"Glitz and Glamour"
Chapter Three: Expectations
It's something to get used to, waking up in a new place you're supposed to call home. I yawned, crawling out of my bed. Blah there's so many boxes I'm ignoring. The only thing I got out were my clothes yesterday and put them in my closet. Oh and my sneaks. I'm such a sneaker lover. Yep, I am a dork. I glanced at the clock. Lordie, only 9:30? I wasn't meeting up with Kaci and Leighanne till 11:00. Maybe I could unpack some more. Now I've gotten to know Leighanne more over the past few months and she's sweet, you wouldn't know she's older than me, she so doesn't look it or act it. In the good way of course.
Don't I sound thrilled about today. I'm not so much. I'm happy about Leighanne going and me dragging Izzy. Still, if this Kaci is as bad as Nick says, eep. I shouldn't be judging before I meet her, but I trust Nick's judgment. That, and the whole meeting his friends’ girlfriends? It’s still nerve wracking. I met AJ's last one Candy. And then I met Katie. Now AJ's crazy cool, but yeah he dates a new girl every few weeks. This one he's kept though for a month, which is surprising and probably why he thinks I should meet her. So she'll have friends when the group hangs out. From what Nick and Brian tell me, she's not well welcomed. So I feel bad but she'd have had to have earned it right?
I pulled out the phone I bought for my room, plugging it in and setting it on the ground. I also needed to call someone first, and start listening to Izzy for once. Just don't tell her okay? Shh. Dialing Sebastian's number I put it on speaker phone, as I love to do and start going through my things. Ooh my radio! I plugged that in quickly as well and popped in the first cd I found, which happened to be "Away From The Sun" by Three Doors Down. I could hear When I'm Gone filter out from the speaker as I waited for Sebastian to pick up. Come on, it has to be like noon over there.
"Hello?"
"Devi! What's up?"
"Not much, didn't recognize the number."
Gah, caller ID, well that helped try to say it. Why don't I want to tell him... oh right cause I'm afraid he'll totally flip. Again. "It's cause I'm not at my parents...I got my own place." That's closer to the truth right? Lordie okay this is harder than I thought.
"You did? Sweet, I might be coming down around the weekend of your birthday."
"Oooh Yippee!"
I could hear him chuckle on the other end. I had such a dork moment just now. "Yippee, I feel special you're so excited."
"Well yeah, you can see me, I can see you, and you can see this great place I'm sharing with Nick-"
ACK! Can I take that last part back? Not how I wanted to say it!
"You're sharing a place with...who?!"
Oh boy... "Nick, my now boyfriend, we've um been dating the past three months."
"And you moved in with him."
"Just yesterday, we're more roommates who happen to date, because he could tell I wanted my own place is all. I just wanted to tell ya, don't hate me for it. Don't be mad." I pouted. "I hate it when you're mad." Really I wanted another person on my side. So far its Iz, Teddy, and then Brian and AJ. Kevin I wasn't sure, he's hard to read. Howie I've overheard say it was too soon, and asking Nick was he sure.
Despite it all, Sebastian's opinion meant a lot to me. He was that close friend, more like family than my own. He was once my rock, my stabilizer when it came to all the stuff life shocks us with. Wow, I just sounded deep there hehe. Anywho, so I wanted him to approve. I really did. But honestly, something tells me, told me, that he is never going to approve. Which I can deal with. Just wish it was different. Still, he is my best friend. He needs to adjust to me dating Nick, and I need to well um take the idea that Sebastian may not like Nick. So...yeah.
"I can't lie and say I think it’s a good idea, you want honesty right."
"As long as it's not attacking."
"I'm not attacking; I'm just saying Lypsi that it’s too early to be shacking up with that rockstar of yours."
"We're not shacking up, we're dating roomies."
“And what does that mean Lypsi?”
“Just that we share a place, separate rooms and all, but we’re dating like we don’t live together. I mean you know my parents, even…after I started doing things my way; they still want to control my future. You know I couldn’t take that. Nick offered this idea because I refuse to accept my own apartment from him.”
“…I understand that. Just didn‘t expect this from you.”
Sebastian is the only person I can talk to on the phone, have one of those long silences and actually feel comfortable with it. At least we’re back on track to fixing things. Now it’s subject changing time. "So...how’s school?"
************
Going to the mall isn't what I had in mind today. Can I say that much? Lordie. Leighanne was pretty cool though. We're in the make up department of some store. I'm not one for make up, never was. The intentions were good though. I think.
"Cally, you sure you don't wanna try anything? Nick would die." I heard her say. “Sweetie you would look so fab in some of this…” Is anyone really surprised someone like Brian could marry someone so sweet and easygoing? “…you’re really cute and we can have this flatter that…” See what I mean? I know it’s a lie but she’s sweet for saying it and being all sincere about it.
I shrugged and gave a smile. "Nah, it's just not me."
“Cal’s more of the laid back type,” I heard Iz say from behind me.
“I think Nick likes that about you. All of his girls were the opposite; it’s so nice to see one who’s down to earth and sweet and all.”
I smiled sheepishly, feeling my cheeks tinge pink yet again. BLAH! “Your hubby’s fault…he started it all hehe.”
