The young woman shivers as she blows some heat into her cold hands before she shoves them into her jacket pockets. She looks up at a glowing sign, "Bar, huh? ... Might as well, it's Christmas..." She laughs darkly before heading in. She sits at the bar, pulling her hood off and orders a shot of vodka. The bartender eyes her, "You got any I.D?"

"Yeah, I d-..." She stops when she feels around her pockets for her wallet, "Shit!" She yells. "Come on, Sid! You know me!" "I also know that you aren't of age, Lexy..." The older man smirks as he hands her a can of cola. "Your no fun..." She pouts, opening the can.

"...So, same stuff, different day at your house?" He asks as he cleans out a glass with a rag. "Yep... Bruce's acting like a dick as usual... even though it's a holiday... and of course, the old lady isn't helping out at all... I just don't know what to do..." She sighs, resting her head on her hand.

"Well, you can always come home wif me~!" A drunken idiot says, wrapping an arm around her waist, "I'll treat ya real good!" Lex pushes his face back, "Back off, freak!"

"You little bitch!" He yells, pushing her off of the stool.

She groans as she falls back and he stands over her, getting ready to hit her when another guy grabs the drunk's wrist and pulls him away, punching him against the bar.

The drunk tries to punch at him, but the younger guy ducks and kicks his legs out, pinning the man to the ground, "Now what do you say to the lady?" He snarls. "S-Sorry!" The drunk yells and the man releases him. "...Uhm... Thanks..." Lex says as the man stands up.

"Not a problem..." He says, dusting himself off, "No guy should hit a girl who can't defend herself like that..."

The hopeful look on her face vanishes and is replaced by a look of annoyance, "And I could have handled it myself..." He glares a little, "Oh yeah, I could totally see that you had him when your ass fell on the floor!"

"I was gonna kick him in the groin before you so rudely interrupted!" She yells.

"Oh wow, that was the best plan ever! Please excuse me if I don't clap for ya! Geeze, what is it with women these days that don't appreciate it when someone saves them?" He yells back while Sid watches, sipping on a soda.

They go back and forth for a while until she sighs, "Look, I have to get going now... It's late..."

"Hm? For what? A date?" He snickers. "No... It's really none of your business..." She snaps and he backs off, "Alright, alright. Damn your fierce..."

She pulls her jacket on and starts walking towards the door and she stops, turning around, "It was fun meeting you..." "You as well, miss...?" He says, grinning a little. "Alexandria... Alexandria or Lex for short," She says, "And you are?"

"Jonathan... Jono for short," He smiles, "I hope we can meet again..."

"Yeah, me too." She says as she leaves.

Jonothan stares at the door for a while before turning to see Sid grinning at him, "... What?" He says. "You like her." Sid smiles. "Do not... She's a bitch..." Jono says. "She's the only one to not swoon into your arms as you rescued them." Sid smiles. "...Shut up and get me a drink..." Jonothan frowns. Sid chuckles a little, "I think you'll run into her soon enough..." "I... Don't care..." Jonothan says, taking his drink. He grins a little, "Lex, huh?"

"Oh... Em... Gee... you went to that bar again?" one of Lex's girlfriends squeals as they eat lunch. "Do you know how much trouble you'd be in if your dad caught you there?" The other one yells. Lex frowns and looks at them both, "He's not my father... and who cares? I couldn't stand his drunk self last night, so I went to hang out at Sid's bar... I wasn't out that long."

"Okay, well screw the bar, who was the hottie?" The taller one, Katrina, asks. "Yeah! I mean, he saved you from that creep!" The shorter girl, Mary, exclaims. "...I never said anything about him being a hottie..." Lex says. "But you never said he wasn't one! Come on! Describe him!" Katrina says.

"Dark hair... gray eyes... cocky attitude." Lex says, "That's all I remember." "Liar." Mary says, "What was he wearing?" "A pink tutu and stripper heels." Lex says, sarcasticly. The other two laugh and she smiles a little.

They start getting ready to leave the little cafe, "So what're you two doing later?" Lex asks. "Boyfriend." Mary says. "Work." Katrina answers. "Ahh fun... Well, I'll call ya later, okay?" Lex says, walking out.

"Got my keys... wallet... purse... I think that's- OW!" She yells as she runs into someone. "Geeze, ya can't defend yourself or see where your going? how do you function in normal society?" She hears a familiarly annoying voice and looks up, "Ah hell, just my luck..."

Jonothan laughs a little, "Aw, I'm touched." "What're you doing here?" She scowls, "Stalking me?" "Please, there's a bike shop close by here. Don't flatter yourself." He says.

