CHAPTER TWO

( JANUARY'S BLUE'S )

THE SHOT GLASS clinks against the water glass on the sticky wooden bar. January's face puckers at the god awful taste of the cheap tequila. She wasn't going to complain about the quality so long as it was free. From the opposite side of the bar her friend Babs stares at her with disappointment while cleaning the edge of the bar with a white cloth. "How many more of these can you give me?" January asks, causing Babs to roll her eyes while placing her hands on her hips.

"No more," Babs proclaims taking the shot glass away and pushing the glass of water towards her. January whines in protest, laying her face down on the bar. "I suck," she groans, earning an eye roll from the sultry bartender. "You don't suck," Babs tries to protest. "You're just having a rough streak, that's all,"

"Easy for you to say," January slurs out, placing her head in her palm. "You have two jobs!" she shouts, pointing at her wiping down the counter. Babs slaps the bar with the cloth before propping her upper body up on it. "As a bartender and a model, how is that great?"

"What you just said sounds amazing! You get to meet new people all the time, build up your career," January involuntarily compliments, flattering her friend. "It's better than just sitting at home, watching reruns of F.R.I.E.N.D.S. all day on TBS,"

"I think you need to get out there and stop moping around about the interview. I don't think you failed it," Babs tries to encourage her, slightly pushing the glass of water closer to her friend. She had arrived an hour and a half ago and demanded two shots up front before she even told her the events of the interview. January always had been the dramatic one, ever since college.

"She asked me what my long-term goal was and I froze, Babs. I don't know what my long-term goal is. I don't even know what I'm going to do tomorrow. How am I supposed to know what I want to do for the rest of my life?" January whines, pushing the glass of water away from her. Her stomach churns in a different way than it had earlier today.

She holds back a gag, placing her hand against her mouth. Instant regret floods her being. She didn't want to get this messed up. She had only vomited from drinking a handful of times in her life, she'd be damned if today was going to be another. She also didn't think she could make it to the restroom in her heels. Preemptively, she begins sliding them off, resting them against the stool she was perched up on.

"Do you think you could get me a job here?" January asks, twirling the shot glass in her hand out of boredom. "I don't think I can stomach another publicist interview and bomb it,"

Babs slides the shot glass away from her and places it below the bar, causing January to once again whine in protest. "Hey babe?" Babs beckons her undivided attention. January lazily looks up at her as she sips on the water which was the only thing left for her to drink. "Yeah?" she responds to the pet name after swallowing a mouthful of water which her body desperately needed. "Get a grip. You are January Jenner. You're going to run this town one day -"

"Excuse me," a voice calls to them. Both of their attention goes to the man dressed in formal business attire with a drink in his hand. They way he was staring at January made him reek of desperation. It was a look that both January and Babs had seen before. They gave each other a knowing look before turning their attention back towards the man. His colleagues were spying at him from a booth across the way. It was an obvious bet that they had made for him to come over an approach her.

"I couldn't help but notice a pretty lady was without a drink. Can I get you anything gorgeous?" he flirted, causing January to involuntarily gag at the lame pick up line. Babs eyes narrow at the man, while January merely smiles up at her for a split second before glaring at the man. Babs grabs on to her hand aggressively, causing the man to stare at their intertwined fingers. "Please don't hit on my girlfriend in front of me," Babs states in a threatening tone. "Especially with that lame excuse of a pick up line,"

"Yeah, I'm taken!" January drunkenly chimes in, as Babs presses a kiss to the back of her hand. The man blinks a couple of times before a scowl crosses his face. "Your loss," he states as he sulks back towards his friend group, who was hooting and hollering at his failure. Everything had gone just as they had rehearsed and had done a million times in Chicago. "They just keep getting more desperate," Babs hisses out under her breath as she lets go of January's hand. "Thanks," January softly says, taking another sip of her water.

Of course Babs was beautiful but she was also tragically attracted to men as was January. Thankfully, Babs's dry demeanor tended to scare off most of the overly-cocky guys that threatened to give her and January a bad time. "Anyways," Babs continues from where she had previously left off before she was interrupted. "You are January Jenner, you are going to have your clients eating out of the palm of your hands. You're going to get awards for how good you are at your job. Do you want to know how I know?"

"Not really, but I could use a pick me up, so yes," January mutters under her breath. "Because you used to take care of me. All throughout college you were my cheerleader and look at where it lead me," Babs encourages, throwing up her hands to motion towards the bar and then towards herself. January looks up at her blankly, blinking a couple times before snapping out of her drunken haze. "You literally just tried to convince me your jobs were horrible," January accuses, pointing angrily towards her.

