Welcome To SunDown

Chapter 1. - Lasting First Impression.

A soft, warm breeze flew through the streets as the autumn winds did their job of cascading the different colored leaves onto the ground below. The night was still young in the small college town of Gilden, where Alanna Parker had recently moved to in order for her to attend her college classes. She had intended to study to become a Criminal Justice lawyer after her father's wrongful imprisonment empowered her to take action for those who'd find themselves in similar situations. She was a strong willed individual who was up to challenge her peers ideologies if she found a flaw within, although her own anxieties about speaking up tended to get the better of her as she'd frequently stumble her words while getting her point across.

She had decided to take a stand for herself to improve upon her communication abilities and go out for a drink at one of the towns local clubs. She hadn't made any friends within her short time being in the town and thought that maybe with some liquid courage that she'd have a chance. She put on her foundation, followed by her eye makeup. She then grabbed her favorite nude lipstick and applied it delicately to insure she wouldn't mess up her outline. A cheap pair of opal stone earrings and one simple flowing dress later, she was finished. She adored her get up in the mirror for a moment before taking a deep breath and heading out to her car.

She'd made her way to the club and got herself seated at the bar after making her way through the ID check. She propped herself up on the barstool and after a moment of deliberation she choose to get a plain strawberry wine cooler from the barista. A few short seconds had passed since she'd had her order taken and in the blink of an eye she was handed a Seagrams and told to enjoy. She popped the top on the bottle and looked out around the club to see nothing but a sea of bodies on the dance floor likely looking for a mistake to be made. She'd begun to sip on bottle and waited around for a moment, looking out for any people that she thought she'd fit best with, which after about 5 minutes of looking she thought there would be no hope.

There was a set of 5 booths off to the side of the bar that sat packed full of people, which is where childhood friends Joey, Bianca, and Danny had all been sitting at the furthest available booth. The group had been friends since around 5th grade. Joey and Danny were born and raised in the town of Gilden and had graduated with honor roll their senior year. Bianca moved to town during her 4th grade year and was never deemed to be the brightest in the world, but she managed to have a good time where good times could be had.

Danny had finished his 3rd pint of the night and asked Joey and Bianca if they wanted another drink since he'd been planning to go and get another. The other two politely declined as they were almost to their limit and with that information, Danny went on his way to get another drink. He walked to the end of the bar closest to him and asked the bartender for a refill to which the bartender obliged. Danny grabbed a $5 bill from his pocket and placed it on the counter for the bartender to take when they came back with his drink. He stood still for a moment looking at his phone before he looked up to see Alanna sitting at the other end of the bar alone.

The bartender handed him his drink to which Danny pushed the bill closer to them and said "Keep the change." He walked closer to Alanna and thought to himself for a second about a pick up line that he was sure would "wow" her. Alanna peered over in Danny's direction and smiled to him, her teeth white like pearls, somehow shimmering in the dim club lighting and her darker complexion leaving him speechless. She looked like a dream come true to Danny, which didn't help him come up with a good line as he made it to her.

Danny looked at her, stunned by the sight before him before attempting to deliver his grandiose line "Hey, I know this maybe a weird question, but are you from Tennessee?" Alanna was taken aback from the question, as the liquor had begun to set in, before she replied "Yeah, actually, I am. Do I know you from somewhere?" Danny's face turned a bright red from embarrassment as he expected her to say no, but to his surprise she was. He quickly came back to reality to be real with her for a moment "No, I don't know you, but I was hoping I could use a pick up line to maybe... get to know you." Alanna blushed at this dork-ish attempt and agreed to talk with him.