The Rockstar and The Graduate//L.A. Guns •Kelly Nickels•

Don't You Think People Will Think it's a Little Fucking bizzare?

When I woke up, I was upside down and had no recollection of what happened last night. I opened my eyes and sat up. I was in Janey's living room. I think I met a girl named Kelly last night, but I don't fucking remember.

I got up and took some advil, taking some to Janey's room. I laid down on the bed next to her. She groaned. "What the fuck happened last night Laurie?" She asked. I shook my head and gave her the advil. "I have no fucking clue." I said.

We both changed into comfortable clothes and turned on the record player in the living room. It was something we did every time we got hungover together. We always listened to Billy Idol and danced to it as we made pancakes to soak up whatever was left from the night before.

As we were doing this, I watched as the guest room door opened and out walked a shirtless guy. "Who the fuck are you?" I asked. "You don't remember? I'm Kelly. I gave you guys a ride home last night."

Everything was then making sense. "Oh yeah." I said, Kelly was in fact not a girl, but a complete stranger with a girls name. After we were done making the pancakes and eating, I grabbed my clothes and stuff out of Janey's room. "I'll see you later Jane." I said. She nodded. "You too Laurie, have fun dealing with Russell and Margie." She said. I groaned. "Don't remind me. Anyway, I'll see you at school on Monday."

"C'mon Kelly." I said as we walked out of the door and to my car. I got into the drivers, Kelly getting into the passenger. "You're in school?" He asked. I nodded. "Senior year." I said. "No fucking way." He said. I nodded again. "Anyway, where am I taking you?" I asked.

He gave me the address of an apartment building. I stopped in front of it. "I hope I see you again Laurie." He said smirking. I sighed and grabbed a pen and his hand. "If you need anything, here's my number." I said as I wrote the number for the phone at home on his hand. He smiled and got out.

I then drove home. When I got home, my mom wasn't there, she had picked up a few extra shifts at the hospital. There was a note on the fridge from my dad. Carl's car broke down again, went to fix it -Russell//dad

None of them were home. Thank god. My parents have had there fair share of hangovers and highs over the years so they'd know if I was. With them not being home, I avoided a long conversation, a lecture, and a so called "life lesson".

I walked to my room and closed the door. I opened my window and lit a cigarette. Last night was fun, but this morning was fucking weird as hell. Fuck, I gave Kelly my number, a stranger. I then remembered that he was in the band Janey and I went to see yesterday. Life currently felt like a little twilight zone for me.

What the fuck was happening.

Tomorrow was Sunday, a day filled with nothing but homework and boredom. I groaned and flopped down on my bed.  I guess I could go work at the record store for a bit. The owner was cool and I had flexible hours.

I got up and changed my clothes. Ditching the clothes I borrowed from Janey. I changed into a  Deep Purple shirt, my leather jacket, and my favorite jeans.

I grabbed my Walkman and went down stairs. I grabbed a piece of paper and a pen, writing a note to my parents that I came home and that I caught a shift at the record store.

As I was hanging it to the fridge, the phone rang. I walked to the other end of the kitchen and took the receiver of the wall and held it to my ear.

"This is the Samston residence, my ask who is calling?" I asked over the phone. I heard a shuffle on the other side and then the person spoke. "Hi, uhm, is Laurie there by chance? I'm Kelly, Kelly Nickels?" It was Kelly. I laughed.

He probably thought I gave him a fake number or that my mom had answered. "Kelly, it's me, I'm the one who answered the phone. So what can I do for you?" I asked him.

"I was wondering if you wanted to hang out." He asked. I thought a little bit. "If I can, I'm about to head down to the record store to see if I can catch a shift and make some extra cash." I told him.

"What record store?" He asked me. "It's the one on 2nd street." I replied. "Cool, I know which one your talking about, I might stop by." He said. I said okay and then we said goodbye and I hung up the phone.

I grabbed my keys and walked outside, locking the door. When I got to the record store, I opened the door and the owner welcomed me. "Hey Laurie, I figure you're either here for some new records or you're here to catch a shift." He said.

"I'm here for the second one Bob." I said. He nodded. "We got a shipment of more Cheap
Trick records along with Billy Squire, some Led Zeppelin, Mötley Crüe and a few others. You can start by finding places for them." He said. "I see you brought your Walkman so I'll leave you to it." He said walking away.

"Thanks Bob!" I said as I put on my headphones and turned on my Walkman. Take It On The Run by REO Speedwagon started to fill my ears. As I was putting things where they went and lip synced to the words playing from my Walkman, I felt some one tap me on the shoulder, scaring the shit out of me and almost making me drop the record I was holding.

I put the record down, paused my music and turned around. "What the fuck, Kelly, you can't just sneak up on people." I said slapping his arm. "You just almost made me drop and ruin a perfectly fine Led Zeppelin record." I said taking of my headphones.

"I'm sorry. I called your name and you didn't hear me. Your boss told me this is where I'd find you." He said. I sighed. "Okay, so what do you want?" I asked him. "I want to hang out." He said.

"Fine, let me go inform Bob that I'm leaving." I told him. I walked off and told Bob I'd work next Thursday after school, I couldn't the rest of the week because of graduation preparations and assemblies.

I walked back to Kelly and out of the door. "We're taking your car." Kelly told me. I shook my head. "I say we walk, I feel like people learn more when they walk side by side. It's more intimate that way." I said.

He nodded. "So, where do you go to school?" He asked me as we began to walk. "Jackson High." I said. He nodded. "Where were you born?" He asked. "You're full of questions. It's my turn to ask."

"How'd get to be in a band?" I asked. "I guess I just really like music. Learned how to play bass and now I'm here. It's fun though, the shows and what not." He said.

"Speaking of the band, you should totally come and hang out with the guys and I some time, I think you'll like them." He added. "The guys? As in your band? Like the rest of L.A. Guns." I asked.

He laughed and nodded. "Alright Nickels." I said. "Also, I walk home after school all the time so there's an opportunity for us to hang out." I added. I don't know why I was telling him this shit. He was a stranger. What if he's a serial killer? Laurie, no thats insane.

"So you just want me to wait outside your school until the bell rings?" He asked sarcastically. "I mean I wouldn't be mad if you did." I said. I then thought for a moment. Back to this morning in the car when I was giving him a ride back to his house or whoever's apartment it was. He was surprised by the idea that I was in school.

"Kelly?" I questioned. "Yeah?" He replied. "How old are you?" I asked him, not trying to be weird. I looked over at him and he smirked. I slapped his arm. "Alright, alright. I'm 21." He said. I stopped waking and looked at him.

"Don't you think people will think it's a little fucking bizarre that your talking to an 18 year old?" I questioned. He turned around and looked at me. "Who gives a shit. Right now, we're friends, we won't know what will happen until it fucking happens, so fuck all the people who question us along the way." He said.

I guess Kelly and I were friends. I started walking again. "Alright fine." I said. We went through basic conversations. Whose your favorite artist, whose your favorite band, favorite food, favorite color, do you trust the government, what's your life like, yadda yadda.

I noticed it started to get dark, but talking to Kelly wasn't so bad.