Self doubt was seeping into her body at an even more rapid pace. She cringes in embarrassment as she thinks of the interview, groaning as she wipes her hand across her face. "Yeah, well, at least you can drink for free," Babs retorts, turning around to tend to the top-shelf liquor she had been organizing before January had stormed in. She heaves out a hefty sigh as Babs attempts to leave her alone just for a moment. She pushes her water glass forward, deeming it too thick to drink on her stomach. She was past trying to sober up, she knew she was going to vomit from the several shots she had taken, and for what? Because this was the fifth interview in a row she had completely bombed? Her confidence shrank even lower than what it already was.

Before she had moved out to California she was egotistical, full of herself, thinking she was able to do anything. What a fool she had been to follow Babs out here. Babs had a career, she had had one since she was a teenager. She had only gone one year without Babs being in the same city as her, only to wind up moving close to her once again. Truth be told, she hadn't mind living alone but she didn't have anyone else in California to turn to. If she had a job she could find more friends, possibly. Once again the glass of water gets pushed in front of her. "I need you to sober up so you can drive," Babs informs her before turning back to tend to her job duties.

January once again huffs out a sigh. She was burdening Babs with her presence at her work. Thinking about it that way was more damaging to her ego than anything. She slaps herself mentally for being irresponsible like this, but she really didn't see another way but to complain to her best friend. "What time do you get off?" she questions her friend, taking a swig of water. "I'm working a double today," Babs grunts as she pulls out the keg from underneath the bar so she can have someone come and swap it out. "I have to work into the night," she informs January.

She knew she was desperate to forget about everything that had happened today and what had lead up to this but she wasn't going to enable her behavior. She just wished she could see herself as she saw her. Determined and more stubborn than a bull. She didn't know January could just give up like this. "So? Let's go out afterwards. I feel like dancing and you can get into the best clubs because of your model status," January tempts her, beginning to bounce up and down in her chair.

Babs could see out of the corner of her eye that her friends little dancing episode was starting to gain some attention from the men in the bar. Her lips press into a firm line across her face as she glares at the drunken woman in front of her. Going out after serving all day didn't sound that amazing. Babs grabs on to January's wrists, forcing her to stop and look at her with confusion in her eyes. "Jan, go home, clean up, treat yourself to pizza, and watch T.V. to your hearts content. Then call me in the morning and we can do brunch before my gig," she instructs her friend in a low and authoritative tone.

January merely laughs at her, causing Babs's cheeks to heat with frustration. She hated having to babysit drunk patrons, let alone her best friend. "I can't drive like this," January protests with a snide smirk appearing on her face. "Looks like you're stuck with me," January croons out, stretching her arm out in an attempt to touch her nose. Babs absentmindedly grabs on to her arm before it can even touch her, causing January to whine with pain. Her frustration had hit its peak. "I'll call you a cab, just stop making a scene. You're gaining all the guys attention around here," she whispers out in a huff under her breath while gazing around the patrons. They all seemed to be drooling over the drunken red-head alone at the bar.

"Ooh," she coyly purrs out while turning around to look at the people around her, causing Babs to reach out and catch her shoulder to swivel her back around. "No, not "ooh"," Babs hisses at her. "These guys are sleazebags, you'd be just a piece of meat for them," she states while glaring at a couple who appeared be threatening to approach her lone friend. "Maybe that's all I need," January slurs out.

Babs's brow furrows at the statement. She attempts to stifle a light chuckle from escaping her lips but it fails. If only sober January could see her right now, she'd be kicking herself. "No, Jan, it's not. I know you, you get attached way too easily," she waves her off as she goes back to work, by making a couple of drink orders for the servers in the bar. Her sudden absence made January stick her bottom lip out in a pout while watching her. Her whines begin to get even more drastic with every moment that Babs doesn't pay attention to her.

It isn't until she caves in and looks over at her when she rolls her eyes at the look. "You're my Buzz!" January jokingly sobs out, taking Babs's hand in her own. Babs shows her a sympathetic smile, she seemed to be calming down a bit from her drunken state. "And you're my Woody," she replies, pressing another kiss to the back of her hand.

Babs looks out into the crowd of patrons as the darkened bar begins to get even more packed with the presence of happy hour. This would mean it would be more of a hassle to keep the predators away from January, who's defenses were weakened by the alcohol she had been provided and the internal conflict of bombing yet another interview. A couple of guys perch themselves up at the bar a few seats down from January, Babs's notice their hungry looks over towards the sloppy drunk drunk. It was her time to shine as the mom friend that she had always been teased about being.

