･ﾟ☆ *:･ﾟ✧*:･ﾟ

𝐳𝐞𝐫𝐨/𝐩𝐫𝐨𝐥𝐨𝐠𝐮𝐞:
" 𝘭𝘪𝘷𝘪𝘯' 𝘭𝘪𝘬𝘦 𝘪𝘵'𝘴 𝘯𝘰𝘸 𝘰𝘳 𝘯𝘦𝘷𝘦𝘳 "

   WITH ITS MANY PERFORMERS that later on gained success, The Orpheum was LA's hottest venue. Artists of all different genres had played there and quickly became legends. And hopefully, after tonight, Sunset Curve would added to that list.

   Eleanor had gone straight to the venue after school, eager to see her boyfriend and best friends at their soundcheck.

   Their final song that they planned to play at the end of the show was called Now or Never, one of Ellie's favorites. Maybe she was a little biased, she had helped the boys write it, but she thought it was the perfect song to send their audience home, the melody stuck in their heads for weeks. That was the goal, at least.

"Take off,
last stop,
countdown till we
blast open the top."

   Eleanor stood a little ways away, bobbing her head to the music and failing to keep the grin from her face. She couldn't help it; her boys were finally going to live their dream.

   She giggled quietly to herself, watching Reggie and Luke share a mic, the latter shoving his friend away to continue the verse.

"And even if we
hit the ground,
we'll still fly,
keep dreaming like we'll live forever,
but livin' like it's now or never!"

   Ellie whooped loudly as Alex and Reggie sang their parts, something she always wished they did more of. She often spent time trying to convince the two of them and Bobby to contribute more than just backing vocals, but the boys were perfectly content in letting Luke be main vocals. And as long and she knew they were happy, then she was too.

   Eleanor caught herself being distracted by Reggie as he sang, pushing his hair back while his voice echoed through the venue. She was quick to avert her eyes, ignoring the way her cheeks heated up and started to clap along with the song. Her friends were good looking, she couldn't deny that. She reminded herself that she was allowed to think that, even when her boyfriend was also on stage.

   Luke swung his guitar around his body before they all hit a simultaneous note, the smoke machines letting out puffs and the stage lights flashing, bringing the performance to a whole other level.

   The boys played their last notes, all four of them turning back to where the crowd would be later that night, looking proud of their performance.

   Ellie, along with some of the staff from the venue clapped and cheered as they bowed.

   "Thank you, we're Sunset Curve!" Reggie winked at a girl wiping down tables who had previously expressed her appreciation.

   Ellie shook her head and laughed, jogging up to the stage and hopping onto it as the boys placed their instruments down.

   "That was amazing, you guys!" Eleanor exclaimed earning a handful of thanks from the guys. She felt a familiar pair of arms rest on her shoulders, lips being pressed hard onto her cheek.

   She turned quickly, playfully trying to push Bobby off of her. "Stop, you're all sweaty!" She squealed, throwing the towel she'd been holding for him at his chest, the boy laughing as he wiped down his head.

   "Too bad we wasted that on the sound check, that was the tightest we've ever played." Bobby said, fist bumping Luke.

   "Wait until tonight, man," Luke was practically bouncing with excitement. "When this place gets packed with record execs." He said, looking onto the floor as if he was imagining the crowd.

   Reggie spoke up just as their drummer came down. "Alex, you were smoking!"

   "Oh, no, I was just warming up." Alex replied bashfully. "You guys were the ones on fire."

   "Could you just own your awesomeness for once?" Ellie groaned.

   Alex looked back at his other friends for confirmation, Luke, Bobby and Reggie nodding encouragingly.

   "Alright, I was killing it." The drummer admitted, sharing a quick bro hug with Reggie.

   "Okay, well, I'm thinking we fuel up before the show. I'm thinking street dogs." Luke suggested, still panting as his adrenaline wore off.

   Reggie and Alex mades noises of agreement while Ellie groaned and let her head fall back. "Ugh, I wish. I still gotta get home and get ready before the show." Her apologetic expression faltered, laughing as the boys booed her.

   Reggie shrugged and gestured to her outfit she'd had on for school, a high waisted denim skirt with an oversized Nirvana shirt tucked into it. "What's wrong with what you have on?"

   The other three boys hissed dramatically, earning an eye roll from Ellie. "Nothing." She said with a smile that reassured him that she wasn't offended. "But it's the biggest night of your lives and I want to look my best."

   Reggie personally thought Ellie could look amazing in a trash bag, but decided against saying anything.

   "Anyway, I should go." She sighed, pecking Bobby on the cheek quickly before taking the few steps off the stage, not noticing her boyfriends distracted expression. "And don't fill up on too many hotdogs! Celebration dinner is on me tonight."

