Chapter Eleven: Little Black Dress
Song: A Love Like War by All Time Blow ft Vic Fuentes
Melissa's outfit to the side ;-;
Day Fourteen; Las Vegas, Nevada
Melissa~
I woke up at seven in the afternoon. My high had completely burnt out and yet, I still felt recharged and full of energy. I yawned and stood up from the floor, stretching my arms out until I heard the familiar 'crack'. "Tyler," I gently kicked his leg. "Giraffe, wake the fuck up." I said.
Tyler's eyes slowly fluttered open. He groaned loudly, his hands rubbing over his face. "W-What time is it, midget?" He asked. I told him it was seven, but this only made him groan even louder than before. "We slept through a good portion of your day off." He said.
Sighing, I shrugged. "So? It was fun..." I paused as I began walking towards the door. "Not the sleeping part, although I do love sleep. But I meant the part about getting high and stuff. That was fun. It sure as hell beat doing interviews and crap like that." To be completely honest, I'm sick and tired of interviews. The majority of them ask the same questions and I always feel suffocated whenever they ask me extremely personal questions. I mean, why the hell does it matter whether I'm dating someone or not? And why do they always ask about 'Jelissa'? Had they not come up with better questions that they had to result in asking the most unprofessional question out there?
Okay, rant is officially finished.
When I walked into the front lounge, I was a bit surprised to see that mostly everyone was still here. "I thought you guys would have left by now." I said and grabbed a can of soda from the mini fridge. I pulled the lid back and sat down by Ricky at the booth. Seconds later, Tyler walked in.
"Actually," Ayane began, "We were waiting for you guys to wake up. Do you two want to come to the casino with us?" She asked.
I looked over at Tyler who was downing a can of Seven Up! He shrugged, silently telling me that he didn't really care. "Sure," I turned my attention back to Ayane, "Sounds like fun. But when are you guys leaving?"
"Not until nine." Sasha answered, "The guys from Blink have already left and I think most of the members for All Time Low have as well." She stated.
"Cool. Let me just go get ready." I stood up from the booth and headed towards the bunk area. I picked out the outfit I wanted to wear and headed straight towards the bathroom. While the shower water was beginning to heat up, I quickly stripped out of my clothes and tossed them into the hamper. Quick mental note; do the laundry tomorrow.
I stepped inside the shower, my muscles relaxing instantly as the hot water hit against my bare skin. I quickly washed my hair with my favorite shampoo, shaved the light stubble on my legs and washed my body before I stepped out of the shower. I dried my hair and body with my red towel before I quickly changed into a pair of pink panties and bra. I slipped on my black dress, zipping up the back. For some girls, that's the hardest part, but it's fairly simple to me. I'm certainly not claiming that I'm smarter than other girls, I just never had a hard time with zipping up the back of my dress.
Once I finished changing, I grabbed my blow dryer and walked out of the bathroom. I entered the empty back lounge, the smell of marijuana still lingered in the air, but I didn't mind. Once I finished drying my hair, I curled the ends and finished off with hair spray. For my make up, I stayed with the basics; red lipstick, winged eyeliner and light foundation. I rolled on some deodorant, sprayed on perfume and stuffed my clutch with all my necessities before I decided I was finally ready.
I walked into the front lounge, surprised to see that everyone, beside Tyler, was gone. "Where did everyone go?" I asked him.
Tyler groaned, his fingers adjusted the hem of his dark red beanie. "They all left." He replied as he stood up from the couch. "Like a half an hour ago, they left. Anna said that she wanted to get to the casinos before all the money runs out of the machines." He clarified. I nodded and ignored the slight pang in my heart. I am a bit hurt that everyone just left without me, but I guess I could have gone a little faster when I was getting ready. Maybe I should have just skipped out on curling my hair.
Tyler held the door open for me and I quietly thanked him as we both walked off the bus. To my surprise, Jack was leaning against All Time Low's bus. He was dressed black jeans, a band t-shirt and a denim jacket. His hair was styled perfectly and I couldn't help but wonder how long it took him to get ready. His friends probably ditched him for taking too long.
"Barakat!" I headed towards him, Tyler followed closely behind me. I was about to call out his name again, but then I realized he was on the phone. We stopped a good distance away from Jack, but he had yet to notice our present.
"Okay," Jake said, "Yeah, I will, I promise. Love you, too." He hung up.
"Ooh," I laughed lightly. "Sounds like Jack has a girlfriend." I teased, my eyebrows wiggling suggestively.
Jack laughed nervously. "No," he smiled, "It was my mom." I don't know why, but I had a strong sense that he was being dishonest. Obviously, I didn't question him about it and instead, asked him if his friends ditched him too.
"Nope," Jack replied. "I told them to go on ahead."
