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Echo put the rest of the CD's on the shelf of Barns and Nobles. She had her headphones in, listening to a new song she got by 30 Seconds to Mars, one of her favorite bands.Humming along, she stacked them one by one until she was out, and felt someone tap on her sholder. She pulled her right earbud out and turned around."Oh, hey Morgan." She said. "What are you doing here?" She had a huge smile on her face."Oh nothing much... just wondering if you guys have a book on HANDLING FIRST GIGS!!" She squeeled. Echo, Morgan, and their two friends Bethany and Cayla were in a garage punk metal band called Day Dream. They had three songs finnished, and one on the way. Their dream was to book at least one gig before they hit their mid 20's, and since Morgan was the oldest at age 23, their dream was finally about to come true.Echo's eyes widened. She gripped Morgan's sholders as if to make sure she was really there, telling her this."No....fucking.....way..... You're kidding me right?!" A huge smile spread across her face, and her hazel eyes lit up."Not joking! A spot down at Triple door opened up, and we got the gig! Like, 4 out of 5 didn't even have enough songs to make a set list, and Cayla figured out her part to our newest one! Gravel Road is officially finnished!" She squeeled. Echo smiled.Though Echo had wanted to be a singer since conceived, it was Morgan's idea to start this band, and keep it serious. Echo and Morgan met at the Barns and Nobles the day Echo applied for the job. Apparently, Morgan had thought Echo was stealing her job after she got fired, but the more she tried to sabotage it, the worse she felt. Eventually, she took it like a woman, and moved on, and she went to work at a restaurant across the street.The band had started off as just an idea between the two when Morgan noticed Echo always had her headphones in. The two started talking about how much they loved music, and Echo's dream to be a singer."No way," Morgan had said. "I always wanted to play guitar in a band! Hey, let's start one!""A band?" Echo had asked, skeptically."Yeah! Morgan had gotten all excited, and was now listing off details. "I know the PERFECT bass player, and oh! We can do it at my house (my daddy has a drum set in the basement), and we can bring my guitars down there, and hook up mics, and-" Echo had interrupted her, and laughed."Why don't we figure out what type of music we're going to play first?" Echo laughed. They figured out they wanted to be the first all female punk band in their neighborhood, and Morgan got her friend Cayla-witha-C to play bass. Cayla is really touchy about her name; if you spell it wrong, she goes on a meltdown.The three girls had a song up, but they still needed a drummer. They held tryouts at the park, but the only person who fit their description was Bethany Rodrick. She joined the band, and they quickly became friends.Echo had thrown the name Day Dream out, and the girls all agreed on it. The first song they came up with was called Ode to hell, which Echo wrote about her ex fiancée who left her after she moved across the country. The second was called Sacrificing Serenity, which was Cayla's on an abusive household. It was mainly her way of saying "fuck you" to her father, even though Echo was the one singing.The girls became close enough to call each other sisters, and they frequently stayed at Morgans house since that's where they practice anyway. Morgan, Beth, and Echo would make fun with Cayla about her issues with people spelling her name wrong. Morgan, Beth, and Cayla would make light of her tendency to mess with her hair every couple of months. Morgan, Echo, and Cayla would joke with Beth about her ice blue hair, and blonde bangs. Echo, Beth, and Cayla all joked with Morgan about her parents being rich. But they all knew these were jokes of love, and they still had fun.Eventually, Morgan's parents built a shed just for them to practice in. They developed their skills, and got better, and now Morgan was telling her they have their first gig! Everything was going well. They'd been working hard for the last 14 months, and it was all about to pay off."Sweet!" Echo smiled. "What time?!""Band day at 6:30. We're opening up for Dead by Sunrise."Echo's eyes grew wide. "You are fucking kidding. This is a joke right? You're kidding??"Morgan got scared for a moment. Did Echo not like them?"Uh...n-no?" Echo squeeled, and pulled her into a tight hug jumping around in circles."I CAN'T BELIEVE WE'RE OPENING FOR CHESTER FREAKIN BENNINGTON!!!" Morgan laughed and jumped with her."Will you two shut up?! Its not a circus you know! " some guy shouted. Echo and Morgan just looked at each other and giggled quieter."Come on, we gotta go tell Beth and Cayla.""Wait, but I gotta check out first. I don't get off for another hour." Echo said. She hated bailing like that since even the truth sounded like a bullshit excuse."Go on," a tenner voice said behind her. "It's not every day you get this kind of opportunity, so you'll need all the practice you can. Besides, maybe someday you'll flood this place." Her manager smiled. Echo almost cried."Thank you, sir....thank you so much." Echo waved at him as she was dragged out the store by her surprisingly strong best friend.~~~~~~~~~~~~Beth and Cayla were already in the practice room, practicing their parts and hoping to start a new song."How does this sound?" Beth asked. She played a semi fast beat, crashing the cymbals every 3 beats and ended with 3 hits to the kick drum."Not bad," Cayla said, picking her strings on her bass. She smiled and played the bass line for the chorus of "Enter Sandman.""BETH! CAYLA! YOU GUYS ARE NEVER GONNA GUESS WHAT JUST HAPPENED? !?" Morgan shouted, bursting through the door. Cayla was un-phased at Morgans antics; Cayla had grown up with her, and therefore knew how excited she could get over everything. Bethany however jumped, which kicked over her snare drum and dropped her drumsticks."Shit," she muttered looking around for the drumsticks."What is it this time, Ganny?" Cayla said, not even looking up from her bass. Her rainbow half mullet hiding the side of her face."We got our first gig, girls." Echo said while walking in, smiling.Cayla and Beth looked up in surprise."No fuckin shit...you serious?" Beth asked sitting up again."Dead serious. We got a spot lined up before Dead by Sunrise next practice day. My boss even gave me the week off just to practice! " Echo smiled.Cayla smoothed out her hair. "Shit...that's so awesome!""What are we waiting for?" Beth said. "Let's practice"
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Three days to the concert and counting.The girls have barley left the shed. They spent every single second making sure every note was perfect. When they were hungry, one of them would leave the room to get food while the others continued to practice. During their snack, they would exchange critiques and ideas for riff changes, or tempo adjustments or sometimes lyrical adjustments. They only went to the bathroom one at a time. Because of this, they often practiced with only three.By the second to last day before the concert, they were convinced they had everything perfect except the vibe. Echo didn't think it was quite right for these kinds of songs. The band had just finished their jam, while Cayla was getting food for them, when Morgans phone rang."Hello?" She asked. "Oh hi!..Uhh...yeah. No, we're good. Mhm... ok........ok great. Thank you so much. Ok, bye." She hung up the phone, sliding it into her pocket.Cayla had just returned with a plate full of sandwiches Morgan's mom made, and she set it on the table, Beth and Echo digging into the egg salad."Who was that?" Cayla asked."Oh, that was Stanley. The guy from the gig? He just called to make sure we were still on for tomorrow, and to tell us the door is kinda jammed, so he'll be waiting out back for the bands." The girls nodded. Cayla had been checking her messages. Beth saw as she slammed her phone shut, and rolled her eyes. Cayla flipped her rainbow hair and snatched up her bass. It wasn't like her to be so hostile with her instrument, she's usually so mellow."Something wrong, Cayla?" Echo asked, concerned."Yeah. My bitch girlfriend dumped me." She said, not looking at them. She focused more on her bass, making sure it wasn't covered in dust and finger prints, which it was."I don't mean to sound insensitive... but you've been with her for like, 2 years. Aren't you supposed to be, like, crying and upset or something?" Morgan asked, taking a bite of her sandwich."Yeah, I would be, but do you know her reasons?" The girls all shook their heads. "Because she's 'realized she's not gay, and needs to find someone more productive than a deadbeat musician. '" Cayla said bitterly, obviously grinding her teeth after finishing that sentence."That's total bullshit." Beth said."Did you even talk to her about this?" Echo said, feeling bad. She knew what that was like. The girls watched as Cayla slung her bass strap over her shoulder and picked a few strings."No." She said. "Not worth talking to some whore who used me for 2 years, just to dump me for my brother." Cayla refused eye contact. Beth's mouth hung open."You're kidding..." she said. Cayla did her best not to cry."Wait, he didn't actually say yes to her, did he!?" Echo exclaimed."No. My brother and I are pretty close. He told her to get lost." Cayla said."That's total bullshit." Beth said again. "I cannot believe she put you through that.""Whatever. Can we just play, please? I need the distraction before I start throwing shit." She grumbled, and begin taking her bass line.The other girls picked up their parts where she left off. Echo noticed that the tone was perfect. Everything was perfect. She just felt sorry it was at her friends expense.
