Drake & Josh || Kickthestickz

Chapter 3

The music thumps loud in Pj's ears as he pulls open the door to the pub and stuffs his car keys into the pocket of his jacket. He squints as the microphone squeaks slightly through the amplifier at the back of the room. At the back of the bar Pj spots Craig. Although he loves the boy, all he does is drink and to be honest, it isn't really Pj scene.

"Pj, hey!" Craig booms as Pj made his way closer to the gaggle of people in the corner of the room. "Didn't think you would make it; I thought you would be at work." Craig had always made fun of Pj's desire to be a doctor for as long as either of them could remember. He thought Pj's idea of work was sitting next to a telephone and repeating 'St Georges Hospital, Accident and Emergency' over and over until the end of his shift. Pj always ignores any comments about work from Craig. "Where is your girlfriend?" he continues.

"I'm not too sure," Pj answers. "She will be here. But happy birthday, man! I'm sorry I didn't have time to get you a gift, I was busy." Busy working.

"Nah, that's fine, Bro. Just buy me a drink later, yeah?"

Pj gives a small nod in response and parks himself in a seat next to the wall. Five minutes of socialising was surely enough, right? After a quick glance out the window to the car park, he is sure there is still no sign of Flo.

Before someone can engage him in conversation he whips out his phone and opens one of the only games on there. Snake. It does not seem to matter that he despises the game, in times of intense boredom he always manages to play it. "Ridiculous long pixels," he grumbles to himself under his breath. What does the snake have to keep getting longer for?

"Hey, baby," Pj hears. Looking up, he locks his phone and smiles at Florence as she drops her coat behind the table. "How was your day?" She moves to stand next to him and her wraps his arms around her waist from his sitting position. She had curled her long hair gently and it hung down to the small of her back.

"Average," Pj responds "I didn't do much. Watched the Drake and Josh reruns from last night, studied, had some pasta from lunch, studied. The usual."

Florence hummed in reply. "Work was super busy. I work in a library, for goodness sakes!  Why on earth are so many people going in to the library on a Friday!?"

"So, it wasn't good then?" He pulls her down to sit on his lap.

She shakes her head, "Some kid snotted in the first three pages of one book then decided he was going to ram his sweets into the coin slot in the self-service machine. It was ridiculous. Some people need to keep their children on a leash."

Pj chuckles and watches as his girlfriend explains the traumas of her day. Florence was always very expressive in both the way she moved her hands and her facial features. Pj found her fascinating to watch.

"Drinks?" he questions, cutting the girl off short. She agrees and moves herself to make room for Pj to walk to the bar.

The queue at the bar is short but still Pj manages to find himself at the end of it. He waits patiently, starting intently at his hands. His nails were cut short and the skin dry from the amount of times he uses the hospital sanitiser. "What can I get for you, sir?" The voice prickled at a memory in the back of his mind.

"Uhh," Pj begins without at the bartender. Quickly he glances to Flo in the corner of the room in an attempt to grab her attention. He had forgotten to see what she wanted. "Umm," he says again. She wasn't paying attention; to engrossed in talking with the girls. "Just two cokes, please."

"Driving?" The bartender asks as he turns to fill the glasses with cola from the machine behind him.

"Yeah," Pj sighs. "As usual." The drinks get placed gently onto the counter in front of him.

A great slosh of fizzy spills from the glasses as Pj glances at the bartender. "Shit, sorry!" He sits the drinks onto the counter and grabs for one of the tea towels hanging from the other guy's hand. "Hey, aren't you the guy from the DVD store?"

"Oh, hi! Yeah, I am. I'm Chris. You're the Drake and Josh guy! Something like Peter, right?"

"Yeah, it's, um, Pj. Uhh, how much do I owe you?" Pj rummages his hand deep into the pocket of his jeans and pulls out a handful of loose change.

"It's on the house."

"Really? You sure, mate?"

"Yeah, it's fine. I'll pop the money in the till later."

Before Pj can respond Florence comes skipping up to the counter and plucks her drink from the side. "Thanks, babe," she says before turning back and sitting with the girls she is talking to. Pj rolls his eyes, earning a breathy half laugh from Chris.

"So, how come you work here and in the DVD place?" Pj questions, hoping his curiosity is not mistaken for nosiness.

"My parents own this pub." Chris simply states. "We live above. They pay me to work as the shift manager when Hannah can't come in. And I work at the DVD place as a day job. Cashier by day, super sexy bartender by night."

Pj laughs as he clicks and points his fingers, a sarcastic smoulder on his face. Chris rolls the sleeves up to his elbows on his black t-shirt and picks up a glass from below the surface of the bar.

"You must be exhausted to work all the time. Don't you get a rest?"

"Yeah, Tuesdays I'm free. I don't do anything. They're like my Sunday." After he has finished polishing the glass he pulls another from the shelf.

"And I thought I worked a lot."

"What is it you do?" Pj is asked. Chris looked genuinely curious.

"I work as a trainee doctor in the accident and emergency at St. George's hospital." Pj always felt proud when people asked him about his job.

"No way, really!? That must be so gruelling."

"Sometimes," Pj agrees. "It's just really mentally draining. I go home a worry about the people that have come in. When the red telephone rings, I tell you, everyone's hearts leap into their necks. You just never know what is going to come in through those doors."

Chris nods. A serious look is upon his face. "One second," he utters in a quiet voice. Pj's eyes follow him carefully as his slim form walks to the opposite end of the bar and takes an order from another customer. The girl giggles and leans forward to touch Chris' arm. The boy shows no reaction. He smile and gives her her change. Pj can see flirtation practically rippling from her body. He watches as Chris smiles slightly before turning his back on the girl and making his way back over.

"Sorry," he mutters. "Customers, eh?" He rolls his eyes and continues his previous job of polishing the glasses under the counter. "So, I still haven't watched any of that final Drake and Josh season if you're still up for that?"

Pj takes a quick breath. "Uh, yeah, totally. I mean I'm free, like, whenever I'm not working. Just give me a bell."

"Cool, ok. How about this Tuesday?" Was this guy always so forthcoming?

Pj nods his head, yes. As he glances over at Florence, still chatting avidly with her friends, a twinge of guilt bubble in the pit of his stomach. He swallows the feeling down. He was just hanging out with a friend. "Tuesday," he settles.

Reaching into his back pocket Chris pulls out his phone. He slides it along the surface and Pj catches it in one hand. Pj's long, slim fingers flip open the screen to reveal the keypad. Quickly, he punches in his number and drops himself a text message.  He feels his own cheap phone vibrate in the pocket of his jacket. "I guess I better head back to the party," Pj grumbles.

"Yeah, I'll see you later," before Pj can say anything more Chris turns away and begins tapping on the till behind him. Pj can see his face in the mirror reflecting on the back of the bar. He looked and worked on the till with ease. Pj feels his stomach tighten. He hasn't even had any alcohol.

--currently unedited-