Nico ripped open the bag of chips, making loud, annoying sounds. “I’m guessing we’ll be buying that too?” I asked him. Nico shook his head.
“Nah, already bought it.” He reached over the cart to grab food off of a shelf. “Can we get this too?” Without waiting for my response, he dropped the box into our grocery cart. I shifted the sunglasses that I wore to get a better look around the store. Ace had insisted we wore them so that fans wouldn’t recognize us. No such luck. We just looked like damn idiots.
“Nico! Nico! Do you want me to buy this for you?” this girl screeched, batting her eyelashes. Nico smiled at her.
“Thanks,” he replied. The girl sighed in that stupid way girls do and ran over to the cash register. News people swarmed around us, taking pictures and videotaping.
“Huynh! Omigod it’s Huynh!!! I love you!” A million girls were screeching. A few ran over to me and stuck out a notepad. “Can I please have your autograph?!” they begged me. I was tempted to ignore them again but Bailey would get even more pissed at me. I sighed before turning to look at them.
Flashing them a sweet smile reporters said “girls loved” I signed their notebooks. When I gave it back to them they squealed even louder. “THANK YOU!!” one screeched while another trapped me in a hug. This set them off and I soon found myself squished between who knows how many girls. I forced myself to smile at them while constantly looking at Nico for help. The dude totally ignored me as he went searching for toilet paper.
The stupid girls started chattering to me, as if we were good friends who hadn’t seen each other in a while. Talking about their stupid boyfriends, how they wished those guys were more like me… and this was all caught on tape.
Goawaygoawaygoawaygoawaygoawaygoawaygoawaygoawaygoawaygoawaygoawaygoawaygoaway…
Nico finally came back. “Excuse me,” he said to the girls who clustered around. “Tye, I can’t find the cookies,” he said. One girl perked up.
“I’ll get it for you!” she squealed and ran off. They followed her, fighting over getting cookies.
“I actually already have it,” Nico said as the cashier rung up our things.
“Thanks man,” I replied. The cashier, a girl (how did I guess?), kept glancing at us. When I handed her my Safeway members card her eyes widened.
“I knew it!” she screamed. “You are from Hourglass!” No shit Sherlock. “I kept wondering why so many people were screaming around you…” she went on and on. Who was this woman exactly? She looked like she could be my mother’s age. Good lord… When she finished ringing up our things she stopped her endless babble.
Eyes sparkling she asked, “May I keep your sunglasses?” What the hell? “My daughter is such a big fan!” The woman looked so hopeful, she reminded me kind of my mom in some way. Pulling off the glasses I shrugged. As soon as I placed them on the counter the woman swiped them up and hugged it to her chest. “Thank you!”
I drove back to the apartment. We could’ve always taken the limo but it just wasn’t my style. It seemed way too cliché. My phone began to ring. I ignored the tone even as it continued to play over and over. Eventually, I pulled my phone out of my pocket and gave it to Nico.
“Hello? This is Nico,” Nico said into the phone. His face showed obvious confusion. At a red light I grabbed the phone from him.
“Who is it?” I asked Nico before placing the phone against my ear.
“Vivian or something,” he replied.
“Shit,” I cursed under my breath. What would the witch want? “It’s Tye I said into the phone. I heard a small giggle.
“Tye? It’s been soo long since you’ve come home! Everyone totally misses you.”
“Then why didn’t they call?”
“Because they didn’t want to bother you! Duh.”
“Then why are you bothering me now?”
“Well- uh… Geez! Stop being so mean when talking to your lovely girlfriend!”
“Cut the bull Viv. What do you want?”
“Well, I was going to tell you that I’m visiting but now I’m not so sure!”
“That’s good. I’m hanging up now.”
“Wait! Okay, okay, so I’m going to come to your apartment on the twenty-second! Excited?” she giggled again. Well, shit. What was she getting at? Did she think coming over would make her famous? God.
Wait… twenty-second? OH SHIT! She can’t come that day. That’s when Choi was invited to come again. “Hey Viv, forget it. First of all, I don’t want you around. Second of all, someone’s coming over that day.”
