*On Temporary Hiatus* A Place For My Head

The Meeting

(A/N- Here is the first chapter in this story.)

*Harlow's P.O.V*

*1998*

There is a lot of shit that, when you're younger, you think you have a handle on.  When I moved out of my mom's house at the age of almost twenty after saving for a couple of years, I thought I had it made.  Working non-stop for my entire high school and the beginning of my college career had made this whole dream of 'moving out of my parent's home' possible.  It took me about a year to realize how naive I had been with believing I had shit under control. My mom had offered multiple times during that year to help me out and me, being the stubborn child she had raised, always said 'no, I got this'.  That was a bullshit fucking lie.  I didn't have anything.  Anything I did have was brought over from her house and the ramen noodles I was living off of, thanks to it being four for a dollar, was proof of this.  Apartment living and being a full-time college student really sucked me dry in the funds department.  Due to this, I had no other choice but get better paying jobs.  Jobs, as in multiple, that I could make some pretty decent money at to keep me from failing at living on my own.  So during the day, when I wasn't in class, I was lending a helping hand at the bookstore on campus and at night I was slinging drinks at the club my Uncle ran.  The latter was a newer gig for me, but thanks to my uncle getting me bartending classes for my eighteenth birthday and practicing my skills at my best friends 'ragers', I was a master at obtaining tips from drunk people.  The bonus part of working at my Uncle's club was that on the lighter nights, I was able to fit in my studying while also making a decent amount of money.

"Harlow, we have one of our regular bands coming in tonight.  They usually bring in a heavy crowd whenever they play here.  It might be a good night for tips," My Uncle Mitch told me while helping me stock the bar with beers, waters, and hard liquor.  Out of all my Uncles in my family, he was by far my favorite.  Uncle Mitch had been married once to a woman named Marie.  They were an odd pairing with Mitch being laid back and fun while Marie was uptight and hated pretty much anything he enjoyed.  How they had been married for fifteen years was beyond me, but after their divorce Mitch purchased this place.  The club wasn't a huge place, but it was popular amongst the college kids and up and coming bands.  It also helped that my Uncle was all for giving new bands a chance even if they weren't that great.  For a while I had wondered what brought my forty-eight year old uncle to purchase such a place.  The whole idea of not having a secure plan mapped out was foreign to me and usually I didn't enjoy hanging out with people like him.  Yet, he was my favorite and even when I wasn't working I'd come by. 

"Sounds good," I nodded placing more plastic cups onto the stack near the ice machine.  "Hopefully I'll still have time to get in a chapter for school."

Mitch looked at me sighing.  Even without him saying a word, which I was never blessed enough to have him not make a comment, I knew what he was going to say.  "Harlow, you need to kick back and not worry every second about school or so far into your future.  You know your mom can help you out financially, yet you're bumming it here with me.  You need to let loose a little.  Let your hair down and have it blow in the wind," He said for the hundredth time as I mouthed along with him.  "I don't even remember when the last time you had a boyfriend was."  I raised my right brow at him with a smirk tugging at my lips.  "Don't give me that shit.  Even if my marriage didn't work out, everyone deserves to find love and be loved by someone that's not family."

"Well, once I'm set with my Master's in my hand then I'll start looking," I shrugged.  "I don't want to be dragged down by someone who doesn't understand that I like my plan and goals.  If anyone comes along that can handle that, then great but in my experience I tend to intimidate guys."