Stepping out of the shower and wrapping the soft, fluffy and warm towel around my body, I went in search of fresh clothes which I could change into while I get ready for the after party.

We had gotten off stage about 2 hours ago, and watched Kids In Glass Houses perform the closing set of the festival before deciding that we were all way too smelly to avoid taking a shower any longer.

The show was insane, pretty much all the kids that came to watch us knew all our lyrics and were singing it back to us louder than ever. It made my heart smile.

I could never get bored of playing shows which people seemed to enjoy and get involved in. It’s what I’ve always wanted to do since I was a little girl. I always knew I wanted to be a “rocker” as I would describe my future occupation when I was 5 years old.

To be actually living it, though is amazing. It would obviously be insane if we made it to be a massive band like my brothers, or even farther than that, but, I guess you can’t have everything, and I certainly don’t.

Austin watched us side stage and during our last song he bounced on stage, going absolutely crazy, making the crowd scream louder than they were before.

Thinking back to it brought a smile on my face. Those are the shows I wish I could replay and replay and replay…

I opened the door to the bathroom slightly so I could poke my head out and look around the dressing room, hiding my body behind the cracked open door, I saw that no one was about. I heard quiet voices from the other side of the dressing room door, out in the corridor.

I didn’t know if that door was locked. I didn’t know if they had intentions of coming in here if it wasn’t. How long would they be stood out there chatting? Who even was it?

Should I just run for it, and take a risk?

I bit my lip, staring hard at the other door in the room.

Fuck it.

I threw open the bathroom door, holding the towel against my body tightly, grabbing my clothes that were thrown on the back of the leather sofa and grabbed my make-up and hairdryer before turning to run back to the bathroom.

A clearing of the throat behind me made me nearly crap myself and drop my towel, but I caught it before any part of me could be exposed.

“Expecting someone?” I turned around to see Justin, our rhythm guitarist walking around to the sofa and plopping himself down on it. Stretching his legs out, resting his feet on one arm of the sofa, and his head on the other. He was looking me up and down while casually eating a chocolate digestive biscuit.

“Forgot my clothes, you perv!” I hitched the towel tighter under my armpits, and threw one of my shoes I was holding toward his head. Before it could hit, though, which I knew it would. He reached out and swiftly caught it, flinching only slightly.

I turned back around and hurriedly walked back to the bathroom, locking the door behind me.

I could hear Justin’s laugh from the other side of the door.

“Nice legs by the way!”

---------------------------------------

Slipping on my suede, nude, peep toe heels. I stood up straight, evaluating my appearance in the full length mirror on the back lounge of the tour bus’ wall.

I ran my perfectly and recently manicured nails, painted black, along my black strapless dress, reaching mid-thigh length.

Fluffing up my dark brown, long hair which I was wearing down, loosely curled. I inspected my make-up which was pretty natural, just with a slight smoky eye and nude lipstick on.

I felt satisfied, there was nothing else I could do.

I stepped out from the back lounge, careful not to trip over my own feet because I hadn’t worn these shoes in, yet so I was still very new to them.

“Got your legs out for my benefit, then?” I looked up to see Justin standing at the top of the steps, ready to go out himself to the after party. A smirk plastered on his face.

He was dressed in black skinny jeans, nike high tops, a black v neck shirt and his hair was perfectly but messily styled. He looked good, but I would only see him as a brotherly figure. I knew he was only teasing anyway.

Justin was the big flirt in the band, you rarely saw him without a girl hanging off his arm. He was a charmer, and knew how to make girls hate him enough to want him, that was his big game plan and it seemed to work looking at the statistics. He always pulled whenever we went out.

“Yes, I really want to catch your eye tonight and drag you back to my bunk later, kicking and screaming. I don‘t mind, it‘ll make it more fun” I said in an overly seductive tone, narrowing my eyes slightly and pouting my lips.

“Babe, if you dragged me back to your bunk. I sure as hell wouldn‘t be objecting. I would be more than willing don‘t you worry!” We both just laughed, waving each others comments off. This was our sense of humour, although it didn‘t go down too well if either of us had a boyfriend/girlfriend that would sometimes witness moments like this. “When will I see you in there, then?” His tone was still light but all the jokiness was gone.

“About fifteen minutes? Maybe less, maybe more I don’t know” I replied, picking up my black clutch bag from the couch and checking I had everything I needed in there.