"...Bicycle shop?" She asks, tilting her head. "Motorcycle, smartass." He says, frowning a little. "Oh, I see." She nods, "That's pretty awesome... ya know, for you..."

He laughs, "Yeah, yeah... So where're you headed?" "The bus stop." she says.

"How old're you and you don't have a license to drive?" He asks. "For your information, I'm 19... and as to why I don't have a license, that's none of your business." She frowns, walking past him.

"Geeze, you don't let people in, do ya?" He asks, following her with his hands in his pockets. "Nope, not really." She says, "I like being by myself." "... So you have no friends." He says. "I DO TOO!" She snaps, "And I made the mistake of telling them that I went to Sid's last night... and what happened there..." "Oh? You squealed and giggled about me?" He asks, grinning.

"No, I told them that you were an idiot and were wearing a tutu and stripper heels." She smirks. "You didn't..." He says. "No, I did. Don't worry, they didn't believe me either." She smiles. "Ahh... so who're your friends?" Jono asks. "What's with the 20 questions?" Lex says. "Can you stop answering my questions with more questions?" He says. "Why're you following me?" She asks. "There you go again..." He scowls, "How do you have friends?" "My charming personality and winning smile." She says, sarcastically.

"Oh yeah, I'm so sure that's what wins people over..." He rolls his eyes then thinks, 'Why the hell AM I following her?' "So can I ask you questions?" She asks. "Well there's one... Yes." He says.

"Okay, how old are you?"

"20. I turn 21 in a few months." He answers.

"You have any family?"

"Nope, ran out when I was 15 and never looked back."

"Do you have a place to live?"

"Yeah, Sid rents me a room for cheap above the bar."

They Q and A each other until Lex sees the bus drive by, "Shit! That's the last bus for another hour and I need to be home before then!"

"... I can give you a ride on my bike." He offers.

"You serious?" She asks, looking at him. "Sure, it's no problem and I do have a spare helmet." He says, "And my bike's just around the corner... Plus it is sort of my fault that ya missed your bus..."

"Oh... Well okay." She says, following him to his motorcycle. Jonothan hands her a helmet, "Put it on, I don't wanna have to scrape your pretty face off of the road."

Lex pulls the helmet on, "...How long have you been riding this thing?"

"Don't worry, I have a license." He says, revving it up."Not what I asked..." She says, hanging onto him. "Just hold on and relax..." He says, riding out. He gets her home in one peice but she asks him to park a block away from her actual house, "... If my dad saw me on this, he'd blow a fuse." She says. "Well do you have a phone number I can call?" He asks. "Uh... Yes, but how about you give me your number and I'll call you later, okay?" She smiles. He raises an eyebrow but gives her his number anyway. "Thanks for the ride." She smiles. "Not a problem... I hope to hear back from you soon..." He winks and drives off.

Lex blushes a little and smiles as she waves and heads home, "...He's actually nice..."

Jono smirks as he rides back to the bar, "...She's still a bitch..."

"CALL. THE. HOTTIE!" Katrina yells into the phone. Lex holds it at arm's length away from her ear, "I can't right now... The shark is still in the water..." "Still using that old phrase, huh? It's been how many years and ya still hate old Brucie?" Katrina asks. "Nine..." Lex frowns. "And you still haven't warmed up to the fact that he and your mom are legally, lawfully wed?" Katrina says. "Pretty much... He's a DICK." Lex sighs.

"Alright, enough Brucie bashing..." Katrina says, "So you gonna ask him out?" "...How old are we? I feel like we've somehow reverted back to middle school when 'going out' with someone was going to the movies two times and you were together..." Lex says. "Like you're one to talk... You've never had a stable boyfriend. Ever." Katrina says. "Trina... you're a bitch." Lex says. "Lexy... You better call the boy! After the shark leaves the tank, that is." Katrina states.

"I will, I think I hear him leaving now..." Lex says, looking out of her window.

"Well call Johnny-boy and tell me how it goes!"

"Yeah, yeah..." She sighs, hanging up. Lex takes a deep breath and dials Jono's number.

"Hello?" He answers, sounding confused.

"Hey, it's me..." She says, smiling.

Several months go by... Lex and Jono talk, hang out and eventually, actually go out and become an item, all behind Bruce's back... That is, until he recieves a phone call from a friend.

"Alexandria Dawson! Get in here right now!" He calls her, sounding furious.

She walks into the living room to see Bruce's fat face looking purple and her mother avoiding her gaze as she sits on the sofa, "Who is that boy you've been hanging around with all around town?" He demands.

