The Players: Xander Harris Where: Chicago When: January 24, 2009 Rating: PG-13 Notes: Weirdness begins, and mystery people are seen.
Xander raced down the street. His bike had totally died on him that morning and he was in a major rush. He had to get there on time.
He raced down the stairs and entered the building.
“Xander…you’re late. Again.”
“Sorry Mr. McClaren. My bike died on me this morning and I couldn’t get a taxi. Had to run all the way here.”
The owner and bartender of the small bar nodded and smiled. “Clock in, I’ll let it slide this time. But only because the women around here like you.”
“It’s the eye patch,” Xander said taking off his jacket. “We use it to scare the customers that hit on them into behaving.”
He went to the back and put his stuff in his locker, his co-worker Mary is on a bench tying her shoes.
“What up Sergant Fury,” she looks up at the clock. “You’re late again.”
“Bike died again.”
“Need to invest in a car there Xand,” she said standing up and grabbing her apron.
“On a bartender’s salary? Don’t make much on tips despite my friendly face and rocking body.”
Later that night…
The best thing about working at this bar was that despite it being a bar, it reminded Xander of the bar from Cheers. Friendly neighborhood bar. A lot of regulars. And with it being across the street from a health club, they got a lot of people who just worked off some pounds looking to throw back a few.
Xander people watched as he tended the bar. Mostly guys in their late 20s hitting on young women. Some had grace and style when they were flirting. Others, mostly the muscle bound monkey’s from the health club, were obnoxious jerks. Yet, they still got dates and numbers from them.
This frightened and worried Xander about the sanity of the women around here to fall for it. Because they were complete tools.
“Xander…can I get beer and appletini for the lady sitting over there,” a man said.
The man was named James, but he had his friends call him The Rock. Not after the wrestler but the prison. Once you’re in, you can’t get out. Such a dumbass.
But, he had to.
“Of course.”
Xander made the martini and beer. “Wendy, can you give this to the lady in the corner please,” Xander asked.
She nodded and brought the lady the drink, telling her who sent it to her. The young woman smiled and waved. Xander rolled his eyes. He knew that the drink was only phase one of his plan.
“Isn’t this girl your second one this weekend,” Xander asked raising his eyebrow.
“Dude, its how The Rock rolls.”
“Why can’t The Rock just crumble,” a guy a few seats down said.
“What was that?!”
The guy was average looking. Xander didn’t know his name, but he came in a lot. Never had much luck with the women. He just didn’t have the look or confidence they wanted. Which was a shame, cause from the little he did talk to the guy, he wasn’t a bad guy. Better than the tools that came here.
“You just screw them and leave them don’t you? You don’t care about these women or what they have to say.”
“Why would I care what they have to say? Its not their minds I’m after.”
“You’re an ass.”
That’s when Xander saw James’ eyes flash fire. Only not in the literal sense. He started yelling loudly, threw his beer on the ground, punched the guy shoved the guy to the ground.
“THAT’S ENOUGH,” Xander said hoping over the bar and pulling James back. “James, I’m gonna have to ask you to leave.”
“This fool started it! I’m just finishing it.”
“And you’re finished. Now go!”
James scowled. The woman he sent the drink to came over and the two left together. Apparantly, giant apes are her type.
I helped the guy up. “You okay?
He nodded.
“I just hate guys like that.”
“Right there with you pal. See him and his buddies in here all the time. They pump themselves up at the gym and with the left over energy they have, try to find a woman and sleep with them because it makes them feel like more of a man.”
Xander looked down and noticed something on the ground. It looked like a big card.
“This yours,” Xander asked bending down to pick it up. It was a tarot card. Had a lion on it. With a woman that looked like it was opening its mouth. And the roman numeral…something. Xander was bad with those.
The guy took it. “It was my dad’s. Found it after he died a couple weeks ago.”
“Sorry, about that.” Mary came up to the two of them with a rag.
“Here, you’re bleeding.”
He brought his hand to his nose and saw some blood. A drop of it fell onto the card, but that went unnoticed to them. He brought the cloth to his nose.
“Thanks,” he said. “I’m Simon.”
“Mary,” she replied with a smile. “That’s Xander. Is there anything we can do for you?”
“No, I just want to go.”
With that he got up and left.
“I really don’t like those jocks Xander.”
“Neither do I,” Xander said watching Simon leave. “Thought high school was over.”
Simon made his way upstairs to the street as Xander got back to work. Down the way he saw James with the woman. Anger stewing inside of him. He was tired of being bullied around by jerks like this.
He held on to the card, turning it absent-mindedly as he thought to himself.
“Why jerks like you get the girl I’ll never know…should just get hit by a bus.”
He turned around to go the opposite way when he heard tires squeal. And then a crash, followed by a woman scream. Simon turned around and saw the young woman over James.
He was down on the ground, with a bus on the curb. Simon backs up thinking about the last thing he said. How was it possible? He turned away and ran home.
He lived in a crummy apartment, the door constantly jammed and took all his strength to pop it open enough to slide in. However this was not the case today.
He opened the door prepared to pull it as he normally did, only this time when he pulled hard, the door broke off the hinges.
“What’s happening to me,” he asked to no one in particular.
Back outside the bar, a large crowd of onlookers surrounded the bus accident. Most of the bar had cleared out to see what had happened.
Xander was talking with one of the officers and went to Wendy and Mary to tell them what he found out.
“They were walking to his place when the bus came out of almost nowhere. Nearly took her out too, he pushed her out of the way and got mowed down by the bus.”
”This is horrible. No one deserves to die like that. Not even a guy like that,” Wendy said.
Xander was looking around the crowd and noticed an attractive red-headed woman with an older gentleman and younger man talking to one of the officers. After a brief conversation, they handed him a card and went on their way.
“We better get back downstairs, think the crowd’s about to head back inside soon.”
The trio headed back downstairs to the bar, but Xander couldn’t help but think something weird was going on. But solving that little mystery would have to wait until morning.