“Who?” she demanded, jealousy thick in her voice. Nico looked at me curiously. I hadn’t noticed the light turn green and all those cars honking at mine.
“Look I gotta go,” I told her hastily and hung up.
***
Interview day. And five more days until Choi and hopefully not Viv come.
Today the reporters wanted to know my favorite foods and hobbies. I thought we’d already gone over this. Perhaps not so.
“Huynh, by special request many fans want to know simple things about you! You seem to be quite a topic of interest, know why?” a burly man asked me.
“No,”
“It’s because he’s so mysteriously sexy!” One woman called out, giggling. Oh God, no. Did that woman just say that? I pinched the bridge of my nose and stepped back from the usual microphones whacking my face. A women burst through the crowd.
“So, what kind of sweets do you like?”
”I don’t know.”
“What’s your favorite kind of meal?”
“Whatever there is to eat.”
“What do you do when not working with the band?”
“Stuff,”
They went on and on, prying and searching for quirky questions to ask me. At long last Bailey saved me from the petrifying group of reporters as he always did. He called Ace to come out next. Before leaving Bailey shot me one of his looks. “Did you answer their questions?”
I shifted uncomfortably under his stare. I sat down to avoid answering. “Well,” I began, leaning back and nonchalantly swiping a chip from Nico. I munched on it ever so slowly, telling myself that I was taking in the salty goodness- not stalling. Bailey’s stare hardened. “Yeah, ‘course I did,” I finished quickly. Bailey sighed with disapproval but left to do some of his own business.
A comfortable silence passed between the four of us who remained beside the occasional rustle of papers or plastic. Griffin was quietly humming our newest song as Ken strummed it on his guitar.
I leaned back, enjoying this rare moment of silence. I could feel myself beginning to nod off into sleep. “Hey, you took one of my chips!” Nico exclaimed, jabbing my waist. I jerked awake.
“What?”
“I should have one more chip here. I counted,” Nico frowned. This guy was crazy about food. I smiled at him.
“Yeah, yeah, whatever.” I was still sleepy and intended to go back to sleep.
Sadly, Ace slinked back into the room we were in, slamming the interview room loudly. “Dude, Tye. You should answer the reporters more. They like, are such asses about it.” Ace pouted like a frickin kid. “They kept asking about you instead of me!” I glared at him.
“Just kidding. Lighten up dude!” Ace slapped my arm. I shrugged him off. Ken gently placed his guitar into its case.
“He is right though. Be more polite to the reporters. They get upset and continuously ask us about you.” He added.
“Me too!” Griffin piped up. Nico nodded to show his agreement. I sighed and slouched down in my seat.
“God, does it even matter?” I asked them.
“In a way, yes. We may get negative responses for your sour personality,” Ken pointed out.
“Why are we even friends with Tye?” Ace wondered aloud. “No offense man, but sometimes you are so annoying!” I frowned at him.
“He has a good voice and got the best ratings in our club back then,” Nico mumbled. Wow. Okay then? You could say I felt kind of hurt but they were really getting on my nerves man. Griffin plopped down beside me. He patted my back comfortingly, as though he suspected I was really hurt. Yeah right, dude.
“Of course it’s not only your voice, you’re our actual friend,” Griffin told me in a reassuring way with a smile. Oh goodie, I was really starting to freak out there. “But you should stop acting like such a pain in the ass. You’ll need to be extra nice to Arina,”
Damn. I’d forgotten.
***
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yeah, not so great but I wanted to add something. And a non-important scene! It's a first! I'm so proud. Well Mr. Details it seems like you and I are finally starting to get along yes? Hopefully? Maybe? No? Okay, I won't test my luck ;) Actually, this scene is a tad important. I mean, Viv? Who is she? What does she want? oooo Foreshadowing? JK, I can't stand foreshadowing I can't wait to show my audience :) But I'm perdy sure she'll be in the next chappie. Please continue reading and supporting my story!
Ah... I talk a lot. Well, hope you enjoyed! <3 ~AD