The Middle | Hemmings + Styles AU

21. worst band ever

We walked out of The Forgotten Kids with flushed cheeks and ringing ears. I couldn't speak for Michael or Luke but the few beers I'd drank had me feeling light and fluttery. Or maybe that was caused by Luke's hand brushing against mine as we walked to the parked car. 

"Man, they were sick."

"They were almost as good as us," Luke joked to Michael. Although, and I didn't mean this with any disrespect to 5SOS, The Forgotten Kids were better. 

"Dude," Michael scoffed. "I'd skip one of our shows to go to one of theirs." 

"What'd you think, Stel?" Luke finally asked, not noticing that I'd be quiet up until this point. I thought that they were good, really good. 

I'm talking, the potential to reinvent pop-punk all together, good. They had the spirit of Blink-182 with the lyrical ability of Good Charlotte and, most baffling, more musical talent than almost any young punk band I'd come across. I'd doubted Harry and I was wrong. 

"The thing with pop-punk bands is they usually lack in musical ability, and make up for it with their attitude and the fact that they can put on a good show," Luke's hand brushed against mine again. "But those guys were... the kind of talent that comes around once a decade." 

"So, you agree that we suck compared to them," Michael laughed, pushing his hands into his jeans pockets. 

"I shook my head. "No. What I think is they're about to start a national tour and you guys need to be the supporting act." 

Both boys stopped walking, their faces looking at me like I'd suggested they become a country music band. "Is that even possible?" Michael whispered. His green eyes looked at me hopefully, like I held every answer to all of his unknown questions. 

"No," Luke shook his head. "We aren't ready to do that." 

"Sure you are," I argued, and I meant it. 

"Yeah," Michael echoed excitedly. "Sure we are!"

Maybe they didn't have as much experience as The Forgotten Kids but I'd watched the way Five Seconds of Summer interacted with their audiences and fans. They were already good, but they had the potential to be phenomenal. Still, it wasn't my place to convince them. "Maybe talk to your manager about it." 

"Our what?" The boys asked simultaneously.

"You don't have a manager?" I was surprised that they somehow wrote songs and booked their own gigs while managing everything else that came with being in a band. It was impressive. Which I was planning to tell them until the pair started bickering right in front of me. 


"See?" Luke groaned, "We are the worst band ever." 

"You're the smart one... why haven't you thought about getting us a manager before?" 

"I'm not the smart one. Ashton's the smart one. Why hasn't he thought of this?" 

"Yeah. Ashton should have thought about this," Michael agreed with a nod. "Call him now."

"I'm not calling him," Luke frowned. "You call him." 

"Why should I have to call him? He never listens to me, and besides - " 

"Hey guys," I attempted to interrupt. "I'll just be at the car when you're ready to stop fighting like a married couple." Neither of them seemed to notice much, still bickering away. I kind of felt like the kid who thought they'd caused their parents divorce. 

As I leaned against Luke's car, they kept arguing. My mind kept turning over. The more I thought of it, the more I realised that this was a good idea. Them supporting The Forgotten Kids. Their songs were good, they already had a local following who adored them. Imagine what they could accomplish after a national tour? Not to mention that first night I'd watched 5SOS perform, Harry was there so there must already be some interest. I wondered how many other labels were interested in signing 5SOS.