"So it's Vanessa, Caleb, Ian, Camron, and Liam? And you guys are The Velocity?" Paul L'Marc, the guy who gave us our record deal, asked.

"Yes, sir," Ian replied. He stood to the front, since he insisted that he was the one that formed the group. Paul studied us with quizzical blue eyes that were lined with thick lashes.

"She's a pretty one, isn't she?" he asked one of the guys standing next to him, pointing at me.

"Yeah, that'll be good for marketing," the guy replied. I felt color rise to my cheeks. Caleb nudged me slightly. I glanced at him and saw a small smirk on his face.

"They're actually all a good looking group of kids," Paul said, still looking at us. It annoyed me slightly that he was talking to us as if we weren't there.

"We can change up their image a bit. Make them more punk-rock. They look too casual," the guy said. Paul nodded.

"Definitely. But before we get to that, let's hear how they sound," he suggested. "What will you be singing for us?" he asked. We stood, slightly confused.

"You're not picking for us?" Ian asked.

"Do you want me to?" he asked back.

"No, we can pick," Ian replied.

"No, you pick for us," I chirruped in. Ian glared at me for speaking. Paul raised his eyebrows.

"Ah, not afraid for a challenge. I like that. Shows you're prepared," Paul said. I smiled sweetly at him and gave Ian a now-what? look. "Well, go on inside the recording studio. The instruments and equipment are already set up. I want you to sing your According to You song," he said. We walked into the studio, which was painted red with thick silver and black stripes. I got set up at the microphone, while the rest of the boys picked up their guitars and Liam situated himself at the drums.

"2, 3, 4," I said. Ian began playing. "According to you, I'm stupid, I'm useless, I can't do anything right..." I began singing. "According to you, I'm difficult, hard to please, for ever changing my mind. I'm a mess in a dress can't show up on time, even if it would save my life, according to you, according to you," I sang. On the other side of the glass, I saw Paul bobbing his head slightly. Once I got into the chorus, I got more into the song. I moved around a bit, trying to prove to Paul that I could put on a good show. I was kind of glad that he chose this song for us to perform for him; it almost mimicked the things that Ian and I were going through. According to him, I was stupid and didn't belong in the band. According to everyone else in the band, I was perfect. I had actually helped to write this song. Ian didn't like it--shocker!--but Caleb did, which is why we ended up recording it.

"According to you, I'm stupid, I'm useless, I can't do anything right," I finished. Paul pressed a button so we could hear him.

"All right. Sounds good guys. Give me a minute," he said. He took his finger off the button and turned around to consult his staff. We stood inside the studio, unable to hear them or tell what they were saying. We didn't want to say anything because we didn't know if they could still hear us, so we stood silently while they had their discussion. After what seemed like ages, Paul pushed the button again. "Ok, come on out, guys," he said. "And girl," he added, looking at me.

"He was talking about you, Ian," Liam muttered as we opened the door and walked out. Ian shoved him slightly. I stifled a laugh. We grouped inside the little room where Paul was sitting.

"All right, so, we like you. A lot. You guys are good. And Vanessa, right? You have a beautiful voice. I think you guys could get really popular, especially among the teenage girl crowd. You might even attract some males, because of Vanessa. Basically, we're looking at the same kind of fan base that bands like All Time Low and Boys Like Girls get," Paul explained to us. We were relieved that he liked us live.

"So let's talk about the next step," he said, leaning against his chair. "We need to get the word out about you guys. I know that you've been playing for crowds at different bars and restaraunts around the area. That's good. We'll keep doing that. But I want to expand to the larger California area. So while we're doing that, at the same time, I want you guys to be writing music. In addition, we'll be providing songs for you to sing. Once we're done with the writing process, we'll start putting music to it and get an album going. Now this part's getting really ahead of ourselves. But after an album is put together, I'm hoping you'll have a good enough fan base. My aim for this is to be done with an album by the summer. That way, you can go on the Bamboozle tour. We could try to get you to open up for a bigger band or something. But like I said, I'm getting really ahead of ourselves. For now, focus on getting the word out about yourselves and making an album," he told us. "Understood?" he asked. We nodded, taking in the information he was giving us. "All right. Sounds good. I think this is enough for today. I'll have Greg over here call you the next time I want to see you," he said, standing up straight. As he walked out the exit, he said, "Good luck guys. Make me remember why I signed you."

