White Trash Circus... (Jalen, Open)

[Leon Belenos]

November 13. Leon had been planning this day for a while already considering he was finally 18 as of a quarter of an hour ago. He already had his fake I.D. and a friend get him a bottle to pregame. He had been feeling a little bit buzzed when he had left his dorm but he had a long way to go yet. He was wearing jeans and a leather jacket over his t shirt. He started walking in the direction of down town. He was supposed to meet Jalen at the bus stop there and from there they would be hitting up some of the various clubs. That was the plan anyways.

He reached into his pocket and pulled out his cigarettes, lighting one up and inhaling. If anyone were to search his person today they would find a hip flask that was full, his cigarettes, his wallet, and a whole lot of attitude. He sucked on the cigarette as he made his way towards the bus stop. He threw the butt to the ground and immediately reached for his flask, taking a swig and replacing the cap. He could hold his liquor well, and this would prove to be a night worth remembering, especially if it was anything like the last few times he had gone drinking.

The bus stop was coming into view and his breath was very visible in the night air. Leon took another drink and kept walking until a tuft of blond hair became visible. He walked up to the woman and grabbed her shoulder with a big smile on his face. That was until she turned around to face him and he realized very quickly that he wasn't grabbing Jalen. Muttering a quick apology he kept walking and waited about five minutes before heading back to the bus stop.

There she was, this time he could see her face as he approached. "Hey Jalen! I'm here and a little buzzed! I hope you're ready to eff ess yoo!" He called, laughing loudly as he got closer. It could have been a lot more of an expensive night if he hadn't gotten started early. Hopefully his company would be able to hold their liquor as well as he could.

[Jalen August]

Jalen was excited about tonight. The girl was waiting at the bus stop for her, friend, well, for Leon, dressed in a nice outfit for going out. She knew what the plan was, hell, she had helped him decide on it. She had been the one to buy him the bottle of alcohol he used to pregame with and she was the one to convince him that they had enough to worry about, and that they needed to relax. She spotted him before he spotted what he thought was her, and she laughed to herself at the look of horror on the wrong-blonde's face.

Smiling broadly upon seeing him, Jalen quickly drew him into a hug, "Hey Leon, I see you dipped into your birthday gift before coming out," she laughed again, linking an arm through his to help him keep his balance. Later, when he got back to his dorm, he would find the second part of his gift - a handwritten story about a young girl who gets married to the wrong young man, a piece of fiction she thought he would enjoy, just not in the state he was in currently. No, she was saving that for later, when he was in his right mind.

The girl could hold her liquor extremely well, but if they were going to get into a nightclub, one of them should at least pretend to be mature. They were going to have fun, and they both looked old enough to pass for twenty one. "F S U?" She asked him as they boarded the buss, taking the first two empty seats they could find, Jay sitting closest to the window. An older woman was staring at them, and the blonde couldn't help but wonder why.

"You invite anyone else to this party?" She asked Leon, leaning close to him so he would be able to hear her. Jalen intended on drinking tonight, but she hadn't started yet. No, she had a small wad of cash in her coat pocket to keep her busy tonight. And, she was buying Leon some shots. Tonight was going to be awesome, and they were damn well going to have an awesome time.

[Leon Belenos]

Leon smiled widely. "Of course I dipped into it... otherwise we'd have spent waaaaaaay to much money on booze tonight." He said as he laughed boisterously. She had in fact given him his birthday gift, and thankfully it had been a good friend of his named Jack. For now he was just planning on having a good time and getting good and liquored up with Jalen. "I see you haven't dipped into anything yet... I hope you're a cheap drunk." He nudged her playfully as he slowly let go of her and took her arm.

"F*ck shit up!" Leon said a little louder than he had initially planned, earning him and Jalen a dirty look from the bus driver as they passed by. He leaned over and whispered at the driver. "Don't judge me... it's ma birthday today." He sighed happily as he sat next to Jalen in the first set of seats available. "So which club are we starting with? Cause I know we're going to party this town out tonight." He asked quietly, being careful not to piss off the already agitated looking old lady. It was bad enough being looked at like that, but to give her a reason would have been even worse.

