Just Another Day (OPEN)

[Cole Kessler]

Getup:
Hat
Shirt
Jeans
Shoes
Belt


Cole's insides were a storm of emotion once again. He had messed up his relationship with Tae before and now Anna. Frankly, he was getting tired of all the lies he was starting to hear as well. Apparently, Lerna had gotten into Anna's mind and duped her into dumping him and blaming it all on him. Why did he keep letting stupid little things get to him? He needed a distraction.

The distraction he needed came in the form of a phone call from his boss. When he was asked to work, he didn't hesitate to say yes. He'd gotten dressed and headed to the club. His jeans looked like they'd been through hell, but the rest of his clothes looked fine. His car roared down the highway as he kept the pedal to the floor, finally slowing down as he entered Pilot Ridge. It didn't take long before he was in the parking lot and getting out of his car.

As he shut the door behind him, he reached back into the backseat and grabbed his guitar. After that he headed inside, cigarette in his lips. When he walked in, the smell of sweat and alcohol floated into his nostrils. A welcome scent in Cole's mind at this point. The club was warm, the heat from the many bodies dancing wildly fueling it's heat as the air outside cooled when the sun went down.

He was immediately seen and greeted by multiple patrons. Most of them saying they'd missed him while he'd been off work for the last week. He wasted no time in getting up on stage and doing what he did best, "I know y'all missed me, and thank you for the warm welcome." He said to the crowd of people, "I missed all of y'all, too. Whattya say we get to some music playin' and some romancin'? Afterall, now that I'm single again, maybe someone out there feels lucky tonight?"

His flirting didn't go unanswered as numerous girls began hollering and screaming in hope that one of them could end up with Cole at the end of the night. Unlikely, but Cole always had to play to the crowd. It was his stage presence that gave him his power, "I'm not sure if any of y'all have heard music from this band, but I love them. Any one here ever heard of South 40 Band? It's a little band from my hometown and one I'm so glad to see has made some great leaps of success. I'm gonna perform a song in tribute to them tonight." Cole finished explaining the songs he was going to play and began to pick a few chords of his guitar:

Payin' bills...
Payin' dues...
Just keeps me runnin' in these worn out shoes.
I don't know how much I have to give.

I bide my time just to get away
But I just keep clockin' in every day
After makin' a livin' what can I do?

(CHORUS)
Well, this nine-to-five keeps me alive
but it's killin' my reputation
All the late night scenes and honkey-tonk dreams
Seems like they just ain't worth replacin'
For a small paycheck that the IRS gets
To pay for my rise to be....
In a place they call: The Land of the Free
(END CHORUS)

I get up at first mornin' light
That's when I used to go to bed at night
What ever happened to those days?
My body's broke and my spirit's too
And I can't do the things I used to do
Lord don't let me die here in this place

(CHORUS)

{Guitar Solo}

(CHORUS)

In a place they call: The Land of the Free
In a place they call: The Land of the Free

[Miranda Suery]

The club: why was she here again? Miranda sighed as one of the bar keepers showed her around. Her new boss had called her in, wondering if she would like to get a head start on the ropes around her new job. It wasn't like she had midterms or anything to worry about, but Mira knew that you don't turn down a boss when he's asking you to work. She followed a scantily clad girl around the club, handing out drinks to customers as they eyed her up and down. "What's going on?" One of them asked Miranda, to which she simply gave a small smile.

Stupid drunk...

The only reason she was here was because she needed the money. She needed the money because she was tired of living with her parents. They were wonderful to her, but after being on her own for a year previously, it was like an insult to her pride to move back. Not that she would ever tell them that, she simply said she wanted a little extra play money and that's why she had been looking for a job somewhere in Pilot Ridge.

After about an hour of walking around and learning how to cope with difficult customers, the blonde serving drinks told Mira that she could go home. "There's nothing else I can really teach you here sweety, the rest you'll have to figure out on your own as you go," a sickeningly sweet smile on her face. Again, Miranda smiled out of necessity. And that's when the club erupted a little bit more.

Her shiny grey eyes looked at the stage as a boy came on stage. He was greeting the crowd, and apparently doing it well as a screaming fan clutched Miranda's arm and began to jump around. "Oh my God! I love that guy!" The girl was yelling over a few of the others that were screaming. Mira actually laughed, finding it strange that in a small place like this, people could have groupies.

Miranda simply stared at the band, watching them. She wasn't screaming, but she was still smiling. Unlike most of the crowd, she was actually listening to the words of the song and even though it was a nice tribute, the fact that the lead singer was talking about a nine to five job, and singing about it at a night club, well...

