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Chapter 19 New Begining

Lennon's pov

1 year, 6 months, four days.

I hate the smell of strip clubs. The smell of hairspray and vagina is not pleasant in any way, shape, or form. Yes, I'm working in a strip club now, but not as a stripper, at least at this moment. Bar tending has been paying the rent since I got to New York City, as well as working on the janitorial staff for a hospital. During the day I've been acting in musicals that one day, will hopefully get me to Broadway. Artist life is never easy.

As the night ends I clean up, count my tips, thirty six dollars, and clock out. The walk back to the apartment I share with one of the other bartenders is only about twenty minutes and after nine months of living in NYC I'm not nervous walking around at eleven p.m. I unlock the door and see Ari, my roommate, sitting on the couch, watching tv and eating Captain Crunch.

"How was it?" She asks, not looking up from her cereal bowl.

"Only thirty six dollars today," I respond, sitting down on the couch next to her.

"That's lame," she answers. "Do you want anything?"

"What do we have at the moment?" I grin at her.

"Captain Crunch, Lucky Charms, peanut butter and beer," she grins back. "I'm going grocery shopping tomorrow."

"I guessed," I laugh. "Lucky Charms and beer sounds pretty good to me."

She smiles and gets up to grab my food. She's twenty two, really tall, half black half Korean and model pretty. She's booked some gigs but not enough to pay the rent. We met at the bar six months ago when we stared working there within days of each other. We moved in together the next month.

"Here sweet cheeks," she giggles, handing me my cereal bowl and a beer bottle. "Eat up."

"Thanks bae," I laugh. "I'm starving."

"I really don't want to head out. This shift ducking sucks!" She groans. Why do we have to go from seven at night to four in the morning?"

"Because men are constantly horny and drunk," I answer, laughing.

"Right though?" She giggles. "I better get going and you better get to sleep at some point. You still have that audition tomorrow don't you?"

"Yeah," I say through a mouthful of cereal. "Its an actual Broadway thing and Harley says he has an in with the director so I might actually get a part."

"Go you," she pats my head. "I'm gonna head out. Go to sleep. You need to rest those pipes of yours."

"Alright gorgeous," I wave. "Don't get groped!"

"I'll try not to," she waves back and walks out the door.

I finish my cereal and take my beer and my script into the bathroom. Our apartment is fairly large so we have a bathtub as well as a shower. I begin running the water as I undress, brush out my hair then climb into the bathtub, script in one hand and beer in the other.

It's a musical adaption of Wretched and Divine: the Story of the Wild Ones by Black Veil Brides. Yes. I know. I've honestly been avoiding the band all together for about a year and a half. My friend Harley was asked to co-direct this musical for Broadway which is amazing for him and he's going to try to pull some strings to get me a line or two on Broadway. This could completely launch my career.

The audition I'm going to requires that I have part of a scene memorized to test with the casting director. I'm working on an interrogation scene between the heroin, Lira, and the hero, Jax, after she turns out to be Fear, the villain's, daughter. I've got the lines down but the intention is what I'm missing. I'm really into the script. Its so well written and, of corse, the music is great.