I never put myself out there like I did that night. It's just not something I think of doing and whenever the opportunity hits and gives me a chance, I always turn it down. I don't really like attention on me, I mean if you are going to have the attention on you then you better get ready to perform. I would much rather watch a performance than be one. Not that I am scared to put myself out there, it's just not something I feel the need to do.

Riff, on the other hand, she definitely seemed like that kind of girl. The edgy mean type. The girl who enjoys the spotlight and often seeks it out. The one who likes to play by her own rules and lives on the wild side of life. You see that was my first assumption about her, and as the real night began I was about to learn just how close I was to hitting her on the mark.

She flicked her cigarette to the ground and snuffed it out with her shoe. Then she just started walking, I followed her. I looked her up and down from behind. I could tell she must have some dark angsty back story by the way she carried herself. She walked with confidence, yet she was tense like at any moment something would pop out at her and try to kill her. She shoved her hands in her pockets in order to keep herself from fidgeting which I discovered by watching her hands fidget in her pockets. It just seemed to me that she was being cautious but acting carefree. I frowned behind her, it must be stressful trying to do both.

I myself have learned the important lesson of stranger danger like I said this was not a normal thing for me. There was just something about her that piqued my curiosity. It wasn't that she was pretty or that I thought I might get lucky with her, nothing like that ever crossed my mind. It was that she was so open, she didn't care that I was some rando on the street she bumped into. She didn't care that I saw her like that. She just seemed to be interested in going about her business with or without me. I sort of felt privileged to be included in her nightly antics. Like I was looking at something that rarely ever gets seen, a once in a lifetime type of thing. There was just something about the way she carried herself, the edgy, but also secretly terrified look. Like she was scared, but she was forcing herself to put herself out there.

I wanted to learn more.

Why force yourself? If you are terrified to be in the spotlight, then why seek it out? It made no sense to me at all, which was why I needed to know. Who exactly was Riff, and why couldn't I figure her out so easily?

I am usually very good at pegging people. Heather's, Brad's, Ashley's, and Nickolas's, easy to figure out. But what kind of a person was a Riff? Her impression gave me the edgy the world doesn't define me vibe, but there was something there, something under the surface that had me intrigued. Since I was already out and had no way of getting home any time soon, I thought what the hell, might as well find out.

"So Solo, how'd a girl like you end up all alone out here?" she asked but didn't turn to look at me.

"A girl like me?" I wanted to know what kind of girl she pegged me as.

"Well a solo girl like you, I bet you got dragged here against your will. You said you were looking for someone, but that person wasn't looking for you which means you aren't really that important to them. I'm guessing hmm that you would rather be home watching sitcoms or something. You are only here because you were forced. The way you dress gives you away, first time I'm assuming. Plus you look under 21."

Wow, she is good.

"Uhh... are you stalking me?" I walked up next to her to see her facial reaction.

She smirked before chuckling; her shoulders relaxed a bit.

"No, someone like you is easy to read to me." she gloats.

"Hmm, if that's so, then why invite me out?" I asked.

"Well, honestly I just thought you were pretty and that you needed a little fun in your life. A little blood pumping excitement. A simpleton like you needs a little Riff in her life. Besides I bumped into you so must be fate." She shrugged.

"You believe in such a thing? Fate that is."

"Hmm, I think I do, but not all the time if that makes sense. Like mostly life lets us do whatever we the hell want, but sometimes it intervenes and shoves us at people to try and make our lives a little better."

"I get that, I believe in it too."

"So is that why you said yes to coming along with me?" She raised an eyebrow and turned to look at me.

"Sure, I guess so. Don't murder me, okay, and if you do, try not to get caught." I playfully bumped shoulders with her.

She laughed loudly. The kind of laugh that almost sounds fake, but you know it's not by how animated it makes the person. The kind that makes them smile so big you can see almost all her teeth. I laughed at her laugh.

"Relax, I think we might just go for a ride or something. It's a nice night out to take a pretty girl for a ride." She smirked at me.

"So you think I'm pretty huh? That's a first for me, no one thinks I'm pretty enough to invite out."

"Yeah? Well, their loss. I think you make my heart beat fast so that makes you pretty in my book."

"Wow shamelessly flirting already. Am I in trouble here?" I teased her.

"Hmm, depends." She paused as we waited to cross the street towards the parking lot.

"Depends?"

"One, are you into girls? Two, how easily are you persuaded?"

"Hmm, I don't know to both questions. I've never been with anyone seriously before, most of my relationships are just ways for me to get free food once or twice then I end it. I just don't feel the need to actually try and get anything out of it. I've never been with a girl before and no ones ever tried to persuade me otherwise." I admitted as the crosswalk light changed from orange to white.