   "You're the best, Elle!" Reggie called.

   "Oh, I know!" Ellie replied over her shoulder, not listening for another response as she pushed the exit open.

   Just a few steps away from the front door of The Orpheum, Ellie notices she's short a piece of clothing she had been wearing earlier. Being a cold natured person, her hoodie was an essential item, especially as the weather started to dip into the cooler temperatures.

   Ellie cursed to herself, turning around and jogging back to the main stage. The metal door clicked as she pushed it open, but the boys who were now on the other side of the room didn't seem to notice. She was just in time to see Bobby, followed by Luke, Reggie and Alex, approach the worker who had been wiping down tables.

   She moved to enter the room but froze, hearing Bobby's voice faintly from across the room. "...could never hurt an animal." She watched him lean forward towards the girl slightly.

   Was Bobby...flirting with another girl?

   The girl replied something, her voice much softer and two staff members walking by made it hard for Ellie to hear. She watched the guys each step one by one, introducing themselves with Bobby pushing Luke back to do the same.

   Ellie felt guilty for eavesdropping, but her curiosity got the better of her. Surely she was misunderstanding the conversation. She had read way too many romance novels where fights stemmed from wrongly interpreted words and figured it was best to hear the rest before she assumed anything.

   Reggie handed the girl their demo and then one of the few Sunset Curve t-shirts they had made. The girl held up the shirt to her body, making a face at the incorrect size before swinging it over her shoulder.

   "Thanks. I'll make sure not to wipe the tables down with this one." To Ellie's comfort, the girl had barely even looked at Bobby since the guys came up to her. Her and Ellie would probably get along under different circumstances.

   "Oh, good call. Whenever they get wet, they just kinda fall apart in your hands." Alex told her, making an awkward gesture with his hands.

   Bobby looked over at his friends, looking annoyed. "Don't you guys have to go get hot dogs?"

   Luke put an arm on Bobby's chest and shoved him back. "Yeah, he had a hamburger for lunch. With his girlfriend." He informed, Alex and Reggie laughing as they turned around.

  Ellie quickly shut the door before they could see her peaking in, staring blankly at the floor as she tried to process all she had witnessed.

   Her boyfriend flirting with another girl just minutes after she left. It made her wonder how many times the same thing had happened without her coming back in time to see it.

   "Maybe we can catch Ellie before she gets too far. She's probably freezing without her jacket." She heard Reggie's voice near the door, realizing it was too late to run away before they saw her.

   So instead she leaned against the wall, folding her arms and gnawing on her bottom lip.

   The double doors swung open as the guys came out, this time with their own jackets on and their backpacks.

   The three of them were still chatting excitedly about the show, freezing when they spotted Ellie standing to the side.

   "Oh hey, Elle-"

   "Ellie! What are you-"

   "Oh, good! You forgot your-"

   They all spoke at once, Alex and Luke speaking in suspiciously high voices while Reggie held out her hoodie.

   "Guys." She interrupted.

   Alex's shoulders dropped at the sight of her frown. "You heard him, didn't you?" He asked, sounding like he was hoping she would say no.

   Ellie just gave him a silent nod, taking her dark blue hoodie from Reggie and sending him a small but grateful smile.

   "I'm sorry, Elle. She didn't seem very interested if it makes you feel any better." Luke offered, giving her a halfhearted shrug.

   Ellie shook her head, forcing a smile. "It's okay, it's not your fault. I know you guys have my back." The boys smiled at her words.

   Reggie glanced back at the door. "Are you gonna go talk to him?" He asked, looking back at her with concern on his rosy face.

   The brunette stared wearily at the door then sighed. "No. Tonight is too important. I don't wanna add any stress or complicate things. I'll talk to him tomorrow."

   Ellie picked up the book bag she had put down next to the door, glancing at it once more and feeling a pang in her chest, knowing that Bobby was in there probably still flirting with the employee.

   "Do you think getting street dogs with your best friends could cheer you up?" Reggie stepped forward, looking hopefully at Ellie.

   His face paired with the matching puppy dog eyes that Luke and Alex wore easily defeated Ellie.

   She looked down at her watch, "I guess it wouldn't hurt." She shrugged, failing to keep the smile off her face when the boys cheered and tugged her between them.

   "That's what I'm talking about!" Said an excited Luke as they made their way out of the venue. He always got very hyped up about the things he was passionate about, especially performing.

   Alex looked around with raised eyebrows. "The smell of Sunset Boulevard?" He quipped.

   Reggie and Ellie laughed as Luke pushed Alex playfully. "No. It's what that girl said in there tonight." He kicked at a puddle on the ground. "About our music. Alright, it's like an energy–it connects us with people. They can feel us when we play." Luke explained as they walked down the alleyway on the side of the building. They all stopped, spotting the line that was quickly growing outside the door of The Orpheum.