"You don't need to know." she snaps.

Wrong answer. He pulls his hand back and slaps Lex across the face. She bites her lip and actually makes it bleed, "You are to never see that boy again!"

He takes her cell away and locks her door from the outside.

Lex starts crying as she curls up in bed, waiting for her parents to fall asleep.

A couple hours later, she sneaks out through her window and walks all the way to Sid's bar to find Jono and Sid chatting.

Sid's eyes widen when he sees her and Jonothan turns around, "... What happened?"

"B-Bruce found out..." She says, her voice shaking, "He took my phone and everything... I just snuck out... There's no way I can go to the cops, he's friends with the chief of police."

Jonothan hugs her, "...Let's run... Just get whatever money we can together and run."

"...I'll help you." Sid says, "You shouldn't live in fear like this."

Lex hugs Jonothan, "Tomorrow... We'll take the last train out and we'll leave..."

"Alright... I'll get you back home..." He says.

The next night, Lex gets her things gathered together and packed up when Bruce opens her door, "...So you think you can just leave with that boy, huh?" He growls, tossing her her cellphone, "You have a choice here... Break it off and tell the boy to leave town... or if he comes here for you, I'll kill him." He says, holding up a gun, "You and your mother belong to me."

"No! Don't kill him!" She yells, tearing up, "I'll tell him... I'll tell him to go, just don't hurt him!"

Meanwhile, Jono waits at the train station for Lex, "...Where is she? She said she'd be here..." He mutters to himself as his phone rings.

He answers it, "Hello?"

"Jono... I'm not leaving... I belong here... I can't leave my family." Lex says, "We're over... I can do much better than a struggling guitarist... Just leave town now."

She hangs up and he just stands there, "...What...?"

"Good girl..." Bruce says, "I'll set you up with the chief of police's son, then..."

"... Yes sir..." She looks down and thinks, 'I'm sorry, Jono... I'll do what he wants if it keeps you alive...'

Jonothan returned to Sid's and looks through the pictures of him and Lex on his phone and regular photographs... Instead of feeling sadness, he get's angrier and angrier, "... She made me believe that she actually cared..." He growls as he crushes the pictures in his hand.

The next night, Lex returns to her room, sighing a little after her fixed date and she turns her bedroom light on. "I've come to pay my bill..." She hears and drops her phone and purse in shock as she looks around to see Jonothan on her bed, holding a wad of cash.

"...You shouldn't be here, Jonothan..." She says, looking down as she turns to walk away, "Just leave."

His eyes widen as he follows her and grabs her arm, growling, "You made me believe that you loved me... Why shouldn't I pay you?"

"Please, you shouldn't be here!" she says, pulling away, starting to cry.

He pulls her closer, gripping her arms tightly, "You did your job so very, very well! So why shouldn't I pay you? That's how your kind work, right? A whore?"

"Please, just go!" She yells as she hears the garage door open, "Shit!"

"If it wasn't real, then why can't I pay you?" He demands, "Let me pay! Tell me that it wasn't real! Tell me you don't love me!"

Her mom walks through the door and gasps a little, locking the garage door.

Jonothan glares at her, "She's yours..." He tosses money at Lex, "I've paid my whore... I owe you nothing... You are nothing to me."

Lex starts sobbing and he says, "I'm done with you..." He kicks the door open, breaking the lock only to run into Bruce.

It all happens so quickly that Jonothan barely has time to blink before he finds himself pushed to the ground and hears a deafening BANG. He looks up to see Bruce with the smoking gun... and Lex with a bullet through her shoulder.

She collaspes to the floor, not moving. Jonothan leans over her, "Call an ambulance!" He yells at her mother.

Bruce, Jonothan and her mother wait in the ER, looking down, waiting for news on Lex's status as the police enter, "... Bruce Daweson, you are under arrest for attempted manslaughter." "Who told you?" Bruce snaps.

"I did..." Her mother says, "... You tried to kill this young man... she saved him from you."

The police handcuff him and take him away.

Jonothan holds his head in his hands, "... I called her a whore... over and over..."

"...She did it all to protect you..." Her mother says, "...I'm sure she'll understand..."

A doctor walks up to them, "Jonothan Starsmore?"

His head snaps up and he stands, "Yes?"

"...She wants to see you." The doctor says.

Jonothan's eyes widen and he smiles, "She's okay?"

"She won't be awake for long, so I suggest you hurry."

Jonothan runs past him and to the room. He opens the door slowly and smiles as he sees her.

"... Hey, Jono..." She smiles.