All My Life

True Friends

         Walking up to the club I always feel an anxious knot in my stomach. I probably shouldn't be going out but I needed something to take the edge off. I hate flying, and I tomorrow I have to be on a flight to start my new life. 

         "Come on, hurry!" Raina grabs my hand leading me to the step in front of the bar. 

          "Okay! Okay!" I pick up my pace a little faster than before, well as fast as I can in heels. 

          "Raina, you know we can't be here long. I need to be up my 7 to make my flight" I say squeezing her hand for a second. 

          "I know, but this is the last time we can be together for the next year!" She says smiling, but I know me leaving hurts her. We've been friends for the past 10 years. Our parents worked together on films creating other worlds. But I was the only one that wanted to stay in the industry. Raina loathed it, and this was the reason why. She hated the traveling, and when we weren't traveling with our parents, we were without them for months. She decided after that to go to college to pursue a career in science. She wanted to be able to help people, she wants to "find a cure for cancer and shit like that" as she phrases it. I always commended her for that. I wish I could find a passion outside of the life we grew up in, but I knew going on the sets with my parents and seeing the actors that, thats what I wanted to do. I wanted to be able to move people the way I was always moved.

         Even with all the traveling and the flying growing up, I still hated it. My fear of being on a plane almost made be decline this new opportunity. But Raina said, "Even if I have to drug you and put you on that plane myself, you are going". She always knew of my dreams growing up. She didn't understand it but she supported me. We're basically sisters and leaving her is going to be hard. 

         We walk up to the bouncer and show our ID's. He stamps our wrist with the shape of an animal, barely eligible from the running ink. We always try to decipher it after the first shot. The club is dark, and the scent of incense and rock music fills our senses. 

        "Okay, I think Maya said she would be on the second floor waiting for us." Maya was another "nepo baby" we met in our last year of high school. She's a little older than us, but it never felt that way. She understands what it's like growing up in all the chaos. With her mother being Uma Thurman and her father being Ethan Hawke, she definitely had more chaos in her life than Raina and I have combined. Raina grabs my hand again leading up the stairs to our left. These stairs are going to be a problem later, but thats on drunk Alice to figure that out. 

         "Raina, Alice! Over here" Maya shouts as we get to the top. She's a standing table with shots already lined up for us. We hug her as we approach. 

          "Oi! What are these" Raina says in her fake British accent holding up the full shots. 

          "I got them to cheers to Alice for landing this new movie role!" she says distributing the rest of the shots out.

          "Maya, these are straight Tequila! I have to be up in the morning to make the flight" I say smelling the shot and cringing. 

          "We'll only do one, Alice this is a pivotal moment in your career. We have to celebrate! When I landed Stranger Things, you guys had me out till 4am."

          "That was different, you didn't have to leave the country the next day!" "Also, your male lead wasn't a stunt cast" I say rolling my eyes and trying to talk above the climbing club music. 

           "Alice! It'll be okay, he's been in a couple films, and they're not bad! Christopher Nolan casted him in Dunkirk for christ's sake! That's got to mean something!" Maya said giving me a comforting side hug, and squeezing my shoulder. "But like I said, this will be one and done. I swear! Now, cheers!" I give in. It usually doesn't take a lot of convincing for someone to get me to take a shot. And Maya is right, this is a pivotal moment and we should celebrate a little. We hold out the shot glasses, we clink them together and shoot them back. I cringe as the liquid makes it's way down warming my belly. 

          "So, do you guys think it's an elephant or a fish?" Raina says peering down at wrist like it's one of her science experiments. We all laugh, "no wait, it's definitely a tiger" 

          One shot turned into two, turned into three and so on. It's 1am now, we tend to not have a lot of self control when we're together. Though I know I'll probably regret this in the morning, I don't really care. This is going to be the last time I'll be able to do this with them for a long time. I know that, and they know that. It feels bittersweet. 

          On the dance floor, everything feels right. Dancing with Raina and Maya and laughing together makes me almost wish I never accepted this job. Seeing the smile fade from my face a bit Raina grabs my hands. 

          "Alice, it's going to be amazing, you're going to be amazing. I know it's scary, but this is a once in a lifetime opportunity. I'm going to give you this." She reaches around and unclasps the necklace around her neck. It's a small black stone pendant with sliver accents. She then reaches around places it around my neck. It falls perfectly in the middle of my chest. 

           "It'll bring you good luck and patience. Gods know you'll need it, though he is pretty easy on the eyes" Raina smirks at me. I scoff and role my eyes playfully giving her a hug.

            We dance for another 20 mins, doing most ridiculous moves we can think of. before I see someone tall with dark hair in the corner of my eye. I instantly make eye contact with Maya and Raina, we all knowing exactly who it is.