𝐂𝐇𝐀𝐏𝐓𝐄𝐑 𝐎𝐍𝐄

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"Think of it as an adventure

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"Think of it as an adventure. How many new bands get this opportunity?" The voice sounds metallic through the speaker of her phone, but Billie can still sense every ounce of annoyance through her agent Monica's voice.

"I know," the femme replies, hands busying themselves with throwing any nearby article of clothing into her already overflowing luggage. "It's a very big deal," she adds flatly, still far too preoccupied with packing and the idea of touring to echo Monica's excitement.

"Then start acting like it," Monica warns impatiently, "Do you know how many artists have tried be where you are right now? I don't even want to talk about the agents that were blowing up Jeff's phone to get a chance to pitch for their clients. What do you think happens to bands that don't get chances like these?"

Billie attempts to hold her breath, counting backwards from three. Of all the things she feels, ungrateful isn't exactly one of them. Touring with Grand Motel would be monumental for girlcrush's career. Hell, how many could say their first opening act was this huge? Yet, she cannot help but feel the pressure and uncertainty of it all weighing down on her.

She and the rest of the girls had been pining after an opening band position for what felt like months. The endless hours they put into their EP, along with its viral fame on TikTok, put them in the perfect position for this tour.  Since there weren't many bands knocking down their door for the opportunity to open before, landing a gig with Grand Motel felt almost too good to be true. In fact, the more she learned about Ezra Moore and the rest of the band, the more she realized that maybe there were agents and bands smart enough to turn down this offer.

Put nicely, Ezra Moore wasn't the easiest artist to work with. Constant brawls with other celebrities and weeklong benders made him completely impossible to pin down. Hell, they couldn't even solidify this deal months prior because he'd gone off the radar for a few days. That, of course, prompted an overly generous signing bonus to sweeten the deal. 

The first red flag. 

While his other bandmates seemed fairly normal, it appeared as if Ezra was the sole contributor to their tarnished image. Perhaps that was why she never saw the three of them together anymore.

Ding. Her eyes shift down to her phone as Monica drones on about the logistics of their flight. TMZ's latest notification causes her eyes to widen, stomach twisting into a dozen knots. 'EZRA MOORE CAUGHT IN A NASTY BRAWL OUTSIDE OF HOUSE PARTY.' Almost as if on cue, Sloane busts out a laugh from the loveseat adjacent to Billie's bed. "No fucking way," the bassist snorts, fingers already moving to forward the article to their band's group chat.

𝙲𝙰𝙻𝙻𝙸𝙴: 𝚊𝚛𝚎 𝚢𝚘𝚞 𝚔𝚒𝚍𝚍𝚒𝚗𝚐 𝚖𝚎?

𝙳𝙰𝚁𝙸𝙰: 𝚌𝚕𝚘𝚠𝚗 𝚜𝚣𝚗

"Hello? Are you even listening to me?" Monica questions, tone reaching a familiar octave that causes Billie to throw a cautionary glare towards her roommate before reaching for her phone. Somehow being the lead singer made her the direct line between the girls and Monica, which, of course, also meant that she faced the agent's wrath more than the rest of them.

𝙱𝙸𝙻𝙻𝙸𝙴: 𝚞𝚐𝚑 𝚍𝚘𝚗'𝚝 𝚛𝚎𝚖𝚒𝚗𝚍 𝚖𝚎

"Yeah, sorry," she replies after sending a quick text in the group chat. "I'm just looking at this TMZ article," she explains, pausing to read down the litany of offenses the singer had partaken in tonight. 'Ezra's bandmates, Jude Clemente and Ambrose Dupont, were seen at the house earlier before the fight had broken out. Sources say they left after a heated argument with the lead singer. Could this be the end of Grand Motel?' "Are you seeing this? We leave tomorrow and he's already stirring shit."

The last thing she needs right now is some fallout between those three and an end to the tour. She could taste their stardom, the cheering crowd begging for another set. She'd be damned if some pretentious, semi-decent singer got in the way of what they'd worked so hard for.

"Billie, you're not helping" Monica practically begs, "You know he's been going through a rough patch. Jeff explained to us all how hard it's been for the band and him as their manager. The last thing he needs is the opening act to throw a tantrum on day one." The last statement causes Sloane to roll her eyes before placing a pair of noodle-filled chopsticks into her mouth.

"I don't want to babysit, that's all," she groans, unable to hide the clear annoyance in her tone, "He's a grown ass man, and last time I checked, he's got two buddies that could do a better job of looking after him."

"Seriously," Sloane adds, yelling towards the phone, "Last month he nearly fell off the stage at the Grammy's. There were memes all over Twitter for weeks. You're telling me no one saw him put away all that liquor before? Shit, I wouldn't be surprised if they were helping him funnel it down his throat." Billie can't help the smile tugging at the corners of her mouth. Though their current situation felt grave, Sloane always managed to lighten the mood.

"Don't want to babysit, huh?" Monica challenges, "Who was planning on getting all of Sloane's bags packed before the flight?" Now, Billie can't contain the laughter erupting from her chest. Sloane offers a playful sock at her shoulder before falling on to the bed beside her luggage.

"I thought that's what we were paying you for," Sloane counters. She barely misses a beat, quickly adding a taunting 'Goodbye, Monica' before their agent can respond further. With a frustrated groan from the other side of the line, Billie says her goodbyes and hangs up.

A sigh escapes the femme's lips before she moves to zip her luggage shut. "A fucking fight," she laments, "Of all the times in the world, he has to do this now."

"Don't stress about it, Bill. He'll get his shit together before the tour actually starts. I mean, Grand Motel hasn't put on a bad show once, even when he was shit faced."

"It's not about that," Billie counters, "We have a lot riding on this, and I don't want us to look like a joke ... or worse." By now, she's chewing on her bottom lip. It's enough to signal that she's seriously worried about the outcome of this tour and girlcrush's future. "What if they really do decide to split?"

As if instinctually, Sloane reaches for the other's hand and gives it a firm squeeze. "Don't stress about it, alright? Monica said a lot of her typical bullshit, but she was right about one thing: this is going to be an adventure. Don't let him take that away from you. And do you really think they're gonna get out of a contracted tour over some petty bullshit?"

Billie gives her a reassuring squeeze in response. "You're right. It's going to be fun. We've been dreaming of this for what feels like forever. Who cares about Grand Motel and all their drama?"

Sloane nods and giggles, free hand already reaching for another scoop of noodles with her chopsticks. "That's more like it."

"And don't think I forgot about you packing," Billie reminds with a motherly tone, her figure already shifting towards Sloane's room while the other groans from the bed. "C'mon, we've got a long night ahead of us."

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