The Washington show. When Annabelle found Alex, he was sitting backstage in the dressing room, drinking a beer and figuring out the set-list. His face broke into a grin when Annabelle walked in. He rested the pen and paper on his lap and reached his hands out to her. She grabbed them, smiling, and leaned down to peck him on the forehead. He pouted, wanting lips, and her smile widened. She kissed him tenderly, pulling back too soon, teasing, and plonked down next to him.
“Wanna help?” Alex asked, indicating to the list of songs. Annabelle nodded eagerly. He passed her the set list, so far he had: The Party Scene, Noel, Six Feet Under the Stars, Running from Lions, The Girls a Straight up Hustler.
“For starters you need to re-order them.”
“I know.” Alex chuckled.

The pair leaned over the paper, stealing the pen from each other, until they agreed on a list. Just as they finished, Kara burst into the room. The door slammed open and the couple looked up, startled. Kara’s chest was heaving. She looked manic. Her eyes wide, she pointed dramatically at Annabelle. They waited until her breath steadied.
“YOU!” She screamed. Annabelle looked terrified.
“What?” Alex was alarmed.
Kara snapped her gaze to Alex. “YOUR GIRLFRIEND IS A LIAR!”
Alex looked at Annabelle quizzically and Annabelle shrugged, confused.
“GUESS WHO’S BIRTHDAY IT IS TODAY!?”
Alex’s jaw dropped. He grabbed Annabelle’s shoulders. “IT’S YOUR BIRTHDAY!?”
Annabelle’s eyes widened and dropped to the floor. “Uhm, maybe?”
“IT’S YOUR BIRTHDAY AND YOU DIDN’T TELL ME?!” Alex was horrified.
“It’s not such a big deal?” Annabelle offered. Kara made a noise that sort of sounded like a bat being squeezed.
“I have to go.” Kara exited, swiping her phone hurriedly.
“…Where did she go?” Annabelle was worried. She did not want a big deal made out of her birthday. Her birth was a strange thing for a group of people to celebrate.
“You’re seventeen now?” Alex said. She nodded. “The Party Scene was such an appropriate choice.” He sighed contentedly. She smiled. “Stay seventeeeeen” He sang in a stupid voice. Annabelle giggled and he pressed his forehead to hers.
"Hopefully not forever." She said. Alex laughed.
"Yeah." He paused, breathing her in, “Happy birthday, beautiful Belle.”

Jack and Zack slammed themselves into the dressing room, aghast.
“IT’S YOUR BIRTHDAY!” They screamed.
Annabelle nodded, “Yup. This is exactly the beginning of my 18th year existing.”
They ran around the room, pulled Annabelle up from the couch and bundled her in their arms, bouncing around singing, “Paaar-ty tonight! Parrrrty tonight!”
A laugh escaped Annabelle’s mouth, they started swinging her around the room and she was laughing. Alex chuckled, smiling. The let her go eventually, she was giddy. They ran out of the room yelling: “Arrangements! Arrangements to be made!”
Maybe her birthday wouldn’t be so bad. Alex took her hand and pulled her onto his lap. Annabelle was dizzy, she leaned into him, shutting her eyes tight, and willing the dizziness to pass. One of Alex’s hands was resting on one of the bruises on her thigh. It burned into it. She imagined Alex’s warmth cleansing her of the filthy feeling brought on by that night with Gavin. She felt sick. She despised how weak she was. She hated herself for letting Gavin assault her. She wanted to be stronger. Annabelle didn’t know how. Thinking about that night, she felt nausea sweeping through her stomach. Rising up her oesophagus. She struggled out of Alex’s grasp.
“Belle? You alright?” He stood up.
She shook her head violently, stumbling across the room and running through the doorway, making a mad dash for the bathroom down the hall.

Alex went to the door and watched as she shoved through the bathroom door. It swung close. He shook his hair. His phone buzzed in his pocket.
‘Surprise party for Belle tonight? x’ It was Kara. Alex stared at it for a moment, thinking about what could only be a sudden wave of nausea the girl had just experienced. Would she be alright for a party? What if she was genuinely sick? Knowing Kara, she was probably in the midst of organisation and texting Alex had just been an afterthought. She imagined the rest of the band leaning over a laptop, deciding on a venue suitable enough for Annabelle’s 17th birthday. Jack would want to choose a cake. A cake. He imagined the stress this would put on his frail girlfriend. Peer pressure to eat on her birthday. He sighed, pushed his hand through his hair. He gnawed on his lip for a moment before relinquishing.
He texted back: ‘Obviously.’
At the moment he hit send Annabelle emerged from the bathroom.