Leon stared straight ahead, a small grin on his face before he turned to face Jalen again. "I didn't exactly invite anyone in particular but.... there are a few people who know where to find me." He said with a smile. He hadn't really intended on spending the whole night with anyone other than Jalen but if he ran into somebody he knew he may entertain them for a few minutes before resuming the party with Jalen. "Truth be told I only wanna be intoxicated by you." He said with a laugh. "Sorry... with! Not by!" He quickly corrected himself. It seemed the liquor was starting to hit, not that him sneaking sips along the bus ride had anything to do with it.

Finally the bus rolled to a stop that looked promising. Just down the street Leon could see some glowing neon signs. He took Jalen's hand and stood, walking towards the front of the bus. "You ready to blow this popsicle stand?" He asked as he practically dragged her off of the bus. As they got on the sidewalk he turned to look at her. "I filled my flask you want some to get started early? And also thank you for making this the official best birthday since I started at Hammel." He said, the alcohol slurring his words a little bit, but it wouldn't take much for him to snap back into sobriety.

[Jalen August]

“I ain’t cheap in any way, shape, or form,” she said with a good natured smiled, leaning her head on the boy’s shoulder as they sat on the bus. She was a tank when it came to alcohol. Jalen patted herself and leaned into the boy’s ear, “Don’t worry, I brought enough moolah for my needs and yours, it is your birthday after all.” The blonde sat back in her seat and was proud to call Leon her friend, despite his drunken antics on the bus.

Jalen laughed as she was dragged off the bus, “Sure you’re not intoxicated by me?” She asked loudly as the bus pulled away from the dynamic duo. She shook her head no to the offer of booze, lacing her arm through his once more. “You can’t say it’s the best birthday until it’s over, so you’ll have to get back to me on that.” She said, getting her ID ready as the slipped through the doors of the first club in sight. There were only a couple to hit anyways, so they could be done with that endeavour sooner than anticipated.

After their ID’s were handled and they were let in, Jalen headed straight to the bar with Leon in tow and ordered eight Brain Tumor shots. The blonde held two up and gave them to the brunette, before picking up the other two and clinking all four of them together. “To Leon! Because it’s his god damn birthday!” She said, followed by a little shout before downing one shot after the other. She didn’t forget about the other two though, and downed those too before letting out a happy sigh. Honestly, she could feel herself loosening up a little, but she wasn’t even buzzed yet.

“You a good dancer?” She asked, nodding towards the floor of writhing people. Jalen was strongly hinting that she wanted to dance with him, and hopefully Leon would understand and go have fun with her. “I bet you don’t have the moves like Jagger,” she challenged as an incentive, dancing in front of her friend just a bit to show offhim her moves.

[Cole Kessler]

(OOC: Cole's sacrifice happened on the 5th. He was released on the 6th. So he WILL be working tonight. Just not able to play guitar or dance around on stage, sadly.)

Cole had been in pain for the last few days. His handiwork in saving Rayne's life was enough to hospitalize him, but not for long. One night in the hospital and he was released. Rayne had been taking care of him since, but he hated just sitting around doing nothing all the time. Despite his ribs still being injured, and the hideous gash across his face, Cole needed to go out. What better way to do that than go to work so everyone could see he was alright? Cole couldn't play guitar or dance around, but he could still sing.

As he walked through the door, he was greeted by his favorite bouncer and bartender. Anderson missed him, but the mountain of a man would never admit it in public. Jenny had been severely worried about him and called his parents to check on him immediately when she'd heard the news.. Hell, even Johnny, the owner, had come to see him at home. He knew he was loved by his co-workers, but he didn't expect all the worry and compassion he got from them. "Anderson, clear me a path. Jenny, let Johnny know I'm here, please."

