Three days after we had moved in with Tracii, he and I went on what was more or less a date. We had already become friends and my brother liked him, as well as trusted him, so there was no problem. Tracii said he was taking me to the Cathouse club to see a couple of local bands play.

After getting in, we settled into a booth in the back corner of the club.

"Is it always this busy here?" I asked as I looked around.

The walls were a light grey color in contrast to the glossy black tables and booths. Purple, blue, and pink lights shone on the walls, and the floor was checkered with black and white. Posters and signed pictures of performers were scattered around the walls, as well as music notes and pin ups painted on the walls. The stage was lined with lights and the current band on it was electrifying the crowd.

"Depends on the band. Some big names play here sometimes. Mötley Crüe has been here before- Van Halen, too. Tonight is a local night, though."

"That's cool. It's nice that they give these other bands a chance to play in front of people," I said.

"Yeah," he said bitterly. "They won't give mine a chance."

"Why not?"

"Well, aside from our problem of not having a singer anymore, we don't have many original songs yet. Plus, they don't want us to get crazy and wreck the place. Not like we would," he said, rolling his eyes.

"I don't know, a young guy like you and his buddies could do some damage," I said with a smile.

"I guess. L.A. Guns is going to be a bitch to get off the ground."

"You would have loved Will. He had the same drive as you. He just wanted things to work out. Music was his everything. His band was his life."

"Yet he left it behind?"

"Yeah, well... he wasn't making progress fast enough. He seeks instant validation," I said, snapping m fingers. "He just wants to be recognized for what he does, but he's impatient."

"It happens. I get that. My friend's band impacted his life to much that he changed his- oh shit!" he yelled.

Out of no where, a boy came crashing onto our table, limbs splayed out in an attempt to catch his balance. As he sat up, I glanced around at Tracii, who appeared to be amused.

"Saul!" he said excitedly.

"Long time no see, Tracii," the boy said. "And hello to Tracii's pretty friend," he added, acknowledging me.

Saul's beautiful caramel colored skin glowed and his sparkling dark eyes reflected the light in the club. He had thick, dark curls that didn't quite reach his shoulders, and a smirk of satisfaction on his face.

"Would you like to sit in an actual booth, Saul?" Tracii offered, scooting over.

"Sure," he said, sliding down into the booth beside Tracii.

"What happened to you, dude?" Tracii asked.

"Why do you ask? Am I bleeding?" he asked, wiping his nose and looking at his hand.

"No, but you randomly landed on our table," Tracii said.

"That is true. The bartender tossed me for stealing liquor," he said, leaning back.

"About time; I thought it would never happen," Tracii said with a laugh, directing his attention back to me. "Sorry, Carolina, we're being rude. This is my good friend Saul Hudson. We went to school together."

"Carolina Isbell," I said, nodding at his friend.

"Carolina... pretty name," he mused.

"Thanks," I said standing up.

I felt a spark of amusement when Saul did his best to discreetly look me up and down.

"Uh, Tracii, I'll be back," I said, "I think I'm gonna wander the club for a few minutes so you guys can talk."

"Oh, you sure? Saul can leave, if you want."

Saul looked at him as if to say, "Seriously, dude?"

"No, it's okay. I'm feeling a little antsy anyways. I need to move around."

"Oh, okay. We'll be here," Tracii said.

As I walked around, I noticed how little I fit in with the crowd; they were all glamorous and looked like they belonged at a party... compared to them, I looked like I belonged on a farm. The girls wore tight fitting clothes and dresses, eye catching jewelry, heels, and pretty makeup. I wore jeans, a dingy t-shirt, and ratty converse- the total opposite.

I needed to get into the groove of Los Angeles- to look and act the part. I wanted to blend in here. I loved this place and I wanted to stay forever, but not in the way I was living now. Sure, Tracii was nice, but I didn't care for sharing an apartment with two messy boys. Someday, I would have my own place.

Looking back at our booth, I saw Tracii and Saul, deep in what appeared to be a very serious conversation.

"Two cute boys deep in conversation," I thought to myself, "I wonder what it's about."

"Honey," I heard a voice say.

I looked around and spotted a dark haired girl in a pink dress looking at me.

"Oh, I'm sorry, was I in your way?" I asked, stepping aside.

"No, you're not in the way. You do, however, need a new look."

"I'm- I'm sorry?"

"It's alright, we're gonna fix this. I'm Adriana by the way," she said.

"Okay, well, um, nice to meet you. I actually have friends waiting for me, so I should go," I said, nervously waving at her.

"You can't go anywhere looking like that," she said with a gasp. "Especially when there's boys here."

"I'm sorry, but I-"

"Stop apologizing. Let me help you," she said, grabbing my wrist and pulling me into the women's restroom. "Okay, let me get a good look at you... Hm."

"What are-"

"Oh! I got it," she said excitedly.

She looked around and saw a leather jacket hanging against the back of a stall door.

"Perfect," she said before grabbing it and handing it to me.

"Uh, is this yours?"

"Nope, but it's yours now. It's been here all night, don't worry about it."

"Look, Adriana? I appreciate the help, but I'm good. I can handle myself."

"Sure you can, you just need my help."

"How do I need your help?" I asked incredulously.