   He put an arm around Alex on his right and squeezed Ellie in between himself and Reggie on his left. "I want that connection with everybody."

   Reggie nudged him with his elbow. "Then we're gonna need more t-shirts."

   "And hopefully after tonight we can afford to splurge on merch that doesn't fall apart when wet." Ellie remarked, glancing down at the t shirt in Reggie's hands.

   The four of them laughed. "Let's go." Luke grinned, pulling up his hood. Alex also ducked his head to keep from being seen by their fans, but Reggie and Ellie didn't bother. Ellie, because she wasn't borderline famous like the guys, and Reggie because he stepped away to hand out a couple of t-shirts to some girls waiting in line for the show.

   The girls didn't realize who he was until they opened the t-shirts, screaming his name as he quickly jogged back to the others, laughing with them as he threw an arm casually over Ellie's shoulders.

   It didn't take long for them to reach the street dong vendor, paying for their hot dogs and reaching into the trunk of the vendors car to grab condiments.

   Ellie snickered as she watched Alex use the small tongs to grab some pickles, freezing as he dropped a few of them on some battery cables.

   The blonde boy put the surviving pickle on his hotdog and tossed the tongs back down. "Man, I can't wait until we eat someplace where the condiments aren't served out of the back of and Oldsmobile."

   Alex turned around to the vendor, "Hey. Sorry, I got some pickle juice on your battery cables." He told the man as the others continued fixing their hot dogs. Ellie kept it simple and only put ketchup, Mayo, and mustard on hers.

   The man shrugged. "No problem, it'll help with the rust." He said, patting Alex's arm, laughing at the awkward face the boy made.

   "That can't...okay. What?" Alex mumbled to himself, shaking his head at Ellie who waiting for him to catch up before walking.

   The three bandmates plopped themselves down on a old couch further down the alleyway. Ellie situated herself onto a wooden chair next to it, pushing off the foot Alex had rested on it.

   Luke bit his lip as he grinned, eyes wandering excitedly along the posters of bands on the opposite wall. "This is awesome, you guys. We're playing the Orpheum!"

   The other three musicians smiled at their friends excitement. "I can't even count how many bands have played here and then ended up being huge!"

   Ellie felt her cheeks begin to ache with how hard she was smiling. Nothing made her happier than seeing her boys become successful. "After tonight, you can count yourselves." She added, subconsciously locking eyes with Reggie and sharing a smile.

   "We're gonna be legends." Luke sighed, like it was unbelievable. It had been a long journey to get where they were now. Years of practicing and writing music and playing any and every gig they could get, and they were finally gonna play the biggest show of their lives.

   Luke raised his hot dog in cheers, the others doing the same. "Eat up, guys. 'Cause after tonight, everything changes." The four of them met their hot dogs, taking hungry bites.

   Alex and Ellie seemed to be the only ones that noticed the strange flavor. Ellie scrunched her nose lightly at the bitterness in her mouth that hadn't been there any of the other times they'd had the same meal.

   Alex held up his hot dog. "That's a new flavor."

   Reggie looked over. "Chill, man. Street dogs haven't killed us yet." He brushed off Alex's observation, The four shrugged, continuing to eat.

   None of them knew just how right Luke was. That night did, in fact, change everything.

𝐚 𝐧𝐨𝐭𝐞 𝐟𝐫𝐨𝐦 𝐚𝐥𝐞𝐱𝐢𝐬:
𝘩𝘦𝘺 𝘦𝘷𝘦𝘳𝘺𝘰𝘯𝘦!! 𝘪𝘵'𝘴 𝘣𝘦𝘦𝘯 𝘢 𝘩𝘰𝘵 𝘮𝘪𝘯𝘶𝘵𝘦 𝘴𝘪𝘯𝘤𝘦 𝘪 𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘭𝘭𝘺 𝘸𝘳𝘰𝘵𝘦 𝘴𝘰𝘮𝘦𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘢𝘴 𝘴𝘰𝘰𝘯 𝘢𝘴 𝘪 𝘸𝘢𝘵𝘤𝘩𝘦𝘥 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘴𝘩𝘰𝘸 𝘪 𝘬𝘯𝘦𝘸 𝘪 𝘩𝘢𝘥 𝘵𝘰 𝘸𝘳𝘪𝘵𝘦 𝘢 𝘧𝘪𝘤. 𝘪'𝘮 𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘭𝘭𝘺 𝘦𝘹𝘤𝘪𝘵𝘦𝘥 𝘵𝘰 𝘸𝘳𝘪𝘵𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘪 𝘩𝘰𝘱𝘦 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘨𝘶𝘺𝘴 𝘦𝘯𝘫𝘰𝘺 𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘥𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘪𝘵!