(3) Not the Same: An All Time Low Fanfiction Romance

Chapter 60: Job

        I flipped through the channels, sinking into the couch comfortably. I was itching to do something, though. My boss hadn't given me any hours this week, and without school, there was so much extra time for me. I always felt like there was somewhere I needed to be, something that I forgot to get done. Old habits die hard, I guess.

        The door jingled and I could fainly hear Alex's voice,s creaming in a British accent. I shook my head with a laugh while Zack pushed the door open, allowing Alex to come in loudly, knocking him out of the way while they dove head first towards me and into the couch.

        "Ello Lauren," Jack yelped, turning his head towards me while stretching across the large sofa, snatching the remote from me. I continued to giggle at him, rolling my eyes while he immediately started to change the channel.

        "Where's the fuckin' beeh?" Alex screeched from his seat dramatically, still continuing his accent. Rian sighed once, rubbing his eyes before continuing into the kitchen. I assumed that he had a headache from the day in the studio with these two.

        "Long day at the studio?" I smirked while Zack continued to hold the door around. He gave me a smile, shrugged. I was about to ask what he was waiting for until Matt appeared in the threshold binder in his grip, flat brimmed hat on his head an dpencil tucked behind his ear.

        "Long time, no see, Lauren," he waved with his free hand, grinning at me. I hadn't seen him since the beginning of the summer.

        Matt didn't usually hang out in the studio with the guys because he didn't have a reason to, so it was a surprise to see him here.

        I returned the gesture, sitting up in my seat. Zack let the door shut quietly before disappearing down the hallway towards the bedroom. I focused my attention on the fact that Alex and Jack were still yelling loudly to my right. Matt hesitantly moved towardst he seat closest to me, giving me a weary smile. I laughed again, running my fingers through m yhair.

        "Where's the fucking Advil?" Rian asked, opening the door that led to the kitchen.

        "The cabinet to the right of the sink in the bathroom," I said effortlessly. I really was learning my way around his place.

        He gave me a nod of appreciation before turning on his heel and going back to his search. I notied Zack returnfrom the hallway, carring his Macbook under his arm. I felt my eyebrows come together in confusion, while he set it down on the coffee table, flipping it open.

        "What are you guys doing?" I asked, glancing over their faces as Jack and Alex quieted down. They moved closer to the group, Jack perching himself on the couch, legs touching Matt's arm before being swatte away in annoyance.

        "Well, you unofficially told me you wanted the job," Zack murmured, focusing on the screen while pulling up some tabs. I watched curiously as he brought up Facebook and Myspace and typed in a familiar name that I heard more than once in the last few months. The Lovely Broken.

        "You might as well make yourself familiar with it," Matt explained, opening his binder and pulling out a list of contact information and a shot bio he'd prined off of one of these pages. He handed it over to me, and I set it in my lap.

        Rian made his way into the room, sighing in relief at the sight of Jack and Alex sitting quietly. I grinned up at him while he sat on the edge of the couch. Zack sat on the floor, hitting one button before turning the screen to me. I leaned my elows on my knees, taking in the pictures of the band that he'd just brought up onto the page.

        "She's really pretty," I said, raising my eyebrows. Her dyed black hair and small gauges in her ears might have looked back on some people, but her unusually colored blue eyes and curls made her gorgeous. The sound of her voice completely fit with the way she looked.

        "They're a good looking group," Matt noted, hitting the mouse and flipping to the next picture of their drummer behind the set, then the next of their bassist and guitarist together.

        "Don't get aroused by the boys Matt," Alex joked, only to get a punch in the arm from Matt. I laughed, loving the fact that they were so close to their manager.

        "That kid is fucking insane on the set," Rian pointed to the screen as I flipped through the photography, seeing multiple pictures that friends took, and their fans.

        "We were on our Alternative Press tour a few years ago and got ahold of their EP when we were in Boston," Zack tried to explain, shoulder leaning on my leg to look at the screen. "They were good back then, but Rian kept up with them and bought their latest EP. It's fucking incredible."

        "And you guys just want me to go get them, bring them here and pretend like I know what I'm doing?" I asked, giving another nervous laugh. I knew that I took some classes about music management, but I still didn't know half of what I needed to, and they just wanted me to go in and take control?

        "I'd be there to help the whole time. It's not like we're just sending you off to manage an entire tour by yourself," Matt reassured me with a smile. "You probably know way more than I did when these idiots hired me. You're smart enough for a job like this. I'll teach you everything I know."

        "Which isn't much," Jack said, voice near my ear. I turned to the side, rolling my eyes at him with a smal snort.

        "That's reassuring," I said with a smile. He only beamed at me, reaching his lanky arm to move the mouse, going back to pictures of the lead singer.

        "Do you want some alone time with the computer?" Alex asked, looking towards Jack. He flipped his hair out of his eyes, raising his eyebrows quickly.

        "She's sexy as hell, do you see her name? Natalia, that makes her even hotter."

        "How's Holly?" Rian emphasized loudly. I knew halfway through the summer that Jack was somehow talking to a famous blonde that used to be a Playboy Bunny. I didn't know how he managed that, or if it was even serious, but I was curious, because of the comment, wondering if those gossip magazines were getting the story right or not.

        "I can have a girlfriend and think another girl is hot. It's called multitasking," he said in an obvious tone, looking back at the screen. I shook my head at the thought. Even with a Playboy Bunny he was still a horndog.

        "You're fucked," Zack laughed fron the ground, standing slowly. I looked back towards the screen once again, going to their main pages and looking around. I smiled to myself, stomach bubbling in excitement.

        "Looks like you'll be losing that Starbucks apron now, huh?" Matt nudged me with a laugh. I ran my fingers through my hair, nodding, eyes casting over the four faces on the screen: Natalia, Xavier, Porter, and Maverick.

        "Yeah," I said through a breath, grinning. "I guess so."