Kijani exhaled and leaned against the seat. The song that was playing was okay, it had a decent beat. But she really would prefer to dance to something a little faster. Still... her fingernails were tapping against the table. Checking her cell phone, she realized that she had barely two bars. Hopefully enough to look up what she needed to. She checked her bank account and her credit card and did some quick math. She would not make it longer traveling. Maybe to the next city, before she had to refill. Now she wished her car wasn't so expensive. It took premium gas, and that was suddenly an expense that became a looming concern. What could she do? Get a job? That seemed problematic. She was in her 20's already, with no real work history. All of a sudden she realized just how weak she was. She had money, and she was smart... but none of that mattered at this moment. Right now, she was no better than a child.

Feeling a rush of sadness come over her, she stood up and went toward the dance floor. Once the song ended, she walked up and made a quiet request. The DJ nodded and gave her a thumbs up. In a moment, Daft Punk's "Get Lucky" started to pour out of the speakers. She took a moment to catch the beat, and then started to groove and move on the dance floor. Her body was graceful and sleek, as she tried to lose herself in the music.

.

Taylor comes out some time later with frozen jello shots on a tray. By this time the dance floor is filling up with people. "Jello shots! 1 dollar a shot." He moves around selling the shots to different people. "Pineapple margarita, Fuzzy Navel, Screwdriver, banana daiquiri, rum and coke, boones farm blueberry and surfer on acid jello shots right now." He makes his way over to Kijani. "Ready to try?"

Kijani kept on dancing, not missing a beat as she moved in time with Tyler. "No thanks! I gotta drive after this and jello shots will go straight to my thinking brain." She had been very drunk, but only once. It had not been at all pleasant, and she'd promised herself that she'd never forget her own limits with substances. If only she didn't have to think, she probably would have bought three of them...

"But here-" She pulled a dollar from her pocket, folded it into a neat shape, and tucked it into his shirt pocket with a wink. "Whoever buys next gets one on me, how's that?"

"Alright, sounds good to me." Just then a young woman walks up with a smile. She simply says. "Midnight." Taylor chuckles. "Guess it is time then." He looks at Kijani and nods to her. "Hope to talk with you later." he turns and heads into the kitchen grabbing the birthday drinks and heads out to the birthday party which is in full swing. He lost sight of the birthday boy so he calls out. "Hey! Where's the birthday boy?" the guy stands up with a smile. "Right here." Taylor smiles. "Not that I don't believe you, but I need proof of your age." The guy pulls out his temporary ID and his college ID. Taylor fully believing the age before asking just asks as a rite of passage. He reads them both in a glance nodding his head. "Guess it is time for your first legal drinks." He sets the tiramisu shooter down in front of him first then prepares the chocolate cake shooter setting it behind the first. "Shoot the shooter with the pudding first then I will educate you on the second." The guy grabs the tiramisu shooter and looks at it for a moment then downs it, slurping down the pudding as well. He licks his lips then grabs the second. "Now take the blood orange, bite into it then slurp down the shooter then swallow the orange." The guy downs it shaking his head and puckering up. "Oh my god!" his eye twitches from the tartness of the blood orange. "Wooo! That has some heat." Taylor starts serving everybody else 1 drink each as they all talk and laugh. He heads back to the bar and gets back to serving some of the regulars.

Kijani finished the song, and her attention was caught by the party. The music seemed to fade around her as she watched. They were laughing, enjoying each other, just... being there. The kid was 21, and there was just... happiness and pride, and...

Her throat seemed to close on itself. Hurriedly, she went back to her booth, trying to quell a sudden bout of shaking. Why did that hurt so much? So she'd never had a family party. So what? Big deal. Her 21st birthday had been at the best club in Chicago, everyone had been there, and... and...

A tickling down her cheek stopped her thoughts cold. Reaching up, she realized that she was crying. She couldn't remember the last time she'd shed tears of sadness.

"God, I'm having a fucking breakdown..."

Taylor notices Kijani crying, he walks over to the bar and hands off the tray to one of the other bartenders telling them he was gonna go on break and then casually walks over to her. He casually puts his arm around her, shielding her from anybody else that could see her crying. "Come with me, I will make sure you are not seen." He stands up shielding her from the room waiting for her to follow him out.

Kijani went rigid as Taylor touched her. Even though it wasn't any kind of romantic touch, or even intimate, she had not even had that much in... years. That realization caused a sob to come struggling from her throat. A part of her, a loud part, realized that this bartender could easily lead her out and hurt her. No one knew her here, no one would even realize she was missing...

She tried to quell it. She wasn't in Chicago anymore. The bar was full of people, if she got into trouble, she could scream. She wasn't a pushover, not anymore.

"Where... where are we going?" Her voice sounded strained and weak. She hated it.

"We are just going out to get you some air." He guides her out the back of the bar to the alley behind it. He brings her to a pavilion that is partially closed bringing her inside. "You want to talk about what is going on or do you just want to collect your thoughts for now? I will sit with you for as long as you want either way."

Kijani sat heavily, curling into herself a bit. Her head was ducked and her face was hidden by her hands. "Why are you doing this?" Her voice was heavy with pain. "I-- I don't have any spare cash to tip you with. So... so why?" Her comment may have been uncouth, but the tone of voice was purely confused and vulnerable.

