Jack Bassam Barakat was at his wits end. Honestly, nothing was going right for him these days. His best friend and quiet possibly the only person on the face of this Earth that even remotely understood him was shoved entirely too far up his girlfriend's ass to realize that things were spinning out of control for him. The rest of the band, his so-called best friends, had simply shrugged Jack's pale and thin appearance off to the side, thinking that the man was old enough to pull himself out of the rough patch. In short, the only person who really noticed that something was going on was his manager: Matt. The older man declared that it was time to take a break, give Jack a chance to sort things out on his own. Problem was, he meant that literally. Jack would be on his own for the next two months, with no one to hold him back from the new substance in his life that grabbed him by the balls and refused to let go.


Being just twenty-one, Jack knew he needed to do something to stop this problem before it became any bigger. The only real solution he could think of was slipping into the nearest bar in this shit town and drowning his sorrows. Surely, the alcohol would relieve some of the stress, wouldn't it? His runny nose was starting to subside, but the burning feeling under his flesh reminded him of the desired high. He swore to himself he was going to beat his addiction, but the only possible answer in sight was finding something new to take its place. At least if he drank enough he'd find someone to drink with.


Nodding to himself, the young man tapped his fingers on his knee. Yep- There was no denying it, he had to go, and he had to go now. Jack slipped out of his bed and tossed his faux leather jacket over his shoulders. His feet led him out of the house, where he welcomed the cool wind with a sigh of relief. It was nice to feel something so powerful as the weather ease his sickness.


Jack only lived about a block away from the nearest, roach infested bar. It wasn't much, but the people wouldn't judge him and if he really felt the need, he knew he could score there. That wasn't the plan, but knowing it was available made him feel a little more comfortable being alive. His feet dragged the pavement until the building came into view. The line outside had grown short, most people had probably given up on getting in, or they'd taken one sniff of the place and realized they knew better than to enter. Jack chuckled lightly and waved to the man blocking the door. They weren't friends, they didn't even know each other's names, but Jack had been through this line many times before. He was always welcome here.
The young man hurried inside the building, feeling his throat starting to swell. He pushed his way through a few sweaty bodies and plopped down on a bar stood, instantly calling for the tender. He quickly told the man he wanted a shot of whiskey followed by a cold draft beer and took the shot to the head the moment it landed in front of him. With the burning feeling dancing down his throat and into his gut, Jack relaxed slightly and decided to study the people sharing the room with him. Old men looking to get laid, druggies staggering around the building, ladies bawling their eyes out to the man who served the drinks.. But then he spotted her, someone who didn't quiet fit in.


She was barely covered by black fabric, her eyes painted boldly in black and red. She was touching arms and giggling so child-like that the three men around her didn't even mind that she was shooting the breeze with someone else right in front of them. Of course they didn't care- They had the youngest, prettiest girl in the bar batting her eyelashes at them. And she had all the free drinks she could ask for. Jack smirked to himself. She had a good game, indeed. Still, the idea that someone so young was being pestered by so many old pervs bothered Jack. Did she not realize how much trouble she could get herself into in a place like this? Or perhaps trouble is all she was looking for. Yeah, that's probably it. With that thought in mind, Jack almost turned his back to the girl, until he noticed one of the older guys drop a pill into the shot she was about to consume.


"Hey!" Jack called from a few stools down. The girl gently placed her shot back on the bar and eyed him, while the men simply glared. Jack wasn't sure what to say now. He could tell the girl what happened and risk getting his ass stomped by a bunch of drunk idiots, or he could put on his game face and try to swoon the girl himself. "Why don't you come down here, sweetheart? I think someone my age could relate to you a little better than grandpa, not to mention, I just ordered a round of shots and can't take them down alone."


He could see the wheels turning in her eyes. She was questioning why he would call to her in such a way, but as her eyes flickered to the bubbling shot, something seemed to click. The brunette flashed a smile to the men around her, excusing herself to move down to where he was sitting.


"Do you always rescue chicks when you go to a bar?"


"Nope," Jack shrugged, sliding a shot to the thin girl. Apparently, when he declared that he ordered a round of shots, he actually had. "You just look like a fourteen-year-old who doesn't know how to watch out for potential dangers."


"I am not fourteen," she defended, tossing the shot back. "And besides, this isn't my first time here. I know what the people are like."


"Sure you do."


"Okay, cranky.. What's your name?"


"Jack. And yours?"