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The day had arrived. The concert would start in less than 2 hours, then over in a flash. Echo, Beth, Morgan, and Cayla got to meet Brandon Belsky, the bass guitarist for Dead by Sunrise. He said he'd heard some of their stuff, and he can't wait to hear them live.You could feel the anxiety in the air around them, as they watched people pouring in by the hundreds, eventually filling every available seat. Morgan wondered if it was a sold out show, though she knew they were here to see Dead by Sunrise, not them.The band got some of their instruments set up, tuned, and checked for malfunctions. None were found, and Morgan put the final touches on her make up. Echo's heart was pounding. She had experience singing in front of strangers, but not this many at once.The theater lights dimmed, as the first chords of the guitars were strummed. The next 15 minutes were filled by loud screaming, beautiful singing about a girl who broke his heart, a mother that threw him out, addiction, and finally depression. Lazers, and bright neon colors flashed across the stage to the beat. The set finished with a crash on the cymbals as the audience burst into applause."Wow! They're great!" Cayla shouted to her band mates. The girls nodded and smiled in agreement. Morgan tried whistling really loud."Gogogogogo, shoo, get over there missy's!" The stage director said as he practically pushed Day Dream onto the set. Echo and Cayla got a few wolf whistles from some pig in the crowd. Echo was pumped. Her heart was pounding at her chest, threatening to destroy her ribs. Not one of them could stop smiling. Morgan, Beth and Cayla gave Echo the thumbs up as she grabbed the mic on the stand.She felt so much power. Just being there in a black belly shirt, dark ripped blue jeans, heeled boots, and her piercings made her feel higher than she's ever felt.Echo scanned the crowed, like a lion choosing one gazelle out of the whole pack. It was almost like someone else took over, the way she felt and acted. Bethany hit the kick drum twice and tapped on the cymbals, making the sound get louder before letting it echo off into the crowd of cheers."YOU MOTHERFUCKERS READY?!" Echo yelled. The crowd cheered, and Cayla picked her base notes. "I CAN'T FUCKING HEAR YOU!" She screamed. The crowd got louder. Echo knew this was just hype. Most of them just wanted them to hurry up and get off stage for DBS to play. Morgan strummed her guitar. Beth and Cayla picked up the beat, as the beginning of Ode to Hell began.
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Echo and her friends danced off the stage after bursts of cheers from the crowd. Cayla was hyped, making sure to set bass down before she started jumping around."Oh my guys! That was so awesome!!" She shout, excited. Echo giggled and hugged her."Woo! Dinner is soo on me tonight!" Morgan squealed. Beth and Echo just cheered and jumped around excited."Echo what the hell was that, calling the audience 'motherfuckers?'" Cayla laughed. Echo blushed."Just something I picked up from my heroes I guess." She said.As the girls cheered and talked about their time on stage for the first official time, a man approached them."You four were incredible tonight, you really were. You guys new to the music industry?" He asked. The girls nodded."Yes sir, tonight was our first official concert." Echo answered proudly. The girls all stood side by side, as he admired them. Echo still wearing her outfit, and drenched in sweat (as they all were), Bethany with her ice blue hair and blonde bangs and her army pattern tank top with jeans and commando boots, Morgan with her black hair and blue highlights and her purple shirt and capri's, and Cayla with her rainbow....well, everything. The man smiled and reached into his pocket. He pulled out a card, and handed it to Echo."My name is David Bason. I'm from Virgin Records. If you're interested, we'd like to sign you onto our company." He smiled. The girls were speechless. Morgan was the first to speak."We'd need a day or two to figure it out." The rest of them shot her a dirty look."Of course, take all the time you need." He said, still smiling. "In the meantime, may I have your names?""I'm Echo DelMastro, this is Morgan Pelsky, Cayla Smith, and Bethany Rodrick." She said, pointing at the girls as she said their names."Nice to meet you girls," David said shaking their hands. "Well, my number is on there, give me a call within the week for your decision.""Wait!" Morgan asked. "It said your studio is in LA? Like, California?""Yes m'am." He said.The girls didn't know what to say. "Um..Ok, we'll sleep on it. Thank you, sir." He waved as he walked away.The girls stood there, looking at each other. After a moment they broke out in screams, which no one could hear since Dead by Sunrise was in the middle of their concert.The rest of the time they spent there, they watched Chester do his thing on stage, wishing that they could meet him. They didn't get to since he fell and broke his ankle on stage. Though, he still continued the concert, sitting on a speaker until the end when the paramedics got there. the girls did, however, get to wave at him as he was driven off into the ambulance to the hospital, his band not far behind him."That man is a legend." Echo said, proudly. The girls nodded their heads in agreement, and went home.
