(4) Out of Control: An All Time Low FanFiction Romance

Chapter 9: Keyboard

        Things had slowed down a lot in the last few days of being back in Chelsea. Our jey lag had worn off, and being in the freezing Eastern Time Zone felt just like normal, depite the warm California weather we'd just left and yearned for. The only plus side was that since it was the end of February, winter was ending, and the weather this week was predicted to be in the forties, maybe even the fifties, for a few days. It was the warmest weather we'd had in months, normally not breaking into the twenties, and everybody was happy about it. We still had a good fot or two of snow, even higher on the drifts, that everybody was aching to see gone, myself included.

        Today, despite the warmer than normal weather, I hadn't left the house yet. I was perfectly content sitting on my mattress, messing around with the keyboard at my feet. It wasn't anything I was incredibly skilled at, but when I had the time, I used to love playing around with it, remembering songs I'd loved playing when I was younger and taking lessons.

        Having a keyboard in front of me, or even a guitar, which I was equally average at playing, ehlped me if I was trying to think of a melody or words for a song, but today, I was just playing around, enjoying being home and in my own bed while I had the opportunity.

        The opportunity didn't last long, though, because before I had the chance to play through one of my favorite songs, my bedroom door flew open, accompanied by some loud voices. I looked up at Kinsley and Xavier walking into my room, Maverick and Porter following behind. I sighed, rolling my eyes slightly. My peace and almost quiet flew out the window as my bedroom door was kicked shut.

        I watched as my friends made themselves comfortable in my room without even acknowledging my presence; Porter sinking into the butterfly chair I had in the corner to my left, Xavier sitting at my computer chair, Kinsley sitting at the end and Maverick falling down beside me, his arm draping across my shoulder.

        "Sup," he said, his head nodding slightly as he winked in my direction. I shook my head, reaching up to lift his arm off of me and throw it into his lap.

        "So, what's with the breaking and entering? I don't remember inviting any of you over," I said, turning my keyboard off and pushing it away from my legs.

        "There's an opening tonight at a club in Boston. My cousin works there and told the manager she could get a band to play tonight," Kinsley said, her eyes, along with everyone else's, watching me hopefully.

        "Tonight? Isn't that a little short notice?" I muttered, knowing already that even if I wanted to protest, we were already booked for that opening and it was something the guys clearly wanted to do.

        "The manager's cool with it. Actually, he's kind of expecting it," Kinsley said, looking guilty as I glared at her. "But you guys are getting paid," she offered, trying to sweeten the deal.

        "And these are people who could hear our musc and get into us, which is really helpful," Xavier added. "We could get some other people in our fan base besides the kids from around here."

        "Plus, we haven't played a show in forever," Maverick chimed in, and I glanced at him, brushing my bangs out of my face as they fell into my eyes. He beamed at me, stretching his mouth as wide as he could. I was close enough to smell the state on his breath, and wanted to gag when the smell of cigarettes filled my nose.

        "Alright, Port, you want to put your two cents in too?" I asked, voice full of attitude, but he just smiled, accustomed to it, and shrugged.

        "I just think it'll be fun," he said, laughing lightly, phone in his grip. You didn't have to be a psychic to know who he was texting.

        I sighed again, leaning my head against the headboard. They all had good points, I just wasn't in a mood to go do anything today. I had been planning to just hang around and relax, but as I picked my head up and looked around, I saw four pairs of eyes, all silently pleading with me.

      "Fuck," I groaned. "Fine! What time do we have to be there?"

        "You guys go on at ten," Kinsley beamed, standing up. Xavier followed, watching her closely. It still made me want to gag.

        "I'll drive everybody, see you soon," she said, waving her fingers at me before disappearing out of my room, Xavier walking behind her.

        I looked at Maverick and Porter, meeting their eyes as they looked away from the two people that had just left. 

        "You guys can leave too, I've spent enough time with you recently," I said. "And besides, the smell of your fucking cigarettes are making me sick," I pointed at Maverick. "Next time you want to come into my house, don't smoke within a few hours of entering, or at least brush your teeth and spray cologne or something. That smell is probably the reason you don't have a girlfriend."        

        "I don't think the cigarettes have anything to do with it, Nat. I think he's just natural girl repellent," Porter said as he stood up, pushing his phone into the pocket of his jeans. I laughed lightly, holding out my fist for him to walk over, touching his own knuckles to mine, the same wide grin on his mouth.

        "Dude," Porter said, tugging his phone out as it beeped. "Grlfriend," he said, as if he had to remind us, shaking his phone lightly before answering.

        "I guarantee I could call somebody right now and have them over here in five minutes," I told him, eyebrows raised in a challenge.

        "Hunter doesn't count," Maverick shot back.

        "Why? What makes him different than any other guy I could get?" I questioned, feigning a look of pure curiosity, only able to hold it for a few seconds before I broke out into a smirk at Maverick's silence.

        "Exactly, now get out. I'll see you losers later," I smiled. Porter moved around my bed, patting Maverick on the back as he walked, muttering something about how his lack of girls being okay. I watched them go, hearing their voices disappear and silence fill my room again as my friends left my house. I ran a hand lightly through my hair, going back to messing around on my keyboard, killing time before we had to play.