This is my first ever piece of literary fan fiction in which I take Dani Dassler’s intrepid punk jock character Andrea, (AKA Dre,) the main character of PR and Coming Up Gray, and put her in a story with my very own punk extraordinaire Skye Wright, MC of my last novel What the Hell Ever Happened to Yuri Rozhenko?

    I have written fan fiction before, but it was very silly Sci-Fi fan fiction!

     She turned the corner, hoping to find Onion or Scream.
     She stopped in her tracks. No one was there, save for a mop of curly blonde hair that was bent over a cigarette.
     Skye stepped cautiously into the alley as if she were entering a crime scene. The complete absence of her new Los Angeles crew was throwing her off. The blonde mop was wearing a leather jacket and a plaid skirt, her ripped up fishnets going down to the top of her boots.
     “Heya,” said Skye. “Where everybody at?”
     The blonde mop just shrugged. Cigarette smoke creeped through her blonde curls.
     “Got an extra cig?” asked Skye.
     The blonde mop held out a cigarette without raising her head.
     Skye took the cigarette. “Thanks.” Skye looked through her jacket pockets. “Y’gotta light?”
     The blonde tilted back her head and her hair fell away from her face. “You want me to smoke it for you too?” The blonde held out a lighter.
     “Nice shiner,” said Skye as she took the lighter.
     “Thanks. I wish I could say I made it myself.”
     Skye lit her cigarette. “Club brawl?”
     The blonde mop shook her head. “Some putas gave me a beat down because some jerk went and kissed me.”
     “What? You gamin’ on someone’s guy?” asked Skye as she handed back the lighter.
     “Nope. Brown on white. They’re pissed at me ’cause they say I took one a’ their Latin boys.”
     “Damn. We don’t have that shit so much in the Bay Area. It’s not so much of a thing up there.”
     The blonde mop didn’t say anything.
     “I’m Skye.”
     “Andrea,” she said through her locks.
     “You native? I’m down from San Francisco.”
     “I’m from a town you never heard of.”
     “Sure.” Skye leaned against the wall. “You seen any of these bands before?”
     Andrea lifted her head and looked at Skye. “I’ve seen Dani and the Jackals, but I don’t know the other bands.”
     “They any good?”
     “What?”
     “Dani and the Jackals. I’ve heard of ’em but I’ve never seen them play.”
     “They’re a fuckin’ riot,” said Andrea as she tossed her cigarette butt. “My friend’s band was supposed to play. I didn’t know they were canceled until I got here.”
     “Damn. I hate it when that happens.” Skye looked around the alley. “Usually some of my friends are back here with a twelve pack. I was hopin’ to scam some beer offa them.”
     “I could really use a beer,” said Andrea as she sat back. “Those putas are in the club.”
     “The ones who gave you that shiner?”
     “Yep,” said Andrea as she took out another cigarette.
     Skye reached into her jacket and took out two bottles of Moosehead. She held out one for Andrea.
     “You carry beer around with you?” asked Andrea.
     “That one was for my friend Casey. But she ain’t here.”
     Andrea eyed the bottle. “Isn’t she gonna be pissed off that I drank her beer?”
     “She ain’t here. She snoozes she loses. Besides, I can’t sneak this shit into the club, so someone has to drink it.”
     “Sure,” said Andrea as she took the bottle. “It’s still cold.”
     “I just nabbed it from the corner store. We drink back here so we don’t have to spend fifty dollars for beer in the club.”
     Andrea opened her beer and took a good long chug
     “Your friends are still here though, right?” asked Skye. “Even though their band got canceled?”
     “Nope.”
     “Well, sounds like you’re gonna have a fun night.”
     “I don’t know where they are.” Andrea looked at her cell. “They haven’t returned any of my texts yet.”
     Skye shook her head. “That’s the life, ain’t it? Too much chaos.”
     Andrea turned and looked at Skye. Andrea looked as if she were about to say something. But she didn’t say anything.
     “Yeah. I’ve been there,” said Skye as she nodded.
     Andrea chugged the rest of her beer. “The first band’s about to go on.” Andrea stood up and stubbed out her cigarette.
     “You really gonna go in there? I mean, not knowing if your backup is here?”
     “Fuck it. I’m not gonna let those bitches keep me out. I wanna go in the club. I don’t want to wait.”