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It took 3 hours to get back to Morgans house, there was so much traffic.The whole car ride, they were listening to their favorite bands on the radio, and singing along as loud as they could. Echo, Morgan, and Beth would've gone out drinking, since they were over 21, but Cayla was only 19, so they couldn't. Instead, they celebrated at Morgans house."So, what are we thinking about this record label...offer...deal...thing..." Echo said, laughing."Well, we've got three songs already... You said you wanted to cover a few too. Do you know which ones?" Beth asked, phasing from giggly to serious. The laughing faded, but the smiles and excitement didn't."Not yet... I'm still deciding." Echo said, taking a bite of the chips that were in a bowl on the counter. She wanted to cover something from Linkin Park, and Disturbed, but she also wanted to do Tears Don't Fall by Bullet for my Valentine, along with a few others. She knew she needed two at max, so narrowing it down to just two was going to be difficult."Ok, so we've got three, Plus Eli's two....We'll need at least two more songs." Morgan deduced. Morgan calls her Eli as a spoof of her name, Echo Elizabeth. She'd heard some of her friends call her Lizzy before, so she just kind of spoofed on that.The girls agreed to think about it over night, and went back to the shed which is now their house. Echo only sleeps a couple hours every day/night, so she was up until 4 am looking up her favorite songs on YouTube. Finally, she decided on Loves Bites by Halestorm, and Caraphernelia by Peirce the Veil. It reached within the bands range of talent, plus it challenged her voice just a bit, all while staying with the theme of the band.Echo had worked for years getting her voice to the way it is now. She had to go through surgery to remove the nodes on her vocal chords she had developed as a child. That was her first and only surgery so far in life. She vowed to take better care of her throat, and learned how to scream without damaging her voice. Of course, she did all of this as a hobby, she never thought she'd be where she is now.Beth was fast asleep as Echo was up thinking all of this, dreaming of her being behind her drum set. She twitched in her sleep as her brain came up with a new beat pattern they'd never heard in an emo band before. Somehow she managed to jolt awake, rushing to her drum kit to try it out, making sure to record it so she remembered later. She was thankful Morgan's father built the rooms sound proof, so she didn't wake any of her band mates.30 minutes later, she finished her jam, and got up to make coffee for the girls. By then, Echo had fallen asleep, so it was just her. Beth snuck her way around her sleeping friends, and headed to the kitchen in the main house, making sure to open the door slowly and quiet as not to scare Morgan's parents. She started the coffee pot, and decided to make pancakes as well, keeping her tape in her pocket.By 6 am, the others slowly started to wake up, coming into the main house where Beth was now making scrambled eggs, and homemade orange juice. The first one to wake up was Morgan. She walked into the kitchen, sleepy and still rubbing her eyes."What the fuck are you doing up so early?" She said, grabbing herself a cup of coffee from the coffee pot."I had a late night inspiration that I had to get on tape." Beth pulled the tape from her pocket and waved it around. She put the tape back in her pocket, and put the eggs on a plate. Morgan sat at the island in the middle of the kitchen with her coffee."Inspiration?" She asked. "For what? We don't need to start thinking of new songs until we know for sure we're getting signed." She took a sip of her coffee.Beth smiled and pulled her bangs behind her ears, bringing the pancakes, eggs, and bacon to the island. "I'd rather be prepared, than have an unreasonable deadline and not be." Beth said matter of factly.Morgan rolled her eyes and drank her coffee. She helped herself to a few peices of bacon, and a couple pancakes. Cayla came into the room, her rainbow hair all on one side, since she hadn't had the chance to style it yet. She looked miserable."What's wrong Cay?" Beth asked, making her a plate of bacon and eggs. Cayla just shook her head, and sat down at the edge of the island, away from Morgan. Morgan and Beth looked at each other and frowned."Um... Is Eli up?" Morgan asked, handing Beth her cup for more coffee. Cayla nodded, but just sat there. Morgan sighed. "Cayla, what is wrong? Seriously." Cayla just shot her a dirty look, got up, and left the kitchen back to the shed. Morgan sighed.Echo entered the kitchen. "Ooh! Breakfast!" She ran over and grabbed the bacon, having one in her mouth as she put a few more on her plate."Echo! Chill! I only made so much, and Morgan's parents aren't up yet!" She said, smacking her hand with the spatula."Oww...." Echo pouted putting some of the bacon back, and grabbing some eggs as a replacement."Eli, what's Cay's deal?" Morgan asked.Echo shrugged. "I heard her mumbling her ex's name in her sleep, and when I left, she was at the computer desk crying." The girls looked at each other, and sighed . Morgan got up from the table and went back to the shed. Beth shook her head and cleaned up the counters.When Morgan stepped inside, Cayla was crying. She had draped herself over the arm of the couch, her rainbow hair falling around her, but the shaved side exposed little golden studs of her natural hair growing in."Cayla, talk to me." Morgan said, sitting beside her. "What's wrong?"Cayla sobbed for a while longer, debating on whither or not to even bother explaining. She sighed, wiping tears from her eyes."Last night I had a dream about Leila. I drempt she saw me on stage, then she took off.... and for some stupid reason, I followed her. I saw her making out with another person, and I went to try and stop them, but I slipped on something....and that's when I woke up. So I thought about that. What she called me, and the opportunity we got. I went on Facebook to message her...and she's got a new boyfriend already."Morgan wasn't shocked. Leila wasn't a very good girlfriend to Cayla. She stood her up countless of times, insults her passion, says hurtful things to her, yet Cayla stayed with her for two whole years. Morgan was pretty sure she had been cheating on her as well, so hearing that she's moved on in less than a week, didn't surprise her at all.Morgan rubbed Cayla's back, and let her cry for a while. Echo and Beth walked in, being as quiet as possible. They looked at poor Cayla, but knew Morgan would make her feel better, as they slipped into the studio. Morgan did her best to make Cayla feel better, but knew this kind of pain takes time to heal.Eventually, Cayla stopped crying. She sat in silence, miserable. Morgan stayed by her side, until Cayla decided to get up."I wanna go jam." Cayla said, hoarsely. "I can't just sit here all day. "Morgan nodded, and followed Cayla into the music room to find Beth and Echo already jamming."So seal these lips Take my haaand And crush me into wonder laaand.Ohh.... Can't you tell, your'e fucking with my
BRAAAAAAIN
The way you seize my
THROOOAT
Has left me in the
DUUUUUST
Whooahhhooooooohhh
Take my haaaaand
And drive me wiiiiiild
Love me into the dust
As the dawn of light
Turns into lust.
You'll never understand." Echo sang these words with the passion she's never shown before. Beth played her solo, and ended with a kickdrum fading, that sounded like a heart beat failing. Cayla and Morgan stood there amazed."Well," Beth said, smiling. "You gonna stand there with your jaws on the floor, or are you gonna help us?"Morgan and Cayla looked at each other, smiled, then headed for their instruments.
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The girls had finished the new song, which they titled Diary of a Liar. The rest of the day, they spent rehearsing their songs and gave Caraphernelia a try. Cayla joined in on the background vocals, while Echo gave the song a little more squeak to it.
At the end of the day, they had 5 songs ready for anything. They talked amongst themselves, deciding on when to call Mr. Bason. They decided to wait until the next morning, since it was already 10 pm. They went inside to the main house, and Beth started to make dinner for everyone. Morgans parents had come downstairs to Beths beautiful disaster in the kitchen.
"Don't worry, " Beth said smiling. "I'll make sure your kitchen order shall be restored. Now, please leave, if you don't mind. Dinner is a surprise. "
Mrs. Pelsky smiled and shooed her husband into the living room where the girls were playing Guitar Hero. It was Echo's turn, kicking ass playing The Kill by 30 Seconds to Mars on expert. Morgan was on a sugar high, so she was making all kinds of unnecessary sound effects.
"Woo!" Morgan shouted, prancing around the living room. "Look Cay-cay, I'm a fucking unicorn! Baaah!!" She ran around, not watching what she was doing and tripped over the couch, then slid and fell on the floor, causing Cayla to burst out in laughter. She hadn't laughed like that in a very long time. Echo laughed too, trying not to break concentration.
