Adrenaline

46 | before the storm

"I'm going to lose my mind."

        I reach over Jun to grab the pen from his hand, but he holds it high enough that I can't grab it.

        "At least let someone else write it down if you're going to scramble your brain for breakfast." Another attempt is thwarted. "Rami, tell him to give me the pen."

"Give her the pen."

"No."

        Rami turns to me. "He said no."

        "Are you kidding me?"

        "...No? You heard him."

        "I meant why aren't you helping me out more."

        "Oh." Rami looks at the pen. And then back to me. "I'm kind of tired. Don't feel like walking over there and getting it myself."

        Jun looks smug.

        Scoring one for team women, Lauren snatches the pen out of Jun's hand and forces him to give her the notebook where we've been attempting to write down all of our ideas about the Grammy's performance.

        It's been a good hour and we still haven't been able to settle on a setlist for our medley, specifically what order we want to play the songs in. The obvious choice is to play all of the singles but we're stubborn and want to try something new. Going against the grain is our specialty, whether people like it or not.

        The Recording Academy has requested we, at the very least, play Overnight Rush, which makes sense since it's the most nominated song off of the album. And we already know The L is going to be included somewhere, along with an appearance by our favorite spoon, but the other selections are up in the air.

        "This is the lead single debacle all over again," Seira groans before dropping back onto the carpet. She's only half pretending like she's paying attention anymore; that is definitely the theme music from Cooking Mama coming from her phone. "Wake me up when you've all decided."

        "Generous of Seira to keep her opinions to herself this time," Jun chides.

        She pulls her phone to the side and narrows her eyes at him. "Come again?"

        "You heard me."

        "That's it."

        She curses under her breath, having burnt whatever she is cooking in her game. After tossing her phone aside, she pulls herself up and dusts her hands off before making her way over to him. Jun hops over the back of the couch before she can get her hands on him, and the two start chasing each other through the house, only narrowly missing Jenny as she walks into the house carrying a venti drink from Starbucks. Pixie cut girl must be working.

        "Can't we have one normal meeting? Please?"

        "Normal is relative, Jenny," I reply. "This is normal for us. Hell will freeze over before we don't act like a bunch of wonky artichokes."

        "Okay, this is getting ridiculous. The next time I see Maverick, I'm strangling him for getting you into these damn vegetable insults."

        "At least she isn't calling you a knork," Jun says as he whizzes by with Seira on his tail.

        Jenny drops down onto the sofa next to me and grabs the notebook from Lauren's hand, pulling out a pen from her purse before she can even be offered one. "Stevie knows better than to call me a knork."