"Interesting, based on that assessment I think this might be a challenge for me. A fun one. You should be safe from most of my tricks but I won't give up so easily." She began to walk.

"Yeah? So that's your goal then, sleep with me by the end of the night?" I followed after her.

"And if it is, does that stop you from coming with me?" we paused in the middle of the street.

"Hmm," I thought about it.

She laughed again and began to walk as the crosswalk counted down. I followed her. I admit my stomach turned at the thought of me being laid by this random girl whose real name I still didn't know. Still, I wanted to know her, I wanted to figure her out by the end of the night. Which meant I had my own challenge, not letting myself succumb to her charms and advances to get into my pants.

"So you followed me, which means you are interested." She stated as we made it to the other side of the road.

"Hmm, I'm interested in you for sure, but not exactly interested in getting laid. So it seems we have an issue here." I shrugged.

"An issue indeed. I want you under me and you only want to know me, hmm. Sounds complicated. Well, I guess we will just have to see who wins at the end of the night." She walked towards the parked cars.

"Guess so."

She paused an eyed each of the cars putting her hands on her back and twisting around to pop it. Then she popped her knuckles and pulled out another cigarette. I eyed her.

"What don't tell me you are one of those, cancer stick people. It's my body if I want cancer then who are you to stop me?" she huffed and pulled out a lighter.

"No, no, no. I mean yes, but no. You do you. I'll keep my cancer stick thoughts to myself." I said.

"Good, that shit annoys the hell out of me." she lit the cigarette.

She pulled out a rubber band from her jacket pocket and tied her up into a ponytail while her cigarette hung from her lips. Then she rolled up her jacket sleeves, which slid back down the moment she started walking again and made her way over to a car.

She leaned against a beat-up van, which, I am sure, belonged to her band, and once again cased the parking lot. I could see Heather's car from there, but Heather herself was nowhere in sight. I glanced at Riff then purposely mocked her pose, leaning against the van and sticking my hands in my pockets.

She didn't notice.

"Sometimes it annoys me you know?" she said to me.

"What does?"

"Well Solo, look around, tell me what you see." She said.

So I did. I saw decent looking cars and fancy cars all parked out front. The beat-up older looking cars, which I assumed belong to the workers to said various clubs, were parked in the back. There was trash all over the floor by the nice cars, but by the beat-up cars, not a scarp in sight. I hummed in agreement, looking at it did annoy me a bit.

"Entitled assholes I tell you. Must be nice living carefree like that, not worrying about any of your actions because you are so entitled it never even occurs to you. What pricks." She blew smoke out of her nose.

"It can't be helped I guess, I mean we all have a place, a role we must play. Circle of life."

"Bullshit. That's what it is, bullshit. You know if I did half the shit these assholes get away with I mean who knows where'd I'd be. Not here I tell you." she took out her cigarette and tapped it on the bumper of the van.

"I don't know, you are attractive I guess, you have light-colored skin, I don't think you'd get in that much trouble. I think you don't use your own privilege to your advantage." I said.

"You think so huh? Well, maybe we should test that theory." She smirked and put the cigarette back in her mouth.

"How so?"

"Come on." She walked over to the fancy cars. She eyed each one, inspecting it. She paused when we got by a red corvette, newer model. Someone hadn't closed the door right and it was stuck in that weird position of being closed but still open. She glanced around a bit, which caused me to look around, we were alone.

Then she blew out some smoke before walking over to the door. She tried to open it but it didn't budge. Then she bent down and inspected the door.

"What are you doing?" I asked.

"Watch and learn Solo."

She stood back up and banged on the door three times, twice in the center, once by the handle. The door popped open. She got in the driver's seat, once again flicking her cigarette away. She unlocked the door and opened the passenger door for me.

"Get in, we are going for a ride." She smirked at me, her sunglasses reflecting back my own stunned face.

I got in and sat down. My heart was racing.

"When you invited me out, I didn't think this is what you had in mind," I said.

"Well, that's only because you don't know me yet. Besides I said I was going to take you for a ride, I never said it would be in my car." She presses the push start button.

To my surprise, the car rumbled to life, which could only mean one thing. The owner of said car was close by.

"Woo! Haha." She laughed.

I swallowed down the lump in my throat and buckled up. It was too late to back out now, I already came this far might as well commit. She pushed a button and the roof came off.

"Oh hell yes, baby." She used the touch screen to turn on the radio and put it on some classic rock station.

Then I watched as she buckled up and then she looked at me and wiggled her eyebrows. While holding my eyes she put it into drive and we lurched forward.

"Hey, that's my car!" some guy called.

"Not anymore! See ya sucker!" she called back

Then she peeled out into the street and we committed our first crime of the night. That's right I said first, there are still many more laws that will be broken by the end of the night. Grand theft auto was just the first of many to come.

Thus started my adventures with the girl called Riff.