Annabel chuckled loudly, burying her head into my shoulder at my exaggerated-goofy behavior. I was always a moody guy, but I'm so glad that she was able to snap me out of it so quickly.
The rest of the game went on, the six of us all chatting and laughing as bowling balls were constantly being rolled down the lanes. It was still pretty competitive, but now we were all just having fun together and trying to do cool tricks and dance moves to make everyone crack up.
"I have the scores added up," Grace announced as we all began to untie our shoes, happy smiles on all of our faces. "Team Grace, Stuart and Clayton won this evening by three points!"
The three of us cheered loudly, causing heads to turn to glare at us. My eyes met Annabel's and I smirked at her, reminding her off the bet that she had come up with.
"You know what this means," I said to my girlfriend, scooting up to the seat next to her to whisper into her ear. "It's going to be a long night, baby."
Chapter 38
Annabel
A bright red dress clung tightly to my body, making my butt appear even larger than it actually is and making my skin seem like it was tanner than it actually was. The dress was a jersey knit material and had a high neck with a completely open back. My stylist had sent me this dress and I was too lazy to go look for a new one, but I couldn't believe that it actually looked really good on me.
The past week had flown by so quickly, mainly because I have spent pretty much every moment with Stuart. When you're in love it makes time seem to go by so much faster, because there was never a dull moment when you have this voice in the back of your head reminding you that one of the most gorgeous boys actually loves you. It filled me with happiness just by the thought.
Tonight was the VMA's, and I was glad that I was finally able to go to an award show where I knew I actually had genuine friends there. Sure I knew plenty of people in the industry, but having the security of knowing that the boys would be there tonight and would always make me laugh diminished any of my nerves.
"Are you almost ready-" Stuart called, then stopped himself as soon as he took a step into the dressing room. His eyes widened and his jaw dropped slightly, until he replaced it with a bright smile. "Jesus, I'm so lucky."
I grinned back at him, eying up him in his white button up shirt. "Well don't you look handsome."
Stuart came up closer to me, placing his hands on my hips, his brown eyes scanning over my entire outfit. "Well you literally are the most beautiful girl in the entire world, Ann."
I kissed his lips in a gracious manner. "Thank you, Stu. But come on, we have to get out there soon or else we'll like miss the red carpet entirely."
"You say that like it's a bad thing," Stuart joked, intertwining his fingers with mine as he led me to the main area of the trailer, where the rest of the band was sitting in.
Their eyes all snapped to me, as if they had never seen a girl in a dress before. Clayton's eyebrows were raised. "Well damn, Annabel. You're going to make all of us look like crap compared to you."
I rolled my eyes at him. "I doubt it. You guys are going to make all the girls scream as soon as you step outside."
Bradley slung his arm around my shoulder. "There's no reason for you to bring up our sex lives, baby," He teased, earning a laugh from everyone, even me.
One of the make-up artists dusted another quick layer of matte powder onto my face before I ducked outside. I had to make an entrance first, because if we all left at the same time it would cause too much of a stir. I wanted them to be able to do interviews on their own, since their band had nothing to do with me, even though I knew I was going to get lonely pretty soon.
I walked along the red carpet, stopping at the designated areas to pose. Lights were blinding me as the cameras began to flash, and my ears were being pierced by the loud commotion of the paparazzi attempting to grab my attention.
I stopped for various reporters to talk to them, and basically explain what I would be presenting and discuss my upcoming sequel to the movie that had just premiered in the very beginning of summer. It was a grueling process, and I couldn't deny that I was growing incredibly bored and hungry.
"Anna!" A voice yelled, pulling me away from my thoughts. I knew it was my costar Jordan without even having to spin around. He approached me, pulling me into his arms tightly to give me one of his famous brotherly-like hugs. "You look stunning tonight, Ann. Stuart is a lucky guy."
No, I'm the lucky one.