This type of shenanigans went on for a full 20 minutes, Echo eating a shit ton of candy as well. Mr. & Mrs. Pelsky laughed and made sure nothing got broken. Beth had called everyone for dinner. When they walked into the kitchen, the table had one of the fanciest dinners they'd had in years.
Beth's second passion besides drumming, was cooking. When she was little, she'd always wanted to own her own restaurant. She had gone to culinary school after she graduated, but had to drop out to help with a family emergency. She never went back.
About 40 minutes later, Echo helped Beth clean up, while Cayla and Morgan went to bed.
"Thank you, Bethany, for such a fabulous dinner." Mrs. Pelsky said.
"It was my pleasure, Mrs. Pelsky." Beth replied. Morgan's parents went upstairs to bed, leaving Echo and Beth to finnish cleaning. Beth was the first to break the silence.
"Do you think we'll actually get signed?" She asked. Echo nodded.
"If we keep up the process we're going at now, most definitely. But I guess we'll find out for sure starting tomorrow."
Beth nodded, and they both went back into the shed to sleep.
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It's been a week since the concert. The girls had called up Mr. Bason and they discussed the terms and possible signing. After about an hour spent on the phone, Mr. Bason told them something shocking."Well, we useually do our signing in the state of California, SO. If you girls agree to come down here, we can sign the contracts in the studio, and you can start recording your first album right away."The girls were silenced with shock. Morgan was the first to speak."Where in California?" She leaned against the table by the phone base. He was on speaker phone, so they could all hear him."Los Angeles." He replied. Morgan nodded."My parents bought a summer house they never use there. Of course, I'd have to ask their permission first.""Of course. That's understandable.""Assuming my parents say yes, how soon should we go to the studio?" Echo gave her a thumbs up, Beth smiled at her."As soon as you can. If you like, I can arrange for a plane to bring you here. Of course, upon these conditions I must also say you'll have to bring your own instruments. We're on a tight budget, and can only afford so much. ""I'll discuss this with my parents and get back to you." Morgan said."Very good then." Mr. Bason said, and hung up. The girls squeeled and Echo hugged Morgan."You really think your folks are gonna agree to this?" Cayla asked. Morgan put her arm over Cayla's shoulder."I wouldn't have brought it up, if I didn't think they were gonna say 'yes.'" She smiled."Then what are we waiting for?" Echo cheered. "Let's go!!"~~~~~~~ After a long discussion with Morgan's parents, they agreed to let them stay there under the condition that they pay a couple hundred dollars in rent. The band thought that was reasonable, and agreed."Oh, honey we're so proud of you!" Mrs. Pelsky said. She gripped her husband's hands and smiled."When were you girls going to go?" Mr. Pelsky asked. Everyone but Morgan shrugged."I was thinking we could leave in about 4 maybe 5 days." She said confidently. "That should give us enough time to warn our families and friends, get everything packed, and get used to the fact we're leaving.""Wow. You really plan ahead, don't you?" Beth said, astonished."Damn straight! I don't fuck around!" She laughed. The girls laughed, and they all continued to talk, and have their dinner/snack in the living room.Echo ended up putting a movie on, and the girls fell asleep sprawled all over the living room, while Mr. & Mrs. Pelsky went upstairs to bed.
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Jared was startled awake by his alarm clock. It was now 9 AM, and he, Tomo, and his brother Shannon had to head over to the recording studio. The past week had been long for them; Between Tomo loosing his family, and Shannon breaking his ankle, the 30STM family has been under a lot of stress. Jared didn't even want to get up, but knew if he didn't, their career would go to ruins. He was the only reason Shannon and Tomo decided to keep moving on with this, and Jared knew it. But he also knew that this music is what's keeping Tomo moving on in life. If the band were to go up in smoke, who knew what would happen? Jared got out of bed, stretched, then went over to his drawer to get dressed. He pulled out his favorite sleeveless white tank top, and dark blue jeans. As Jared walked out of the door, he grabbed his wallet, keys, and his shades, glancing around the room in case he forgot anything else, then left. Well, today's going to be interesting, he thought as he went down the stairs and out the door. ~~~~~~~~~~ Their flight was in the morning, at 5 am. Cayla had gotten absolutely no sleep, she was so excited. Echo had her headphones in, and was listening to This is War by 30 Seconds to Mars. Morgan took care of the flight preparations, and her parents split the payment of the flight with the company they were going to go see. They had spend their last few days around there coming up with a new song, so now they had at least enough songs to make an album. "Now boarding: Flight 22 to Los Angeles, California." The lady on the intercom said. Beth nudged Cayla awake, as the girls grabbed their bags, and boarded the plane. ~~~~~~~~~ It was 9:30 AM when Jared got to the studio. Tomo had bags under his eyes, obviously from lack of sleep. Shannon's cast was as noticeable as ever. He had to resort to crutches over doctors orders. Normally, they would've greeted each other with "HEY ya mother fuckers!" and being silly, but from the looks of his brothers, now was not the right moment for that. "Hey guys." Jared said, helping Shannon out walking to the studio. "Sorry we're late, man. Traffic and shit." Tomo said, monotonous. "Nah, it's fine. I was trapped in it too." Jared chuckled a little to try to lighten the mood. It ended up an awkward laugh. Though they weren't recording anything today, they wanted to use one of the sound proof rooms to practice in. Plus, should inspiration strike, recording a new song would be simpler and raw. An on the spot type of song construction. Jared strung Shannons arm over his shoulder, providing a better support for his older brother than the crutches. As they were walking down the halls, they heard music coming from one of the sound booths. Not the type they usually hear, but non the less, well played. "What the hell is that?" Tomo asked, and made a face. Obviously Tomo didn't like the music, but to Jared, something about the voice of the girl singing was captivating. However, Jared also knew two of these types of bands sounded like girls and were actually guys, so he waited until they passed to see who was singing. ~~~~~~~~~ The girls plane landed around 8AM. Echo woke up to Alibi, Jared humming his melody in her ears so softly. She considered Alibi her 30STM lullaby. Of course she had others too, like Darkness by Disturbed, and Through it All by Device, and so on. Beth was just thankful there was only a 15 minute layover than the other plane rides she'd been on. Sometimes they went up to 4 hours! Finally, after waiting almost 20 minutes, They were able to get off the plane, and get all of their stuff. Beth was in a crabby mood due to jet lag, and Cayla was only half awake. Echo grabbed their bags off the baggage claim, and met the girls by the limo waiting to pick them up and bring them to the studio. The girls did their make up, and did each others hair (well, those who had long enough hair to fix). The drive only lasted 30 minutes, arriving at the studio at 10 minutes to 9. "Ah! Girls!" Mr. Bason said loudly, and clapped his hands. "How was the flight? I trust it went well?" "Well," Echo said. "We're alive aren't we?" They were too tired to burst out laughing, but they did chuckle. "Very true, very true. Alright, if you'd come with me, I'll show you where you can set up your materials, and you can get started as sooner or later as you'd like." He said, leading the way. Echo and the girls followed him, getting a tour of the studio. Mr. Bason pointed at almost every room along the way, explaining what they were. "That there is the rest rooms, over here is the guest bedrooms (for those who don't want to go home straight