Alexa Jimenez

His father's house

Roberto's home, his father's home, is different.

After the divorce, he moved to a smaller apartment in a different part of town. The place is much less tidy than Elena's. Roberto has books and records everywhere, and there's always a music magazine lying around the table.

For Alexa, this house feels more relaxed.

The room has an old sound system connected to several speakers. Nearby are boxes full of records and cassettes that Roberto has been collecting for years.

Alexa can spend hours checking those boxes.

Her father still keeps some things from his youth and doesn't mind her using them. There's even an old denim jacket that Alexa ended up owning and now considers one of her favorite pieces of clothing.

The room where Alexa sleeps when she stays with him is simpler than the one she has at her mother's house. It has a bed, a small desk, and a wardrobe.

However, Roberto allowed him to place some of his things there: photographs, cassettes, a lamp, and some drawings.

His mother's house

After the divorce, Alexa spends most of her time at her mother Elena's apartment.

It's a medium-sized apartment in an older building. It's not particularly fancy, but it's well-maintained. It has two bedrooms, a small living room, a kitchen, a bathroom, and a narrow balcony with views of other buildings and part of the street.

The decor mainly reflects Elena's tastes. There's wooden furniture, light curtains, family photographs, and a few plants that her mother takes great care to keep alive.

Alexa feels that the apartment belongs more to her mother than to her.

Her room, however, is completely different.

The walls are partially covered with band posters, magazine clippings, and photographs. There's a small tape recorder next to the bed, a stack of cassettes, and several notebooks filled with drawings and song lyrics.

His desk is permanently messy. There are pencils, markers, paper, sheet music, cables, music magazines, and small objects he has accumulated over the years.

Her guitar rests in one corner. Alexa cleans it quite carefully, even though the rest of the room looks like a mess.

His bed is covered with a dark quilt and on top there is usually a jacket or t-shirt that he took off when he got home from school.

The closet isn't very organized either. It has oversized t-shirts, jeans, boots, jackets, and some clothes that belonged to his father.

The school

Alexa's school is a fairly large high school located relatively close to her neighborhood.

The building is several years old and retains a fairly simple architecture: long corridors, rooms with large windows, spacious courtyards and staircases that always seem to be full of students.

The walls are covered with announcements of school activities, event posters, and academic notices.

Alexa doesn't consider it a particularly special place, but there is one space that does mean a lot to her: the music club.

The club occupies a large room located in one of the less frequented areas of the school. There are old instruments, music stands, mismatched chairs, and several amplifiers that have seen better days.

That's where Alexa, Mariana, and Gabriela rehearse.

For them, that room is practically their own territory.

After classes they close the door, put away their instruments and for a couple of hours they stop worrying about school rules.

The room is filled with cables, sheet music, and handwritten lyrics. There's even a wall where previous students have left little signatures and messages.

Alexa has discreetly written her name there, next to those of her friends.

The dive bar

The place where Alexa works is located in a busier area of ​​the city and is quite well known among young people and adults who are looking for music and nightlife.

The establishment has a dark facade and a neon sign that can be seen from a distance. Inside, low lighting predominates, along with small tables, a dance floor, and a stage where musical groups occasionally perform.

The bar is long and located near the main area.

Alexa works mainly at night, helping with cleaning, organizing, and other age-appropriate tasks. The environment is very different from school.

There is constant music, overlapping conversations, and people coming and going.

The colony

Alexa grew up in a residential neighborhood in the southern part of Mexico City. It's not one of the city's most luxurious areas, but it's not particularly dangerous either. It's a neighborhood of relatively quiet streets, apartment buildings, older houses, and small family-run businesses.

There's a stationery store on the corner, a grocery store that seems to have been there forever, a small bakery, and a taco stand that sells tacos at night. Nearby is a park with large trees, some benches, and a court where neighborhood children play in the afternoons.

Alexa knows practically every street around her house. During her childhood, she used to ride her bike around them, and now she uses them to get home from school or walk to a bus stop.

The neighborhood also has its own characteristic sounds: dogs barking behind doors, vendors hawking their wares, radios playing inside homes, and cars driving through narrow streets. Alexa is so used to them that she often doesn't even notice them.

On one of the walls near her house, there's a small mural painted by local youths. Alexa often stops to look at it because she likes the mix of colors and lettering. Although she would never admit it openly, she'd like to paint something similar someday.

Mexico City

Alexa lives in Mexico City during the 1990s, a huge, noisy city full of contrasts. For her, the city isn't just the place where she was born: it's practically part of her personality. She's used to the traffic, the noise of the trucks, the streets full of vendors, the crowded subway stations, and the constant movement of people who always seem to have somewhere to go.