"Why?" I asked.
Jack shrugged and smiled down at me. I'm not sure why, but I felt a knot inside my stomach twist when he smiles. Especially, when he smiles at me. I'm pretty sure it's just because I love seeing him happy. That really applies to all my friends. "I was waited for you." He admitted. "I saw everyone leave earlier and Ricky told me that you were still getting ready. I was going to just wait inside your bus, but mom called and I'd rather be outside when talking to her." He said, his hands digging into the pocket of his jeans.
I nodded, but I still couldn't shake the thought away that he wasn't talking to his mom. "Cool," I ignored my inner thoughts and grabbed a hold of both their hands. "Let's go, shall we?" I smiled and the three of us began towards the entrance of the venue.
The streets of Las Vegas never disappoint. Dozens of people walk down the sidewalk, laughing and talking with one another. The bright lights belonging to the countless of casinos and motels brighten the entire city. I laugh and gesture to an elderly man walking with two younger ladies clinging to his side. He was dressed in a dashing tuxedo and somewhat resembled Hugh Hefner but in a younger sense.
"Respect." Jack said, mimicking the man's movements as he hung his arm over my shoulder. I laughed lightly as I attempted to do the same with Tyler, but obviously failed.
"You're too tall, giraffe." I pouted, earning a cackle from Tyler.
"And you're too short, midget." He teased, gently squeezing my hand.
As we continued walking down the strip, I noticed a few photographers walking behind us. "Guys," I stopped and turned around to face the paparazzi. A few of them had a frightened look, but those looks were mainly directed to Tyler. I suppose from a distance he can be intimidating, but he really isn't all that frightening once you get to know him. "If we take a few pictures, will you promise to leave us alone for the rest of the night?" I asked and all five of the men nod in response.
Tyler groaned in annoyance. "Do I have to be apart of this?" He asked.
"Please." One of the photographers answered. Tyler nodded and posed along side us. I knew he was uncomfortable with taking pictures, but honestly, he's going to have to get used to this type of stuff. Especially if he's around me. I'm not saying that to sound superior or anything, but for some annoying reason, paparazzi tend to follow me around more than the average band member.
"Thanks! Enjoy your night." Another photographer winked suggestively. I rolled my eyes and continued walking towards our destination. I don't care what they say, I just hope they stick to their promise.
"Oh yeah," Jack said and began digging through his pocket before he pulled out two cards. "It's our hotel key. Ricky told me to give it to you guys. We're staying at the Hard Rock hotel." He explained. I nodded and took the card from his hold, handing the other to Tyler. I guess it does make sense why management booked us a hotel. We are staying in Vegas for three days and it sure as hell beats sleeping in my bunk again. It's not that I dislike the bunks, I'm just starting to miss the feelings of being able to roll around a bed without worrying too much about falling off.
As soon as we walked in, I spotted most of our group standing by a table of Roulette. To my surprise, Aleesia was sitting at the table. Aleesia always claims that gambling away your money is wrong, but look at her now. She must be wasted or something because I know that she would normally never do this.
"Fucking finally!" Alex exclaimed as we walked towards the group. "We were all beginning to think that you wouldn't show." He stated, a few of them nodding in agreement.
"How much have you guys lost so far?" Jack asked as he pulled up a chair beside Aleesia.
Tom laughed. "Why do you just assume that we've lost money?" He asked.
"Have you won?" Jack raised an eyebrow at him.
"No." Tom muttered and Jack laughed.
"Exactly." He smirked before turning his attention back to the Roulette table. "How much have you lost, Sia?" He asked. I raised a questioning brow at the nickname, but said nothing.
Aleesia snorted, rolling her eyes playfully at Jack. "Please, Jacky. I have not lost anything. In fact, I've won a hundred bucks." She boasted, a smug smile edged on her lips. Again, I felt a slight pang of jealousy, but chose to ignore the emotion. I can't fucking be jealous every time Jack talks to another girl. Even I know that nothing would happen because Aleesia has a husband and a son.
"Hey," Tyler nudged my shoulder. I forced my gaze away from the two and glanced up at him. "Want to go make our own money?" He smirked slightly. I nodded and began following him to a table that held the game 21.
I sat down at the small stool, smiling kindly at the eager man standing behind the table. "Hello," he greeted as he set out the stack of cards. "What will the lovely miss be betting tonight?" He asked.
"Two hundred." I answered. I don't gamble much, but at the times that I do, I tend to go a bit overboard with the money I spend.
The man nodded and placed a card face up on the table. "Seven." He said.
"Hit me."
"Fourteen." He announced once he drew a card with another seven on it.
"Hit me." I said confidently.
The man nodded and drew another card from the stack. "Twenty!" He raised an eyebrow, his blue eyes filling with pure curiosity.
