21 Questions {Awsten Knight}

T H R E E

Not even a week had passed and I had already seen Awsten three times.

We had gone around town, listened to shitty sample music in Radio Shack and argued over the fact that I wouldn't wear shorts despite the heat. Which was funny because he was being a total hypocrite and wouldn't wear shorts either. Hmph.

My apartment was a mess and I kept telling myself I would clean it up but who was I kidding? I always waited until the last minute and I groaned as I gazed around at the disaster that I called my home.

I rummaged through the cabinets, searching for a clean mug to put my coffee in. I found one hiding in the very back and had to jump to reach it, since, you know, I'm embarrassingly short and tiny.

I poured the steaming liquid in the mug and added creamer and sugar, picking up some dirty clothes as I rushed to my laundry hamper. I cleaned up all my trash and took out the garbage before I was ready to drive to the mall, hoping I would be in time for my shift.

Don't get me wrong, my job was great, but it got so annoying tending to the relentless shoppers that were never satisfied by anything. Ugh. All I could do was smile and listen to them because if I actually spoke back I would be fired.

I almost tripped down the stairs on the way to my car as I struggled to slip my shoes on, crashing into the railing. I clenched my jaw and ran to my car, starting it up and driving away as quickly as possible.

I thankfully arrived to work with a few minutes to spare. I clocked in before setting my stuff in the back, straightening my skirt and tights before I put on my name tag and lanyard. Oh yeah. I worked at Hot Topic, home of the emos.

The day was like any other; ring up costumers, give them fitting rooms, all that boring stuff. My friend Lucy was working the same shift as me, which I was grateful for. It got kind of tiring after a while, but working with a friend made it much more entertaining. "Charlotte, can you take care of that customer? I need to pee really bad," Lucy begged, looking desperate. Her black hair was in a ponytail and she was wearing several chokers. Sometimes I counted them when I was bored. I rolled my eyes at her and nodded, causing her to let out a sigh of relief as she ran to the back.

"Hi! Welcome to Hot To--" I stopped in my tracks once my eyes landed on the familiar blue haired idiot standing before me. "Awsten?"

His eyes lit up as he smiled, causing me to bite the inside of my cheek. "I didn't expect to see you here. You work here? Or did you lose your eyeliner? Your wings don't seem big enough," he laughed, covering his mouth with his hand. I could tell he was holding back a fit of laughter and I just blushed, crossing my arms. "Yeah, I do. And my wings are reasonable, you dickhead. Can I help you?" I hissed, slightly pissed that he was making fun of me.

He shrugged. "I'm just passing the time while Otto and Grace shop around. I don't feel like being forced to have my ex girlfriend test out her makeup on my hand," he replied, rolling his eyes. I just sighed and uncrossed my arms, walking behind the register. "Geoff is with me too. When do you get off work?" Awsten asked me, sorting through the bucket of pins beside me, gazing at the animations on them. "Like four I think," I told him, pulling out new paper for receipts.

"Great. I'll pick you up then. I'll meet you in the parking lot," Awsten said, backing up.

"W-Hold up, what?" I whispered harshly, trying not to distract anyone. "I never said yes."

"I know, but I'm doing it anyway. Later, Charlotte!" he exclaimed, waving as he walked out of the store, leaving me ticked off and anxious.

Sure enough, Awsten was sitting in his car as he waited for me. Idiot.

I wondered what he was up to and if I would be home late, because my roommate was supposed to be getting back from her vacation in the morning and I was exhausted.

"Hellllloooooooooooooooo Charlotte," he said obnoxiously, turning to look at me. "Hi."

"We're gonna film a video for our band tonight, care to join? Geoff's bringing Chipotle and orange juice," he told me, pulling out of the parking lot. I rolled my eyes. One thing I had learned in the past week about Awsten was that he had a unhealthy obsession with orange juice and drank it every day.

"You have a band? And sure, but I need to get home at a reasonable time because my roommate is coming back tomorrow," I warned him, buckling myself. "Well, can you see me having a normal job?"

I snorted at the thought before shaking my head no.

I caught my reflection in the side view mirrors and grimaced. My hair was messy and disheveled, and my makeup had started to smudge slightly from lifting heavy boxes and the hot lights in the back lounge. Thankfully I had a sweater in case we were going to be outside, and money in case I ended taking the bus home or something.

As we made our way to wherever we were going, I decided to ask Awsten more questions. "What's your band called?"

"Waterparks. We suck."

"What music do you play?"

"Eh, shitty stuff. Kind of a mix of everything," he replied, keeping his eyes focused on the road. "So...your ex is dating your friend now?" I asked, still confused by what he had mentioned before about her. "Yup. Grace. We were together for like 5 years I think? We broke up a while ago so it's all cool now," he assured me, smiling a little. "Are you gonna dye your hair again?" I wondered, changing the subject. I didn't want to accidentally upset him or anything.

"Dude, yeah. I know it looks like a rat's ass right now but I've been lazy and busy with band practice. I'll get around to it," he giggled. I really liked his laugh.

Awsten hummed a tune to himself while we drove, until we arrived at a house with two stories and a tiny garage. "So this is where Geoff, Otto and I live. We've got a little studio in the basement where we record shit. They should be down there," he said, his keys jangling as he led me through the garage and down a small flight of stairs, shoving open a door that seemed to be a little stuck.

"HELLO PEASANTS!" Awsten yelled, holding out his arms. "Suck my dick," a guy mumbled (I'm guessing it was Geoff since I had only seen Otto) "I'll suck your battleship motherfucker," Awsten cackled, heading straight for the table that had food in bags.

"You're Charlotte, right?" Otto asked, his curly hair tucked into his black beanie. A girl with dyed white hair (Guessing it was Grace) sat beside him on a tan couch, wearing a purple dress and heels. "Yeah. Otto, right?" I said, trying to smile and act as if I didn't have terrible social anxiety. "That's me. Oh, this is my girlfriend Grace," he said, pointing to her. "Hey! I love your makeup and hair!" she exclaimed, grinning.

"Oh! Thanks," I laughed nervously, turning to glance at Awsten who seemed preoccupied by his burrito.

Not going to lie, I really wanted to go home and just sleep forever. "How do you and Awsten know each other?" Geoff asked, leaning back in his chair with wheels, looking away from his laptop as he crossed his arms.

"Towel castle," Awsten muttered through a full mouth, wrapping his burrito back up and walking over to stand beside me. "Here. Listen," he demanded, handing me a pair of headphones. "Is that track on your laptop, Geoff?"

Geoff nodded and pressed play on his laptop as I set the headphones over my head, listening.

It was a rough demo, but Awsten's clear voice filled my head along with unique guitar chords. It was only a minute or so long, but I thought it was great.

"That's awesome. It's one of your songs?" I asked Awsten as I handed him back the headphones he had given me. He nodded and set them down on the desk. "Haven't got a title for it. I'm thinking of calling it Territory even though I hate using the hook for song titles. I like titles that don't match at all," he replied.

"That's cool. What video are you guys shooting?" I wondered, tucking my hair behind my ears. Otto laughed and I turned around to face him. "We're playing Just Dance while answering questions that fans sent us," he answered, rolling his eyes. Awsten looked content and I just nodded my head. "Care to join?"

"Sure. I'll sit to the side and watch."

"Perfect. Then I'll drive you home, patronus."