Mexico City back then had a very distinct character. The streets were lined with newsstands, small shops, video rental stores, stationery stores, markets, family-run restaurants, and businesses that had been in the same spot for decades. Concert posters, movie ads, product advertisements, and the occasional graffiti adorned the walls. Public telephones were a common sight, and Alexa still carried coins when she left the house in case she needed to make a call.

For Alexa, the city has two faces. During the day it belongs to students, workers, shopkeepers, and families. At night it seems to transform. The lights of businesses become more visible, restaurants stay open late, and certain neighborhoods begin to fill with young people looking for music, gatherings, and places to spend the night.

Ernesto "Neto" Vargas — 32 years old
Neto is one of the managers at the nightclub where Alexa works. He's a friend of her father and was the one who got her the job.
Alexa maintains a respectful relationship with him. Neto can be quite serious at work, but he also has a good sense of humor and usually makes sure that the younger employees don't have any problems with customers.
He was clear with Alexa from the beginning about her responsibilities and limits due to her age. He doesn't want the young woman to get into situations she's not yet ready for.
Alexa considers him a trustworthy adult figure, although she never tells him too much about her personal life.
Patricia "Pati" Morales — 25 years old
Pati works at the same place and is one of the people Alexa spends the most time with during her shifts. She's outgoing, confident, and has a personality that Alexa admires.
Pati has become like a big sister to Alexa. She gives her advice on how to deal with difficult people, how to save money, and how to avoid getting into trouble.
Alexa feels comfortable talking to her about music, school, and work. Pati has also noticed that Alexa gets especially nervous when certain girls show up, but she doesn't ask intrusive questions.

Mariana "Mari" Ortega — 17 years old
Mariana is Alexa's best friend and the band's drummer. They've known each other since they started participating in the music club and quickly discovered they had compatible personalities.
Mari is more outgoing than Alexa and has a remarkable ability to talk to strangers. She can start a conversation with practically anyone and is usually the first to defend her friends when someone makes an unpleasant comment.
She has an equally rebellious style: short, messy hair, baggy pants, band tees, and several bracelets. Unlike Alexa, she's not too afraid of attracting attention.
Mari knows that Alexa keeps many things to herself. She doesn't necessarily know all her secrets, but she understands that there are topics her friend doesn't want to discuss. She never forces her to talk. Their friendship works precisely because Mari has learned that Alexa needs to feel in control of when and how she shares things.
Gabriela "Gaby" Hernández — 18 years old
Gaby is the third member of the band and plays bass. She's the oldest in the group and usually acts as the responsible one when the other two start doing something silly.
He has a calm demeanor, though he also possesses a rebellious side that is reflected in his clothing and musical taste. He wears his dark hair to his shoulders and usually dresses in oversized jackets, jeans, and boots.
Gaby is probably the person who knows Alexa best. Not because Alexa has told her everything, but because she pays close attention. She's noticed how Alexa gets nervous around certain girls and has overheard comments that have allowed her to guess the truth.
However, she has never confronted her or asked her directly. According to Gaby, if Alexa ever wants to talk about it, it will be Alexa who decides when to do so.
The three of them consider themselves practically sisters.

Roberto Jiménez — father, 44 years old
Roberto is Alexa's father and probably the family member with whom she shares the most interests. He's a calm, somewhat carefree man and quite fond of music. During his youth, he had a small record collection and was always interested in different musical genres.
After the divorce, Roberto tried to maintain a close relationship with his daughter. Although he no longer lives with her, he often calls her, picks her up some weekends, or invites her out for lunch. He is much less strict than Elena and, within certain limits, allows Alexa to make her own decisions.
He was the one who got her first guitar and encouraged her to join the music club. He doesn't necessarily understand all the lyrics his daughter writes or share her musical tastes, but he knows that music means a lot to her.
Alexa can talk to Roberto about things she would never discuss with Elena. However, she doesn't tell him everything either. Roberto knows his daughter is growing up and that there are parts of her life she keeps private, but he doesn't yet know why.
One of Roberto's biggest concerns is Alexa working at such a young age. Although he was the one who helped her get the job, he tries to make sure she doesn't neglect her studies.