I bit my lip and looked up at Tyler, silently asking him what to do. He shrugged, not knowing how to reply. I sighed and turned back to the man. "Hit me." I finally said.
"Twenty one!" He exclaimed.
I jumped up, squealing in pure delight as I eagerly hugged Tyler. I thanked the man and collected my four hundred dollars before walking away from the table. "That was fun." I smiled widely as I shoved the money into my clutch. Tyler nodded in agreement and we both headed towards an empty slot machine.
Tyler sat on the stool and began to play. Unfortunately, he lost twenty bucks, but quickly won them back and ended up tripling his money. "Want something to drink?" He asked in a cheery tone. I nodded and took his place on the stool. I lost about twenty bucks and only managed to win ten of them back. That's probably a more realistic betting with casinos; You're more likely to lose some than win some.
Tyler returned with two glasses of alcohol. "Here," he handed me the drink. "It's champagne.. or whiskey. I don't fucking know. The waitress kept fucking distracting me." He muttered. I laughed and took a sip from the glass.
"It's definitely champagne." I confirmed.
Jack POV~
"Jack!" I heard someone slur. I turned around, surprised to find Melissa stumbling towards me. Her eyes rimmed red and she had a hard time staying balanced on her heels. I laughed, amused by her current state. "Jack," she breathed out. "My legs hurt."
"Do you want me to take you to your room?" I asked and she nodded. I grabbed her arm and placed it over my shoulder, my other free arm wrapped securely around her waist. I started towards the entrance, but Marked stopped me before we could leave.
"Where are you taking her?" He asked. I could see the anger in his eyes.
"To her room." I answered calmly.
Mark sighed. "I'll take her." He muttered. I wanted to protest, but Melissa cut me off.
"No," she groaned, leaning into my side. "I want Jack to take me."
Mark groaned, his eyes filling with a mixture of anger and annoyance. "Fine." He gave in. "But I swear, Jack. If you're not back here in ten minutes, I am going to kill you." He threatened. I laughed nervously and nodded in understanding.
"Don't listen to him." Melissa slurred as we walked out of the casino. "He's all talk. But he isn't going to do anything, Jack. I won't let him hurt someone I care about." She mumbled. As we continued walking, Melissa continued complaining about her feet. "Jack," she whined quietly. "C-Can you carry me?"
Laughing, I nodded and knelt down beside her. Melissa removed her shoes and jumped on my back. Her legs wrapped around my waist and I gripped on the back of knees. "Onward, Sir Jack!" She ordered, giggling hysterically. I laughed and did as she said. Despite the time being three in the morning, the streets of Las Vegas were still packed with people. We earned a few stares from some of the people passing by us, but most of them didn't seem to mind. I guess they've seen stranger things.
Once we reached the hotel, I checked Melissa into her room. We rode the elevator in silence and I was beginning to think that she was asleep until we reached her bedroom.
"Stay?" She whispered quietly. Her breath hit against my neck, sending a wave of chills down my spine. "Stay." She repeated, burying her face into the back of my neck. "I want you to stay."
I swallowed hard as I opened the door to her bedroom. "I can't." I sighed loudly. "Mark will kill me if he sees I don't come back."
"Please," she begged quietly. There was something about the way she spoke, an emotion she seemed to be so desperately trying to hide. "He won't do anything, I promise. I just- Please, stay."
I knew it was wrong to stay with Melissa. Even though I wouldn't do anything with her, I still felt guilty. "Okay," I finally gave in. "I'll stay." Melissa cheered quietly and I carried her to her bed. I closed and locked her bedroom door before walking back towards her.
"What are you doing?" Melissa asked, her eyes watching me intently as I grabbed a pillow from the bed.
"Getting a pillow." I replied.
"Why?" She propped herself up on the bed. "You're sleeping with me."
"What?" I asked, shocked. When she said she wanted me to stay, I thought she just meant she wanted me to sleep on the couch or something.
"You're sleeping with me." Melissa bluntly replied. I blushed at her words and silently high fived my inner self for not turning the lights on. I watched as Melissa moved to the side on her bed. She patted the empty space beside her, an encouraging smile edged on her lips. I stood there, frozen and stunned. Melissa groaned loudly as she reached over and grabbed my hand. She pulled me into the bed. "Idiot," she whispered as she buried her face into my chest. "Why is it so hard for you to understand."
"Understand what?" I asked, raising an eyebrow at her.
Melissa sighed in exhaustion. She wrapped my arm around my waist and gripped on my t-shirt. Melissa arched her neck, her large brown eyes meeting mine. "You're an idiot, Jack." She whispered quietly.
******
I no nothing about casino games so I do apologize if I got the info on them wrong.