Anderson's bulky frame was enough to make anyone move out of their way and Jenny scurried off to the office to tell Johnny. When he heard, he nearly fainted. He hadn't expected Cole to be out and about yet. He walked out of the office and to the stage. Giving Cole a small hug, he stepped up onto the stage. He motioned that the band stop playing and took the microphone in hand, "Ladies and Gents, welcome back our favorite entertainer: Cole Kessler!" He screamed, dragging out Cole's last name as if he were a ring announcer for a boxing match.

With the help of his crutches Cole stepped, well hopped actually, up the smalle two steps and onto the stage. Johnny walked backstage and got a barstool for him to sit on. Cole shifted around a few times before finally getting comfortable and took the mic in hand. The crowd began chanting his name and it nearly brought tears to his eyes. "Well, thanks guys. I missed y'all too." He laughed, "After what happened to me, you'd figure I'd start off soft tonight to see if I could handle it right?" Cole asked and the crowd reponded, agreeing that he shoudl start slow, "Fuck that. I rock, this ain't nothin'! Boys! Dial 'em up!"

And with that the music started and the crowd started clapping to the beat. Cole was not starting off slow, he was going all-out. It's in his blood. It's what he does. He's a Kessler after-all:

Like big love, black love, white love, your love
Here we go
Sit back, hold up, open up, just enjoy the show
Like ice cream, whip cream, nasty dreams
Do you know? Can you feel what I mean?

Say Hey eh eh eh eh eh eh eh eh
Oh oh oh oh
Say Hey eh eh eh eh eh eh eh eh

[Chorus:]
It feels so good
And you knew that it would
When we're bringing on the boom boom
And you're so sweet from your head to your feet
When I'm giving you the boom boom
Yeah don't wake up in the morning
In somebody else's room room
Blame it on the boom boom

Now see I would ask you where you like it
Instead I'll tell you where you're
gonna get it, see
In the bedroom, the bathroom, the classroom,
the last room on the left
In my fantasy, you're next to me
I'm giving you my everything, my very best
Like back beats, back seats, summer heat

C'mon I wanna hear everybody say
Hey eh eh eh eh eh eh eh eh
Yeah! Yeah!
Hey eh eh eh eh eh eh eh eh

[Chorus:]
It feels so good
And you knew that it would
When we're bringing on the boom boom
And you're so sweet from your head to your feet
When I'm giving you the boom boom
Yeah don't wake up in the morning
In somebody else's room room
Blame it on the boom boom

Hey eh eh

Do you like big? Yeah
Black? Yeah
White? Yeah
Sho nuff here we go

Hey eh eh eh eh eh eh eh eh
Hey eh eh eh eh eh eh eh eh
Oh!

[Chorus:]
It feels so good
And you knew that it would
When we're bringing on the boom boom
And you're so sweet from your head to your feet
When I'm giving you the boom boom

[Chorus:]
It feels so good
And you knew that it would
When we're bringing on the boom boom
And you're so sweet from your head to your feet
When I'm giving you the boom boom
Yeah don't wake up in the morning
In somebody else's room room
Blame it on the boom boom

Yeah yeah yeah
Huh

Now we've all been thinking
there's just one thing left to say
Blame it on the boom boom!

(OOC: Lyrics are from "Blame It On the Boom-Boom" by Black Stone Cherry off their new album "The Devil & The Deep Blue Sea")

[Rayne DiSalvo]

Rayne had been working the past few days like crazy. Work was hectic and she was exhausted beyond belief. Luckily, she'd been able to relax at Cole's place for a few nights. After his near-death experience that was mostly her fault, she'd been obligated to help. Not to mention, she enjoyed spending time with him. She had actually started falling for him, crazy as it seemed. He barely knew her, but he seemed to like her too, which was always a good sign.

After a long day at work, Rayne was off to the club to see him perform. That boy just couldn't stay still. Not even a broken leg and ribs could keep him down. She was hoping that he wouldn't go too crazy tonight and end up falling off the stage, but she didn't think it would happen. It was highly unlikely, right?

