Glows of red and blue illuminated the dingy basement, the sound of music vibrated the walls, as what seemed like an endless amount of bodies moved their way around the small space. With each step, I felt my shoes become stickier from whatever liquid covered the floor, as I trailed behind the group. It was clear to see, even with just one quick scan of the room, that no one here came with intentions of good and wholesome fun.

"I say we start off the right way. Shots?" Silas asked, running a hand through his blonde hair.

The three guys of the band, Silas, Patrick, and Weston, introduced themselves to me during the walkover after I had separated from Ryan, due to a dark-haired female catching his eye. I didn't pay much mind to it since the boys were welcoming and seemed to promise a good time.

Silas grabbed a large bottle of alcohol, filled four plastic cups, and handed one out to each of us. I brought the cup to my lips and swiftly tipped it back, allowing the harsh liquid to run down the back of my throat as quickly as it could.

Tilting my head back down, I looked in disbelief at the pink-haired girl that stood in front of me, staring at me with her big green eyes. I rapidly blinked, wanting to ensure the massive intake of alcohol I had consumed was not creating a false image of her in front of me.

"Carter, right?" Hearing her voice, I realized my imagination was not playing a trick on my mind. I nodded as Silas handed her a drink. She sipped it slowly, her eyes fixated on mine. "Why do you look so familiar?"

I shrugged my shoulders as I reached for the bottle, refilling my empty cup. "Not sure," I mumbled.

The answer I gave did not seem to please her, as she took a step forward, narrowing her eyes as they scanned my face, "How do you know Brandon?"

"I don't."

"Are you – "

"Come on, Teej," Silas interrupted, slinging his arm over her shoulder, "Don't scare him off with all your questions."

TJ rolled her eyes, "Whatever," she drained the remaining liquid in her cup and placed it on the counter. "I'll be back."

Pulling Silas's arm from her shoulders, TJ turned and walked off. My eyes watched her until she disappeared into the crowd, far enough into the sea of people, till I was unable to spot her pink hair.

"No offence," Silas spoke in a low tone, looking over in my direction, "I think she'll be kinder to you if she doesn't know who you are."

I opened my mouth to speak but found myself at a loss of words, because truthfully at that moment, I wanted nothing more than to just forget who I even was tonight.

Patrick took a swing straight from the bottle, "Where is she going?"

"Where do you think?" Silas grumbled in response.

"Seriously?" Patrick groaned, smacking his hand against his forehead, "She's back with him? After what, a week?"

"When have they ever broken up for more than a week?" Silas shrugged, "Besides, you know why she keeps him around."

While the two exchange words, I realized the third bandmate, Weston, had yet to add anything to the conversation. Instead, he stood in between Patrick and Silas, a cold look washing over his face as the others spoke.

"You guys are great," I said after a brief moment had silenced the group, "Do you write all your music yourselves?"

Patrick nodded, "TJ normally writes all the lyrics. For a while, we were only allowed to suggest stuff after Silas tried writing a song about fries."

"God, you guys just won't let me forget about that," Silas sighed, rolling his eyes, "I write one song while high out of my fucking mind and that's all you can talk about."

Patrick gave him a playful shove and turned his attention back to me, "She's kind of a wizard though. I don't know how her mind works. You give her just a single word and BAM!" Patrick exclaimed, "She's already written the chorus to your next hit."

If what the dark-haired guy was proclaiming were true, that would be a pretty impressive talent. And one that I was definitely jealous of not having.

"Are you signed yet?"

Silas shook his head, "Not yet, hopefully soon."

Weston snorted, "Yeah sure, like that will ever happen with our manager. Seriously, Brandon has done nothing for our band except have sex and fight with TJ."

Silas opened his mouth to respond but was interrupted by a voice shouting off in the distance. Instantly, all four of us turned our heads to follow the sound, realizing it was in the direction TJ had walked off in.

"You fucking asshole!" The female voice shouted, loud enough to be heard over the music.

"Is that –"

"I think –"

Weston slammed his plastic cup against the table, his eyes narrowing into a hard glare, "I am going to kill him, I swear." His voice roared with anger before he stormed off into the crowd, pushing aside the bodies with ease to maneuver his way through.

"Wes is a bit overprotective," Patrick filled my cup as he spoke.

"Did they use to date or something?"

Silas shook his head, "No, we're all like family. We grew up together, that's all."

I nodded, wondering if the feeling that grew inside me after hearing Silas's comment was one of relief.

"I hope he does kill him," Patrick mumbled into his cup.

Silas shrugged, "Would save me the trouble of having to do it."

