Burning Flames ¦ Evan Buckley

Chapter 8 - El and Mikey Begin

6 Months earlier:

She had done it. After training hard for over 18 weeks El had passed top of her class against the doubts of everyone around her. She was the only woman to make it to the end of the training. She couldn't have felt prouder in this moment; she just hoped her parents thought the same thing.

That Friday night, all of the new recruits decided to head out for celebratory drinks before they started their new jobs the coming Monday. El wasn't exactly the biggest social butterfly nor was she all that great at making friends however she chose to indulge in this likely testosterone filled night. She was doing it for herself more than anyone else.

El got herself a little dressed up for the occasion, wanting to take pictures and remember this day when things became a little too much. She wore black booty shorts which sat upon a cute white set of lingerie with a black sheer mesh top over it with small embroidered flowers. She tied the look together with a cropped black jacket, belt and sneakers for comfort.

El applied some light makeup before heading to the bar, feeling a little on edge. None of the people she had trained with had seen her out of uniform in such a way, normally she would be wearing sporty scruffs or a simply put together outfit but today was a special day.

She walked into the rowdy bar full of already half drunk firefighters. It was a bit of a dingy bar but she didn't mind. Despite coming from a slightly well to do family she wasn't one to pass judgement in this type of way; a lot of the time she preferred the more run down places than the boujee ones. It had various posters of the walls of models and stars that had come through LA, which obviously was a lot. There were neon and fairy lights hung around in an attempt to keep the moody atmosphere. It wasn't squeaky clean but it wasn't a shithole either.

El approached the sticky bar, greeting a few of her fellow students politely, some not recognising her at first glance. Drinks began to flow and El could feel a small buzz enter her system as the alcohol oozed through her veins.

Things took a turn however when a group of cops turned up. Most firefighters and first responders weren't the biggest fans of cops; reasons unknown to El. They were all there for the good of the people, however she did have to agree that there were some power hungry cops out there that don't deserve the privilege of wearing the badge.

The night went on and both crowds started to become more and more toxic towards the other. El decided to slip away, finding herself a booth to sit and enjoy her whiskey, relishing selfishly in her own accomplishments. She snapped a few photos on her phone of the bar and her whiskey before taking a sip, the warm liquid soothing her throat. She opted for the most expensive one in the cabinet, not in the mood for Listerine flavoured whiskey.

As she looked up from her phone she was met with an unfamiliar face. He seemed well put together compared to most of the other people who were in the bar. He wore a denim jacket with a cream coloured shirt beneath it and some tighter fitted jeans.

"Do you mind if I sit here?" He asked, holding a beer in his hand. "Don't worry, I'm not some creep here to flirt with you.. N-not that you're unattractive or anything but.. You know what? Let's start over. I'm Michael but everyone calls Mikey, mind if I sit next to you to get away from all of that over there." He held out his free hand for a hand shake.

El admired the guy for a few moments, taking in what she could gage from him. "Fuck it" She gave a soft laugh and shook his hand "Nice to meet you Mikey, I'm Eleanor but call me El" She gave him a sweet smile before gesturing with her other hand for him to take a seat. "Want a drink?" She offered.

Mikey took the seat next to her and turned to face her, "I think I'll just call you Ellie." He smiled and nodded, lifting up his nearly empty bottle of beer. "Something stronger than this, absolutely."