She slings her bar cloth over her shoulder before sighing. It was time to get to work. She pushes the glass of water towards January before leaving her side once again. "Now drink the damn water and don't talk to any of these bozo's. Let me handle them,"

~BOOK ONE: IRON MAN~

THE WORLD SEEMS to spin every time she closed her eyes. Her head was starting to throb. She groans at the pain, being careful not to drop her microwaved dinner as she makes her way towards the couch. It didn't matter how much she drank, nothing could ever mask how defeated she felt after the interview. Coming out to California she thought she'd be dining out every night, gallivanting around at high class social events.

The reality hit her broad across the face as she peers at her unappetizing microwaved dinner. Her stomach rumbles, wanting real actual food. She sighs as she turns on her T.V. trying to at least make good on part of her word with Babs. Truthfully she couldn't afford the pizza that Babs wanted her to get. As guilt ridden as she felt, there didn't seem to be a bright side to any of this.

She would have to return home soon to her parents, even though she couldn't stand to hear them say "I told you so". The gloomy clouds of Wisconsin would be the last thing she would see before she eventually died. She'd probably marry a lumberjack that her father would introduce her to. Lumberjacks always seemed appealing, especially to the outside world and to Hollywood but, January grew up in a town filled to the brim of them. They were anything but handsomely chiseled men that practically bled plaid.

Something soft brushes up against her legs, causing her to jump at the sudden contact. She peers down to look at the culprit behind the action. A small smile makes its way to her lips as she looks at the ragamuffin cat, rubbing against her legs. Jiji was the only thing that she really needed to provide for, and knowing her father's allergy to cats gave her plenty of motivation to try to scout for new jobs. January pats her lap, welcoming the cream and golden furred cat onto her. The cat purred affectionately as she stroked its long fur softly.

"Let's see what American Idol has in store for us, Jiji," January coos at the cat as she turns the television on. Regretfully, January takes a bit of what she assumes is beef but tastes and smells like the wet cat food she feeds to Jiji. If drinking too much wasn't enough to make her stomach too upset to flip inside out then this food definitely would. Unfortunately, it's all she has. She forces herself to eat the processed meat, if that's what it would even be classified as. She notes that it's still somewhat frozen in the middle, but still being half-drunk she refuses to get up again to reheat her food.

Watching the finals of the competition for American Idol was sure to take her mind off of her interview for the time being. She could picture herself being the publicist for one of the finalist. Sorting out their busy days, scheduling press tours, and events while giving them a good name. That's all she ever wanted to do. It was glamorous like being a movie star, it wasn't righteous like being a doctor, but to her it felt right. She thought it was her calling, but clearly it wasn't after the interviews.

After the finale, which took her breath away, she tunes away from the television screen with tears in her eyes. She could only imagine that this would be one of the last night's she could stay in this city, one of the last night's with Jiji. She felt like a failure. Her nose instantly becomes stuffy as she becomes congested from crying.

Her feet shuffle beneath her as she carries herself into the kitchen to throw away what's left of her unrecognizable dinner. The lights from Los Angeles twinkle brightly catching her attention from the kitchen window. She couldn't help but feel lost, like in the city is where she was meant to be, not in the suburbs in a worn down apartment with three windows maximum. The life of luxury she wanted was a few measly miles away from her but she couldn't make it.

The warmth of Jiji presses up against her legs once again, taking her mind off of what she was holding on to. Absentmindedly, she picks the cat up like a baby, cradling her in her arms as she sweeps her into the living room. "Oh Jiji, if it was just you and me for the rest of my life, I'd be just fine. But I need money," she whines, beginning to pout as she flops her entire body on to her couch, with Jiji on her chest.

Surprisingly enough this hadn't been the first time she had cried herself into a stupor since moving to Los Angeles. Her hands begin to pet Jiji in a soothing manner, hoping to eliviate some stress. As she turns her attention towards the television, she can't help but furrow her brows. She lets out a gasp as she recognizes the man on the television who's arm was snaked around a bubbly blonde model.

The television show that she had been watching was now doing after show interviews. It had been advertised to stay tuned after the show but she had thought it was interviews with the winner and the runner up, not Tony Stark. His smug smirk, and witty banter with the female reporter made her skin crawl with disgust. It was one thing to flirt with a girl in front of his date but to do it on public television live? It was repulsive. Perhaps, she could begin to feel grateful that she bombed the interview at Stark Industries. Covering for Tony Stark seemed like it was more than she could chew, especially since she was so inexperienced.

"Ugh!" she shouts in frustration as she turns the television off, tears starting to run down her face. It was like rubbing salt into her fresh wound. She lay back down on the couch, patting Jiji as she cuddled her on her chest. One day she knew she'd find her place in this world. One day.

A/N: Sorry for the short chapters! They'll get longer as soon as Tony is introduced!