away), over here we have the kitchens, and down here are the studios." He opened the double doors at the end of the hall, and inside there was a whole giant room cut off by smaller rooms within smaller rooms, and at the end of the hallway, there was another door. "What's behind that door?" Morgan asked. "That, my dear, leads to the sound proof rooms available for practicing. these are recording booths. You can choose to start in either of them, just make sure you stick to one." "Yes, sir." Morgan said. "Come on girls, let's go in here." Morgan opened up the first door in the room, and started to get everything set up. Not long after, they were playing all their songs, Echo enjoying the feel of the microphone sending her voice vibrating off the walls along with the notes of her band mates. ~~~ Jared couldn't help but stop and stare at them. Shannon was wondering why he stopped until he looked over. The girl who was singing (he was sure the singer was a girl), had black hair that faded from purple to red down by the tips. Her bangs were longer than the rest of her hair, and she had a lot of facial piercings. She had snakebites, earrings all along the side of her left ear, two eyebrow piercings on her left brow, and one on her right one. She was wearing a tight leather tank top/corset, with black skinny jeans and heeled boots that buckled along the side. To Jared, she was unusually stunning, while Shannon and Tomo thought it was kind of weird. Of course, Tomo also saw the drummer in the back. She had bright blue hair, and blonde bangs, no piercings, with a shirt that looked like a faded sunset had splattered onto it. Her drum skills were almost (but not quite) matched to Shannons, but that wasn't what caught Tomo's attention. It was the smile on her face. It almost looked like his deceased wife had donated her smile to this girl. If he was alone, Tomo would've started crying. But right now, he was in front of his band mates, and 4 strange girls. Shannon noted the drummers skills, and got a look at the other two. The bass player and her weird rainbow half-mullet, with just the bangs combed over to hide the fact that half her head was shaved on the right side. She only had one lip piercing, and one eyebrow pierced, and most of her clothing resembled rainbows as well. Shannon had no trouble determining her sexuality, not that he cared. The guitarist had near jet black hair, which faded to a nice cobalt blue. She looked more...sophisticated, compared to the rest of the girls, but still maintained the style of the band. She had a black lace top on, and a dark ripped mini skirt, with fish net stockings on, and a leather glove on her right hand, which was holding the guitar pic. The girls were so engrossed in their music, they didn't even see the boys as they stared at them. Finally, Tomo spoke up. "Come on guys, we only have so much time before they kick us out. Let's go." Jared and Shannon nodded, following him. Jared looked at the singer girl until the walls were in the way, blocking his vision, but the last words he heard her say haunted his mind. "Don't let me go, 'cause if I fall, it's all on you."
----- CHAPTER BREAK -----
Both of the bands spent until lunch time playing their songs. Tomo had seemed in a better mood than he has in months, and for that Jared was grateful. Of course, practice wasn't all it could've been without Shannons leg working properly, but they made due with what they could.
As for Day Dream, their work was coming across wonderfully. They even got to record Gravel Road while they were there as well. They'd worked up a good appetite for the last few hours, and were ready to pig out.
When they got there, Jared and his brothers were already eating, and discussing their music.
"Well, see, we could've been better around the solo." Jared said. Echo stopped in her tracks, while the rest of the girls went inside. She felt her heartbeat racing, and her face getting red. She lost all function to move, completely star struck at the sight of Jared's beautiful face. She'd been waiting her whole life for a moment like this, but never thought it would've come so soon.
"And-" Jared cut off his sentence and looked at the girls. Echo was still in the doorway, her face red as a tomato, and the rest of the girls were digging in the fridge for something to eat.
"Really? There's like, nothing good here!" Morgan pouted. She sighed, and moved out of the way. Cayla bolted into the fridge, taking out the first thing she saw, which was an egg salad sandwich. She almost dived right into it, but remembered it wasn't exactly hers.
"Is this anyones?" She held it up, looking at the boys, who all shook their heads.
"Uh, no. You can have it." Shannon said. "They stock the fridge with random stuff for the people who use the studio."
"Fuckin' sweet!" Cayla said, not even hesitating to bite into the sandwich, and moved to sit down. Echo had made her way slowly to the edge of the table closet to the door. When she wasn't looking at Jared, she was looking down at her feet. Beth was the first one to introduce them.
"Yeesh, you guys are so rude." She said. She turned to the three boys, who were just watching them. "Hi. My names Bethany Rodrick, this is Cayla Smith." She pointed to the rainbow drenched girl biting into the egg salad sandwich. "This is Morgan Pelsky." Morgan looked up from her phone to give a smile and wave a little bit, before going back to her text message. "And this Echo DelMastro." Beth pointed to Echo. She looked up, and her face got redder. She smiled awkwardly and waved.
"H-hi." She blushed. Jared thought that was cute. He smiled.
"I'm Jared Leto, this is my brother, Shannon, and our good friend Tomo Milicevic." The boys smiled. Tomo was almost mesmerized by Beth's smile, it reminded him so much of his wife.
Beth looked at Echo confused. "Aren't they the members of that band you love so much?" She said.
Echo's face got redder and she shot her a look. "Yeah." She said through her teeth. Jared chuckled, which almost made Echo pass out.
"So what's your bands name?" Shannon asked Beth.
"Day Dream. The name was Echo's idea." Beth replied.
"Wow, that's an exotic name." Jared said, looking at the blushing girl.
"Day dream?" Beth asked. "Not re-"
"I meant Echo." Jared said. "I've never heard of someone named Echo before." Echo's blush maintained, if not had gotten stronger. She smiled more than she probably should have.
"Thanks," She said. "I picked it myself." A confused look passed over the boys. Echo's sisters have heard this story every time she was introduced to someone new around them. Morgan went back to trying to find something to eat.
"Um...Well, see, when I was 18, I chose to get my name legally changed. I hated my birth name, so I changed it." She blushed, and smiled with her eyes closed. Jared chuckled.
Oh my god....he's actually laughing? He thinks I'm funny? EEEEEEEEEEEEEE!!! Echo squeezed in her head, and imagined passing out, making her smile less awkward, and more enthusiastic.
"What was your name before?" Shannon asked. Echo thought.. It'd been over 4 years ago that she changed her name. Though she remembered, she also remembered everything else she had her friends call her. Echo waved her hand, as if she was waving away the question.
"It's not important." She said. Jared laughed, and Tomo chuckled a little bit too. Cayla saw Beth blush a little bit at the sound of Tomo's laugh.
"Well, I hate to interrupt this awkward moment of laughing and bonding, but we need to finish recording a couple more songs." Morgan said, getting up. Everyone looked at her, and she shrugged. "Sorry." She said.
"It's ok." Jared said. "We should get back to doing our stuff too."
"Hey," Tomo said. "Would you mind if we came down later to talk?"
Beth blushed a little, as did Echo, who was already redder than a tomato. "That'd be great!" She said.
"Great, see you later." Jared said waving as they left.
As soon as the girls got into the sound proof studio, Echo started jumping around and squealing like the fan-girl she is.
"I CAN'T BELIEVE I JUST MET AND TALKED TO JARED-FREAKING-LETO!!!!" She said, laughing. Her head was so high up, she felt like if she took the wrong step, she'd fall, but at the same time, she just could not sit still. Beth and Cayla giggled, and Morgan smiled.