She had thrown up, but was feeling better now. While hanging over the toilet bowl she decided that she would not let all this nonsense get to her; the vomiting, the rape, Gavin, her memories of birthdays past. Nothing. She was with what had become her favourite group of people in the world. She had the most amazing boyfriend, a rock-star no doubt. It was time to stop being such a pansy about everything. She would enjoy her birthday, like every other average American teen should. She walked up to Alex, not too close in case her breath still smelt of bile, and grinned.
“It’s my birthday!”
He laughed, pushing the niggling worries away from his mind. He grabbed her and lifted her up, twirling her slight frame around. She giggled. When he put her down she said,
“Soon I’m gonna be old like you.” She winked.
“Hey!” Alex protested, “I resent that”
“Baby, I know.” She patted him on the ass and laughed. “I’m gonna go find Kara!”
Just as she spoke Alex received another message, ‘You’re on distraction duty. Go, team, go!’
He nodded to himself, laughing. Annabelle was already walking down the hall. Alex jogged after her and slammed her, not so gently, into the wall.
“Hey!” Annabelle laughed slightly, though her shoulder stung with pain. Alex looked down at her between his arms. Annabelle watched his eyes burn.
“Are you just always horny?”
“You’re just too sexy.” Alex slid his hands down her sides, Annabelle shivered slightly, her smile growing. It was a good distraction technique; she was distracted. Annabelle pressed herself towards him, leaning up to Alex’s ear she whispered,
“You hurt my shoulder, you bastard,” and kissed his lobe which made a sound escape from his throat. Annabelle’s hand slid down his front, down to the growing bulge in his pants.
“It wasn’t a very nice thing to do on my birthday.” She smiled wickedly. Alex loved his when she acted like this, so confident, so sexy. Annabelle noticed his breath, hot and heavy. She loved it. She loved her influence over him, how easily she could make him breathless.
“I want you so bad.” Alex breathed. Annabelle took his hand from the wall near her head and brought his index finger to her mouth. She loved his hands. How large they were, strong, constantly warm; stable. She sucked on it gently, letting it fall, heard Alex’s sharp intake of breath.
“Oh god.” Alex grabbed Annabelle’s hand, and began to drag her down the hall.
“Where are we going?” She asked innocently.
“To fuck your brains out.” Alex growled slightly. Annabelle slipped from his grasp and he span around, going to catch her, but she evaded him.
“Hm,” Annabelle grinned cheekily, “I can’t really be bothered.” She laughed, and started to skip down the corridor. Alex stared after her in disbelief.

Suddenly he remembered his duty and ran after her again.
“Wait!”
She slowed down but didn’t stop.
“Why the fuck can’t you be bothered?!” Alex caught up to her, walking backwards to face her. Annabelle shrugged, giggling.
“You’re just so fun to tease.”
In truth, Annabelle didn’t really feel like having sex at the current moment in time. Although being in close proximity to Alex turned her on, her mind was in turmoil and she did not want to have a fuck-fest while the tempest raged.
“You’re so cold.” Alex replied, reaching out to touch her, “You’re cold as ice.”
Annabelle raised her eyebrow. She knew he was joking but the comment stung. Alex saw her expression falter and added,
“It’s alright. I love it.” The comment was partly true. He enjoyed the way they teased each other. Annabelle laughed slightly. Nodding, she stopped walking.
“Well. What shall we do?”
“Banging like baboons out of the question?”
“Uh, yes.”
Alex pouted and pushed his head into her chest, hitting her prominent sternum. Annabelle patted his head. This action, and the shagginess of the singers hair reminded her of a dog. He must have thought this too, as he made a barking sound. Annabelle laughed.
“Good boy.”
Alex withdrew. “Can we go cuddle somewhere?”
Annabelle chuckled and nodded. She squealed as Alex scooped her up into his arms.