                                                                        ~~~~~~~~~~~~

"YES! He likes us!!!!" I exclaimed once we got back to Caleb's house. We were all in high spirits.

"Ok, yeah, he likes us. But let's not blow it. We have to get serious now. This isn't a game anymore," Ian said.

"Shut up, man. Don't be such a downer," Camron said, shoving Ian. Ian pushed him back.

"Seriously. Let's celebrate tonight," Caleb suggested.

"I'm in!" I exclaimed. We all agreed to meet at the Aqua Lounge at 10 p.m. I went home after that so I could tell Mae the good news.

                                                                        ~~~~~~~~~~

"I knew it!" Mae cried when I told her. "Oh my goodness, this is so exciting. I'm going to be the best friend of someone famous," she squealed.

"Mae!" I exclaimed, hitting her arm.

"What?" she asked.

"I'm excited that we finally got signed and all you care about is me being famous?" I said. She grinned at me.

"Well, it's exciting for me! So when you guys get nominated for a Grammy one day, I'll be there to walk with you on the red carpet," she kept going. I laughed and shook my head.

"You're ridiculous," I told her. She smiled again and hugged me.

"I'm so proud of you! Just a few months ago you were waiting tables at TFP and now you're becoming a successful artist," she said.

"Well, we'll see about the success thing. That won't come until much later," I said.

"So you guys are celebrating tonight?" she asked. I nodded. "Hmmm..." she said, looking at me with a quizzical expression.

"What?" I asked.

"Nothing," she replied quickly, looking away.

"What?!" I asked again, more urgently.

"Nothing! Chill out!" she answered. I put my hands on my hips.

"You're being shady," I said.

"Am not!" she said. "Can I come, too?" she asked to change the subject.

"Ummm, yes. Obviously. I'm not about to go party with a bunch of boys by myself," I said. She grinned.

"Sweet. Can I pick your outfit out for you since you don't how to dress yourself?" she asked. I slapped her arm.

"Just because you said that, I'm not letting you," I said, getting up.

"I said that to help you! I'm doing you a favor!" she exclaimed, grabbing my arm. I yanked at it, but she was stronger than me. "Please, please, please, please, pleeeeeeease?!" she asked.

"Fine! Let go!" I said, pulling my arm. She let go and I fell over, causing Mae to break out into a fit of laughter. "Yeah, hilarious," I muttered, rubbing my butt from the fall. I got up and went into my room. Mae stumbled in after me, still laughing. I rolled my eyes at her. Jerk.

                                                                            ~~~~~~~~~

 "Damn, Vanessa," Caleb commented when we met up with the guys in front of the Aqua Lounge. I brought my hand up to my hair, feeling awkward. I hated wearing anything that showed my legs. But Mae insisted that I had really nice legs and that I had to dress nice tonight. She told me to wear a pair of dressy metallic and black shorts with a satic tank. I added a blazer over my tank because I felt too exposed. I had no idea why she was stressing this so much. I was lucky that it wasn't too cold outside.

"Shut up, Caleb," I muttered. He smirked at me and then him and Mae exchanged glances. Was I missing something.

"Let's go inside and wait for the others," Mae said. I nodded in agreement. Once the bouncer let us in, we made our way to a table that was back against the wall. "I'll get the drinks!" Mae shouted, bouncing to her feet.

"I'll go with her," Caleb said. "Will you be ok?" he asked.

"Yeah, no biggie. I'll wait here in case the guys come," I said. He nodded and went after Mae. I wondered why the both of them were acting so strangely. They had only talked a handful of times. They couldn't be dating. Something else was up.

"Woah..." I heard. I turned to see Ian. He was looking at me strangely.

"What?" I asked, feeling self-conscious again.

"Nothing..." he replied, sitting down across from me. He looked good. He wore a simple black V-neck with a blazer over it and a pair of dark jeans. The pale olive color of his skin contrasted sharply with the dark of his clothing. "Where's everyone?" he asked.

