Alice In Chains!

It sounded like a cool band. Seattle-originated music was on the rise, and this band happened to belong to the Emerald City scene. So when Alexandra saw the flyer announcing a show the very next day, she was very interested in going.

Only her enthusiasm wasn't just because she was looking forward to a killer show. It wasn't because she loved the Seattle music scene (rest assured she did, but that wasn't the only motive driving her to go see the band). It wasn't even because the flyer promised viewers of the show a free  round of drinks to anyone who showed up early. It was because of the drummer the flyer promised would be there. Sean Kinney.

Alex Kinney had to hand it to her cousin. He'd managed to evade her for a while. A few years, probably...she'd lost track of how many. But now he'd gone and joined a rising band that had so conveniently put up that flyer in that spot with his name and picture on it.

"Couldn't stay hidden away forever, huh?" she joked to herself, putting a finger over the part of the paper with her own last name on it. "I gotcha now."

She took a permanent marker from her pocket and scrawled the time of the show on her forearm. There was no need to write down the address; it was a club she was actually very familiar with. Once she was sure she'd taken it down right she nodded to herself and went on her way, a new skip in her step as she made her way uptown.

By the time she got back to her apartment, night had fallen. She lazily dragged herself up the three long flights of stairs and into her home.

"Finally! What took you so long?" her roommate greeted.

"Oh, hey, Charlotte. It's nice to see you too. My day was good, how was yours?" Alex replied in a sweet tone dripping with sarcasm. She flopped down on the ratty old couch, immediately beginning to pick at the loose threads in the armrest and putting her feet up on the coffee table.

"Hey, I just cleaned," Charlotte said, swatting at Alex's dirty boots before shoving them off the table. "And I'm just asking because you were late. I was getting worried."

Alex looked up, the frown with which she had been staring at her feet replaced with a bright grin. "Aw, you care about me. Look at that," she taunted her literal best friend.

"Shut up. So really, what took so long?"

"Oh, I took the long way. Which was the right choice, by the way. How would you like to go see a live rock band tomorrow night? At Joey's."

"Which band?"

"Alice In Chains."

"Yeah, for sure. Don't they have an album coming out?"

"I don't know, I haven't really been into keeping up with the music scene since..." she trailed off.

Charlie gave her friend a warm look and reached out to lightly squeeze her hand. "I know. It's okay. Let's go to the show."

Alex gave her a small smile, looking down at her arm and lifting it so Charlotte could see. She nodded and looked down at Alex's boots, then at the coffee table, letting her know it was okay to do what she was dying to. Alex put on a wide grin and lifted her feet back up onto what she felt was their rightful place. Charlie laughed and put hers up as well, digging her hand between the couch cushions for the remote and turning the tiny television on.

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Alex woke up the next morning in the exact same place, fretting for a moment that the TV had been on all night. She looked up and was glad to see it was off. She yawned and stretched, groaning at the realization that it was time to go to work but happy it was finally Friday. Unfortunately, there was no time for her to shower (which was good anyway, since the landlord had left the utility bills up to them and they couldn't afford much), so she simply changed and ran her fingers through her hair before saying a quiet goodbye to the still sleeping Charlie and rushing out, fearing she'd be late.

She found herself wishing she had a thicker coat to cover her as she made her way down the boulevard. Most everyone had nice jackets to shield them from the icy wind blowing through town, but she didn't and she could just feel the cold seeping into her bones. Alex shivered and wrapped her flannel shirt more tightly around herself before crossing her arms and carrying on, looking down to avoid the jealousy she felt when she gazed upon the other people with their warm coats and hot chocolates.

By the time she made it to work, her fingers were numb, and she had a hard time clocking in. Finally managing to warm her fingers by clumsily rubbing her hands together for the better part of a whole minute, she put on a smile and headed in to work.

✩✩✩

It was an excruciatingly long day of stamping and shipping boxes at the warehouse, and when Alex finally shipped the last box, she was ready to pass out right then and there. Her feet hurt from standing all the and her arms were sore from lifting all the heavy boxes. Working at the warehouse sucked. And now came her absolute favorite part of the day: walking two and a half miles in the bitter cold because she couldn't afford to take the bus. It was less than a dollar and in her younger years she would simply sneak on, but these days she found walking in the cold was good for building character anyway.

Or something to that effect.

"Alex, your nose is brighter than Rudolph's!" was what Charlotte greeted her with when she walked through the door. "Come on, warm up and get ready, the show's gonna start soon."

Unable to come up with a smart-ass response, Alex nodded and went to freshen up. She seriously needed to do some laundry...or go shopping. Going to a show wearing her old Mötley Crüe shirt and black jeans faded to grey wasn't exactly the image of glamor.

"Ready?" Charlie asked, not looking much better herself. She was wearing a stained Metallica shirt and unintentionally ripped tights under dark maroon shorts. Alex nodded and nearly laughed at how they looked. Both had flannels on and were wearing heavy boots.

"We need to go shopping, Charlie."

"When we save up enough," Charlie began, looking down at herself, "we'll go straight to Molly's and get some nice new clothes."

"Yeah right," Alex snorted. Molly's was an expensive clothing boutique in the nicer part of the city. They'd passed it many times and stopped to admire the display window, never even daring to go in. "I wish."

"Come on, it'll happen. Now let's go. Alice In Chains awaits."

The walk to the club the band was playing at was quick so as to avoid the cold. They yanked the door open and rushed inside, heat encasing them and gradually beginning to warm their clothes.

"We're early. I want my free drink," Alex said, grabbing Charlie's hand and pulling her over to the bar. "Hey, Joey!"

The old bartender looked up and immediately put on a smile. "Aw, my girls!"

"How are you?" Charlie asked ever so politely.

"Good, good. Missing you two, but glad to see you're not coming in here as often. Unless, of course, you've been going to some other bar to avoid me and my lectures."

Alex laughed. "Never, old Joey. And yeah, we're cutting back...but how about that free drink that flyer promised?"

He laughed his tinkling old-man laugh and held up a finger before turning to make the drink. Alex and Charlie couldn't help their smiles as their favorite drinks were placed in front of them.

"Aw, how'd ya know?" Alex sarcastically asked, stirring hers and taking a sip.

"Just a hunch," Joey shrugged. "Alright, have a good time, you two. Enjoy the show." And he patted Alex's hand and walked off to attend to some other customer.

"I miss him," Alex said, looking around the club and taking in its too-familiar features.

"Yeah, me too. But I guess that's a good thing, in a way."

Joey was the owner of the club. He was a tiny old man who showed his customers nothing but kindness and received everyone with a smile. Alex remembered walking into the club for the first time in a horrid mood and immediately being cheered up by him. Charlie distinctly recalled her friend practically dragging her down there to show her "the nicest old man she'd ever met" as Charlie wondered what the hell her friend had been doing at a club alone.

"Hey, it's about to start!" Charlie said when she noticed a guitarist plugging something into his guitar, nudging her friend. Alex put down her glass and looked up at the emerging band. She refrained from throwing something at her cousin and watched as the show began.

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well, there's the first chapter! how was it? i hope it was okay :)
alright, remember to stay safe and hydrated, have fun, listen to good music, be what you wanna be, and stay sober for Layne. until next time!