Ride (A Union J Fanfic)

Cherry's POV: Dawn broke and my eyes widened. Another day, another morning shift at the Quick Mart, another show at night, another battle. But as usual, I just had to get on with it.

 Cherry Redbank was my birthname, but the diverse people of Las Vegas knew me better as Cherie. By day, I was shy little Cherry, fresh, youthful, and serving customers. By night I had completely transformed into ma Cherie d'Amour, the fierce, sassy alter ego they remembered me by. The name in French translated to 'my sweet love', and boy I was sweet. Apart from Sundays, every night i'd be up on that stage performing- my hair big and bouffanted high, my eyeliner flicked and ferocious, and wearing just one of the many short and skimpy dresses I had a notorious reputation for.

 The shows themselves were amazing- I mean, who wouldn't want to strut and dance as a showgirl at the strip in the gambling city? It certainly had its perks; men came furiously chasing after you, wanting you after hours, and the buzz you got from doing it was insane.

 It was after the shows that was the hardest. I had nowhere to go. I was homeless. Every single night I'd come out of the backstage door and face the sharp, bitter air that killed me everytime. Every night I'd tremble under my thin layer of clothing as the harsh, cold air whooshed its way over my body, making the hairs stand up on end. I'd just be alone. No one would ever actually see me there, I was just...there.

 Today, no doubt, would be the same. I ran my fingers through my hair a little, letting the soft curls of cotton candy run between them. I walked round the back of the Mart and into the bathroom, before washing off the all my stage makeup from last night. I quickly scrubbed and rinsed the remainder of my body, and then pulled on my workclothes. You're ready now, I thought to myself.

 The first hour of my shift, as it would normally be on an early Thursday morning, was quiet and uneventful. I got two, maybe three customers at most, all wanting milk. Things started to pick up as the sun rose higher, and soon I was busy as could be.

 At precisely twelve o'clock, four young men dropped in; I can remember them so clearly. The first had a perfectly styled quiff and full angled lips. The second also had a quiff, although his was a darker shade and his skin was, too. The third was obviously much younger than the others and had his hair messy and wild. The fourth had the sides of his shaven and curls cascading on top, as black as the night. "Can I getcha' anything?" I asked them.

"Sure." The youngest one replied, beckoning the others over.

"Can we have a six pack of orange Bacardi Breezers please, madam." The curly haired one asked politely. They wern't from around here, their accents were quite certainly British and I'd never seen them before.

"There." I smiled, placing the bottles on the counter as I keyed in the price on the checkout. "16 dollars and fifteen cents please guys." They all chipped in and I counted the notes and change.

"Thanks." They said.

"You guys staying around here?" I questioned, interested.

"Yeah, we're gonna be here for a while." The tanned one nodded.

"Doing what, exactly?"

"Just having a break really." They all shrugged.

"Nice...well if you're free tonight, you're all welcome to come see me and the girls perform for ya's. Best showgirls in 'alla Vegas, we been told."

"I don't know..." The curly one seemed a bit anxious about it.

"C'mon man, I can 'getcha all in for free..."

"Go on then." The tanned one seemed really keen.

 "I'm Cherry, by the way." I grinned at them.

"JJ." The same one winked at me as he walked out the Mart with the others. I gave him one last cheeky look before getting back to work. They all seemed really nice.

Josh's POV: JJ thinks the girl who served us in the shop was mighty fine, as they say. Cherry, I think she said her name was. She's not my type- okay, so when we saw her she had a fresh, bare face, but by tonight she'll look completely and utterly different, covered in makeup, her costumes will be overly revealing...but JJ likes that. Him being him, he goes for looks and assets in girls. I'm the opposite, personality is key for me. She did seem nice, though. I guess we'll have to see what tonight brings.

JJ's POV: Oh my god, Cherry. I've never fell for someone so fast in my life. She was stunning this morning, so just imagine her tonight! All the boys know I obsess very quickly over the opposite sex, but it's never been like this. Not to the point where she's taking over me. I want her so bad, man. I just want tonight to come fast so I can see her in the limelight doing what she does best, putting on a show. It's gonna be amazing.