"Mae and Caleb are the only ones here right now. They went to get drinks," I replied. We sat in awkward silence for a bit. "Do you know why Mae and Caleb would be acting weird?" I asked him.

"What?" he asked. I shrugged.

"I don't know. Both of them have been acting really strangely," I said.

"Why do you read into things so much?" he asked me. I opened my mouth to respond, then chose not to, because I didn't want to start an argument. I wanted to enjoy myself tonight. It was a day to celebrate.

"Hey!!!!! What's up, what's up?!" we heard. Camron and Liam came up to us, sliding into the booth next to us. The both glanced at me. When I met their glances, they looked away quickly. What the hell?!

"Where's Caleb?" Camron asked.

"Getting drinks with Mae," Ian replied before I could. He glanced at me and then looked into the crowd of people dancing against each other. I shook my head. I never understood the concept of grinding. Caleb and Mae finally came back with drinks in their hands. They were both laughing about something and then stopped when they got to the table and looked at me. I eyed them suspiciously.

"What took so long?" I asked.

"Uhh...long line," Mae said, scooching in next to me. "Let's have a toast!" she exclaimed, holding up her martini. She stood up and tapped on her glass. No one besides us could hear her. "Today is a very special day because today, The Velocity became legit! Woooooo yeaaaah!" she exclaimed. "Here's to starting off your music career and finding success along the way!" she toasted. We all clinked our glasses together and took a drink. Then Mae sat down.

"What time is it?" Ian asked.

"11:15. Why?" Caleb asked coolly.

"Have somewhere to be?" Liam asked.

"No, I was just wondering," Ian replied. Mae finished her drink.

"Time to dance!!!!!!" she cried, jumping to her feet. She bounded her way into the crowd, swaying her hips as she walked, already getting into the beat.

"She is quite the partier," Caleb noted. I laughed.

"This is nothing. Just wait until she gets a little more alcohol in her. Then she'll be wild," I said.

"Well, let's not let her have all the fun. Let's dance, too!" Camron said, jumping to his feet. We all agreed and made our way into the crowd. I found Mae, who grabbed my arm and pulled me towards her. We danced together for a few minutes, laughing and singing along to the songs they were playing. Then Camron and Liam came up and we danced with them for a bit. I looked around for Caleb and Ian. I saw Caleb in what looked like an intense discussion with the bartender. Ian was nowhere to be seen.

"Where's Ian?" I yelled over the loud music and people. Camron and Liam exchanged a look.

"I don't know! Maybe he left!" Liam yelled back. I frowned. It wasn't even midnight yet.

"I want another drink! Come with me!" Mae shouted. She grabbed my arm and pulled me out of the crowd. I took a deep breath once we emerged at our table.

"Wow, that's intense," I said. She nodded.

"Wait here. I'll be right back," she said. I looked at my phone. It was 11:58; almost midnight. I smiled. The night was still young and I was having fun. I smiled thinking that this was how my life was going to be after we got famous--going to night clubs, partying with friends, and just doing what I love: singing. I looked up and saw Liam and Camron emerge from the crowd. They were grinning at me. I smiled back, wondering why they were acting so weird.

"Hey," Liam said, coming to the table. Camron stood on the other side. I glanced up at them.

"Are you going to sit?" I asked them. They shook their heads and looked into the crowd. I stood up, too, so it wouldn't be as awkward. As I did, I saw Mae's blonde head smiling its way towards us. Behind her were Caleb and Ian. Mae came up first. She had a wrapped box in her hands and was grinning like a fool. I furrowed my brow in confusion. And then Caleb and Ian came behind her holding a cake with lit candles that read, "Happy 21st, Ness!" in blue lettering. My eyes widened.

"Oh. My. God. It's my birthday," I whispered to myself.

_______________________________________________________________________________

A/N: Hahahaha! Silly Ness! Forgetting she was turning 21! The juicy details about her actual birthday celebration will be in the next part. Stay tuned, lovelies!

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XOXO

Songs used: According to You by Orianthi <---All credit to Orianthi!