I know, I'm starting to get very bad at starting new stories before I finish old ones. But, I had my ipod stolen out of my car (shitty luck that is my everyday life) and I only have about three CD's in my car. If you haven't guess already, Nickelback's All The Right Reason's is one of them. After listening to it for about a week this story popped into my head and I've desided to do a self challenge on myself. I'm going to explore a relationship that Juice develops with a young girl that moves into the apartment across from him. My goal is to write each chapter around a song from the CD.
Also I would love to thank my beta on this story, Just da Girl. She's awesome and writes some very good stories. So you all should check her out as well.
Thanks for reading this and please, let me know what you think by reviewing.
All The Right Reasons
By: AlyKat4Life
Chapter 1 - Someone That You're With
I reside in 209, you're in 208
You moved in last Friday night, and I just couldn't wait
So I tried to call across the hall, to ask you out someday
But a lineup formed outside your door, and I was way too late
It had been a long day at the shop for the young Puerto Rican biker and it showed as he drug his feet when he reluctantly walked the stairs to his second floor apartment door. When he wanted to get away from the club for the night, Juice resided in Lodi; downtown, of course, in one of the older buildings. As he reached his floor though, he found himself slightly irritated when he realized his path was blocked by piles of boxes and furniture scattered around the narrow hallway. "Jesus Christ, really?" He muttered to himself, not really one to care for taking the Lord's name in vein. He toed the closest box in front of him and looked up to try and get a visual of who was at fault. It sounded easier than it was.
There was shit everywhere and he was damn near just about to start climbing the mountain to his door, which was about ten feet to the left, when a head popped up in front of him. The head was about and inch shorter than him and was adorned with long curly chocolate brown hair that was sloppily tied into a ponytail. The face smiled hugely and a hand shot over the cardboard wall separating them in an attempt to shake hands. "Hi there! I'm Constance. Connie for short. Sorry about the mess. I thought I was going to have some help moving my stuff in, but no one showed up and I had to get it off the truck pretty quick so I could get it back before I had the damn late fee."
Juice just nodded lamely and took her hand in his. She was damn cute, but he still couldn't help eyeing his door through the mess over her shoulder. He sighed in defeat and hung his head and started making a path towards her open door to the right, instead of his own. "What do you want in here first… Connie?" Damn him and his damn manners. Damn his grandmother for always nagging him to be chivalrous. If he didn't think the old bat would strike him down where he stood, he'd be headed to his bed right about now and sleeping peacefully, but not tonight. He found himself now helping his hot-ass new neighbor move into her apartment at; he looked down at his wrist watch, 11:38pm.
When he didn't get an immediate response he turned and found the girl standing there, half bent with a box in hand, looking at him with a shocked expression on her face. "Are you serious? You're helping me?"
"Yes. Now what do you want in here first and where? Quickly, before I changed my damn mind."
Connie smiled, stood straight with the box in her hand, and headed towards her mystery helper. "Yes sir."
Well I'd rather start off slow
This whole thing's like some sort of race
Instead of winning what I want
I'm sitting here in second place
He couldn't stop thinking about the girl all week. Actually found himself trying to come up with reasons for not being at the clubhouse. He was sitting in the dimly lit living room that he called home, wondering why on earth he was actually in Lodi, on a Friday night no less. He still hadn't even gotten up the nerve to go over and talk to her again either. The only thing he had done that night was ride home, drink beer on the couch, and think about her. It was getting damn frustrating and now he had the guys asking him what was up to.
Sick of just sitting around like some crazy stalking teenager, Juice got up from the couch and slammed his beer on the coffee table in front of him. "Fuck this shit." He grabbed his cut from the single chair at his little fold up card table/dining room table and slipped it on.
When he opened his door the he stopped in his tracks as man came walking out of the room across the way. He stood there watching as the man turned back to the girl that had been plaguing his thoughts and grabbed her in a tight hug. The girl, Connie, he reminded himself, stood on her tip toes as she wrapped her arms around the unknown man's neck. 'Damn.' Juice thought as he just stood there staring. Connie was wearing a skimpy little number showing off her toned thighs and the length of her legs. The little cut off denim jeans showing the bottom of her round rear end. Shaking his head, Juice slammed his door, a little loader than necessary, and grabbed his helmet before leaving.
