Chapter 24
A/N As always, my thanks to those who have hung in and read and reviewed. Also still true, don't own any of the LOD characters or band members/songs.
Alex settled in behind the bar in the farthest back room in the Jolly Roger. It was her favorite station because it was close to the stage when any bands played and near the more secluded booths where the 'VIP' clients were usually ensconced. She was feeling good about her talk with Mick, being he had pretty much excused her from any responsibility for the boyz behavior. As a matter of fact he had said to 'set em up right' meaning in bar lingo she could give them some free drinks.
That was a load off her mind, because after Jay suggested that she could get them free booze, she worried she might be working off their bar bill for months. She also realized that Stacy had never really come in and hung out, she was looking forward to introducing him around. Her mind wandered to what he was doing now, and she mused what the movie might be like. There was a chance, she guessed, that her family might be mentioned/appear in it. Camera crews had been given a lot of access to the band and those traveling with their rock and roll circus on that last tour. That was a little bit too much for Alex to deal with right now, especially in a movie theater filled with Z-Boyz.
People were starting to filter in as the sun went down. First usually came the surfer/beach crowd, all tan and smelling like salt water and suntan lotion. Tonight was no exception and the club's massive sound system was not yet working overtime, starting out slow with more mellow California rock, like the Eagles' Take it Easy and One of These Nights. This first wave, as Alex thought of them were pretty mellow them selves, mostly drinking beer and rehashing the day's waves. Today was a little different in that the crowd was sprinkled with people she had seen at the skateboard show, both contestants and spectators. A couple of these guys were 'chatting her up' as the Brits say, asking her if she saw any of the skateboarders today. One she recognized as part of the crew from San Diego who had placed lower in the same event that Stacy and the others had dominated.
The more beer he and his friends went through the less they seemed to think of the Z-Boyz. "Dogtowners? More like mongrels, I think. Not one handstand between them! Whatsup with those crouched down pivots? You know, the ones they called Berts? And that hopping up and down with his board that short blonde kid with the rat face did? What's that – an Ernie?" Much laughter from the Southland crew ensued. "Yeah, yeah, right! Maybe all the education they got is from Sesame Street. For sure, that curly haired Mexican kid could be a Muppet!"
"Hey honey, get us a few more beers, you saw us skate today, right, we're thirsty professional athletes!"
This could get really interesting when the boyz got here Alex thought to herself. But instead of them, who should she see trying their best to boogey across the empty dance floor, but the expensively dressed blonde Mali-babes she had last encountered trying to pick up Stacy at the show. Watching them trying to look cool while grooving to Alice Cooper's Billion Dollar Babies was show enough for Alex. Maybe it wasn't just Stacy; maybe everybody in California had their own soundtrack she mused. "Hi girls, what can I get for you?" Alex queried slapping down two coasters on the bar right next to the San Diego/Sesame Streeters.
As always in the ancient mating dance, the girls were treading that fine line between encouraging and/or feigning indifference to the admiring stares of the assembled males. "Um, yeah, we'd like two rum and cokes, do you serve them here?" girl number 1 asked, her Farrah Fawcett blonde head somehow shifting side to side like one of those hula girl dashboard decorations.
"Well sure, I bet I can figure out the recipe for that," Alex said enthusiastically, flashing them a practiced 'I'm here to serve' smile. "Let's see, as I remember, that would be rum and then you add…coke, right, and hey how about a cherry in that for that special Saturday night vibe?"
"I don't know about that, are they fattening?" the girl asked without a trace of irony in her voice.
Much as she wanted to laugh out loud at this silly girl, Alex didn't say 'no bitch, the rum and coke are fattening', she leaned over the bar towards them and said conspiratorially "Not that you two need to worry about calories, but you know what Farrah Fawcett drinks when she's in here?"
At the mention of the most famous of Charlie's Angels, the girls momentarily dropped all attempts at cool and gaped; "Oh my God, she comes in here? Awesome, what does she drink? Will she be in tonight?"
By now Alex's bartending partner, Christian, had joined her behind the bar and was listening in on the conversation with barely suppressed mirth. "Oh yeah Alex, is FF coming in tonight for her usual?"
"Ya never know, Crish, but when she does, she always drinks Bacardi 151 rum and Tab, with three cherries, I think it's an angel thing," Alex nodded her head knowingly at the girls.
"Oh we gotta have that then!" The girls were positively giddy with the thought of paying top dollar for intense rum and saccharine sweet diet soda.
"I thought the same thing the moment I saw you girls, two Charlie's Angels coming right up!"
"And let us get that for the ladies," the San Diego skaters insisted after hearing the conversation.
"Ah thank you gentlemen," Alex said lifting a twenty out of their cash on the bar, "Ladies, meet some professional athletes from today's skate show."
"Hey, weren't you the girl talking to Stacy Peralta at that show?" the second of the two Malibu girls asked Alex somewhat suspiciously. "He said you were some kind of skateboard wheel salesman?"
"Yep, that's my day job, in fact let me give you guys a card," Alex said turning to the skateboarders.
"Oh we're professional, we don't have to buy our own gear," one said smugly.
"Cool, then have your boss call me. But these angels over here don't want to talk wheels, do they?" Alex said, making the Kate Jackson praying hands sign off and backing towards the front end of the bar.