She had gone home to change into something cute. She wasn't going to show up in her work clothes. No way would that ever happen. So when she got home, she searched her closet and found something. It wasn't dressy, it was completely casual and it looked good on her. She had her hair pulled back still, the way she'd done it for work and it fit together nicely. Her hopes were that he'd like it too.

Rayne found her way to the club and stepped in. She noticed someone onstage and heard the man announce Cole's name. She smiled brightly and made her way towards the stage to get a better look. She was here to see him. She hadn't experienced him singing yet and she was really interested to see how well he did.

His first few words were sweet and she looked around at the crowd seeing people's reactions. They all seemed to really love him. His next words made her roll her eyes and she laughed softly. That was Cole for ya, reckless as always. Then the music started and everyone started raving. She made her way towards the bar and ordered a Coke. He was good, there was no denying that.

[Leon Belenos]

"Trust me, it's going to beat anything I've celebrated this far." He exclaimed as she made a bee line for the first open club that came into sight. Leon walked right in with Jalen; pausing only long enough to pass the bouncer his ID. He had the feeling that despite his high tolerance he would be feeling it by the end of the night, and it certainly hadn't helped that he had finished half of his birthday bottle already. He followed Jalen to the bar and wasn't surprised at all when she ordered eight shots. He accepted the two she passed to him and clinked the small cups with her.

Leon didn't hesitate to down the two shots immediately, feeling the liquid quickly warming his chest again. He looked at Jalen with a wicked grin in his eyes. The liquor was already doing the trick as he took the last two remaining shots and drank them as well. "Damn right it's my birthday!" He practically yelled back, getting more and more excited; especially when she tried to get him to dance. "Babe, I've got more moves than Jagger!" He exclaimed as he rotated his hips and danced a little right in front of the bar. It took him about three seconds after that to grab Jalen's hand and haul off to the packed dance floor.

He really was enjoying himself; dancing with Jalen, and well generally just not caring about anything but having fun until the music suddenly stopped. Leon Looked over at Jalen with an astonished look as he stopped dancing to wait and see what was going on. He heard the announcement that their favorite entertainer was back but needless to say he was less than impressed at the first look. "What the hell kind of club is this? They have to hire a gimp to sing?" He yelled over at Jalen so she could hear him over the insane crowd. It must have been true that alcohol was liquid courage at least in Leon's case.

Smirking as he slowly pulled Jalen closer to the stage with him as the guy sang Leon turned around and called to her. "We're gonna be the next damn act and this crowd is going to eat us the hell up! I guarantee we can beat gimpy up there!" He had arrived at the stage now and was just waiting for the song to finish up so that he could climb on up and take the microphone. If everyone was compliant he might not even have to use force to take the microphone, it was his damn birthday after all. After a few minutes the song came to an end and Leon jumped up and pulled himself onto the stage, walking right up to the guy on the stool.

"It's my birthday and I'm gonna sing here either way, so either join up with me or get the hell off the stage!" He called to the singer. He turned around and leaned down to try and pull Jalen up on stage with him. This was going to be quite the show, especially if he had to fight for control of the microphone. Either way it was bound to be a great way to really kick off the night for his birthday party. The booze was starting to effect him a little but right now he still had a fair amount of self control. Give him a few more minutes and a few more shots and that might change.

[Jalen August]

Laughing over Leon’s dance moves, Jalen was glad he wanted to dance with her as they made their way to the dance floor. They were having a good time, when the music suddenly stopped. Jalen didn’t move very far from the birthday boy as the announcement was made.

Jalen looked at the stage as the crowd began going wild, and a familiar voice began singing. The blonde had visited Cole while he was at the hospital, and made it pretty clear he was interested in yet another girl, and it wasn’t her. She wanted to say she had given up on dating Cole at all, but her big heart couldn’t let things go easily. He still looked pretty beaten up, and she glanced back at Leon, hoping to dance with him again, one because she liked him, and two she wanted to forget about the guy on stage. She came to have a good time, and Cole was unknowingly ruining that.