"'Come on, missy missy. We got shit to do." Morgan said laughing as Echo started jumping in circles.
----- CHAPTER BREAK -----
The girls didn't know that Jared and his brothers could see them. Jared laughed when he saw Echo jumping up and down, the hugest smile on her face. He was used to getting these types of reactions when girls met him, but for some reason, this girl captivated him. She was defiantly something different. Shannon noticed this. "So, You like her, don't you." He winked and nudged his younger brother in the arm. Jared rolled his eyes, took one last glance at Echo, before going back into the room. "What, you jealous a hot girl likes me?" Jared laughed. "Did you see that girls smile?" Tomo said, still enchanted. Jared and Shannon looked at each other, then looked at Tomo. "Which girl?" Shannon asked. Tomo's face got a little red. "The one with the blue hair. Bethany." He said. "AWW!" Jared said, and put his arm around Tomo's shoulder. "Why don't we go hook you two up?" He said. Tomo gave him a dirty look. Shannon laughed. "Please. You just want an excuse to stare at Echo again, don't you." Jared looked at him. He closed his eyes, placing his hand to his chest like a bad actor pretending he's dying. "Oh thy dearest Shannon. Thou hast caughteth me again!" They all laughed "You asshole." Shannon laughed. "But seriously, let's wait a few before going. They look kind of busy." The boys looked at the booth across the hall, and could see Echo singing into the microphone. She looked so passionate about what she's doing. Jared admired that. ~~~ The girls practiced and recorded for about 2 hours. They decided not to record the covers yet until they could talk to the bands and get their permission. They walked out of the studio sweaty and full of energy. Well, all except Morgan. "Ugh, I'm so tired." She said. Echo made a face at her, while skipping around the hallways. "Well then sleep." She laughed. "Yeesh girl," Beth said. "I mean, today went great, but I'm not sure it went that great!" "Screw you," Echo giggled. "We're an OFFICIAL band, I met the man of m-....uh.... my Idol." She blushed. "AND, we're working on our first album!!" Today is FUCKING FANTASTIC!" She cheered about ready to do a cartwheel, but didn't. They talked all the way out the door where they saw a school field trip taking a tour of the street. "Awww!" Echo said, waving at them. A little girl with blonde curly hair waved back and smiled. "They're so cute." Beth smiled. "Come on! I wanna go home." Morgan said irritated. They all got into the limo waiting outside the studio to take them home. "Ugh, they were so cute." Beth smiled. "I want one." "What, a baby?" Cayla asked. "Well yeah. I decided like when I was 12, if I have a girl I'll name her June, and if I have a boy, his name will be Issac." Beth said. Echo sighed dreamily. "I've got a theme for my kids; All the girls will be named after flowers, and all the boys will be named after rockstars." Echo giggled. "What'll the names be?" Cayla asked, curious. "Well, the first girl's name will be Amaryllis Elizabeth, and the first boy's name will be Ivan Charles-Michael." She said proudly. "What about you, Morgan?" Cayla asked. The girls turned to her. She shrugged. "I never thought about having kids." She said. Her sisters looked at her as if she just swallowed a kitten whole. "Seriously? I'm gay, no shot at having kids, and even I have kid names!" Cayla practically shouted. Morgan shrugged again. "I suppose if it should happen, I'll think of something, or let the father decide. But no, I don't have kids names planned." She said. "But, the real interesting thing is Beth's reaction to Tomo laughing." She winked, and nudged Beth, who blushed. "Ooooo, yeah what was that all about missy?" Cayla joked. "Shut up," Beth said, blushing. "Echo's reaction to Jared was worse" Echos eyes grew wide, and her face flushed. She scowled at Beth. Sorry , She mouthed. "Yeah, Echo. What was that? Huh?" Morgan laughed. Echo blushed bright red and looked down at her feet. She mumbled something under her breath. "What was that?" Cayla asked. Echo sighed. "I'm in love with him." She didn't make eye contact with any of them. "But...didn't you like, just meet him?" Morgan asked. Echo nodded. "Yeah, but that wasn't the first time I saw him." She said. She sighed. "Ok, first time I saw him, it was when the Closer to the Edge video was released. His eyes were enchanting... Then I saw he had a song on Guitar Hero... Next thing I know, I'm looking up interviews, concerts, and other songs by them on Youtube....and...well.." She blushed deep red. "Awww..... That's the cutest thing I've ever heard." Cayla swooned. "I hope I can meet someone like that someday...." "I'm sure we'll all have our moment." Morgan said, then yawned. The rest of the ride was spent talking about boys, families, and plans for the future and the driver of the limo took them home.
----- CHAPTER BREAK -----
Walking outside their hotel room, the girls decided to go for a walk around town. Cayla offered to treat them to pizza across the street from their hotel. Morgan wanted to check out the 7-Eleven down the street and get a couple slushees. Beth and Echo agreed, and they crossed the street from the tiny blue hotel to the small pizza shop .In he window they saw something interesting.Cayla ran over to a poster hung in the window."OH MY GOD NO WAY!" She said. "GUYS! LOOK AT THIS!" Morgan went up right next to her to read the poster."Wow! Never thought I'd see the day!" Echo and Beth gave her a weird look. "Warped and Mayhem are doing a combo concert. It looks like fun!" She said."Not only that!" Cayla took the poster down and stabbed the paper with her finger. "Look at this!"They looked closer at the paper. In a shock Morgan grabbed the poster out of her hands."This year the community of Los Angeles has decided to hold Mayhem and Warped togrther in the ultimate concert experience. The bands chosen to play for both events have decided to share four separate stages ranging anywhere from Of Mice & Men to Slipknot.' " The girls started to squeal. "Wait! Wait! Listen, there's more! 'A few of these bands have decided to do a collaboration some of which include Pierce the Veil vs. Disturbed, Falling in Reverse Vs. Avenged Sevenfold, and Bring me the Horizon vs. Linkin Park. In addition to these bands, we'll also be introducing a new punk metal band, Day Dream!' OH MY GOD GUYS! WE'RE GOING TO BE AT WARPED MAYHEM!!!!!!!!!!"They proceeded to squeal and raise excitement over this for about 2 minutes before realizing the people in the restaurant were staring at them through the window. Embarrassed, they moved out of their line of sight.Cayla trailed behind them to the "To Go" window right next to them. They looked at each other as if they were making sure they were all there."Well," Echo said. "That wasn't awkward at all..." Her sisters nodded, and Cayla snatched the poster out of Morgans hands."So, are we sure this is actually true? I mean, just because it's printed on paper doesn't mean it's true..." Bethany said."Well, the studio is like, right there." Echo pointed in the direction the studio was. "I could run down there real quick and ask while you guys get slushees?" She looked at her sisters waiting for the verdict."Sure. Text us when you're on your way back then." Morgan nodded. Echo smiled."Ok." She said and started to take off to the studio, leaving her friends to go in the other direction.