Burnouts

The Truth We Like to Ignore

Scene 1: Club Sixx

Leo Rylin

"You made it!" Matt says gleefully as I walk up to him at a table.

"Yeah, well, you pushed this band on me enough this week. Figured I had to check 'em out."

"They're good, I swear. They have the hottest chick drummer."

"And that's why they're good?" I say jokingly.

"Leo!" AJ comes up behind Matt, "where've you been?"

"Around, as always," I say casually.

"I heard you've been hunkered down with little miss deep pockets. Did she let you off your ball and chain tonight or do you have a curfew now?"

I roll my eyes, "considering this is the second time I've seen you in the past 3 days, I'd say I'm getting my time in. But if you're that interested, my girlfriend is doing some weird debutante ball practice or whatever."

"My sister watches that crap on TV every year," AJ shakes his head. "You're being dragged in it?"

"Me?" I furrow my eyebrows.

"She's supposed to go with a guy."

"Aren't those things for like— families to marry off their virgin girls to the highest bidders?" Matt laughs.

"That was back in the 1800s or something, I don't know," I respond. "And what do you mean she goes with a guy?"

AJ shrugs, "there's dancing and stuff, and they have to walk up with each other. Probably so she doesn't trip over her wedding dress."

"She hasn't asked me..."

"Good," Matt nods, "that would fucking suck."

"It's boring to watch. You wouldn't last 5 minutes without wanting to blow your head off."

Yeah, but, who is she going with?

And why didn't she at least let me know...

"The bands coming on!" Matt says excitedly.

"We have to do shots and then jump into the pit," AJ drums his hands against the tabletop.

"Nah, I'm driving," Matt shrugs.

"More for us then," AJ looks over at me. "We're doing 4...no 5...okay 4."

I inhale sharply, "I don't know...I haven't eaten in a while."

"You'll be fine," AJ said casually.

"You're both gonna puke in the pit," Matt shakes his head.

"Sid Vicious style," AJ nodded proudly.

"Fuck it, let's do it," I give in.

"You're really gonna force me to be the responsible one here?" Matt says in disappointment as I walk over to the bar with AJ.

He took his wallet out of the pocket of his jeans to grab cash and his I.D.

He has one of the best fakes I've ever seen.

Most of the information on it is true. He has the same birthday as Slash, so he kept everything and just added 10 years to the date. And, he used his real initials when coming up with a name. Alvin Hutton Jr. became Aiden Hudson Jr. so that calling him AJ wouldn't "incriminate" him.

It was a smart idea that came from being paranoid while high...paranoid to the point where he pulled an all-nighter and didn't shave in the morning so that he would look older in the picture.