"Thank you, Jordan. I've missed you so much. I can't wait for us to start filming again soon," I gushed, and his face lit up with joy just at the mention of us working together again, which would just consist of us goofing around all day on set.
We posed for some pictures together, which would probably make fans of our movie very happy, until I was ushered off towards E! News to be interviewed by Keagan Peterson. There were already people talking to him, so I was next in line and wasn't really paying attention.
"Hey look who's here! Annabel, come on up," Keagan called, motioning me to come up the steps. The heads of who he was interviewing all turned towards me, and of course it was the guys, and they all cheered at the sight of me. "Look at this perfect timing! You guys are all friends with Ann, right?"
"No we hate her, she's such a diva!" Clayton stated, making everyone burst into hysterical laughter at his blatant sarcasm. He turned his gaze to me at my spot at the end of the line, standing next to Benjamin, and sent me a small smile. "I'm just kidding. We love McKenziefish. We haven't even ran into each other on the red carpet yet which is weird since we showed up together. So hi."
I chuckled at him. Clayton was probably the closest to me out of all of Stuart's friends, but that's probably because he is such a loud and outgoing guy. "Hi. And hi Keagan! How are you? I feel like I haven't spoken to you in ages!"
"I know! The last time I saw you we were at your movie premiere. And I think you like hated Stuart back then. But now you guys are roommates, right?"
Stuart glanced at me for the first time, his brown eyes staring into mine with a loving gaze from across the room. He grinned at me in a goofy manner. "Yeah, we're roommates," He declared proudly.
"Is that weird for you boys that only one of your band members doesn't live with you? Do you guys miss him a lot?" Keagan questioned, sticking the microphone out afterward to catch their answers.
Benjamin shrugged. "I mean, not really because we still talk to him everyday and we all hang out and go to the studio together. Plus we're going on tour again at the end of the summer so we'll have him back with us everyday again pretty soon."
My face fell instantly. I had been so caught up with this whole being in love thing that I haven't even considered what we were going to do when Stuart was off travelling the country to do shows and I was working on my next film.
"I bet the tour will be very fun," Keagan added, making them nod their heads in agreement. "And Annabel, you start filming the sequel with Jordan Hartford again very soon. Can you give us any inside scoop on the new movie?"
I shrugged. "To be honest I haven't even looked at the script yet. If I had any spoilers I would tell you, Keagan. But I don't."
Bradley snorted at my nonchalant response, making my lips curve up into a smile.
"So Stuart, do you ever get jealous that Annabel has to kiss Jordan Hartford in these films?" Keagan questioned, making my attention turn to Stuart who was standing the furthest away from me at the other end of the line. "I mean, you two are a couple, right?"
"I don't know, Keagan. Are we?" Stuart fired back, grinning at the interviewer with his eyes raised in a playful attempt to be suspicious.
"Well that's what I'm asking you!"
Stuart laughed lightly, sending a smile in my direction. He cleared his throat before looking directly into the camera. "The only relationship I can confirm on national television is my relationship with our second album. Which I'm in love with, and, it is available for pre-order. You should go get it if you want."
The b
oys all cracked up. Benjamin was even doing that thing where he claps his hands together loudly. I didn't think it was as funny as them, but it did amuse me how well he was able to completely dodge a question.
"Alright get out of here," Keagan joked, gently pushing them towards the exit.
They all quickly gave me a hug first, each of them mumbling how they would see me inside. I still had no clue where we would be sitting, but I was hoping that our seats would be somewhere near each other.
"I love you more than the album, baby," Stuart whispered quietly into my ear, his hands lingering on my bare back as he pulled away from our friendly hug that was being broadcasted.
My eyes scanned the teleprompter in front of me, reading off all of the lines they had provided me with into the microphone. I hated presenting at an award show, because I felt like I was going to mess up my words and make a fool out of myself. Everyone in the audience was staring at me and there was a bright spotlight aimed right at my face, making my armpits begin to perspire.