"Why would you bother to stick around someone in pain?"

"Tips are purely optional here, we are not paid under minimum wage, we earn our keep here." He reaches into his pocket and pulls out a handkerchief handing it over to her. "Cuz we all have felt pain, better to share it with somebody to lighten their load than leave them to their own devices."

Kijani blinked several times, before slowly taking the handkerchief from him. She dabbed her eyes slightly, before exhaling slow. "...I dunno what era you come from, but people don't stick around for other people's drama. They're afraid it'll wear off." Her fist curled around the cloth, as a burst of emotion rushed through her. "Everyone's got their shit, so why should mine be special?"

He chuckles. "Welcome to smalltown, USA. Here we are mostly friendly to the random person and even if we don't like somebody we do not go out of our way to give them hell." He scoots a bit closer towards her. "Well, even if you happen to be atheist, the bible has some great things to live by. Of the many morals in there, one you should follow is that you should always treat others as you wish to be treated. There is a story, a kind of generic story that can be applied to many people in many places. One day a woman and her friend are driving to work. The friend who is driving the car, waves to every passing car. Her friend notices she does it every time and asks her "why do you wave to every person you see?" The friend answers back. "Because you do not know if any of them are at their limits emotionally. Maybe, just maybe, somebody was thinking their life isn't worth anything that nobody notices them. But maybe, possibly, hopefully, the friendly smile and the kind gesture makes them believe that their life is worth living. Everybody is special to somebody, even if they don't realize it or have somebody they could become special to over time."

Kijani gave Taylor a long blank stare, before muttering. "That's the most saccharine thing I've ever heard. Do I look like a five year old to you? No one above that age believes in things like that. The real world doesn't work that way. The people who are supposed to love you, or at least pretend, will be happy to pretend you don't exist. The people you grew up with who you were so sure had your back, will bail as soon as you stop being fun." She let out a laugh, but it was mirthless and bitter.

"I drove here. I lost count of the hours. If some random woman had waved at me, the first thought would be that she's crazy, not that she gives a crap about me." Despite all the anger in her words, her voice was shaking and her eyes were shiny with unshed tears.

"You think I would say it if I didn't believe in it? You see, everything happens for a reason. I lost my brother way back in 2002, my entire family was affected, especially my mom. My mom and aunt who had a falling out years earlier rarely talked, after losing my brother they started getting close again. 2 years later we lost my cousin, it brought my mom and aunt even closer cuz they both knew the pain each other felt. Trying times for all people involved but through everything we made it. We are put through a lot of hard times to show that we can make it, tough times don't last but tough people do. I have 4 friends that are so close to me I consider them brothers, 20 years I have known them. Fact remains that we go without seeing or talking to each other for years at a time but when we get back in touch nothing has changed with our friendships."

Taylor looks over at her again noticing her shaking. "You know, when people well and truly have your back you know it. When you experience it firsthand you will without a doubt know it. As the song lyrics say It's a mixed up, muddled up, shook up world. But don't let the world get to you, nobody makes it out alive."

Taylor has a sudden thought enter his head and stops talking for a moment. "You know, I think the best remedy for you is to show you what country feels like. I don't work tonight until 6 pm, I think I should come pick you up take you out somewhere that you can clear your head you seem to need an adventure."

Kijani gave him a puzzled look. She hadn't heard of whatever song he was quoting, but then he said that he'd take her on an adventure. She ran her hand over her face, stifling the urge to groan. Did she really look that desperate for company? Why should she trust this guy over anyone else?

...then again, it wasn't like there was any competition for her attention.

"Where would we be going on this adventure?"

"There is a place about 20 miles outside of town, it is an atv and dirtbike area. We would do something I am sure you would enjoy beforehand, retail therapy, get you some clothes for the day then come back, from shopping and take you out to the trail. No feeling like the wind hitting your body and depending on the clothes you get, your face and hair."

He smirks as he notices her trying to hide the groan but says nothing.

"Trust me, even if you have hit 150mph in a sports car before, it pales in comparison to going 65 or 70 over soft uneven ground."

Kijani raised her eyebrows at him, trying to keep the curiosity from her eyes. She always had wanted to get a motorcycle license. Perhaps this would be a way to see if she really could manage two wheels. "I guess I could try something like that. Never been on a dirtbike before." She wasn't too happy about the thought of getting dirty. Then again, who was here that she needed to impress?

"Fine. I'll go with you. But before all of that, where is the hotel you mentioned? I need to rest." She ran a hand over her face. "I'm suddenly realizing how exhausted I really am."

"If you go west of town there is a place called Hunters, it is a bar and grill with quality rooms about the same distance to the east is one called the riverwalk that one though is about 90 dollars a night. Hunters is 40 a night."

Thinking for a moment.

"You know, now that I think about it, you need to be to the riverwalk before midnight so Hunters is the only one you can actually go to right now."

Kijani managed a wan smile. "Hunters it is, then." She got up, smoothing her clothes. "Thank you for your kindness. I... suppose I will see you tomorrow. Where should we meet?"