Bars and Bass Players

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March 1986

It's been nearly four years since Axl moved to Los Angeles, I graduated high school later that year. The day after graduation I moved to LA, I had gotten into UCLA and had to leave after a huge fight with my mom and stepdad. I got an apartment not far from campus and a job at a local bar. One of my friends from the soccer team moved in with me, Chelsea, she's from England and a freaky good soccer player (she calls it football). 

I haven't seen Axl since that night he left.  My stepdad had cut off communication with him shortly after he moved and forbid me from talking to him. Axl doesn't know I'm in LA or alive for that matter. I had got a couple letters from him before stepdad went all psycho prick. He wrote about how much of a jungle it is out here, he wasn't kidding.

Being out here is insane, being small town isn't an advantage but carrying a switch blade on your hip is.  Hookers are relentless and vicious...don't ask.

I walk in the bar, using the back door. I'm ten minutes late. I peak into the bar and it's already full. I walk in and feel Brandi's eyes on my back. Brandi is my manager, she's great but is a stickler on rules. I walk to my station of the bar, pinning on my name tag without looking at Brandi. She comes up to me.

"TJ you're late." She says in my ear.

"I know and I'm sorry. Soccer practice ran late." I admit and she half smiles.

"Don't do it again." Brandi says heading back to her part of the bar.

A couple blond guys walk into the bar later that night, sitting at my end up of the bar. The one is taller and his hair nearly stands up on end. The other is a bit shorter and is hair is curly. I look up at them and smile.

"What can I get ya?" I wonder and they smile.

"Vodka." The taller one says.

"Just vodka?" I wonder and he smirks.

"Yeah, like a bottle." He says and I nod.

"Um yeah, alright." I say, I grab a bottle and hand it to him. He lights up. "You?" I look to his friend.

"Beer." The friend says and I hand him a beer.

"Thanks, uh." Vodka looks at my name tag. "TJ? What the hell kinda name is that?" He wonders and I half smile.

"Yeah? What's your name?" I ask and he smiles.

"Duff."

"You have a name like that and your making fun of my name." I smile and he laughs. His friend nearly choked on his beer.

"It's an Irish thing and I mean what does TJ stand for?" Duff wonders.

"Taylor Jane." I say and he smiles.

"A very pretty name." Duff says taking a drink from the bottle.

"Thanks." I smile and turn red. Duff laughs at that and his friend kinda smiles.

"I'm Steven, but you two seem to be having a moment." I look down and Duff looks to his friend.

"Hi Steven." I smile and he nods.

"How's it going?" He smiles.

"Taylor?" Duff calls.

"I'm TJ." I smile.

"No you're Taylor." He argues with a slight smile. "You lose a bet or something?"

"Why's that?" I wonder and he points at my shirt.

"Colts? You must've lost a bet." I roll my eyes.

"I'm from Indiana." I say. "What's your team?" I wonder.

"Seahawks." He says and I laugh.

"Your talking?" I ask and he smiles.

"I'm from Seattle." Duff smiles drinking more vodka. "Wanna drink with us?"

"I can't." I smile. "Thanks though."

"You have a throat and esophagus." Steven points out. "You should be able to drink."

"Yeah, what you got now, Taylor?" Duff smiles.

"Physically, I can but for starters I'm working and I'm not twenty one." I shrug and they shake their heads.

"It's not like we're gonna tell anyone." Steven says and I point down the bar at Brandi.

"See that blonde down there?" They nod. "That is my boss, she will fire me then hit me with a garbage truck." I smile.

"She must hate the Colts then." Duff smiles. "You owe us though."

"Fine, I owe you." I smile and they nod.

"When are you twenty one?" Steven wonders.

"The fifteenth." I say and Steven counts on his fingers.

"That's in like three weeks." He says and I nod.

"Yeah, something like that." I say and Duff smiles.

"Book it off." He says and I tilt my head. "You heard me. We're gonna show you how to drink."

"Okay." I say reluctantly and they smile.

"Seriously?" They say in unison.

"Why not? I mean my roommate will probably want to come because she thinks birthdays are a big deal but sounds like fun." I admit and they smile.

"Sounds good to me." Duff says.

Duff

We walk out of the bar after last call. We're walking down the street and a set of girls walk past us. Steven calls back at them.

"Hey baby, wanna come home with me?"

"You're dreaming." They yell back and I smile.

"Can't get a girl, Stevie?" I say and he hits me in the arm.

"And what girl are you bring home tonight? Oh right, she's heading back to her place because you were too scared to ask her out." Steven wonders. I pull my eyebrows together.

"What the hell are you talking about?" I wonder and he smiles.

"TJ, that pretty little ginger bar tender. You're totally crazy about her." He says with a smile.

"Yeah, I mean she's hot but I'm not crazy about her." I lie. "Isn't she kinda familiar?"

"Yeah, she is. I would've remembered if I slept with her though." Steven admits.

"Yeah, I'd remember to." I says.

"But you are crazy about her." He says and I shake my head. "So we're not going back tomorrow?"

"Well, I never said that." I admit and he smiles.

"Fine by me." Steve smiles again.

Taylor is really pretty but not in the same way as the other girls I date. She's confident and beautiful unlike the slutty plastic bitches I'm used to.  I don't think about her naked, she's perfect clothed. Even if she's wearing a Colts shirt. But there's something about her, she reminds me of someone. The way she talks or something. I've never seen her before though.

Maybe I'm crazy.

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