Connie looked over at the noise and her smile grew tenfold as she released the man in front of her. "Hi there!" She waved enthusiastically at her neighbor who was quickly making his way from his apartment to the stairs down the hall. The young biker didn't say anything back though, but simply gave her a half hearted wave of the hand as he continued walking. Her face fell and she hung her head a little. Was he made at her? Surely not.
"Who the fuck's that dick?"
"That's the guy I was telling you about. The one that helped me out the other night cause you had to leave."
The man turned his head to where the other man had just left and looked surprised. "That's Mr. Knight in Shining Armor?"
Well I hear your favorite songs you sing along with everyday
And I borrow things that I don't need for conversation sake
Last night I heard your key, it hit your lock at 4 AM
Instead of being out with me you must be out with them
Juice pulled the sofa pillow over his head in an attempt to block out the outrageously loud pounding coming from his front door. After two weeks of staying in Charming he'd finally made his way back to Lodi for reasons unknown. He thought, or at least told himself, that it was because he'd wanted to get away from the nightly drinking that seemed to always happen there. Peeking out from under the pillow though, he caught sight of the damn near empty bottle of Crown Royal. Definitely wasn't the drinking that had him home tonight.
"I know you're in there! Now open up! I need to borrow a hammer." Came the overly load and cheery voice from his door accompanied by more pounding.
Oh, yeah… that's why he'd come back. After trying to talk to a few of the guys about the new girl across the way, with no luck at all, he'd decided he'd actually missed seeing her in glimpses throughout the day and went home.
Letting out a grunt and rolling off the couch and on to the ground, Juice made an attempt to gather himself together before heading to the door to answer it. He searched around for a few seconds in search of some pants to put over his boxers and when he did, he pulled them on, but failed to actually button them. He gave up on finding a shirt, but slipped his cut on. When he opened the front door he squinted when the bright light from the hallway skylight found his overly sensitive eyes. "What the fuck you want Connie?"
Pushing her way in past him, Connie went to his fridge and pulled out a bottle of vitamin water, pulling the cap off and handing it to him. "A hammer. Here. Drink this. It'll make you feel tons better."
Juice accepted the bottle and drank about half in one go. "Thanks." Rubbing the sleep from his eyes, Juice tried to gather his wits about him. His head was starting to pound, a pressure building from the base of his skull and pushing at his temples. He was regretting the bottle of whiskey and twelve pack he had decided to gorge on last night. He sat back down on the couch and leaned back, letting his head roll back as well, grunting. When he felt the area next to him dip down he cracked an eye and looked over at the girl who'd sat beside him.
"So, you came back last night I see, been gone all week." Connie was definitely fishing. She'd never tell him, but she'd been hoping to see him all week and when she had gotten home from work early that morning, she'd been very pleased to see the Dyna in the lot of the complex.
"Yeah, and? You're never home at a decent hour anyways to see. Always getting home damn near dawn." Yeah, so he'd been keeping an eye out when he was in town. So, what? She was with that other guy and he'd pushed her from his head, or a least tried to, and bounced out of town for the whole week.
"It's my job. I'm a bartender at The Pub in down town Manteca. Don't get home till late. You should come down sometime and I'll make you a little something." She said coyly trying her hand at flirting. Wasn't hard for her normally, but in all actuality when she was at the bar she hung with the attendees like she was just another one of the guys. Shit talk and all.
Juice let out a scoffing laugh though and brought his head up. "Yeah, I'm sure you are. Is that what you tell you're boyfriend every day when you're kicking him out the door?"
"My boyfriend?" She asked confused. "Oh, you mean Abe? He's not my boyfriend, he's my brother. Abraham Hildebrand. He's the DJ at the bar and we do the whole car pool thing." She told him laughing at the absurdity of it all.
"Your brother?"
"Yeah."
Juice grinned at this and reached over to her grabbing the back of her neck and pulling her in. His lips met hers as she giggled uncontrollably and his headache seemed to have disappeared.