Elena Salgado — mother, 41 years old
Elena is Alexa's mother and a rather reserved, hardworking, and demanding woman. She has a very different personality from her daughter: while Alexa tends to question everything and do things her own way, Elena needs to feel she has some control over her life. The divorce made her even more protective of Alexa, partly because she feels that after the separation she must somehow compensate for the instability her daughter experienced during her childhood.
Elena's relationship with Alexa is complicated, but there's a lot of affection between them. Elena can be strict about her daughter's schedule, grades, and appearance, especially when she sees Alexa's shaved head or some of her more flamboyant outfits. She doesn't fully understand her daughter's fascination with alternative music and thinks she should be more concerned about her academic future.
Despite their arguments, Elena knows her daughter quite well. She knows when Alexa is truly angry and when she's simply feigning indifference. She also knows that behind her sarcastic replies lies a girl far more sensitive than she's willing to admit. Alexa rarely confides in her directly, but when she's sick or going through a difficult time, she often quietly seeks her mother's company.

Even so, beneath that confidence, there was still a girl with many unanswered questions. She didn't know what she wanted to do after finishing school. She didn't know if she would ever have the courage to speak openly about who she might love. Nor did she know if her parents would ever fully understand her. The only thing she was sure of was that she didn't want to spend the rest of her life trying to become someone others considered acceptable.
That's why, when rehearsals with her friends ended and the three of them left school together, Alexa felt she could breathe easy for a few minutes. They walked through the streets of Mexico City talking about music, concerts, teachers, and whatever other nonsense came to mind. Then Alexa would leave them to go to work, put her headphones in her jacket pocket, and begin another part of her day.
She was still terrified of what might happen if she ever stopped hiding certain parts of herself. But she was also beginning to understand something important: keeping silent might protect her for a while, but it didn't mean she had to do it forever.

The job changed her perception of the city. By day, she knew Mexico City from a student's perspective; by night, she began to see it from a completely different one. She watched musicians, university students, workers, artists, and people who seemed to be escaping their problems for a few hours. She learned to interact with very different kinds of people and, above all, she learned to observe. She had never been a particularly trusting girl, so she always kept a certain distance from strangers. However, that job gave her a confidence she hadn't had before.
She also started saving carefully. Every paycheck she received was divided between what she needed to spend and what she wanted to save. Her goal was to buy an electric guitar she had seen in a music store. For months she walked past the window, staring at it, mentally calculating how much more she needed. Her friends teased her because she could talk about that guitar for hours, but Alexa simply said that one day it would be hers.
As she approached seventeen, Alexa had become quite different from the little girl who used to try to keep her parents happy. She was still afraid of some things, but she had learned to hide it behind a confident and sarcastic personality. Her rebellious appearance wasn't just a fad; it was her way of making decisions for herself. Her hair, her clothes, her music, and her band were all small pieces of a life she felt truly belonged to her.

That's why she never told her parents or most of her classmates. Alexa didn't feel there was anything wrong with her, but she was afraid of what might happen if others found out. She had seen people ridiculed simply for dressing differently or behaving in ways others considered strange. She didn't want to become the next target. So she decided that this part of her life would remain private. When someone made comments about a girl they found attractive, Alexa learned to remain expressionless. When rumors about her surfaced, she responded with indifference or sarcasm.
At sixteen, she began looking for ways to earn her own money. Her parents' financial situation wasn't dire, but Alexa wanted to stop depending on them to buy things. She also wanted to save up for a better guitar and equipment for her band. Through an acquaintance of her father's, she got a job behind the bar at a popular nightclub in Mexico City. Her age meant she had restrictions and couldn't handle tasks related to serving alcohol, but she could help the staff with cleaning, organizing, and general maintenance.

Alexa then discovered that playing music with other people was completely different from listening to a cassette in her room. There was something special about being with her friends, playing a song, and feeling that for a few minutes none of the three of them had to worry about what others thought. They started writing their own songs, although many of the first ones were simple, error-filled attempts. Alexa would write some lyrics at night and then show them to her friends. Many of them spoke of feeling out of place, wanting to escape, frustration with adults, and things she never dared to say directly.
It was around this time that Alexa began to understand that her feelings toward women were different. At first, she didn't know how to interpret them. She thought she simply admired certain girls too much, or perhaps she was confused. Then she began to realize that it wasn't admiration. There were girls who made her nervous, who made her want to spend more time around them, and whose comments she could remember for days. This realization didn't come with an easy answer. Alexa grew up in an environment where people used cruel words to talk about those who were different, and overhearing those conversations taught her to protect herself even before she knew exactly what she needed to protect.

