`` A TIME TO DANCE, A TIME TO SING (open)

[JASPER GRAY]

The cool wind rustled the branches above the hooded head of the eighteen year old boy walking along the sidewalk. It was yet another chilly night; the fifth one in a row, if he was remembering correctly. There wasn’t any snow, though, which made the cold a bit more unbearable. December was definitely the coldest month of the year, and lately, it had been proving itself quite well. Every day that month had been frigid so far, and the boy was getting sick of bundling up in his darkest jeans, long sleeved shirts, and sweatshirts. He was ready for summer. However, luckily for him, tonight wasn’t so bad, save for the freezing wind chill.

Jasper Gray was walking the streets of Hollywood, California, dressed in clothes warm enough to keep him from dying. He was wearing near black, dark washed jeans, a long sleeved pink shirt, and a brown vest over that, along with his jacket and warm socks and shoes. He was feeling rather comfortable, no thanks to the weather, and didn’t really have any complaints. Placing his hands in his pockets, Jasper looked around the street, noting that they were emptier than he had seen them in quite a while. It was a Friday night. Last time that he checked, Friday nights were fun nights.

Knowing the place he was going to would be incredibly crowded, Jasper grimaced. If anything, he hated crowded places. They always made him feel like the walls were closing in on him, and like there was no escape. It was a silly fear, being afraid of small places. But he couldn’t help it. For the longest time, Jasper remembered having slight anthropophobia, or fear of society and crowded places as well as claustrophobia. Shrugging off the feeling off, Jasper thought about what he planned to do this evening. Tonight was about cutting loose, having a few drinks, and having fun. Tonight, Jasper thought, he might even be up to dancing a little, if the opportunity arose.

Finally arriving at his destination, Jasper opened the door to the night club, his eyes immediately bombarded with colorful, flashing lights. He looked around for a bit, and saw a group of people dancing and grinding. Another large group surrounded a few tables, and more people were at the bar. He didn’t spot anyone he knew, and he was disappointed. He wasn’t good at making new friends. Walking up to the bar and taking a seat, Jasper waited for the bartender to come over and take his order.

[NICOLA D'AMORE]

A green studded heel poked out of a limo and a red haired goddess wearing a grey tanktop and a jeans skirt followed. She carried a black leather purse while walking up to the door. Nicola put her hand on the bouncer's chest and gave her signature smile. He seemed to melt under her touch and opened the door telling her to enjoy her time. She walked in and instantly found a spot at the bar.

"A martini please." she said smiling again.

The bartender turned around and began making her drink. She spun around in her chair scouting out possible friends for the evening. She twirled a strawberry-blonde lock around her finger and thought of how her days at the clubs were soon coming to an end. She tried not to feel to down and began to tune in to the music. She turned around as her drink was put on the counter.

"Thanks!" she said putting some money in the tipjar. Nicola sipped her drink and thought of what to do next.

She turned and saw a nice looking guy sitting a few chairs down from her. He didn't look like the normal type to come here. The expression on his face made him seem shy. She looked up at him and smiled. Awww, He looked so cute and innocent!

[JASPER GRAY]

The bartender went around the bar, going to each and every person around him. Jasper bit his bottom lip. If he continued doing this, Jasper was going to have to say something. He wasn’t having the best of days, and if there was one thing that he needed now, it was a nice, cold drink. Martinis, vodkas, gins and tonics, Jasper didn’t care. All he wanted was something to pour down his quickly drying throat, and fast. Something to clear the mind would definitely make him feel much better. He noticed as the bartender went to a girl who hadn’t been there a second ago – a ginger haired youngster who looked a bit too young to be out and ordering drinks. He raised an eyebrow as he made her drink without even asking for an Identification Card. Things were definitely going downhill these days.

He rolled his eyes, hearing the voice in the back of his head mimicking the girl’s. ‘A martini please. Thanks.’ The whiny little voice kept annoying him, until he finally had enough with it. It was when Jasper heard the clink of money being stuffed into the tip jar that he finally decided to say something. “Hey, you. Yeah. Bartender. Can I have my vodka now? Thanks. Also, if you’ve got any sense, and like your job, I suggest you actually check for I.D. That’s policy; learn how to follow it.” he said, rolling his eyes as he flashed the bartender his driver’s license. He noticed the red head looking at him. “What?” he asked her, getting annoyed.