And to add insult to injury, the brunette that had been at the hospital was here tonight too, just as ga ga eyed over the boy on stage as everyone else. But then Leon made a snide comment that made Jalen break out into a fit of giggles. It was only so funny because it was lightening up the mood, and she was determined to not let the guy on stage undermine the purpose of their being here. She wanted to mention that the ‘gimp’ on stage was Cole, the very person she thought Leon would get along with, but now didn’t seem to be the time. That, and she was still laughing.

Reckless behaviour ensued very quickly, and Jalen climbed on stage with Leon once Cole was done singing. The band had reacted almost immediately by standing up, but as soon as they saw Jalen, they seemed to simmer down. Hell, they even seemed a little bit amused at the drunken, long haired brunette. “You heard the man!” Jalen concurred, taking the microphone out of Cole’s hands. “Glad to see you’re out of the hospital, Kessler,” she said with a hint of venom. Jalen wasn’t drunk yet, but whatever mood she happened to be in usually manifested itself with the aid of alcohol. Cole could have told her. “Your girlfriend’s over there,” she pointed in the girl’s general direction, before turning her back on Cole.

“I think a nice round of Happy Birthday from the crowd would be awesome!” Jalen said loudly, raising a rock fist as the crowd cheered. Anything goes when the crowd is drunk. “One, two,” the blonde glanced at Leon with a smile and a wink, she was doing this for him, “three! Happy Birthday to you. Happy...” The crowd eventually drowned her out, and she started laughing again. If they were going to get kicked out, they would be kicked out in style. “Happy birthday dear Leon”, his name was sung only by her, “happy birthday to you!” Another roar from the crowd and applause, Jalen taking Leon’s hand and raising it triumphantly.

“Thank you! We’ll be here all night!” She said, before handing the mic back to Cole without looking at him, and stepped off the stage. Another round of drinks was in order.

[Cole Kessler]

Cole was a little surprised when Jalen hopped up onto the stage. Even more so when she took the microphone from him. It was nice to see her out and about. He hadn't seen her since that night at the hospital. "Well, Jay, you know me. I can't stay in a hospital bed forever...." Cole said with a laugh. He couldn't forget the night they'd met. It happened to be next door, in Johnny's other club that he'd helped keep her from going home with a sadistic gigolo. Then she'd repaid him by knocking his ex-girlfriend, Lerna, unconscious.

"I know she is. She had to drive me here." Cole said after she pointed out Rayne. As she sang happy birthday to her date, or at least Cole assumed the guy was, he smiled. He looked at the guy and couldn't help but see an old friend. Sam, wherever you are, bro, I hope you're doing okay. Cole mouthed the words, allowing no one to hear him. In truth, he missed his best friend more than anything. No one else in the Pilot Ridge area knew that, not even his parents. He brushed the thoughts of Sam away before he began to tear up...That was the last thing he needed.

Cole took the microphone before watching a close friend hop off stage. He thought on another song and soon had one in mind. It was a good song for his life and hell, some others he knew as well. He looked around the bar at everyone still shouting and having a good time. "HOLD IT, JAY!" Cole said, feigning hostility before smiling, "I can't do this next song without a singing partner. You think your friend there would mind? Leon was it?" Cole tossed a spare microphone to him, "Git your ass back up here, birthday dude. Your gonna sing this with me."

Early in the morning, risin' to the street
Light me up that cigarette and I strap shoes on my feet
Got to find a reason, a reason things went wrong
Got to find a reason why my money's all gone
I got a dalmation, but I do not get high
I can play the guitar like a mother fucking riot

Well, life is (too short), so love the one you got
'Cause you might get runover or you might get shot
Never start no static I just get it off my chest
Never had to battle with no bulletproof vest
Take a small example, take a tip from me
Take all of your money, give it all to charity
Love is what I got
It's within my reach
And the Sublime style's still straight from Long Beach
It all comes back to you, you'll finally get what you deserve
Try and test that you're bound to get served
Love's what I got
Don't start a riot
You'll feel it when the dance gets hot

