy.

Lily woke up the second time that day. She sat up in her bed, yawning slightly. She stretched and glanced at the clock; 6:32. That left her 28 minutes to get ready. She got out of her bed, grabbed a towel, and took a shower. She took a short shower. She got out ten minutes later, wrapping herself in the towel. Then she brushed her teeth. When she was done, she went back into her room to change. She put on some undergarments and put on her dress. She put on a black jacket over her dress. She put lotion on herself and sprayed just a bit of perfume on.

She looked herself in the mirror. She might as well use a bit of make-up tonight. She applied some eyeliner, mascara, and a bit of lip gloss. Now, she was ready. She glanced at the clock again; 6:59. Just on time.

She grabbed her black purse and quickly put all the things she needed. Cell phone, money (just in case), and lip gloss. She left her room, closing her door behind her. At the bottom of the stairs, there stood Gregory, standing as straight as possible.

Wow... So straight...

When she made it downstairs, she took his offered hand.

"You're very punctual." Lily commented.

Gregory grinned. "I like to be." He led her outside. Thankfully, her father wasn't there to see them off.

As they made their way to Gregory's car, a red convertible, she felt a light breeze. Good thing she wore a jacket. Since Gregory was so nice, he opened the door for her. She muttered a thank you and waited as he got into his side. They drove for awhile until Lily got tired of the silence.

"So where as we going?" She asked.

"A French restaurant. You're going to love their food!" Gregory replied, smiling at her.

"It sounds great." She said, faking a smile.

The rest of the ride there was silent. When they got there he, once again, opened the door for her. When they entered the restaurant, they were almost immediately seated. They sat near the back where it was more secluded.

Great...

Lily thought sarcastically. After they ordered, an uncomfortable silence came over them. Well... Maybe over her. He seemed to enjoy it. Gregory tried to make small talk, but after he did, it became quiet again.

"So..." Gregory began. "I heard you play the violin."

"Yes, I do."

"How long?"

"For about..." Lily paused, thinking back. "8 years." She said.

Gregory looked at her. "8 years? Wow... So long... You must be an excellent player." He commented. Lily shrugged.

"I guess... I wouldn't know." Their finally food arrived and they ate in silence. As Lily looked down at her food, she could feel Gregory's eyes boring into the top of her head. She coughed nervously, her eyes darting everywhere but him. "Hey, Gregory-"

"Please call me Greg." He cut in.

"Oh... Greg, do you know what time it is?" She asked, faking a smile.

He glanced at his wrist. "It's 7:36. Why?" He asked.

"Oh, no reason. Just curious." Lily went back to eating her food.

For the rest of the evening, they didn't talk very much. The evening pretty much was quiet. Lily enjoyed the quietness. It gave her time to think. Nothing much happened until the car ride back to her house.

Three miles from her house, Greg's car broke down. He got out and opened the hood. Smoke rose up from the front. He coughed as he fanned the air around him. Lily couldn't help, but laugh. As she could tell, he had no idea what he was doing. Greg moved to the side of the road and took out his cell phone. Lily watched as Greg's face distorted into anger. He put his phone back into his pocket and got back into the car. He smelled like smoke. The smell brought tears to her eyes. It burned her nostrils. Greg looked at her, concern shown across his face.

"What's wrong?" He asked, leaning in closer.

"You smell like smoke. I hate the smell of smoke!" She gasped out, covering her nose and mouth.

"Oh... Do I?" He sniffed himself. She nodded feverishly. "Oh sorry!" He leaned back and got out of the car. The scent of smoke still lingered in the car. She grimaced. She also got out of the car. "Wait... What are you doing? Get back in the car. It's cold out here. You might get sick." Greg said.

Lily shook her head no. "It smells smoky in there now. I can barely breathe in there."

"Oh... Sorry..." He rubbed his neck nervously.

"No, it's fine. It's not even that cold out here. Plus, I have a jacket." Lily reassured him.

"O-okay..." He leaned against his car door. Lily did the same to her car door.

"Did you call someone?" Lily asked.

"Yes, but there's no one to pick us up yet. We have to wait for about an hour." Greg replied, checking his watch.

"What time is it now?" Lily asked.

"It's 8:13."

"Ok." Lily replied.

The only noise in the area was the creaking of the crickets and the sound of leaves blowing. No other cars were around. It was sort of a deserted road right now. Not much cars pass here anymore. They take the other way around. The less creepy way.

After about 15 minutes, Lily heard the faint sound of a motorcycle. Her ears were very sensitive to sounds. Because she's been playing violin for years, her ears pick up a lot of things. As the seconds passed, the sound grew louder and louder. Now, it was close enough that it sounded like it was right in front of her.

As the motorcycle sped by her, it caused a breeze to rush into her. The breeze brushed through her hair and lifted her dress slightly. She caught sight of the motorcyclist as he sped by. He wore a helmet, but she saw familiar dark blue eyes through the open lens. She gasped as he passed by her.

Lily watched down the road as the motorcyclist slowed down to a halt. She pushed herself off the car and strode her way over to the motorcycle. When Lily got there, the man took off his helmet. Just as she expected it, it was the young man from the bar. The young man shook his hair slightly.

Julian looked up and saw the girl from yesterday. He scowled. He glanced behind her and saw the man from earlier today, making his way over to the girl, away from his car. Julian couldn't help, but laugh out loud.

"Sir, this was your date that you were talking about?!" Julian asked Greg as he broke into laughter. Greg looked at him, confused. Lily looked at him, confused. When Julian finally calmed down, he responded. "Sir, I fixed your car today."

"Oh... It's you. Well, you did a shitty job. As you can tell, it broke down."

"I'm sorry, sir, but maybe your car needs to come in for a full check-up. Did you call someone?" Julian asked politely, ignoring the girl that was gazing at him.

"Yes, we did. But they said they won't be here for an hour." Greg glanced at his watch. "And it's only been 20 minutes." He stated. Julian nodded.

Lily stared at the man before her. No, not Greg. The man on the bike. She couldn't help but stare at his lip ring as he spoke. His voice was sort of deep, but not quite. She couldn't concentrate when she was around him. She was so entranced by him; she couldn't help, but stare.

"Lily, are you okay?" Greg asked, pulling Lily out of her thoughts.

"Sure. Why?" She asked back.

"Just wondering. I'm really sorry about tonight." Greg apologized.

"Oh no, it's fine. Dinner was great." Lily faked a smile. The man on the bike stayed silent, staring intently at the two of them. Then out of nowhere the man spoke to them.

"I could bring her home, if you like." Julian said, talking about girl. He didn't know why he asked it. But when he heard her voice, he couldn't help, but ask. Her voice sounded so... innocent. And when she smiled at Greg, this one was real. He noticed that the smile she gave him earlier was false. This smile right now was real. He wondered why. Julian also noticed her name to be Lily.

Greg looked from Lily to Julian suspiciously. Then he asked Lily about it. "Lily, do you want to go home now?"