The song finished and a gaggle of girls swarmed the stage, trying to touch the lead singer. "Seriously?" Miranda asked herself, sure that no one would hear her over the screaming fans. "It's not like it's an ACDC concert."

[Cole Kessler]

Cole smiled as he looked out over the crowd. Girls swarmned the stage leaving their boyfriends behind. In a way it was the bopys way of helping his female co-workers who were serving drinks. It made it easier for them to bait the young men in the club and end up with a big tip. Cole provided a distraction for the female patrons and the male patrons loosened up and would flirt back with the waitresses.

He could see his favorite scantily clad barkeep in the back speaking with a new girl. This one was even new to him, and not many were new to Cole anymore. As he saw them part ways, he addressed her, "Jenny! Who's that you were talkin' to, sweetheart?" Cole aked her over the mic

"That's the new girl, Kessler." Jenny sounded annoyed. Apparently a customer had gotten impatient with her.

"You sound pissed. What happened?"

"Customers like them....," she said pointing to a group of three men at the end of the bar, "piss me off."

They looked about their mid-twenties, Cole guessed. "Say the words, Jenny."

"Oscar. Uniform. Tango." She said, using the military phonetic alphabet words that she and Cole had agreed on. It was no secret as to what the words meant, at least not to the club's staff and employees.

"As you wish, sweetheart." Cole said as he looked toward the front door. "Anderson!" Cole yelled as a large, bald, white man stepped forward, "You heard the lady. Get 'em outta here. Now." Cole commanded. Anderson was happy to oblige. Once the bouncer had escorted the three men out, Cole looked back to Jenny, "Now, Jenny, what's the Noob's name?"

"Cole, I thought you'd never ask." Jenny said feigning surprise, "Her name is Miranda. She our new waitress slash Barkeep."

"So, she's taking your job?" Cole asked sarcastically, "Just kiddin' sweetheart." Cole locked eyes with the girl they were speaking of as the cheers of those swarming the front of the stage got louder. "Miranda? I'm Cole, welcome to the team." He said as he reached back for a drink of water. "Now, in our little family here, I've started a kind of tradition since I started. Every new hire must pick the next song of the night. If the crowd enjoys it, you get rewarded. If not, you get nothing and you just go back to work." He explained, "So, the way we determine that is our cheer-o-meter back there on the wall. The record? My first night here. Your reward for breaking that record? Half of my tips for the night." Cole told her with a smile, "So whattya say, Miranda? Wanna make a little extra money?"

[Miranda Suery]

Jenny got what she wanted, that much was clear from what the boy onstage was saying. They were probably an item, possessive boyfriend and what not. The brunette looked over her uniform unconsciously, her jeans and t-shirt hugged her curves but they were by no means skimpy. Miranda wasn’t enjoying being called out over the mic, as everyone was now looking at her expectantly. New girl, picking a song. The eyes on her were fierce, some more friendly than others, wanting her to pick a good song, others were mean, wanting nothing more than for her than to pick a flop and get booed.

She didn’t really want to get picked on, but she would play along. Might as well get used to it if she was going to work here. The stakes were interesting, and well, she was here to make money, and if she could pick something decent then she would reap the benefits without having to be a total skank like her trainer. She smiled at this Cole, the ‘deer in the headlights’ look finally fading away. She wanted to see if they could live up to her train of thought. “How about ‘You Shook Me All Night Long’?” She asked, a half smirk on her face as the crowd around her cheered, a couple people giving her side hugs or patting her on the back. She was going to need a hot, long shower after this.

[Cole Kessler]

Cole smiled as she made her choice. The crowd roared in approval as well. This girl knew how to pick a song. Not only had she chosen one of Cole's favorites, but she might as well have read his mind. Cole always loved singing at least one AC/DC song every night he worked. "Sounds like we got a winner, folks. Let's wait until after the song to make our final decision." Cole said....

He turned and said something to the rest of the band and then faced the crowd like before. The girls swarming the stage came alive as he struck the opening notes of the song.