     Skye tilted her beer bottle. “Hey, if you want, you can hang with me and my friends.”
     Andrea looked right at Skye. “What?”
     “Meet my friends Casey and Scorch. Come hang with us crusties.”
     “Crusties? Because you’re old?”
     “Physically yes.”
     Andrea stood straight. “Why would I want to do that? Why would I need to do that?”
     Skye held up her hands. “Hey, the chicas locas got there thing goin’, why can’t we have our own white girl corner of the club?”
     Andrea took a couple of steps towards Skye. Skye did not budge. “I don’t need your backup. I can take care of myself.”
     “I don’t doubt it,” said Skye flatly. “But you know, punks can kick it, right? Just hang out?”
     Andrea turned away from Skye. “I don’t need your help.”
     Andrea looked out of the alley and marched away, leaving Skye all alone with her half-finished beer.
     Andrea made her way back into the club, flashing her stamp at the door and walking out over the dark floor.
     She couldn’t see the chicas. She could not see Dereck or any of her other friends. She wondered if she should wait for them by the bar. The bar was where most of the club employees were, and they would break up any dust ups that started over there. She decided to avoid the bar. She didn’t want to look like she was taking the easy way out. She would never get any respect that way. She looked out over the floor and decided she would check out the stage to see if she couldn’t spot the playlist for the headliner.
     Andrea stood near the center of the floor which only had a few milling people. She wondered where the first band was. Only a few roadies were onstage, fiddling with microphones and amps.
     She never saw them in the crowd until the squeezed past a small gang of flannel shirts. They barged right up to her, stopping just a few feet away from her.
     “What the fuck bitch. Who gave you permission to come here?”
     “Your madre did,” said Andrea. “She said so when I passed her on the corner.”
     The lead chica brought up her fist and palmed it with her other hand as she glowered at Andrea.
     Andrea stood her ground and started flexing her right hand, moving her fingers in and out, which were still stiff and sore from the last fight.
     Only this time she was ready. She was ready for the jump. She was going to throw the first punch if she had to and see how much damage she could do before the main throwdown got started.
     She told herself she was going to try and win the fight, despite the odds.
     They gave her their hard stares. Andrea felt a twinge go through her arm. Her shoulders tightened up.
     The lead chica’s two homegirls sided up right behind her. They were balling up their fists. A slight tremor tried to well itself up inside Andrea, but she did her best to hold it down.
     She knew the leader would throw the first punch, and then the other two would hit her from the sides. She was about to get peppered by fists. The short leader would be her first target. She was going to go for her face. Maybe she could cut them down from three to two if she got in a good shot on her nose.
     Slowly, the expressions of the three chicas started to soften. Their eyes became wide. Their scowls dropped. The lead chica unwrapped her fists, flexing her hands flat and bringing them to her side.
     The lead chica narrowed her eyes at Andrea for just a moment before all three took a step back. Andrea’s eyes became wide and her mouth was agape as she watched the three back up and melt back into the crowd near the stage.
     Andrea brought down her hands and held them at her side, ready to bring them up again quickly if they decided to double back. Her mind raced as she wondered what they were doing.
     Andrea turned around. Right behind her was Skye, standing with half a dozen other punks, including a very tall woman with wild black hair, and an enormous women with buzzed cut hair, wearing a black leather jacket.
     “What the fuck!” blurted Andrea.
     Skye held up her hands. “What? We’re just hanging out.”
     Andrea narrowed her eyes at Skye. She felt her hand tightening.
     The tall one with the wild black hair also held up her hands as if she was surrendering. “Just a bunch of us girls hanging out. Really! That’s all.”
     “Yeah, ain’t no thang,” said the large woman in the leather coat. “Just waitin’ for the show!”
     Andrea looked at them for another moment. Her mind went blank. Her right arm trembled.
     Andrea turned and walked out of the club. Getting through the door, her skin stood one edge as it had become cooler outside. She lit a cigarette just as Dereck walked up.
     “Where the fuck have you been?” asked Andrea.
     “Stuck behind a pile up on the freeway. We were jammed for days!”
     “Fuckin’ a.”
     “I saw those evil Latinas taking off. Did they fuck with you?”
     Andrea looked back at the club. She turned back towards Dereck.
     Andrea let out a long breath.“No. No big deal.”