College Vamp

Invitation [Part 1] (EDITED)

Thursday 7:05 am

The downtown square of Traven laid dormant. Sunrise nowhere in sight behind the hovering overcast. The drop in temperature forced a groggy Hayley to shiver as she stepped out in front of her café. She leaned out, arms folded, looking at the open sign flickering on and off in the window. Sighing at the stuttering bulb, she stepped back in and grabbed the switch. She flicked it off before jamming it back up.

Leaning out again, the same flickering persisted for a few seconds before it ceased. The sign glowed with a blue and red incandescent light. Satisfied, she ducked back inside, trapping the fleeing heat and going to the counter. A lone, rather lanky customer sat on one of the stools, sipping his dark, creamed beverage. Hayley's hand found the washcloth waiting for her and addressed a mess left by a single cup.

Wiping the last puddle up, Hayley tossed the stained cloth into the sink and moved to one of the coffee machines. She grabbed the top and gave it a quick rattle. The incendiary liquid sloshed around inside as a low gurgle emitted from the spout. Hayley jumped back as a rope of hot water spat onto the counter.

"Machine's on the fritz," the customer noted. This obvious observation being his only words since his order.

"Obviously...." Hayley quickly retrieved a fresh washcloth. "Nothing a replacement can't fix."

Her mind was already calculating the cost as she dealt with the new mess. She heard the customer shift on the stool, followed by coins on the countertop. Hayley whipped her head around to see him already walking away.

"Well, hope you can fix it."

The lanky customer exited without another word.

"Thank you," Hayley called out. She dropped the washcloth to address the coffee cup and money left behind. A half, barely empty cup greeted her. A pair of dollars with a hodgepodge of quarters, nickels, and pennies scattered on top.

"Yes...thank you." She grumbled, grabbing the cash and coffee cup. "At least your money is adequate."

She sat the cash on top of the registrar to deal with later, flinging the wasted contents of the cup in the sink. She went back for the saucer, finding it spotless. She slipped it into the sink and grabbed the napkin that had been underneath. Or at least until she felt the glossy texture.

She paused, bringing the object up. Instead of a napkin, she held a 3.5" X 4" flyer. Her attention shifted to its content rather than the thought of the customer that left it behind. Phrases like "One Night Only" and "Live Remixes Of Your Favorite Songs," greeted her. A photoshopped crowd backlit by a bright orb stood as the vocal point. Rays of different colors shot out from the orb's center. A name printed in bold shaded lettering at the very top.

DJ CutScene. Hayley read internally, taking in the rather disjointed nature of the name. Eh, what do I know?

She was about to crumble the flier up and toss it in the garbage when she flipped over. The there was more text on the back:

Diz Mixup Event Center

2934 32nd ST.

Dodgem, IN 43132

She spotted contact information at the bottom in significantly smaller font:

Nick Pérez

Venue Owner

handman@gmail.com

(319)-304-3738

Hayley couldn't help but smirk mischievously as she pulled out her phone. She scrolled through her contacts to a familiar name and dialed it. She waited patiently as it rang, not taking her eyes off the name on the contact information. She did her best to contain her laughter as the other end clicked.