There were two things I was able to instantly gather about this band. First and foremost, there was a consensus of hatred for Brandon amongst them all except for TJ, apparently. However, based on the yelling match doing down the hall, even her current stance was debatable. Second, there was something special about the connection between the band members. It was something I thought I once had.

Weston made his way back towards the group, gripping TJ's arm as she trailed behind. Neither of them seemed too pleased with what had just happened. It was safe to assume Brandon was not dead. Yet, at least.

"You alright, Teej?" Patrick asked.

TJ forced a fake smile, cocking her head to the side. "Fan-fucking-tastic, thanks."

She reached forward and snatched the alcohol off the counter. I watched as she raised the bottle to her lips, took a large sip, and wiped her mouth with the back of her hand. Without another word, TJ moved her way around Weston and towards the area of couches. My eyes watched her as she plopped herself down, alternating between taking swings from the bottle and inhaling a joint someone had passed to her.

"So what was it this time?"

"He was having sex with some brunette," Weston huffed, "Grabbed her out of there just before she could take a swing at him."

"You should have let her." I believe it was Patrick that spoke, however, my mind was elsewhere to know for sure.

The noise of their conversation began to tune out of my ears as I watched her; every movement seemed to captivate me. TJ ignored all the people around her who attempted to make conversation. It appeared that her mind was also elsewhere, her eyes blankly staring off into space as they searched for something else to provide her with entertainment. While everyone else laughed, her expression remained cold, focused on her task at hand, which looked to be getting as high and drunk as she possibly could.

When I realized her eyes locked onto mine, her expression slowly started to become softer than it previously had been. And of course, her lips curved into that famous smirk of hers. TJ patted the spot next to her and motioned for me to join. I slipped away from the group, assuming their argument over a verse of a song would keep them engrossed to not realize I had left. Our eyes continued to stare at one another as I moved through the crowd, doing my best to avoid bumping into any of the drunk bodies.

"Thanks for joining me," she softly said as I took the seat next to her, watching as she brought the bottle to her lips, taking a long swing.

"Happy to."

"You want any, Teej?" TJ turned her head to the guy sitting on her other side, who held up a small plastic bag filled with white powder.

She held up two fingers to him, turning back to face me, "Want some?"

Gathering all the strength I could, I shook my head, "I'm good."

I watched as the guy dumped some of the contents onto the table and began to sort the powder into thin, neat lines with the use of a credit card. It had been a while since I had seen the substance. Usually, it was in more discrete locations to keep away from the public eye. Yet, here it was, being temptingly laid out on the table for all to see.

TJ began to roll a dollar bill into a thin coil. My eyes stayed on her, watching as she leaned forward and pressed her finger against her nostril to block it. In one swift motion, the first line of powder had disappeared. Without a moment of hesitation, she repeated the action with the second line. TJ sat up in her spot, tipping her head back as she sniffed, and rapidly began to blink her eyes, handing the rolled dollar to the next person.

She leaned her body into the back of the couch, a look of ecstasy gleaming from her face. Her head rolled to the side, as she looked over at me, her teeth sinking into her bottom lip.

"Why did you come here?" Her eyes scanned my face as she asked her question.

"What do you mean?"

TJ sat up in her spot, turning her body to mine, "Doesn't seem like your type of place, so I am asking why you decided to come."

When others spoke in a demanding tone like the one she had, typically, I would have found it distasteful and arrogant. But oddly with her, mixed with everything else, it was intriguing.

Damn, I was beginning to sound pathetic in my own head.

"Your boyfriend invited me," The words cautiously left my lips, "So I came."

I assumed, based on the recent events of what seemed to have occurred, she would have cut the conversation off hearing how I referred to Brandon. To my surprise, however, the grin on her lips grew.

"He doesn't like you." Her voice teased.

"Oh, really? And here I thought we were getting along so well." I replied sarcastically.

TJ leaned her body towards mine, her hand resting on my knee, "He thinks you want to fuck me."

I found myself at a loss of words, hearing what had just slipped from her lips. I did my best to keep my eyes on hers, watching as her pupils began to dilate. I resisted the urge to glance down at her hand, which I could feel slowly creep up the inside of my thigh.

Her body moved closer, forcing the distance between us to become minimal. I could feel her lips lightly brush against mine as they moved to my ear, "And he thinks I want to fuck you, too," she softly spoke, her breath shooting a tingle down the back of my neck.

TJ pulled back herself back with a wide grin. She seemed to take pleasure in making me react the way I did. This girl was trouble, and she knew it. And for some reason, that made her all the more desirable.

CH Q: who's your favourite boy from the band so far? Weston, Patrick or Silas? 

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