Christian had been serving other people as they filtered in and was now bopping back and forth to the slinky sounds of Santana's Oye Como Va. His look was a Jackson Browne type, soulful brown eyes, soft waves of long brown hair and a slow and charming smile. He, like most of the people working at the bar, was a musician, hoping to use this job as a springboard. "So, have you spent a lot of time with Farrah Fawcett?" he asked Alex dryly.
"Never laid eyes on the woman. You?" Alex said, their backs to the bar patrons.
"Only in my dreams. Nice job though selling the blondie babes top shelf liquor and getting the drunk skaters to pay for it." Crish high fived her.
"Thanks, I'm hoping for the trifecta of getting their sponsors to buy some wheels from me."
"Work it, baby," he winked. They turned back to the bar crowd, now starting to fill up the dance floor to the Door's Hello, I Love You. Alex and Christian got caught up in the last chorus and threw their arms over their heads in unison chanting 'hello, hello'. The clubs light system was swirling colors around the dance floor and sending out pulses of bright yellow light in time to the music. It being soundtrack night in Alex's head, she wasn't surprised when she caught sight of Stacy, Jay, Tony, Peggy and assorted other Z-Boyz spotlighted coming towards the bar.
Peggy was the first to reach the bar and catch sight of Alex and Christian, still in mid dance. Tony, Jay and most of the others were detained checking out the girls on the dance floor; Jay was in fact already dancing his way through the crowd. Stacy as usual was hanging back towards the edge of the throng. Peggy turned back and grabbed Stacy's arm, simultaneously propelling him towards the bar and including him in the arms-over-head dance. Stacy laughed (and probably blushed, hard to tell in the strobe lights) and danced with Peggy towards the bar. Her good nature was always impossible for him to resist.
"Hey chica!" Peggy greeted, getting close enough to shout over the music. Stacy, right behind her waved and smiled over the bar at Alex.
Alex pulled Christian towards them and introduced; "Christian, this is Peggy, bestest female skater ever; Peggy, this is Christian, second best bartender in the room." Alex put both hands flat on the bar and pushed up to half way vault across the bar, planting a big kiss on a surprised Stacy. "And this is Stacy!"
Hoots and calls of 'hey how come we don't get a hello like that' came from the regulars at the bar.
"Cool out down there guys or I'll leave Christian at your end of the bar!" Alex teased. Shouting up and down the bar also had made everyone aware of the new arrivals. The San Diego skaters looked unhappy, the Malibu girls looked very happy; while Stacy continued blushing and Peggy continued smiling.
"No way, I'm staying here with the girl with the pretty smile," Christian retorted, flashing a smile of his own at Peggy. "What would you like to drink Peggy?"
Alex popped the top off a beer and passed it over the bar to Stacy just as the Malibu girls shouted out their need for more Charlie's Angels, pronto!
"Charlie's Angels?" Stacy looked perplexed and took a pull on his beer.
"I've devised a special drink for your little fan girls," Alex smirked, and went off to mix more of the concoction.
"Yeah, it appears to involve enough extra proof rum to have them flying like angels, taste hidden with a little cherry juice. The guys behind them are waiting to catch them when they fall," Christian told Stacy.
Catching site of the guys from San Diego, Stacy said, "Gotcha, oh those guys, I suppose I should go talk to them about this afternoon."
"Good luck getting past the blonde girls, man. Peggy, you gonna stay here and tell me about this afternoon?" Christian smiled invitingly.
"Sure, as long as you're gonna pass me one of those Buds," replied Peggy pulling some cash out of her pocket.
Christian slid a longneck Bud her way, pushing the money back toward her with it, "We can't be charging the bestest female skater, now can we?"
Alex was taking care of refills for the skaters and angels at the end of the bar when Malibu babe #1 slurred "has Farrah come in yet?" her head now bobbing side to side like a dashboard decoration on a very bumpy ride.
"I haven't seen her, but wait, who's that blonde coming off the dance floor?"
The girls whipped around just in time to come face to face with Jay, who Alex had seen heading their way. "Hey, you're not Farrah Fawcett!" the tipsy girl said directly to Jay.
"Honey, you're no Farrah Fawcett yourself," Jay snorted. Sizing up their current mental condition he put an arm around her shoulder and smiled enticingly, "but you'll do. Whatcha drinking?" Helping himself to a sip from the drink in her hand he made a face and said "Damn, that's nasty!"
"Hey Ali-B, we made it." Jay shifted his attention to Alex, "how bout you get me something decent to drink."
"Welcome, Jayboy, how bout a Bud?" Alex suggested, wondering for a second where Jay picked up a nickname nobody out here knew. "I could put some cherries in it if you like."
"Our drinks are not nasty, they're just what Farrah Fawcett drinks, three cherries for three angels," Miss Malibu informed Jay, oddly not trying to get out from under his arm. "She knows Farrah Fawcett," nodding towards Alex.
"She knows Robert Plant too, verrry well, inside and out maybe even," Jay replied fixing Alex with a laser like stare.
Stacy chose this moment to arrive at this end of the bar. Alex couldn't help notice his uncharacteristic grimace at Jay's statement. He attempted to bypass the girls and addressed the Southland skaters, "Nice riding today." Alex loved how Stacy was genuinely kind to almost everybody.
"Almost as good as us," Jay smirked before leading the Malibu Barbie out onto the dance floor. Alex realized somewhat guiltily that she also enjoyed Jay's snarkiness to almost everybody.
Alex relaxed as the evening seemed to be going along smoothly. The only troubling note was the next song blasting out; Sweet's Ballroom Blitz. Hopefully soundtrack night wasn't about to turn into a ballroom blitz.