[NICOLA D'AMORE]

Nicola looked around at the dancing people and felt an urge to join them. She wanted to be a bit tipsy first though. She sipped her drink and watched the guy's face turn sour. She wondered what was wrong with him. Bad day maybe?

She began to sway with the music as her martini was taking the slightest bit of affect on her. This could end good or really bad. She pulled her curls up into a ponytail and sipped more of her martini. The guy looked really pissed now.

“Hey, you. Yeah. Bartender. Can I have my vodka now? Thanks. Also, if you’ve got any sense, and like your job, I suggest you actually check for I.D. That’s policy; learn how to follow it.”

Instinctively, Nicola reached into her purse and pulled out her fake ID. She got one of her friends working at a driving school to make it. She put the card on the table and looked back at the guy smiling again. "I'm Nicola. and you are?" Of course the bartender didn't check it but she might as well.

[JASPER GRAY]

He watched the bartender scurry about, now frantic, trying to catch up with Jasper’s drink. Jasper knew that he had caught the man off guard (not that he cared), and that it was always a bit awkward being yelled at from somebody at work. But it didn’t matter. Jasper was not in the best of moods, and time was running short. He didn’t have all night to sit around waiting; he wanted a drink or two, and then it was time to get back to Nikki and his apartment. Finally, the drink was placed in front of him. Jasper stirred it quickly before taking a sip. It tasted decent enough, though it was a bit warm for his taste. He took another sip.

After a few minutes, his eyes began to wander. He hadn’t been to a bar in a few months or so. Life had taken him by the wrist and directed him in a completely different direction. It wasn’t that hard, really, to be sucked into the daily monstrosities of everyday life. Work was stressful (as it seemed to be for most of human kind), having a girlfriend took time (and sometimes patience, no matter how much he loved Nikki), and well, there just seemed to be no time to sit back, relax, and smell the flowers nowadays. Oh, how Jasper missed the simpler days.

His eyes were stuck on the ginger girl a few stools down, swaying to the music and sipping the martini in her hand. She looked young, very young. Perhaps too young to be at a bar. There was no telling, of course, but Jasper did have his suspicions. She looked fifteen, sixteen, perhaps seventeen years old at the eldest. She was pulling a rectangle of white plastic from somewhere. This had to be good. And suddenly, Jasper realized, she was talking. To him. “Oh. Hey. I’m Jasper. Sorry for being in such a mood. Bad day.” he muttered, looking at her with a bit of confusion on his face.

[NICOLA D'AMORE]

Nicola tapped her foot to the beat but the song wasn't quite what she wanted for dancing. She watched as people began to let loose and have fun. A thing that she wouldn't be able to do all year long like them. The life of a partyer sounded amazing. Well, minus the liver damage when you got older. Weirdly enough Nicola didn't need a drink to let loose. She just had to walk into the middle of a crowd and let the music take control. Her friends jokingly called it getting "drunk on atmosphere". Sadly today she was being a bit too down to do that just yet. Nicola called over the bartender and ordered Rum and Coke. Why not spend her last few days splashed against the wall? Her liver can recover when she stays sober for the next year. Aggh, school sucks!

Nicola sipped her drink and smiled as it burned. She was small but in no way a light-weight. She could probably out-drink a 200 hundred pound man given the circumstances. Nicola looked around some more and saw the guy had gotten his drink. He seemed a bit happier. It took Nicola a while to realize he was talking to her. So she was right! Bad day, the ultimate reason to party. He could be fun.

"Nice to meet you, and oh it's fine. We all have our reasons for coming to a bar." she joked. "And you should cheer up once you've had that." she said pointing to his drink. "Unless of course you're an angry drunk." Nicola giggled. So here she was flirting with a college boy. Jasper. He definitely had a handsome face.