Today I was going to spend the whole day with Alex. By whole day, I mean from the time he finally wakes up and is ready and until he feels like stopping. But we're not going to do much. He just wants to go over A Love Like War with me a few times. I had to learn to harmonize with him and make sure I knew all of my cues to sing. I actually liked this song, so I already knew the lyrics from listening it on my own well before the tour.

After a couple of play-throughs, Alex told the guys to go ahead do their own thing for a while. Alex led me to their bus, taking me to the back lounge. I was puzzled by why he'd bring me to his bus. He grabbed his acoustic guitar and took a seat on one of the couches.

"What are we doing," I asked him.

"Practicing," he replied, "I want to make sure we can land the harmonies on the chorus and the second verse."

I nodded as he started to play the intro for the song. We went over the song several times. When we finished what I thought was the sixth time, I was dying for a drink. I began coughing from my dry, exhausted throat. Alex reached behind him and handed me a water bottle.

"I think we're done for the day," he said as he put his guitar down next to him.

"Good," I told him, "My throat is so sore right now."

---

After our practice sessions, all the bands on the ticket had to meet up to take some promo shots for the tour. First was full band shots of each band and then all the bands together. Then they called for just the lead singers, which meant me and Alex. Fun.

"Alright, Alex and Emily let's get you guys to just stay right here," Adam Elmakias, one of the best photographers I have ever seen, asked of us. Alex and I somehow ended up in Glamour Kills, so we ended up matching for our shoot.

"Okay," I replied. Being only 5'2", Alex towered over me. Then my cotton candy pink hair made me stick out too.

"Now just do whatever you want guys," he told us.

Alex decided to lean onto me and I just crossed my arms. Then Alex had me jump onto his back for a shot. Then we stood back to back, I looked up and he looked down. We then did a simple one of us standing side by side with smiles on our faces.

Once Adam was done with us, I went over to my band's van and chilled out in there. I didn't want to be around Alex all that much. He was a total dick to me. He didn't respect me as much as I had hoped. I reached under one of the seats in the van and pulled out my lyric book. I flipped to a blank page and started to write a couple lines into it.

You have the success.
I have the old van.
You started where I was.
Now you're just vain.

I didn't have anything else to add, so I put my lyric book back and laid back. I stared up at the ceiling of the van, gazing at my glow in the dark stars I stuck up. I wished that Alex was different. I wish he wasn't such an ass.

I jumped when I heard something hit the van. I sat up and I saw Alex bending over to pick up a football. I opened the van and I saw Jack waving to me.

"Sorry Emily," he shouted, "Didn't mean to wake you or whatever it was you were doing."

"Hey," Alex greeted me.

"Hi," I replied, feeling awkward.

"We're going to have a party tomorrow night," he told me, "It's going to be a little more mellow compared to last time. It's more like a barbecue actually."

"I'm in," I replied with a small smile, "Thanks, Alex."

Maybe I'll get my wish after all.

Notes