She was a fast machine
She kept her motor clean
She was the best damn woman I had ever seen

She had the sightless eyes
Telling me no lies
Knockin' me out with those American thighs
Taking more than her share
Had me fighting for air
She told me to come but I was already there
'Cause the walls start shaking
The earth was quaking
My mind was aching
And we were making it and you -

CHORUS:

Shook me all night long
Yeah you shook me all night long

Working double time
On the seduction line
She was one of a kind, she's just mine all mine
She wanted no applause
Just another course
Made a meal out of me and came back for more
Had to cool me down
To take another round
Now I'm back in the ring to take another swing
'Cause the walls were shaking
The earth was quaking
My mind was aching
And we were making it and you -

(CHORUS)

And knocked me out and then you
Shook me all night long
You had me shakin' and you
Shook me all night long
Yeah you shook me
Well you took me
You really took me and you
Shook me all night long

Ooooh you
Shook me all night long
Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, you
Shook me all night long
Your really took me and you
Yeah you shook me, yeah you shook me
All night long

As Cole hit the last notes, he could tell she'd won the crowd over. They were ripe for another performance, but Cole addressed them quickly, "Alright ladies and gentlemen, I'm going to take a short break and will be back soon." And with that he ducked off the stage. A gaggle of drunk girls ambushed him, hoping for the chance just to touch his arm. Cole walked through them rather easily, however, as the pathway was distinguished by velvet ropes.

He made his way over toward Miranda. As he approached her so did the lovestruck group of females. Yet, more were coming at him from behind her. He reached out and gently took hold of her arm, pulling her from the stampede and out into the employees area of the parking lot. "Well, Miss winner, are you alright?"

[Miranda Suery]

In reality if Miranda hadn’t been thinking about AC/DC when put on the spot, she probably would have frozen up, losing right then and there. But life wasn’t all about winning, sometimes it was about dumb luck. She didn’t think Cole and the band behind him would rise to the occasion, but the song seemed to fit the mood and enhance the already crazed atmosphere.

Her bright eyes watched the back of multiple females’ heads, bobbing and singing along. Cole was no Brian Johnson, but he could sing really well, and he put on a good show and worked with his audience. Miranda laughed good naturedly as the crowd continued to rock out, thoroughly enjoying themselves. She was in the back being bumped around by some rowdy people, but there was nothing a small force field around oneself couldn’t fix.

When the song ended, she clapped with her arms in the air. It was well deserved applause, and Mira was surprised to see Cole leave the stage. The crowd was upset, but they really couldn’t stop him from leaving. “Strange,” she said, her eyes scanning the people in front of her for some sign of their personal superstar. She was surprised to see him coming toward her, and before she could protest, he hauled her outside and away from the stampeding women. Good thing she let her guard down, literally.

Miranda smiled in response, noting he was still holding onto her. She had lost track of how many times she had been jostled around. “Who tips you anyways?” She asked, curious. The brunette had a gentle nature, something that she hadn’t considered when applying for the job here. Out of the corner of her eye she noticed that the girls Cole had momentarily lost were coming after him again. Mira pointed at the onslaught of females that crooked grin of hers on her face. “We’re going to be mauled.”

[Cole Kessler]

"Who tips me?" Cole laughed at her question, "Did you not see the stampede that was coming at me?" Cole smiled as he brought out a pack of cigarettes and lit one for himself. He didn't, however, offer her one. He'd learned that offering them to everybody made his attitude seem a bit more forward than he actually was. Plus, it also struck some people as rude. Why? He wasn't entirely sure. "Those girls tip me. And from what I have heard, they do it so that I'll take my shirt off or something. That's just what the waitresses tell me they hear, anyway."

He looked toward the door as she pointed out the girls coming at him, at them, again. He stepped forward, "No, we won't." Cole said as he took her arm once more. "Anderson! Stall them!" He yelled as he tugged her behind him in the opposite direction, "C'mon, let's go." He chuckled and began jogging toward his car. He opened the door for her and then ran around her and slid across his hood, "Get in!" He exclaimed as he ducked into the driver's seat.

By now the mob of females had worked passed Anderson and the rest of the club staff. He turned the key and the Firebreather came to life. He looked over to see her still standing outside of the car, "Miranda, get in!" He exclaimed again. His hands rested on the shift knob and steering wheel as his foot was already on the floor. The engine roared as he held the brake in to keep the car in place. He was ready to punch it as soon as she got in the car.

[Miranda Suery]

Mira grinned, nodding towards said stampede. “Still coming at you, you mean,” she corrected him, unable to resist doing so, wondering how she felt about being in the presence of a male prostitute. That would makes sense, especially if he was being paid to take his shirt off for money. She grinned at her thoughts – at least she was reaping the benefits tonight without having to strip at all, not that he had.

