“Salt Lake City, it’s so good to be here! For those of you who don’t know, I am Ella, the lovely lady over there is Aurora, and we are the Addiction Dolls!”

The crowd below me screamed as the beginning of our song, ‘Play,’ began. Aurora and I hopped around stage, as per usual, and tried to convey the sense that everything was alright. Sadly, nothing was alright. Ever since I blew up at her she had been completely different. The usually bubbly, excited Aurora ignored me, said less than a hundred words throughout the day, and let her bright pink hair fade to a dull, pastel color. It was scary to say the least.

As the set ended, I followed Aurora off of the stage and grabbed a towel and bottle of water. When I turned to attempt to strike up a conversation with her, she had vanished. I groaned and lifted the towel to cover my face as I slid down the backstage wall and sat with my knees hugged to my chest.

I sat, letting my thoughts drift to places I had attempted to block in order to stay happy. Aurora’s sadness, the pressure of interviews, and even the subtle sadness of leaving home for so long had all gotten to me. It wasn’t even the end of the first date and I already felt rundown. Never a good sign.

The silence and comforting sadness of my thoughts lulled me into a sort of hypnotic state. A deep, excited voice broke me out of that state.

“Hey! You’re Ella, right?”

I removed the towel from my face and looked up to see a tall, tan, and tattooed boy standing in front of me. His hair was messy and his ears were gauged bigger than most of the ones I’d seen around the venue. To say he was attractive would be an understatement.

“That’s me,” I confirmed as I stood and stretched. I felt my Black Widow tank top ride up slightly and noticed his eyes roaming my body. “You’re T. Mills. Now that introductions are over, I’ve gotta go.”

“Wait, you’re not even gonna stick around to get a compliment? I was gonna say you guys are good but if you want to be rude then go right ahead.”

I noticed the mischievous glint in his eyes and couldn’t help but smile. “Thanks,” I laughed as I turned back to face him. “It means a lot. What time’s your set? And, please tell me you’re going to play Purr Like A Cat. That is my favorite song of yours. Well, that and Vans On. Both are pretty fucking sexy.”

T. Mills laughed and nodded his head. “I like to hear that. You can call me Travis, by the way.”

I smiled and held up my hands, “Well, introductions and shit are out of the way. I guess that only leaves awkward silence or, well, ugh. I’m not too sure what else that leaves. So, I suppose I’ll say goodbye and go find Aurora.”

Travis laughed and shifted his stance before saying, “Well, when you find her you can invite her to the party tonight. Tony and some of the other boys are off finding supplies right now.”

I nodded slowly and decided to send him in the right direction. “David, from Breathe Carolina, could more than likely help you out there. He’s our resident stoner and alcoholic. Although, I’m sure no one drinks more than All Time Low….”

“You spoke of my glorious band?” a perfectly imitated British accent called from behind me.

I heard Jack’s laugh and a low thud, what I assumed was Alex popping the back of his head, and turned to see the boys of All Time Low filing backstage.

“I don’t know, maybe? The lead singer’s a real douche, I’ve heard. He’s got fucking pink hair. And their guitarist? Don’t even get me started. What a babe!”

Jack grinned and struck a pose as Alex pretended to pout. “Elly Bean, you fucking made me sad. I like my fucking pink hair! And what about the potato and the Hulk over there? You totally forgot them!”

Jack stopped in the middle of his pose and straightened up before shouting, “What about Flyzik? He is All Time Low! How do you think my guitar sounds so good?”

I rolled my eyes and reached over to poke Jack’s chest. “You’re an idiot, Barakat. When does Yellowcard play? I’m not missing them on the first day,” I murmured as I reached for a bottle of water that sat on the table.

“Ella!”

I turned to see Chris from Motionless in White running toward our group. “Dude, fucking Matthew Lillard is here. In the fucking SLC. This is fucking kick ass,” Chris shouted, towering over everyone in the group.

“You’re fucking tall,” I whined, looking up at him. And then the realization of Matthew Lillard’s, Shaggy from the live action Scooby Doo movies and Stevo from SLC Punk!, two of my favorite movies, presence made me turn a complete one-eighty. “Jack,” I began, grabbing him by the wrist, “to find Matthew Lillard we go! Lead the way, Motionless!”

I waved goodbye to the group and to a confused Travis. “We’ll definitely be at the party,” I called over my shoulder before turning the corner.

The run to the catering tent was a bit hectic, to say the least. Jack was mobbed by fangirls, I caught several wolf-whistles, and a few snickers almost stopped Chris dead in his tracks. We continued to run through the crowd until we found the catering tent. Matthew Lillard, in all his glory, stood there. And I swear I almost fainted.

Jack held my hand tightly as we talked to Matthew. It was to keep me from screaming and fainting on him. That’s never any fun for anyone.

After almost an hour of fangirling with Chris over Matthew, Jack decided it was time to pull me away from my mindless chatter. We started our walk to the All Time Low bus where the boys were getting ready for the signing. And he brought up Aurora.

“So, Elle, have you and Aurora worked everything out?”

I huffed, crossed my arms over my chest, and walked a little faster. “Not really, Jack. I mean, honestly, it’s not that hard. All I want is a little fucking privacy. These past few days without her in my business have been great. Yeah, I miss my best friend, but I want her to learn a lesson. So, no. We haven’t worked everything out, Jack.”

Jack held his hands up in defense and shrugged. “Okay, I’m sorry. So, uh, what about this party tonight? Are you going?”

I nodded and let my temperature simmer down a little. “I guess. I’ve heard T. Mills is an awesome party host so I’ll drown my sorrows in booze and drugs with him.”

Jack sighed and wrapped an arm around my shoulders. “Yeah,” he muttered, “that sounds good.”

Hours of hot sun, boring interviews, rushed signings, and insane meet and greets later, it was time to party. I made my rounds, meeting people from bands I’d always wanted to meet. Austin Carlile, Mike and Vic Fuentes, Bert McCracken, and Matt Toka were just a few of the people that made the night worth enjoying.

I looked for Aurora everywhere, hoping to at least say hello, but couldn’t find her. It was weird because any time there was a party, she could be found there. She either danced on tables until she fell down or drank until she was confident enough to belt out Lady Gaga songs in the middle of a parking lot. Tonight, neither she nor the All Time Low boys were partying hard and that worried me.

“You do know that this is a party, right?” Came the voice that interrupted my thoughts, “and at parties you’re supposed to have fun.”

I turned to face Travis with a slight smile. “Oh, the party hasn’t even started yet. ‘Sides, I’m looking for my friends. Have you seen the All Time Low boys anywhere? Or Aurora, for that matter,” I tossed in, hoping it made me look like a concerned best friend and bandmate.

Travis shook his head and grabbed my wrist. “I haven’t seen your friends but I have seen something you’re missing,” he said with a laugh as he started mixing a drink. Several bottles of alcohol littered a long, white table that was partially covered in red Solo cups.

“Thanks, bro. So, when does the real party start?”

Travis grinned at me and pointed to David and Kyle entering a bus. “Right now if you want it to.”

I took a gulp out of my drink and smirked at him. “Well, Travis, let’s get going. I’m tired of remembering my name.”

Notes

Chapter four is going to be fun. Like, seriously. It shall be fun. ;) And it shall give the story a reason to have a NC-17 meaning. So. Yes.