~~~~It only took Echo 4 minutes to walk down to the studio. When she entered the front room, it was relatively empty, except for the furniture and art. She wandered down the hallway, her shoes sounding like high heels on the floor, though they were flats.She made her way to the door in the back and pushed it open, fixing her jacket which was sliding off of her shoulder. She wasn't paying attention to the people conversing in the rooms. She was too busy looking for the manager. Jared and his brothers were talking amongst themselves as Echo walked by. She had stopped by the door, and was looking in every direction but theirs. Jared wondered if she was lost, or maybe she lost someone. "Hey, spacy. What do you think?" Shannon snapped his fingers in his little brothers face. "Hellooooooo?" Jared blinked a bit and looked at Shannon and Tomo who were staring at him."Whatchyou lookin at, Jare?" Tomo asked. Jared looked back up in the hallway, but Echo was gone. If he gets up to talk to her, he'll owe an explanation for just walking out, but who knows when he'd see her again? He wanted to know her more.Weighing the options another 5 seconds in his head, Jared got up running out of the room after her. He hoped she wouldn't be too far ahead of him.He went to the end of the hallway, and sure enough, there she was. She had dark blue jeans and a black jacket with a hood on. He smiled."Hey! Echo, right?" She froze. She knew his voice the instant he spoke. Jared walked up behind her, seemingly with ease, and tapped her sholder. Echo's face instantly went red.Oh my god, he touched me!!! She squeeled in her head. Echo cleared her throat."Uh, y-yeah. H-hi Jared," she blushed, using all her strength to keep from squealing or passing out."Are you lost? You look like you're looking for something." He smiled.Oh dear god don't faint... She said. She took a deep breath."Um... manager. I-i'm looking for the manager." She blushed."Would you mind if I walked with you? I can help you find him." He said. Echo smiled a huge smile. Oh jeeze, my teeth must look so gross...I hope my hair is ok...Can he hear my heart beating super fast too?..I hope he doesn't ask about my jacket...."Uhh... sure!" She smiled so her teeth weren't showing. It wasn't that she had bad teeth, they just weren't perfect like his were. He led the way down the hall."So, how long have you been singing?" He asked. Most people avoid eye contact during small talk, but Jared was genuinely curious. He looked right at her while she answered."Um..all my life, I suppose. Music has been a passion of mine since day one." She didn't look at him. She looked at the floor to hide her bright red face. Was she seriously having a conversation with Jared Leto?!"Nice," he said. Thet rounded the corner. "What makes you love music so much?" She didn't hesitate."Music is life. It brings people together. It saves lives. It's the best friend that won't ever leave, even when everyone else does. It's got every personality, so it can be for everyone. It forms a family with people that you wouldn't have known existed. It's world peace in a sense. Who wouldn't want to be apart of that?" Her blush simmered down enough to look at him.Jared thought about this. Though he knew inside him this was true, he never thought to acknowledge it before. How many lives has his music saved? How many people became friends -or even lovers!- because of his band?Echo saw he was thinking, and waited patiently for him to finnish his thoughts. Her blush had faded to a dull red in her cheeks, and she began to walk with a sense of pride. Her useual reaction after explaining her reason for loving music the way she does."I've never heard anyone talk about it like that before. " he said, breaking the silence."It's not as important to other people then, I guess." She shrugged. He stopped, and so did she. They looked at each other for a few seconds before Echo looked away. There was no way she could keep her cool when looking into his magnificent electric, ocean blue eyes."Has music saved your life?""Many times." She sighed. "I've got a..... um... colorful.....life I've lived so far. Music has been the only thing that's gotten me through it."He nodded and thought some more. He took a breath and reached into his pocket. He pulled out a small piece of paper, and ripped it."Do you have a pen?""Um...sure." Echo reached into her pocket, and held out her pen. What was he doing? Jared took it, and scribbled something down. Echo's curiosity was short lived."Here. Maybe we could meet up for coffee or something?" He said, handing her the paper. Echo's mouth dropped a little as she slowly took the paper."Uh... s-sure. O-ok." She stammered, blushing again."By the way, the office is right behind you." He winked and started to walk away."Wait!" She called. "I...um... I should give you my number.... just in case you need to get a hold of me." Jared nodded.He pulled up his sleeve and held out his arm. Echo carefully wrote her number down, trying not to think about the fact that she was actually touching him. His skin was soft, she noted. He smiled."Talk to you later then, Echo. " he winked again, and walked down the hall back to his brothers.Echo stayed standing where she was, trying to process what just happened. She looked down at the number in her hand. His number. She just couldn't believe it.Jared returned to the room, but only Shannon was there."Where did Tomo go?" Jared asked walking in."He said he had to go. Didn't really say why." Shannon replied, dusting off his cymbals. "Where'd you go?"Jared showed him his arm, Echo's number still freshly written."Dude! You actually got her number?" Jared laughed."I gave her mine first. By the way, I hope you made a copy of the song... I kinda tore off the first two lines."
----- CHAPTER BREAK -----
Morgan, Beth, and Cayla were standing outside waiting for Echo."Ready? Ready? BAM!! Mountain Dew with cherry Slurpee. THAT just happened." Cayla said, acting like she was a gangster, and took a sip of her drink. Beth just shook her head and chuckled."You're so ridiculous," She said."Hey Echo!" Cayla called, watching the final band mate walk into the 7-eleven. "Hey, wanna try this?" Echo shook her head. Her eyes were distant, still trying to proccess that not only had Jared talked to her, and touched her, but actually asked her out? This had to be a dream. They've only been here for two weeks!"You ok, hon?" Morgan asked, walking up to her. Echo nodded."I-I can't....I'm...I'm trying to process........what the fuck just happened....." Echo blinked a couple times, and looked at her sisters."What happened?" Beth asked.Echo took a deep breath, trying to make sure she could breathe enough to tell them."I went inside... And I ran into Jared again." Her cheeks went red as her friends gave her that look friends do when hearing about someones crush."Ooooooooo! What happened?" Cayla winked and nudged her shoulder. Echo blushed and looked down."H-he gave me his phone number." Their jaws dropped."No....""Fucking....""Way...."Beth squeeled, excited for her."Oh my gosh! What happened? Tell us! Tell us! Tell us!" She giggled.Echo giggled too."Well, we talked about music, and he showed me the way to the office. By the end of our conversation, he asked me for a pen and gave me his number." Echo took the peice of paper out of her pocket and showed them.Morgans eyebrows went up as she smiled."Wow. Two weeks and you got the man of your dreams. Nice!" She laughed. Echo blushed."Wait! Wait what's this?" Cayla turned over the piece of paper. "'I will save you from yourself. Time will change everything about this hell.' AWWWWW! That's so sweet!!" Cayla gushed over it as Echo's face grew redder in surprise."Give me that." She snatched the paper out of her hand, and read it over and over again. Her heart pounded against her ribs as if trying to break through her chest. This had to have been a coincidence, right? Yeah... He gave it to her out of spontinuity. So, did he just give her lyrics to a song? Or a line to a poem? What was this exactly? She blushed, and shoved the paper back into her pocket. "Whatever, it doesn't matter." Though she knew as she said that, it wasn't true. It DID matter. To her, it mattered a lot."So...." Morgan paused. "You gonna call him?" She winked and Echo looked down."I-i don't know....." she hesitated."You don't know?! Seriously Eli, how many times IN YOUR LIFE, are you EVER going to get an opportunity like this? This is your shot girl! Own it!!" Morgan patted her on the back and Beth smiled."You know she's right, Echo." Beth said. Cayla was off to the side drinking her cherry Dew.Echo sighed. "Yeah, I know." Echo looked at the note again holding it tighter.I'll call him tomorrow, she thought.