I took in a deep breath after the clip announcing the nominees played on the big screen. "And the VMA goes to..."
My finger slid across the seal on the gold envelope, my palm nearly shaking as I opened it up. The boys were in a tough category, and I wasn't sure if they were going to be able to make it out alive or not.
To my satisfaction, written across the envelope in bold letters was the words 5 Seconds of Summer. I gasped, covering my hand with my mouth as a proud smile overtook my features. "Oh my God! 5 Seconds of Summer!"
The cameras all spun to them. Bradley was the first to leap to his feet and they all screamed, a look of complete shock covering their faces. They all embraced into a quick group hug before dashing up the aisle towards the stage.
Clayton was the first one up there and I handed him the moonman, which his eyes nearly fell out of his sockets at the mere sight of it. "Congrats, Clay," I said as he wrapped me into a tight hug.
Benjamin followed after him, his expression mirroring one of a child on Christmas day. He pulled me in for a hug before I even had time to congratulate him, and then darted over to the microphone where Clayton was standing by, the two of them inspecting the award.
"Congrats, Bradley," I told him as he scooped me up for a hug and spun me around, making me giggle like a little girl.
Stuart was the last one in this very quick exchange. I couldn't help but beam at my boyfriend with immense pride. "I'm so proud of you, Stu," I gushed and spread my arms out wide for a hug. However, he surprised me by cupping his hands around my cheeks and kissing me on the lips. In front of everyone. On national television.
He innocently grinned before meeting up with the rest of his band to give an acceptance speech. They all sounded shaky and frazzled and it made them appear even more humble since they truly were not expecting to win.
I was barely even listening to them because all I could focus on was the fact that my neighbor that I had known my entire life had officially made it. All of his dreams had come true. I was so grateful to be a part of this monumental experience. I was so grateful to even be a part of his life.
"Thank you so much," Benjamin called out just as the music began to play, and they all ran towards backstage, which I followed them towards. The four boys were all screaming and jumping up and down, hugging onto each other tightly.
"You guys did it!" I cheered as we got into the dressing room. Stuart immediately enveloped me in for a hug, his arms wrapping around my waist and pulling me tightly against his body. He kissed me again. "I'm so happy for you. You deserve it."
"I can't believe that just happened," He admitted, shaking his head back and forth. "This has to be a dream. And it made it even better that we got the award from you."
"You're going to get in so much trouble for kissing me on stage," I scolded him, even though I was still smiling.
Stuart merely shrugged his shoulders. "I honestly don't care. I'm in the best mood."
"How are we going to celebrate?" I asked, just as the other three boys started to simmer down and were able to actually hear our conversation.
"Guys, let's go party."
Chapter 39
Stuart
I could barely hear myself think over the blaring music pumping through the mansion we had been invited to. They had a vast amount of booze available, which I did help myself to, despite the ridiculous drinking age in America. If for some reason we did get busted, I'm sure the cops would understand that we need to celebrate. We just won a freakin' VMA.
I lifted my second bottle up to my lips, swallowing down the bitter taste. The boys and I were all having a laugh together and chatting with some of the other people we knew in the industry, while Annabel had left me to go dance when Grace had shown up. I could spot my girlfriend in that red dress in seconds, no matter where I was standing; that's how beautiful she is.
"Benjamin and I are going to go play some beer pong," Bradley declared, nodding his head towards the table that was adjacent to us. "You wanna join? Or are you too scared to lose again?"
I rolled my eyes at him. "Piss off, Nathan."
He chuckled loudly, since he was very aware of the fact that we were just kidding around, before following after Benjamin and away from us. I had lost pretty bad to those two last time, and although I craved redemption, I wasn't ready for anymore embarrassment if I lost again.
A girl with reddish-brown hair kept glancing over in our direction, and I noticed her eyes slyly scanning over Clayton's body. I elbowed him in the chest, pointing in her direction. "Clay, she's been ogling over you for awhile now. Why don't you just go talk to her?"