Phone

Money

Identification

“I’ll see you later, then” with a cheeky smile, Justin disappeared down the steps. Closing the bus door behind him.

I’m not even entirely sure why I was dressed up so much. I mean, there’ll be the majority of girls in dresses and heels, but usually I don’t really bother much. Just put a nice top on, skinnies and maybe some heels and I’ll be done and ready.

After double checking I was presentable and looked ok enough to be seen in public I grabbed my blazer, putting it on and stepped off the bus, locking it behind me.

The breeze was cold and it nipped at my exposed skin, sending shivers up my spine. Walking hastily through the dark toward the front doors of the venue where the party was taking place, I showed the bouncers my VIP and after party wristband and was let through the doors.

I walked up the stairs to the main hall where it was being held. As soon as I stepped through the door I was hit with the strong smell of liquor, and I could hear people shouting to try and be heard by their drunk friends over the loud thumping music ringing in everyone’s ears.

I walked toward the bar, which was crowded with people. Pushing through bodies of people who already had drinks, getting some evil glances from people that saw this as a problem.

I leant over the bar, trying to see where in hell the bartender was.

Chatting up some clearly underage girls.

Of course he was.

I let out an aggravated sigh, then felt an arm snake around my waist, pulling me so I was leant slightly against their side. I turned to my right, looking up so I could see their face. I was met by the ever so cheerful Austin.

“You look gorgeous tonight. Let me buy you a drink”

I placed my right arm under his, which was holding me, and rested it on his back.

“Thank you, and you really don’t have to. I was just about to get myself one. Thanks for the kind offer, though”

“I wasn’t asking. I’m buying you a drink. I was just putting it politely”

“Oh, ok” I wasn’t about to turn down a free drinks once he told me twice.

“HEY, JACKASS. OVER HERE!” Austin shouted down the other end of the room, signalling with his arm to the bartender where we were.

He looked over, rolling his eyes. But slowly strutted over, obviously thinking he was a big shot for getting the numbers of two clearly 17 year old girls. Way too young for him.

“What?” He snapped at us, fed up that Austin had broken him away from his flirting.

“I’ll have a beer and she’ll have a… what do you want?”

“Jack and coke, please”

“A woman after my heart” He smiled down at me, and again I blushed. Feeling butterflies in the pit of my stomach. He paid the man before he went off to make our drinks.

How does he do this to me? Seriously, I don’t get these weird feelings around anyone else. I’ve only known him for a good few hours.

After we were handed our drinks, Austin took my hand and led me to a more quiet corner of the club where there was a small seating area.

We sit down, taking sips of our drink. Neither of us spoke for a few minutes, but it’s not uncomfortable, especially considering there’s so much happening around us.

“Aren’t you going to join in the fun with your friends?” I turn to Austin, after just witnessing Alan Ashby trying to balance himself on top of a stool, splashing his drink everywhere, pretending to be a royal, and everyone on the ground was his peasants.

“No, I’d rather spend time with and get to know you, than make a drunken fool of myself”

That got me thinking, he can spend time with anyone he wants, there are so many girls in this room, eyeing me up right now actually, that would kill to be in my position, that would so badly want to spend any amount of time with him that they can, and he can take his pick out of any of them. He’s deciding to sit here with me, though. Why me? Or maybe I’m just the girl he decides to waste his time with until he can find the company he really wants.

“Why have you decided to pay so much attention to me today?” It just spills out of my mouth, I can’t control it and as soon as I know he’s heard me, I immediately regret it.

Why do you always have to make a fool of yourself, Jase?

I wanted to kick myself so bad.

My head’s down, facing the drink I’m holding in my lap, but I watch him out the corner of my eye. I see him shrug his shoulders and run a hand through his hair.

“I don’t know. I just… after I found you in our dressing room and got talking, you just seemed cool. Relatable. Easy to talk to, and that’s hard to find in girls nowadays”

“How so?” I turned, so my full body was facing him.

“Most girls, as soon as they find out you’re in a band, it doesn’t matter how successful the band, they just want to jump in the sack with you, or get with you just because it would make them feel worth more, and they think that just because you’re in the music industry you earn shit loads of cash; which they obviously think you’re going to spend on them” He explained, looking behind my head at girls who are a great example of just that.

