sleepover

they'd ended up at a bar about a 10-minute walk from the hotel and quickly befriended the bartender, a fact that's coming in handy now that a familiar face has walked in to that very bar. ❛ could i interest you in a drink ? jamie over there– ❜ they gesture over to the bartender who waves back towards them. ❛ she makes a mean gin and tonic. and also a fantastic virgin mojito. she has this, like, yuzu syrup that really elevates the whole thing. ❜

" uhhh , sure. vodka cran if that's cool... " elian takes a seat, almost hesitantly. " i'm allergic to yuzu. " they're not, but elian likes to lie a lot.

"i mean, i hope some of us will talk to each other after this." there are obviously some people that izzy will not talk to afterwards, some she is barely speaking to now. okay, well, one person in particular but that was neither here nor there. "honestly, you might be onto something because i think the greatest enemies are the ones who used to be your friends. those are the ones who know how to hurt you the most."

" you speaking from experience ? or. . . ? personally, i'd rather be hurt by someone who knows me. i want my heart shattered. "

" i think women should only be allowed to make music period. do we really need more mediocre men whining about how their mommy never loved them ? " elian rolls their eyes playfully, leaning back on the couch with a laugh. in a slow, deep drawl: " ooohh, my guitar and my toyota corolla... "

Marcel Proust, from a story featured in "The Complete Short Stories of Marcel Proust," originally published in 2001

if elian had said: hey, birdie, can you just go run into traffic there for a second? or hey, birdie, i'm about to chase you around with this hammock like a giant net so i can throw you in a nearby canal, start running!, birdie would have been more likely to want to oblige their request than she was in this moment. her blood runs cold, and she freezes for what feels like a full minute (ten excruciating seconds) before she scoffs, tone even: " raya? isn't that a little elitist for someone so down to earth such as yourself? " her voice is light, like she's teasing. her heart feels like a stone sinking to the bottom of her stomach. maybe she really, really would prefer the traffic thing.

" i don't want creepy stalkers . . . " they say, brows raising slightly at the tone of birdie's voice. they were casual, so elian does not assume it's jealousy, though if they had any clue, they probably should. since elian is a fucking loser, and annoying, and all of that stuff, they give birdie a peck on the cheek. " dumb app probably sucks anyway, wasn't olivia rodrigo talking shit about it last week ? " elian thinks briefly that maybe olivia is on there ... hm, lots to think about. ( elian will never admit they swipe left on every single person who doesn't resemble birdie the slightest bit. )

" yeah, kenny. totally see through. i think i could probably measure your areolas. " what was she wearing? a ziplock baggie? elian makes a mental note to ask where she got the garment. to avoid it at all costs.

"elian!" ruby gasped out loud as they turned around and took a glimpse at the disaster that was sitting on xer dress. "you are so lucky we wear similar color palettes... i don't think we're the same size though." she was a master at making outfits work last-minute, so ruby was already on their phone. "don't worry, i can totally make it work. you'll just be an exquisite mannequin to me!"

" you're heaven-sent, " they say in an appreciative exhale. it's then immediately squashed when elian is referred to as a mannequin, and they narrow their eyes in a glare. " i'm only your dress up doll today, ruby. remember that. . . " because if ruby had their way, elian would probably be head-to-toe in their clothing for the rest of the tour. it could be worse though, elian thinks. they could be stuck in kai's style. eeyuck.

they don't quite know how they ended up alone in a room together, but kai doesn't pay it much mind, occupying themself with a game on their phone. when elian speaks, kai eyes them, wondering quite frankly who the fuck asked. having grown up with two younger brothers, they'd practically been ragebaited consistently for the past for twenty or so years, and they'd endured their fair share of random insults. not to mention the utter bullshit that popped up on socials. though they'd never been this unprompted from someone who's essentially a coworker. ❛ i didn't realize i was supposed to be impressing you, ❜ kai retorts, grinning. their face then shifts to one of fake concern. ❛ you should probably get that diarrhea thing checked out though. wouldn't want to miss a show because of GI issues. ❜

" you should be trying to impress everyone. you're probably the most boring one out of all of us, and that's saying something, considering izzy exists. " elian huffs. " and my GI or whatever is perfectly fine. "

after all, looney lucky is a weirdo and probably writing jarjar binks x anakin skywalker fanfiction.

elian’s overdone, uncaring attitude made lucky’s skin crawl. as a longtime depressed person, she recognized true apathy when she saw it, and elian was nothing more than another tryhard that wouldn’t last three years in the industry. it was a shame that she could see what the label couldn’t. however, as much as her skin burned, lucky refused to rise to their bait and continue picking a fight. she finished her review, then wordlessly walked up to the mirror to start her make up, not once looking their way.

where laila and birdie wore their naivety in desperation, elian seemed to wear xers in arrogance. she still saw right through it. still, lucky saw through it and couldn't be bothered to engage with such a bad attitude.. “i’m writing something,” she told elian vaguely, making a point not to make eye contact now just to be petty. she'd planned to play nice with the new talent over the tour, but that was proving easier said than done.

after all, looney lucky is a weirdo and probably writing jarjar binks x anakin skywalker fanfiction.

" well, i'm telling you that right now i'm focused on the grammys, and there's no such thing as a 'last minute harness' at the next stop unless someone wants to get decapitated by a support beam, " trinity speaks plainly into the phone, the only sign of annoyance the hand pinching her nose that goes up to say 'one second' to the person in front of her. " and if you're too scared to say it to the talent's face, i'll do it. " she hangs up, then to the talent in her face: " if you're going to ask me where yemi is, i don't know. "

elian is in a surprisingly good mood. don't ask why.