"I don't want to," He huffed, tipping back his glass bottle to get the last of his drink.
"Come on," I urged, placing my hand on his shoulder. "She's pretty cute, looks about your age, and she's probably a nice girl. There's no harm in just talking to her. Who knows, maybe you'll finally get laid again."
Clayton shrugged my hand off of him, sending me a harsh glare. "Look, it's hard for me to talk to other girls when I still have feelings for Grace."
I almost spit out my drink.
"Grace?" I repeated, my volume raising to a higher a level. "Clayton, that was months ago! She's with Bradley now!"
He sighed heavily, nearly growling at me underneath his breath. "Well I liked her first! It wasn't like it was a mutual thing for us to stop seeing each other. She picked him over me, and it sucks and I hate seeing them together and I hate that I still have feelings for her."
I raised my eyebrows. I had never even speculated any of this. We all had fun together when we hung out as a group, and their never seemed to be any awkwardness or tension, even though our friend group was filled with current and ex relationships.
I bit my lip as I tried to come up with some sort of advice. "I'm sorry about that man, but it's time to move on. They're happy together. You gotta respect Bradley and their relationship."
"Right, because Bradley totally respected ours when he kissed at Jordan's party," Clayton spat sarcastically, shaking his head at the memory.
"You found out about that?" I exclaimed, my hands beginning to sweat against the bottle I was clutching onto as a new wave of guilt struck through me.
He scoffed. "Yeah, Benjamin told me. I'm not an idiot, Stu."
"You're an idiot for still liking her," I said quickly, not even processing what I was saying as the words left my mouth. "Look, you have to move on. You can't just mope around like this. There are plenty of other girls so stop acting like a jealous freak and go find someone else. We just won a freakin' VMA, we should be partying!"
Clayton stared at me for a long time, his hazel eyes narrowing in front of me. His jaw was clenched together tightly, which was such a contrast from the usual peppy and positive Clayton that I knew so well. "I can't wait for you and Annabel to break up. Then you'll see."
"We're not going to break up. I love her," I stated defensively, my eyebrows furring together with anger at the mere mention of that to
pic.
Clayton snickered loudly, his laugh so boisterous and condescending that it made a shiver run through my body. "Stuart, we're going on tour in like a week. You can't handle commitment. You've never had a girlfriend on the road before and I'll tell you right now, it sucks. They annoy you with texts and calls that you can never answer, you're in a different time zone half the time, you can never actually touch them, and you either have to jack off or cheat if God forbid you get horny. It ruins all the fun of being on tour and you actually have responsibilities and will never, ever get a break."
I felt my shoulders slump down a little. I knew Clayton was older and I should listen to the wisdom he was giving me since he actually experienced it, but I didn't want to believe any of it. I mean, he made valid points, but I hated the thought of how touring could completely strain our relationship, and possibly ruin it.
I glimpsed over to Annabel who was dancing the night away with Grace, and was now joined by Jordan. He was grinning at her the way I grin at her, and I felt my jaw clench at the sight. She was so beautiful, she didn't even need a guy like me. But man, I needed her.
Clayton handed me his drink. "Well, I'm going to go enjoy the benefits of being single now and go talk to that girl. You were right, Stuart. Maybe I do need to get laid."
He flashed me an innocent smile as I stood there, dumbfounded. I rapidly chugged the rest of my drink, along with gulping down the other half of Clayton's. I needed to get rid of this feeling of worry and doubt that was eating away at my chest. So I darted towards the table, pouring myself a few more drinks and downing them way quicker than I should be.
I was starting to feel the alcohol now, and I was feeling less of the sting in my heart.
My body wobbled over towards the dance floor, making Annabel's eyes light up as soon as she saw me. I liked how we didn't cling to each other at parties so we could each hang out with our friends, but after one peculiar conversation with Clayton, I was regretting ever leaving her side.
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