"You aren't from around here, and I can tell. You're gonna get eaten alive if you don't blend. Now, you have your hookers and glam girls. I," she said, "am a glam girl. Then you have your rock 'n' rollers and your druggies. You're probably a rock 'n' roller, so we're gonna make you look the part. And you need more eyeliner," he said, digging through her small purse.

"Is this a normal thing for you?" I asked as she pulled out a tube of lipstick and an eyeliner pencil.

"Nope, but it's necessary."

"I know you think you're helping, but you're kind of offending me."

"Sorry," she said. "Trust me, you'll thank me later."

"Okay... Do you usually come here?"

"Sometimes. I like to flirt with the band guys. Drummers are my specialty," she said with a mischievous smile.

"Oh."

"What are you into?"

"What do you mean?"

"Like, types, music, kinks. What ever."

"Oh. Uh, I don't know. Musicians, I guess."

"Great type. We're on the same page. You ever been with a musician?"

"Yeah. My brother's old singer," I said, feeling myself wither.

"Nice. Was he good?"

"Yes," I said with a laugh.

As she continued to talk, she lined my eyes and applied red lipstick to my face.

"Voilà! You're done, doll. And you look good if I do say so myself," she said proudly.

I looked in the mirror behind her and smiled. I looked good, just like she said. My hazel eyes stood out against the black eyeliner and my lips looked great. The leather jacket was a great touch as well.

"Thank me later. Go see your friends," she said, shooing me out of the bathroom.

I hurried back to Tracii and Saul, confused and self conscious. What the hell possessed a random girl to try to manage people like that? And why the hell did I let her? At least I blended a little more now. I didn't look bad either.

As I sat, a hand appeared in front of my face, which was directed at the floor.

"Sorry, someone's sitting there," Tracii said.

I looked up and Saul's lips twitched into a smile, while Tracii stared and blushed.

"I- sorry, Carolina, I didn't expect you to look different when you came back," he said with a nervous laugh.

"I didn't either," I said, tucking my hair behind my ear. "There was a random girl in here that wasn't planning on letting me look like I did a a few minutes ago."

"Let me guess," Saul said with a smile, "bobbed black hair, bright eyes, hot pink dress."

"Yeah!" I said.

"Adriana," he said with a nod.

"Yeah- how did you know that?"

"She dates my friend Steven. Adriana Smith is always out to get what ever makes her look best."

"What do you mean?" Tracii asked while pouring out a packet of sugar on the table.

"There's always gotta be something in it for her," Saul said simply, stealing a sip of my coke.

"You make her sound like a whore, Saul," I said with a laugh.

"She kind of is. She just wants hers," he said with a shrug.

"I'm sure there's more to her than that," I reasoned.

"Nope, not really," Tracii said, still pouring sugar onto the table. "I've dealt with her before; Saul's right."

"Mm-hm... Tracii, how many of those fuckin' things are you going to pour out? Someone has to clean that up, ya know."

"I know," he said with a smile as he took a toothpick and swirled a design into the sugar.

"So, Indiana," Saul said, once again stealing my drink, "what brings you here?"

"Well, I'm temporarily staying with my brother out here. I have to go back before school starts."

"You still in school?"

"Yeah. One more miserable year," I said rolling my eyes and reclaiming my coke yet again.

"Guns, what are you doing?" Saul asked, directing his attention to Tracii, who was now trying to scoop the sugar back into the empty packages.

"I want to see how much of this can fit in one packet," he said.

Saul punched him in the arm, drawing his attention, and causing him to spill the sugar again.

"This is why things don't get done," Tracii grumbled as he brushed the sugar to the floor.

"You'll be fine," Saul said. "Anyway, I gotta go. My mom wants me home by like," he glanced at a neon clock across the room, "two hours ago. She's planning some weird thing for my dad- or something like that."

"Okay. Bye, dude, see you around," Tracii said.

"It was nice meeting you," I said.

"Nice meeting you, too, Carolina," he said with a shy smile.

After he was gone, I looked back to Tracii, who was staring blankly at the table.

"You okay?" I asked.

"Hm? Oh, yeah. I'm fine. Just thinkin'."

"About what?"

"Nothing... He's a cool kid," he said, gesturing to were Saul previously sat.

"Yeah, he seems nice."

"Real big into music. He's one of the guys I'm trying to work out a solid band with, but I don't think it's going to happen."

"Why not?"

"He's more of a solo kind of guy. He doesn't really work well with others- other guitar players I mean; He likes doing his own thing."

"Well, that's not a bad thing, is it?"

"No, I guess not. It's just not exactly what is needed in a band. You need team players."

I nodded, understanding what me meant. My brother and Will were the biggest team players, even though Will was a bit of a diva. The both wanted things to work out in their favor and they needed everything to go smoothly. When they reached a bump in the road, Jeff would step over and move on; Will would make a fuss about it and jump over it, acting like it was the end of the world.

They were mostly opposites, which made them work together nicely. They balanced each other out.

"Anyway," Tracii said, "We should head back; it's almost midnight," he said sadly.

"Maybe next time we can stay out later," I said with a laugh.

"Yeah. Your brother's just being safe, I guess."

"Yeah, it's just his way."

"Got it. Come on," he said, putting his arm around my shoulders, "let's go, Carolina."