Not really wanting to run away again, she was wondering if this Cole character was starting to become more trouble than he was worth. His hands were all over her again, and while she didn’t want to be dragged around, she didn’t want to be crush by the mob making their ways towards him, because let’s face it, those girls certainly weren’t interested in her. She got into the car without hesitating and slammed the door shut, locking the door just in the nick of time, a few girls knocking on her window as they drove away. “They’re crazy,” she stated, her eyes wide.

“Is this how you have to leave every night you perform?” She asked, a small grin on her face. It was kind of fun, in that strange foreign way. She wasn’t sure where Cole was going now, maybe another gig or something, but that was fine with her. Her shift was over and she was tired of the noise in the club that was now her workplace. She shot a smile at him, thankful he had saved her from the crazy people known as females.

[Cole Kessler]

Cole stayed silent for a bit, the engine's roar speaking to him. He hit the emergency brake and drifted left as they reached the intersection at the bottom of the mountain. Cole's foot was heavy on the floor of the car. The engine's roar seemed to never subside. As they traveled up into the mountain drive, Cole finally spoke, "No." He said quietly, "I'm not sure what the hell has happened to those girls. They've never rushed me like that."

He looked ahead to see the turn in the road and left off the gas as the car entered it. It was a full one-hundred-and-eighty degree turn and so at first, Cole took it slow. His tires were too slick for a good, controlled drift so his hand never touched the E-brake this time. He looked to the female in the passenger seat, her body snugly fitting to the seat. He jerked his eyes away before she caught on and focused on driving. Finally, after about another mile or so, he spoke again, "I'm sorry I had to drag you around like that tonight. Helluva first day on the job, huh?"

Cole gripped the steering wheel tightly as he turned the radio up a bit more to hear what was playing. He began lip-synching along with the song, keeping it quiet enough that he would hear if she spoke.

[Miranda Suery]

Miranda grinned, wondering if he was just being modest. The brunette wasn’t sure what to say, but his driving made her visibly nervous. She made a mental note of where her cell phone was, just in case Cole turned out to be some kind of perv. You never knew, it was the quiet towns that ended up having the most drama. The boy seemed used to having girls throwing themselves at him, this must’ve been a new experience. She caught the look he had given her, but didn’t comment.

The silence ensued, but Cole wouldn’t have any of it. “I’d rather be dragged around than trampled over,” she said with a small thankful smile, “but yes, it’s been an interesting shift.” Miranda let her eyes settle on the dark road before them, happy that the boy wasn’t speeding around anymore. “Thanks for saving me,” she said, her head clearing as the buss of the nightclub left her mind. It was soothing, and she was happy to know that there would be no headache awaiting her at the end of the night.

“So you’re single again?” She asked, her memory recalling what he had announced at the club tonight. Miranda wasn’t trying to be flirtatious, she was merely looking for something to talk about. She hadn’t seen him around university so she assumed he didn’t attend, so there went that topic out the window. She pushed stray hair out of her angular face, looking at Cole. He seemed about her age, why hadn’t she seen him before?

[Cole Kessler]

Cole smiled as she thanked him, "It was no problem at all, Miranda. I like playing the hero in life." He chuckled and continued driving. They had just passed the highest point of the road and were starting to come back down. Everything seemed to be going fine.

Then she asked him another question, "Yeah..." He answered shortly, quietly, almost in a whisper. "It's a long story. If the drive takes " Then pop! Vibrations riddled into the steering wheel almost instantly after the noise. Cole already knew what was wrong. "Son of a hell!" Cole said angrily as he pulled onto the shoulder of the pavement. He reached down and popped the trunk open and got out to walk back to it. As he lifted the trunk top he swore again, this time under his breath, and slammed it shut again.

He'd forgotten about the fact that he'd had to remove his spare tire to make room so he could help his parents move some stuff into storage. He walked back to the door and sat down, shutting it after. He pulled out his phone and called his father, "Dad? Listen, I've got a flat tire and my spare is at my apartment. Is there anyway your or mom could bring it up here to me?"

"Yeah. You alone or need us to hold off for a bit?" His dad asked, hinting at Cole, and whoever was with him, needing some alone time.

"You know the answer to that. Just get up here as fast as you can, please? About a mile passed the high point."

"Alright. We're finishing dinner and heading that way. give us about thirty, son. Maybe forty-five."

Cole sighed as he hung up the phone. He looked to the girl next to him. Looked like he would be telling her the story after all. "I'm sorry about this, sweetheart." He apologized. He hadn't meant to bring her all the way up here in complete darkness and them get stuck. "Blown tires really suck...."