I hummed in approval, showing that I know what he means.

Suddenly I felt my phone vibrating my purse. I quickly grabbed for it and started scrimmaging around, in search of the device. Once I had found it I glanced at the screen.

Erin calling…

A small smile crept onto my face.

Erin was one of my best friends, we had known each other since birth because both our mothers were best friends, themselves. Whenever I’m not on tour we’re attached at the hip, we share a house together in South London. She used to come on tour with us all the time and just hangout, help out Bryony some, but her recent boyfriend, Dan, would always complain and threaten to break up with her if she didn’t return home, because if he didn‘t have her 100% attention, then he wasn‘t happy at all, doesn‘t matter if it‘s a guy or girl she‘s talking to. Nothing‘s good enough except when she‘s acting like he‘s the only person in the world. He was a paranoid, clingy jackass. The sooner she saw that the better.

I hadn’t seen her in three weeks and to us that feels like forever.

“I’m really sorry, I have to take this” I gave Austin a really apologetic glance, just before pressing the ‘answer’ button and standing up to head outside so I would actually be able to hear her.

“I’ll be somewhere with Tino, Phil, Aaron and Alan. Just come find me” He gave me a quick hug, as I gave him a nod and we went our separate ways.

Stepping out into the cold air, I pulled my blazer tighter round me. Maybe I should of just gone with skinny jeans.

“Hey, Erin?”

“Lil’ how are you?” Erin was one of the few people that called me by my actual first name; Lily.

“I’m good. So sorry I haven’t called you it’s been so hectic you wouldn’t imagine”

“It’s fine, don’t worry about it! I understand how it can be. Anyway, I’ve been busy trying to get Dan to move the fuck out” I heard her groaning on the other side of the phone, which just made me laugh, and give a sigh of relief.

“So you finally saw what a prick he was?”

“Yes! Why the fuck didn’t I listen to you sooner?”

“I honestly have no idea”

“I’m sorry. You should of just slapped me round the face and told me to open my eyes and smell the god damn coffee. It was obvious he wasn’t good for me. I guess I was just ‘blinded by love’ as they say!”

“Ew, who the fuck are you?! Blinded by love? Get the fuck outta here before I throw up” This just set off a new round of giggles.

“Anyway, what you up to? Where are you?”

“Outside the venue for the after party. It’s already getting pretty crazy in there”

“You going to join them?”

“Nah, reckon I’m only going to have a few tonight”

“No you’re not. I’ll make sure you have a messy night” Erin stated.

She loved when I got drunk, apparently I’m hilarious, and it makes her feel better about herself. Although, it really depends what kind of day I’ve had previous to drinking. I’m not one type of drunk, I’m different on different days of the week. I can be a happy, fun one. An emotional bullshit drunk person. I can be a really aggressive and violent person, or I can just be mellow and hang by myself, not bother with anything.

You just have to pray when there’s a party, or when there’s a get together, that you’ve caught me on a great day.

“How you going to do that?”

“You wearing a dress?” Why was she changing the subject?

“Yeah, for the first time in ages. Why? Why you going to make it a messy night?”

The line went dead.

“What the fuck, Eri?”

I felt a tap on my shoulder. I placed my phone in my blazer pocket, making a mental note to myself to call her back later.

I turned around, then froze in shock at who was standing right in front of me, a huge grin on her made up face. Probably for the guys inside’s benefit.

“ERIN?” I squealed, jumping toward her and throwing my arms around her neck. She did exactly the same, but grabbing me round my waist. “What the fuck are you doing here?”

Still hugging, but swinging side to side. “I was bored at home, and I missed you and wanted to surprise you!”

I pulled away, placing my hands on her shoulders. She stood a little taller than me at 5 foot 3 inches. Her light brown hair fell straight, flowing down to her mid-back. She had put dark blonde, and golden streaks in it to make it look lighter and more summery. She had dark smoky eye make-up on, and a light orange, almost nude colour lipstick. She was dressed in an electric blue and black, figure hugging, one shoulder strap dress, and black heels that rivalled the height of mine.

“I missed you, too, and you look stunning. C’mon” grabbing her hand and pulling her to the doorway, telling the bouncers she was with me.

As soon as we were in the main room, I could hear her scream from beside me

“The party’s here!” I guess she was right. It’s inevitable it’s going to be a messy night.