She didn't quite fit in at school either. She wasn't a troublemaker in the traditional sense; her grades were acceptable, and she rarely got into fights. The problem was that she never seemed interested in behaving the way others expected. She preferred to sit in the back rows, listen to music during breaks, and doodle in the margins of her notebooks. Some classmates started calling her weird. Others made fun of her hair or her clothes. Alexa pretended not to care, and for the most part, she managed to let the criticism stop affecting her, but there were times when she would come home and stand in front of the mirror wondering if there really was something wrong with her.
Music became her refuge. When she joined the school music club, she met the two girls who would become her best friends. The three of them had different styles, but they shared the same feeling of not quite fitting in with the rest of the student body. At first, they only met to listen to music and talk after school. Gradually, they started playing together. Their first rehearsals were pretty rough: an out-of-tune guitar, an amplifier that kept malfunctioning, and a drum set that seemed about to fall apart. Even so, none of them wanted to give up on the project.

The separation made Alexa more independent. Not because her parents abandoned her, but because she began to feel she had to handle many things on her own. She learned not to ask for too much, to keep her worries to herself, and to avoid becoming a burden to either of them. Her mother became more protective and concerned about her future, while her father tried to give her the freedom to discover who she wanted to be. The differences between them ended up being reflected in Alexa's relationship with them. She argued frequently with her mother, especially when her mother criticized her way of dressing or her growing rebelliousness. With her father, she could talk for hours about music, although even with him there were things she preferred to keep quiet about.
During high school, the transformation began that would eventually turn her into the Alexa her friends would know years later. At first, she had no intention of adopting a rebellious look. She simply began to feel uncomfortable with the clothes everyone expected her to wear and with the way her classmates seemed to constantly compete to look a certain way. Alexa discovered that clothing could be a way to express her personality. She started wearing oversized T-shirts and denim jackets, then came boots, dark pants, bracelets, and finally her short hair. The day she decided to shave one side of her head, her mother stared at her for several seconds before asking what on earth she had done. Alexa simply replied that she liked it.

However, as Alexa grew older, her parents' relationship began to deteriorate. At first, they were minor arguments that she barely understood, but over time they became more frequent. Alexa learned to recognize the sound of a door slamming shut or the awkward silence that followed an argument. No one fully explained what was happening. When she asked, they both assured her that everything was fine, even though it was clear to her that it wasn't. For a while, she tried to behave like the perfect daughter, naively thinking that if she got good grades, kept her room tidy, and didn't cause any trouble, perhaps her parents would get along again.
The divorce happened when Alexa was still quite young. The news didn't come as a shock, but rather as a rather serious conversation in her living room. Her parents tried to explain it to her gently, telling her that neither of them had stopped loving her and that it wasn't her fault. Alexa listened silently and said she understood, though she didn't really grasp how two people could still love someone and at the same time decide to stop living together. For the first few months after the separation, she felt like she was living with an invisible suitcase. She spent time with her mother and other times with her father, moving her belongings from one place to the other and learning to adjust to two different homes.

Alexa Jiménez Salgado was born in Mexico City in the late 1970s, the only child of a couple whose marriage, during her early years, seemed quite stable. Her parents were young when they had her and for a long time did everything they could to build a peaceful life for her. They lived in a relatively small apartment, but Alexa remembers those early years with a certain nostalgia: the afternoons when her father would come home from work carrying a treat for her, her mother's arguments because she left toys scattered all over the house, and the evenings when the three of them would eat dinner together in front of the television. She was a fairly quiet child, but also curious. From a very young age, she had the habit of constantly asking why things were the way they were and never seemed satisfied with simple answers.
It was her father who sparked her interest in music. He had a small collection of records and cassettes that Alexa began exploring as a child. At first, she didn't really understand what she was listening to; she was simply fascinated by the album covers, the instruments, and the way a song could completely change the atmosphere of a room. When she was around eight years old, she started sitting next to the old family tape recorder, listening to the cassettes she could find. Her father taught her how to care for the tapes, how to rewind them properly, and how not to leave them exposed to heat. He was also the one who allowed her to play with a guitar he had stored away, even though Alexa could barely hold it properly. That guitar ended up becoming one of the most important objects of her childhood.