Lovin', is what I got, I said remember that
Lovin', is what I got, I said remember that
Lovin', is what I got, I said remember that
Lovin', is what I got

(That's) why I don't cry when my dog runs away
I don't get angry at the bills I have to pay
I don't get angry when my Mom smokes pot
Hits the bottle and goes right to the rock
Fuckin' and fightin', it's all the same
Livin' with Louie dog's the only way to stay sane
Let the lovin', let the lovin' come back to me

Lovin', is what I got, I said remember that
Lovin', is what I got, I said remember that
Lovin', is what I got, I said remember that
Lovin', is what I got, I got I got I got

(OOC: Kinda jumped ahead of Leon's reply, sorry. Wanted to go ahead and post the song.)

[Rayne DiSalvo]

Rayne felt out of place. As soon as she saw Jalen, she felt incredibly out of place. She'd barely known Cole and yet here she was invading unknown grounds. She didn't know much about him, he sure as hell didn't know anything about her. The blond however seemed to know him very well and she got the sense that Jalen wasn't a fan of her. She wouldn't go as far as saying the girl didn't like her, more that the girl didn't like that Cole liked her.

She sipped at her Coke thinking about how crazy everything had been recently. She'd figured growing up in a place like Pilot Ridge, the most out of the ordinary thing you'd see was a guy with wings. That was about it. Now that she'd met Cole, her life seemed to get a bit more exciting and things were changing. Hell she was changing.

Rayne smiled when the drunk boy that seemed to know Jalen went up on stage, and Jalen followed. She noticed a bit of an exchange of words between her and Cole and she saw her point in the general area that Rayne was in. They started singing and she relaxed slightly, still unsure as to why she'd pointed at Rayne at all. She laughed when he sang and clapped for him. He was close if not already wasted and it was pretty entertaining.

She leaned back on her elbows against the bar and watched as Cole set up for another song. Still, she had a lot on her mind and she was getting a little uncomfortable. She stuck it out through the song and ordered another Coke to keep her mind off of everything else. No use in over thinking things. That was what made relationships so damn difficult.

[Leon Belenos]

Leon grinned broadly and caught the mic with one hand, stopping only long enough to rip his shirt off before jumping back onstage. A broad smile was upon his face as he prowled across the stage, making a big show of it for the crowd. Hell it may have been his birthday, but he had to b sure that everyone was pleased. As the music started he frowned. What was going on? You can't have a rock show without distortion, at least that's how he saw it. He knew that the moves he had wouldn't make sense with it but he through them out there anyway.

Dashing back and forth across the stage, sliding and headbanging Leon practically screamed into the mic. "Let's hear you guys make some noise damn it!" He leaned back as he called out to the crowd. They seemed to at least be entertained by him if nothing else. But as soon as he called out to them they started calling back and chanting his name. As the song wrapped up he jumped off the stage and walked through the crowd singing as he made his way to Jalen. "Okay everyone! This is my birthday so I've got more clubs to sing at with my best fucking friend ever! See you again soon!" He wrapped his arm around Jalen and started walking towards the door, hopefully she had grabbed his shirt.

Leon had every intention of leaving and moving onto the next location; that was until he saw what he though was a pretty face by the bar. Leaning over to speak into Jalen's ear he said "I'm gonna' see if I can pick her up! You wanna' play wingman tonight?" He asked; his words slurring slightly. A huge grin was plastered to his face as he was already sauntering over to the girl leaning against the bar.

He hadn't met her before but Leon had liquid courage in his system right now. Walking up to Rayne he extended his hand. "Name's Leon, my moves don't fit in here but well I think you're pretty damn good looking, and it's my birthday so you need to have a drink with me." He leaned on the bar, and looked straight at her, waiting for any kind of response. If she slapped him he probably wouldn't even feel it right now, and if she said no it was no loss.

This night was turning out to be a great way to spend his birthday, and if all went well he would be able to sleep it off completely. For now he had about a dozen different destinations to go to and a great friend to go to them with, even if they were both completely inebriated by the end of it.