"You can call me baby," October grinned, sending a wink in his direction. "You think I can't see what's right in front of my face? Just by looking at you, I'd say you're a recovering crack-head. Did you realize that you've been tapping your leg against the stool since you called for me? Better yet, I think your nose of yours is bleeding."


Jack's eyes nearly buldged out of his head. He brought his fingers to his nostrils and sure enough, he felt the liquid on his fingertips. Shaking his head, Jack used the sleeve of his jacket to clean the mess.


"I don't understand," Jack furrowed his brows. "I haven't used in a few days. Why is my nose bleeding?"


"It's raw, my dear," Baby winked. "How's recovery going? You losing your shit yet?"


"I don't think that's any of your buisness, baby," he narrowed his eyes. "I just did you a favor, no need to come over here and ruin my night."


The young girl snickered, running her dark fingernails along the bar. Jack didn't very well like being read so easily, not just because this was a stranger, but because he knew this stranger wasn't even old enough to be out of High School yet. Then again, she was in a bar throwing back shots. Maybe she was just one of those girls that would always have a baby face. Regardless, judging by her appearance and her care-free attitude, Jack knew this girl was just as deeply troubled as he was. She definitely didn't have any self-respect, that was apparent by the way she was flirting with the entire room. Dancing with danger.


"Look at that," Toby drunkenly pointed towards the pool table, where the drunken naked lady had been dancing earlier. "I wonder if she's ever considered making a porno? Surely she has to know it pays better than those men do."


Jack rose an eyebrow, curious to what baby was looking at. His eyes followed hers to the pool table. There was a sickening amout of men crowded around it, even a few women, for that matter. But what they were staring at deeply disturbed him. A woman was placed upon the table, nude and exposed with her legs spread wide. Her skin was covered in a fake tan, wrinkled in awkward places. She supported herself with one hand while the other played with her most sacred parts. Honestly, she didn't seem to be enjoying the feeling too much, but her breathing was heavy and her head was held back in pleasure. This poor woman was in the middle of a public place, masturbating for a buck. It scared him more than anything to think that she'd allowed herself to become that desperate. Was that something that would happen to him eventually? The very thought of it sent shivers down his spine, but on the other hand, he could use a line just to deal with the scene in front of him.


"Are you okay, Jacky boy?"


The man was pulled from his thoughts. His current craving was instense, so he reminded himself to focus on the young girl in front of him to avert a conflict with himself. He took in the curls around her pale face, how blood-shot her hazy eyes had become, even the scent of cigarette smoke mixing with the whiskey on her breath. She looked so free with herself. Why couldn't he have that? Better yet, why couldn't he have someone to watch his back the way he'd just done for her? Jack feared that not even his fans could pull him out of this mess.


"It's hitting you pretty hard right now, isn't it?" Baby furrowed her brows, sadness washing over her flesh. "Don't worry. I don't think you'll ever be that desperate. She looks more like an ex-escort than a drug addict. The worst that would happen to you is wandering around a dark alley, trying to score from a cop so you end up in jail. It's all good."


Jack glared at the girl. He was offended by her words because they were true. It would be his luck that he'd lose the battle with his addiction and end up in jail. Then his bandmates would hate him, blame him for the fact that the band fell apart, when in reality they all allowed this to happen.


"Earth to Jack," Baby waved her hand in front of his face. "Come on now, dude. If it's getting that bad, I can fix."


"How could you possibly fix it?"


"I'll make you a deal," she grinned, letting her fingers dance on his shoulder blade. "You and I will have the craziest night of our lives together, then when we wake up at lunch time tomorrow.. If we sleep, naturally, you'll officially take the first step to recovery. Which means no more drunk nights in a bar, flirting with temptation. I will stop using my looks and fake-ID to get into places like this, also to stop buying cigarettes."


"So what you're saying is - If we get fucked up out of our minds tonight, you'll quit smoking and I'll quit snorting - Yeah, great idea."


Baby frowned as Jack snorted at her idea. She barely made an effort to help herself, much less an effort to help anyone else. He should feel honored.


"An addiction is an addiction, Jack," she mumbled, "despite which one is condsidered more serious."


Jack pondered her words. It was true, and maybe watching someone else suffer with him would make it easier. Feeling reluctant, the man nodded his head, exhaling a deep breath.


"Fine," he groaned. "You've got yourself a deal."


And just like that, Baby slid off the bar stool and sat off to find the key ingrediant that would make this night a success.

Notes

So, yeah. lol.