The Middle | Hemmings + Styles AU

25. we're alright though

Olivia leaned towards my ear, her eyes still locked on Calum. "What'd I say about those fingers?"

I glanced over at Calum. His biceps contracted as his fingers moved the guitar strings. Olivia added, "I need him to play me the way he plays that bass."

"Are you ever not thinking about sex?" I yelled back, my eyes moving back to Luke. He was wearing all black and a sheen of sweat coated his face. He was predictably the most beautiful when he was on stage.

"You'll understand one day."

I turned towards my friend and yellow again. "I've had sex!" It was too loud, apparently, because one of the girls in front of us turned around to stare at me.

"With Liam," Olivia scoffed. "Who was probably more clueless than you."

She was right there. My first time with Liam had made me question if maybe sex was over-rated. It's not like it was mind-blowing or anything. It definitely hadn't made me want to rush to have it again.

"This is a brand new song," Luke announced, his hands gripping the microphone. "It's called She's Kinda Hot. We're still learning it so we'll probably screw it up."

"I'm nervous," Michael leaned into his microphone. "Not gonna lie."

The music started and I smiled, because I recognised the introduction as one of the songs Ashton and Luke had played a bit of in the store. Around Olivia and I, the crowd was much quieter than they had been in previous songs, obviously excited to hear the new song.

"My girlfriend's bitchin' cause I always sleep in," Luke sang. Olivia dug her elbow into my ribs at the girlfriend lyric. I ignored her. Luke and I had agreed that things between us were simply casual. "She's kinda hot though, yeah, she's kinda hot though." He stared at Calum as he sang, and then Calum pulled a funny face before beginning his vocal solo.

By the time it got to the chorus, everyone was jumping with their hands in the air. "They say we're losers and we're alright with that." 

The lyrics made me think of the conversation Michael and I had at The Forgotten Kids gig and when I looked around, I saw it in the faces around me. We were all outsiders, finding ourselves in music and right there, we were witnessing a new anthem being born for kids like us. I'd once compared 5SOS to this generations version of Blink-182 and I was believing that more and more.

"We are the kings and the queens of the new broken scene, yeah we're alright though," Ashton sang from over his drum kit, his hair pulled back into a bun.

"Na, na, na, na, na, na, na, na, na, na, naaaaa." When they chorused this, every voice in the room - including mine - joined in with them, sending magic into the air. "Na, na, na, na, na, na, na, na, na, na , yeah we're alright though."

I was already comparing the song to Good Charlotte's Little Things, Blink-182's All The Small Things, and Teenagers by My Chemical Romance. Because it was catchy enough to succeed in commercial radio but there was something archaic about the chorus, something that made you feel like you were telling the outside world to screw itself. And that was powerful.

The boys were inundated with fans after the show. Grunge had them pose for every single photo and sign every thing being offered. It was a tactic. The small venue was packed, sure, but it was still only a a hundred people or so. Small enough to get through provided everyone stayed relatively orderly - and Grunge looked like the kind of guy you didn't mess with - but big enough to make an impact. People became fans when bands were relatable and accessible.

While they posed for photos and signed shirts, body parts and polaroid pictures, Olivia and I sat at the bar waiting for them to finish up. That's when my phone rang, and my heart jumped when I saw the name on the screen: Harry.

"I'll be right back," I told Olivia. I walked outside the venue so I could hear better. There was a nervous flitter in my stomach. I hadn't talked to Harry since our weird moment at work. "Hello?" I answered.

"Tell your boyfriend to be ready in two weeks."

Does he mean... "What?" I asked, not really believing it.

"Two weeks. That's when The Forgotten Kids leave for their first show. If your boys want merch sold at the shows, they'll have to organise it themselves as they technically aren't part of our label."

I was smiling so hard, my cheeks were already hurting. The hand that wasn't holding the phone made a little fist which I punched into the air. Two pretty girls smoking near me stared at me. I didn't care, I was excited. And I couldn't believe Harry had actually come through. I couldn't believe the label had actually come through, choosing an unsigned band over one of their own. From a business perspective, it was a risk. I knew that. It also had the potential for a lot of reward.

"Thank you," I told him, my voice raising to an almost squeal. "Thank you so much. I know you're taking a huge chance on them, I promise it will pay off." I wanted to reassure him this wasn't going to be a mistake.

"I wouldn't have pursued this if I thought it wouldn't," he said slowly, and smugly. I could imagine the smirk tugging his lips up to one side. "We did meet at one of their shows, after all. You seem to forget that."

My eyes rolled but he was right. I did forget that. Somehow I'd decided that Harry didn't believe in the boys or didn't like them. I didn't know why I felt like I had to prove 5SOS to Harry.

"I'll have the official contracts sent to the store on Monday."

"Why the store?"

"Because your boss is their manager now, isn't he?" I frowned, trying to figure out how Harry could even know that. "Don't underestimate me, Stella. I never do things half-heartedly."

The phone went silent after that and I slid my phone back into my pocket, ignoring the perpetual burning I felt whenever I spoke to Harry. Then I rushed back into the venue to deliver the good news to Luke, Grunge and the boys.