----- CHAPTER BREAK -----
It's been a few days since Echo's encounter with Jared. The girls sat around in their hotel room playing cards and watching TV."So, hey guys.... I was thinking something." Morgan said hesitantly. She placed one card down, and picked up another studying her hand."What would that be?" Echo said not looking up. Cayla placed a card down, then another and giggled."I think...I think I wanna get a tattoo." Morgan said. Everyone stopped and looked up at her."Are you serious?" Beth asked. Morgan nodded."I'm defiantly sure. I just don't quite know what I want yet.""Why not try like a band tattoo or something?" Echo suggested. She thought of the rose and thorn tattoo she always wanted. Her idea was to get thorn vines all over her left arm to cover her scars, and for every year she went blade free, she'd get a rose.Morgan thought about Echo's suggestion. Her eyes lit up with an idea."I know! What about a Bring Me The Horizon tattoo with barbed wires around it?" She said."Where?" Cayla asked."My lower back. Not too visible." Morgan smiled."That sounds AWESOME!" Beth said. The girls giggled and went back to their game.~~ Echo was in her room when her phone rang. She put down her book and picked up the phone."Hello?""Um.. hi... is this Echo?""Yeah, who's this?" Though, she knew exactly who it was. Her brain resorted to "autopilot" since she was in such shock."It's Jared... Leto?" She heard someone chuckle in the background, followed by an "ouch.""Ahem... anyway, I was wondering if we were still on for dinner?" Echo couldn't help but giggle."You said 'coffee,' before, but dinner works good too." She smiled, feeling her chest become light and heavy at the same time."Right... heh.... so, how's about the Ruby Room downtown?" Echo blushed."Okay," she said, giggling."8 pm Saturday?" Jared smiled."Sounds great," she blushed. "I'll see you then. ""Bye gorgeous. " he said and hung up.What proceeded after was the loudest and highest pitched fan-girl squeel she could possibly produce for 5 seconds, followed by the same thing muffled by a pillow. This went on for a whole minute before flopping onto her bed in a daze.
----- CHAPTER BREAK -----
Morgan heard screaming from upstairs."Oh shit... ECHO!!!" She ran up the stairs as fast as she could, the other two girls behind her. She burst through the door, finding Echo flopped over her bed backside down, facing up at the ceiling, with her head hanging over the edge. Her face was red (though, whether it was because of her hanging upside down, or her blushing it was impossible to tell), with the biggest smile plastered to her face, and tears dripping on her shirt."Echo..... what the fuck?!" Beth yelled. "We thought someone started hurting you!!" She rolled her eyes and crossed her arms, while Echo giggled and turned around."Hai!!" She grinned and giggled, her face making a tomato look pink. She wiped the tears from her eyes. Her head felt full of helium; As if she'd float away any minute."What's with the shit-eating grin?" Cayla laughed, taking a seat next to her. Beth rolled her eyes."Jared called me!!" Echo squealed. She put her face into her pillow and squealed more. "AND HE CALLED ME GORGEOUS!!!!"Morgan laughed. None of the girls have ever seen Echo's "fan girl mode" hit this level. It was a personal record.~~~~~A week had passed in the city of angels. Morgan decided she wanted the bands name on her right forearm. She and Echo scheduled the date for Friday, the day before Echo's date with Jared."Here." Echo said, handing her a piece of paper. "I finished the sketch for you." Morgan took the paper from her friends hands and studied it. On in in intricate calligraphy was, "Day Dream" each "D" made to look like half moons. The words were overlapping a design that looked similar to a tribal sun, with dots around each crevice. Morgan smiled."It's absolutely perfect." She said, and leaned in to hug Echo. At that moment, Cayla walked in, with her bass case slung around her shoulders. She had her sunglasses on and a Slurpee in her hand."Sup guys?" She asked."Echo just finished my tattoo design." Morgan said, smiling. She handed Cayla the piece of paper. Cayla took it and studied it."Wow. Love the way you did the sun, chick. Nice work." Cayla looked up and smiled."Why are you wearing sunglasses indoors?" Echo asked. Cayla stood there for a moment, trying to think of something to say."Why....are....you........not?" She asked. Awkwardly, she took a sip of her Slurpee, her gaze never leaving Echo's face. After about 30 seconds, the three burst out into laughter.~~~"HEY!! PAUSE IT! I'M NOT DONE YET!" Beth shouted from the kitchen. She was making popcorn for the girls' movie night. For tonight's flick, Cayla chose to watch Iron Man 2."Scarlet Johansson is so freaking hot." Cayla had said as she was picking the movie off the shelf."Yeah, well so is Robert Downy Jr." Morgan giggled. Cayla shot her a funny look and the two started laughing.Beth walked into the room with 4 huge bowls of popcorn and handed one to each of her band mates. Echo didn't even wait for the movie to start, she picked the pesky kernel pieces off of each before eating it.10 minutes into the movie, the phone rang."UGGGGH!!" The girls groaned. Morgan paused it, and pouted. Echo answered the phone."Hello?....Oh, Hi! How can I help you?.......Yeah..... Ah... I see. Well, what about-?.....Ohhhhh.... damn.... ok, Saturday it is then...Ok. Thank you... bye." She sighed and hung up. "That was your tattoo appointment person. She called to tell us there was a mix up in the scheduling. Their only free day for the rest of the month is Saturday.""But isn't Saturday your date with Jared?" Morgan asked. Echo nodded. "I'm sure he'll understand if I reschedule.""No!! You've been waiting for forever to go on a date with him!!" Morgan jumped off the couch, ready to raise her argument to hell and back if she needed to. Both her and Echo were really stubborn. Echo closed her eyes and took a breath."I'll understand, I can reschedule to like, I dunno, tomorrow or something. You'll have to wait another month, if that. Plus, I kind of want a tattoo too..." She looked up and saw Morgan was stunned. She sighed, and sat down."Ok?" Echo asked. Morgan rolled her eyes"Fine. Now play the movie." Cayla unpaused the movie and the four of them sat through the whole thing, laughing and munching away on their popcorn.~~"Hello?" Jared answered the phone after it rang. He and Shannon were hanging out in his house watching TV."Jared...? I-It's Echo.." Echo stammered. "Um, d-do you think we might be able to reschedule our date for the day after or something? Morgan's tattoo appointment was mixed up with someone else's, so She'll have to be there on Saturday, and I promised I'd go with her..." She blushed at Jared's chuckle."Of course, that's fine. How about on Monday then?" He said, "I could come pick you up..." Echo blushed and held down her fan girl squeal as long as she could."Ok!" She said. "T-thank you for being so understanding.""No problem, gorgeous. See you Monday." He hung up. Shannon just stared at him."What?" Jared said. Shannon held up his hands in a "I-didn't-do-it" way."Nothing, bro." Shannon chuckled. Jared shook his head and started setting up for his Vyrt sessions.