[Miranda Suery]

She held her smile, making mental notes of the boy in the driver’s seat. He was attractive, he was a good singer, he was co-worker, he has a nice car, and has a bit of a hero complex. So far he was scoring more in the positive than in the negative, but she had only just met the guy. She had to give him some chance, right?

Miranda extended her arms for balance as the car lost its, but luckily Cole seemed to have a grasp on what was going on and how to handle it. She was secretly glad that the boy wasn’t going to indulge her in his personal problems, she was just trying to be nice. The car came to a halt and the boy jumped out, leaving Miranda to sit there and wait. A few moments later and he came back only to call his dad, something in her opinion, he could have done outside.

The brunette looked out the window awkwardly, waiting for the conversation to end. She also decided to add irresponsible to her list about Cole. Mira glanced back at him once his phone was off, a small smile on her face. So much for saving her. “So what do you want to do?” She asked, leaving it up to him. She was impartial, and she was also indecisive. She was thinking they could go for a walk, unless Cole had other things in mind.

So long as he didn’t pour his heart out to her.

[Cole Kessler]

Cole chuckled at her question. She was making it rather obvious that she'd rather not hear his life's story. He grabbed his cigarettes, pulled one for the pack and lit it up in almost one fluid motion. As he sat there taking in deep drags of nicotine and smoke, his mind raced through possibilities to entertain her. He felt a slight bit irresponsibility manifest in his mind. The simple fact that he'd completely spaced on putting the tire back in his trunk annoyed him to no end.

He slouched in his seat, attempting to relax at least a little bit. Perhaps it had been the events of the seven days passed that had caused all of this? He wasn't sure and honestly didn't care. He usually never forgot things about his car and that's what aggravated him the most. He reached for the key and shut off the engine of the car, leaving an almost eerie silence to drown them. The only sounds for a couple of minutes was his inhaling and exhaling of the paper-rolled, filtered stick of tobacco in his hand.

Finally, the silence overwhelmed him. He sat up from his slouched position in the driver's seat and looked to the female sitting next to him, "A walk, perhaps?" He asked thinking for just a second longer, "Yes, I think a walk would do finely. Care to join me?"

[Miranda Suery]

Miranda watched Cole light up a cigarette, the action itself was so natural, she wondered why not everyone else smoked. Another thought entered her mind, and she wondered how many cigarettes the boy had consumed in his lifetime, and then she wondered what the state of his lungs were in, and then she remembered why not a lot of people smoked. She wasn’t going to complain though, she had been around all kinds of substances this evening already, a little cigarette smoke wasn’t going to kill her.

The silence was deafening, and Mira’s eyes grew wide. He wasn’t going to do anything rash, was he? Her stony grey eyes never left Cole’s face, trying to read his mind. She didn’t piss him off or anything, did she? He sat up suddenly and she sat back, her hand automatically reaching for the door. Honestly, she thought she was in the presence of a deranged serial killer. But then she realized he was just trying to think of something to do, and obviously whatever was stressing him out was getting to him. She was jumping to the wrong conclusions.

“Yes, right, a walk,” she said, a small relieved smile on her face. After she exited the car, she looked at him and started laughing a little, something she rarely did. “I’m sorry for acting strangely, I don’t know you very well and I thought you were going to kill me,” she admitted. She had her cell phone with her though, just in case he tried to pull something in the dark on their walk. They had time to kill, and she began to walk up the mountain, her eyes moving like storm clouds through the horizon that was her pupil.

[Cole Kessler]

Cole chuckled as he got out of the car. She thought he was a killer? Not really the kind of impression he was hoping to make. "If I wanted to kill you, or retained the capacity for killing anyone for that matter, I would've done that already." Cole said with a smile. Not that he knew how to kill anyone but it could easily be done with any kind of random object. He'd remembered hearing news reports of someone being bludgeoned to death with a "very thick book" as the reporter put it. He thoguth back a split-second and realized how what he said may not help her impression of him, "Now that sounded way less wrong when I thought it up."

Cole followed her as they began up the mountain. He took a look back down the slope to his car every few feet just to make sure nothing was there. He wasn't sure what they'd run into in the dark woods, but he had grabbed his hunting knife from the back seat before he'd left the car. It was in the dead of night as it were. "Watch where you step, Miranda. Never know what nocturnal preds might be waiting for us." Cole said with a renewed tone of seriousness. He readied himself for whatever decided to jump out at them. Whether it be a baby squirrel, a small coyote, or even a bear, Cole would be ready for it.