((A/N- Hey all, thanks again for all the reviews, they make me want to write more. Smallboxes, I can't tell you how much I appreciate a thoughtful review, one that's more then just "I like this." Go you! Not that I don't appreciate all my reviews, because I do! And Jockey, you know this is for you! Thanks for traversing the great city of New York with me, I can't wait to go back someday!))

Alexis fitted her key into the lock of her apartment door, glad to be home. "Hey, Jorja." She said, as she dropped onto the couch beside her.

"Hey, what took you so long? You were gone for hours." Jorja gave up on her attempt to find something good on TV, and tossed the remote onto a ragged old armchair.

"Well, I haven't seen the guy in almost ten years, give me a break. Besides, he wanted to see Times Square."

Jorja rolled her eyes, "Ugh. I hate tourists."

Alexis grinned at her, "Oh please, you were a tourist once too. And anyways, you have to admit, Times Square is pretty impressive."

Jorja conceded, grinning at her friends ability to see right through her, "True."

"So, did you get that chorus worked out?"

Jorja wrinkled her nose, "Almost. It's driving me insane. The music is amazing, it's just the words... they don't quite fit. And they're so freaking corny. Actually, I was gonna ask if you wouldn't mind taking a look at it. I could use some input, I've been staring at that notebook so long the pages are actually starting to blur."

"Sure, I'll take a look."

Jorja nodded, when it came to lyrics, Alexis was amazing, words were her forte. But the music... Jorja owned the music, all she had to do was pick up a guitar, and the melodies would come to her.

Alexis glanced at her watch and sighed, "Do you mind if I read it tomorrow? I'm exhausted."

"Yeah, of course. I'll be opening the store with you tomorrow, too. Adam called again, I guess he has some kind of flu thing going on. I gave him tomorrow off."

Alexis nodded, as she stretched. "K, see you in the morning."

………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………

Alexis flicked the lights on, and turned the sign on the door so it read "OPEN" from the outside.

"Hey," Jorja called from the back room, "That new shipment we've been waiting for finally came in!"

"Well, it took 'em long enough!"

"Tell me about it." Jorja said, carrying a box out from the back, and plopping it onto the counter, "If you wanna run the register, I'll get these CDs out on the shelf."

"Sure," Alexis clicked the front register on, impatiently tapping her fingers on the counter as it slowly hummed to life.

"So," Jorja said as she sat Indian style on the floor, in front of a display case, "What are we doing this weekend? I could really go for something fun, I haven't been out of the city in ages."

Alexis shrugged, jumping easily up to sit on the counter, "Do you have somebody to watch the store?"

"I was thinking I could ask Adam. He should be better by then, and he'll be wanting to catch up on his hours. I think he and Sam should be able to manage everything for a weekend. And if they get desperate they can always call Everett in."

"Well, I could-"

Alexis was cut off by the sound of the bell over the door sounding as somebody came in. She slipped off the counter, smiling at the customer, before she realized it was Drake, along with a girl she didn't know.

"Hey, Alex, this is Michelle," Drake grinned at her, looking pleased with himself, "she lives on my hall. Michelle, this is my cousin, Alexis."

"Yeah, whatever. Look, do you have any Britney Spears, or something?" She asked, looking blankly around.

Alexis raised her eyebrows at Drake, before answering, "Yeah, it's over in that corner" she said, pointing towards the back of the store.

The blonde turned on her heel and walked to the pop section. Alexis watched her saunter away before turning back to Drake, "You're kidding me, right?"

Drake shrugged, flipping through a stack of CDs, "Hey, the girl can kiss like nobody's business. Have you heard this one yet? Is it any good?" He asked holding up a CD.

"It's ok. Not as good as their first one. Stop trying to change the subject. You met her this morning, and you've already made out with her?"

"Well, technically I met her last night. What's the big deal?"

Alexis opened her mouth to respond when Jorja popped up from where she had been sitting, hidden from view one aisle over, "That's disgusting!"

Drake looked surprised at her sudden outburst, "Whoa, chill!" He said, clearly not upset at all by her words, "Who are you, anyways?"

"Drake, meet my roommate, Jorja, she's the one who owns this store. And Jorja, this is my cousin Drake."

Drake grinned easily at her, "You own this place, huh? How'd you manage that, how old are you, 18?"

Jorja crossed her arms over her chest, glaring darkly at him, "I'm 19, and it used to belong to my brother. He took off a few years ago, and I've been running it ever since."

Her obvious animosity seemed to go right over Drake's head, "Wow, lucky."

Jorja snorted, her voice dripping with sarcasm "Oh, yeah, real lucky. I got to live by myself at 17, pay my own rent and bills, and manage a store, all while trying to finish high school. Not to mention, I can't even think about college right now. Yeah, it was a real dream come true."

Drake glanced over at Alexis, finally seeming to sense that Jorja was a little upset, "Is she always like this?"

Alexis looked back and forth between Drake and Jorja, really not wanting to get involved in this particular discussion. "Yeah, like I'm gonna answer that. I think Malibu Barbie over there might need some help locating the S's. I don't think she's covered the entire alphabet yet in school." Alexis disappeared to the back of the store, and Drake leaned against the display rack, seemingly sizing Jorja up.

"You know, you're kind of cute when you're mad."

Jorja's eyes narrowed into thin slits, "Don't. Ever. Talk. To. Me. Again." She said, pronouncing each word slowly before turning away and going back to her box of CDs to be put away.

Drake shrugged, Michelle had come back up beside him, and was whining that she was bored. He slung his arm around her shoulder, waving to Alexis as he led her out of the store.