Tastes
Alexa greatly enjoys walking around Mexico City without a specific destination in mind. She likes the crowded streets, record stores, magazine stands, small cafes, and places where she can listen to live music.
He loves the smell of record stores and spending hours browsing album covers even though he doesn't have enough money to buy everything he finds.
She also enjoys film, especially movies she considers strange, melancholic, or different from what her peers usually watch. She has a particular fascination with black and white films and with characters who don't fit in.
She enjoys drawing. She doesn't aspire to be an artist; she simply fills pages with drawings of people, guitars, buildings, eyes, faces, and anything else that catches her eye.
She likes animals, especially cats, although she has never been able to have one because she lives between her parents' houses due to their divorce.
She also enjoys quiet nights, deep conversations with her friends, buying second-hand clothes, writing letters she never delivers, and discovering new bands before they become popular.
Dislikes
Alexa hates it when someone tries to tell her how she should behave because she's a woman. She's especially irritated by comments about what a girl "should" do, wear, or think.
She also hates people who make fun of others just to feel superior. While she can tolerate being teased herself, she won't stand for anyone humiliating one of her friends.
He dislikes overly authoritarian teachers, boastful people, malicious rumors, and those who judge someone without knowing them.
She can't stand overly fancy parties or places where she feels she has to pretend to be someone else. She prefers a small, noisy place where she can be with her friends.
She also hates talking about her family. Especially when someone asks too many questions.

Occasionally, she dyes a few strands of hair dark or reddish colors using products she buys herself. Her hair is constantly changing because she gets bored easily of always having the same style.
She doesn't wear much makeup. When she does, it's usually limited to dark eyeliner, a little eyeshadow, and some deep lipstick. Her appearance isn't meant to be delicate or elegant; she's interested in feeling comfortable and recognizing herself in the mirror.
Outfit
Alexa's style is a mix of alternative, rock, and nineties youthful aesthetics. She often wears baggy band tees, open flannel shirts over tank tops, distressed jeans, and black boots. She also has a pair of old sneakers that she refuses to replace even though they're pretty worn out.
When it's cold, he wears denim jackets, black coats, or oversized clothes that originally belonged to his father. He likes clothes with pockets because he always carries coins, a notebook, markers, a cassette player, or other small items he considers important.
At school, she often subtly alters her uniform: she changes a few accessories, wears black bracelets, simple rings, and different shoelaces. She's not interested in strictly adhering to the dress code, though she tries to avoid getting into serious trouble.
Outside of school, his clothes reflect his personality much more. He might show up wearing an oversized t-shirt, black pants, boots, several bracelets, and a jacket covered in small pins. Some of them belong to bands he likes, and others are simply things he finds interesting.

She has an observant personality. She notices small details that other people overlook and can usually tell when someone is uncomfortable, sad, or pretending to be okay. Ironically, she's much better at detecting other people's feelings than talking about her own.
Alexa is attracted to women, but she doesn't talk about it openly. In the 1990s, particularly in certain school and family settings, she knows that speaking about it could lead to ridicule, rejection, or even problems with people close to her. That's why she keeps that part of herself private. It's not that she's ashamed of her feelings; she's simply afraid of what other people might do or say if they knew.
Some of her classmates have made comments about her, especially regarding her clothing, her behavior, and the way she talks about other girls. Alexa usually just raises an eyebrow and carries on with her day. Her favorite response to rumors is to ignore them completely.
Appearance
Alexa is approximately 1.67 meters tall and has a slim, youthful build. She has fair skin, dark brown eyes, and slightly thick eyebrows that often give her a serious expression even when she's in a good mood. Her face has soft features, although her gaze can make her seem much more confident than she actually feels.
Her hair is probably one of her most striking features. She wears it short, with one side of her head shaved quite short and the rest longer, falling haphazardly over her forehead and around her face. She doesn't worry too much about every strand being perfectly styled. She likes it to look messy, almost as if she just woke up after spending all night listening to music.

Alexa Jiménez Salgado
Age
17 years old
Place of origin
Mexico City, Mexico
Personality
Alexa is a strong-willed, independent girl who's not easily impressed. She has the kind of personality that makes some people find her intimidating before they even meet her. Not because she's cruel, but because she rarely makes an effort to be liked. When she enters a room, she usually has her hands in her jacket pockets, headphones on, or a calm expression that could be mistaken for indifference. She has a dry, sarcastic sense of humor and enjoys responding with witty remarks when someone tries to provoke her.
Despite her rebellious appearance, Alexa isn't particularly confrontational. She detests unnecessary arguments and prefers to walk away rather than waste time arguing with someone who won't listen. However, when someone messes with her friends, her attitude completely changes. She's incredibly loyal and protective, and can be very stubborn when she feels someone is being treated unfairly.
Alexa doesn't usually talk much about her feelings either. She learned from a young age to keep many things to herself, especially after her parents' divorce. She has a different relationship with each of them, and although she loves them, she feels that neither of them fully understands her. That's why her friends and music have become a kind of second family for her.