Isabel continued going through the cosmetic type things as she chattered happily with Leighanne. Knew those two loved each other. Then, well that left me stuck with Kaci. I was right to dread this outing. She was dragging me to some clothing store across the way. I let myself be dragged by the seventeen year old, trying to be nice. The girl was seventeen but acted younger, looked older so…uh huh.
"Like, you totally have to come with me Ally!"
"It's Cally."
"Ally is so much cuter though!"
"It's Cally."
"So, what do you do Ally?"
I raised a brow as she started going through clothes. Izzy, Leigh, come back! "It’s Cally.” I’m ready to have her just call me Calypso. “Do? Um I'm an artist."
"Wow I am too! A singing artist, I have like the best songs and Alex is totally going to like get me to be the opening act for the band. Oh and you need to hear how Alex and I got together."
I glance at a shirt and the clothing. Very much not my style. It was very... how do I say this while still being nice. Um, exposing? No way would I try any of this on. But I watched her go through the clothes happily. At least she's having fun. "Um, its okay Nick told me the story-"
Yeah the story about how she lied about her age so she could get a gig in some nightclub. AJ and Howie had gone out and seen her singing on stage. AJ thought she was twenty one obviously since she was up on stage. Asked her out and learned she was only seventeen and trying to break her way into the music business. It does sound a bit shady since she’s trying to get a career going, the idea of dating AJ to get herself seen and possibly a deal through him. I could be dead wrong though. I’m very new to this whole world and idea of it and all that. It’s just this vibe-y feeling I get. Man, I wasn’t sure what to expect today, but it wasn’t this.
"Nick, he's a total cutie, I totally thought of the idea of going out with him and even asked but then changed my mind and..."
Okay she did what!? "You didn't know he was dating me?"
"I did but anyways, the fans so hate me dating Alex. They keep calling me Crisco. You are so lucky management thinks you're not pretty enough to be seen dating Nick."
**********
So I got bored since Cally was out with the girls. Heh I was kind of interested in how that went. I went to AJ's where Brian already was. Guy's day out too now. I knocked and then just let myself in. No worse than AJ, he doesn't even knock. He's like that neighbor who's always bursting in on people on TV.
"Don't you knock?" I heard him ask when I found them in his living room.
"More than you do. I did not my fault your old ass didn't hear me."
Brian laughed, giving me the look. "Watch the age comments, I'm older than AJ."
"Hey all of you are turning into fogies." Who came up with the word fogies anyway? I bet AJ would know. I ain't asking cause then I'd look stupid. But he's the crazy one who'd know, I bet you anything.
"What brings you by?"
"Bored man."
AJ snickered. "We're free from the women for once. How'd the meeting go yesterday?”
"Kev told me he got a call about how you cursed him out."
"Hell yeah Nick, tell em off."
I shrugged as I hopped on the couch. "They were trying to set me up with some model for the VMAs so I told him to fuck off. Hey what song are we singing during that anyway?"
"Kevin's gonna kill ya if you don't remember what song we're singing."
I tried to think for a moment. That's right we're singing Helpless When She Smiles because Any Other Way is too new. I need something to write this shit down on. I grabbed a pen and wrote it on my arm. It works till I can buy a notepad.
“We should go out.” I’ve got a lot of energy aight? Sue me.
“What ya got in mind?”
“Hell I don’t know, your job to come up with an idea.”
“Fucken genius.”
“Fuck yeah.” I love making Brian squirm, it’s fun, you gotta try it sometime. He ain’t against cursing you’ll hear him say shit if he’s shocked, but he’s not for it either.
I heard my cell ring and checked it, and just rolled my eyes. Not what I fucking needed. She backed off for months, what could she want now? This ain’t the kind of call I was expectin’.
"That Cally calling?" I heard Brian ask and I just shook my head.
Fucking typical.
The cell read London Miffton.
**************
I don't lose my temper often but I swear I was ready to pick this Crisco girl up and make sure she fries. Thankfully Leighanne saved me. I owe Brian. Big time.
“Kaci! Cally, been looking for ya. We’re off to go get pampered at this spa.”
Iz bounced up to us behind her. “Yep, she was telling me it’s like an orgasm without the sex.”
I’m pretty sure my eyes popped out of their sockets because all three of them laughed then. I’m pretty sheltered and naïve if no one’s noticed that yet. So we headed off to the cars. I rode here with Iz but Kaci was dragging me off to her car. “We totally need to bond!”
Oh dear. So once in the car we’re going down the road and I’m pretty sure I know her life story by now.
“You should hear the stories so now I’m telling my fans what is going on with Alex-”
“Does AJ know that?” What fans? She’s not even famous yet.
“He’s totally okay with it.” Somehow I doubt that, but it’s not my life.
Umbrella by Rhianna began to play, my ears pouted while Kaci squealed and turned it up. Blah.
“Like…oh...my god! I love this song! This song is so totally brick.”
So totally huh? “Totally wha?” Speaking my mind again.
“Brick! You don’t know what that means? Oh my god Ally, Brick is the new word for cool…only…brick.”
“It’s Cally…”
Long car ride.
“You sure you don’t like Ally?! That would be so much more brick.”
Very long car ride.
Author's Chapter Notes:
I know it's been a little since I updated. It's this 4 week summer course I'm doing in college. I'm almost done and then updates should (hopefully) be more common again. That and my life got a little more interesting/complicated lately lol.
Anywho, enjoy the chappie.
Anywho, enjoy the chappie.
