down in hollywood // braeden lemasters

twenty three : lollapalooza

"Are you sure you wanna go to a festival with THREE dudes?!"

You are on the phone to Lydia as you finish packing for Chicago. You've always wanted to visit there & the festival is the perfect chance to go, as well as seeing so many amazing artists perform.

"Of course, Lydia, we used to go camping all the time when we were younger. It wasn't a problem then so why would there be one now?"

Lydia fell silent because you both know what the answer was. She didn't seem surprised when you told her what occurred on the beach, like she was waiting for it to happen. You & Braeden never mentioned it but it still didn't leave your mind. You have so many questions, but you know you will never ask.

During the silence, you get a notification & reach for your phone.

"They'll be here in ten minutes." You tell Lydia.

"Alright, I'll leave you to it!" She exclaimed, "But please keep me updated as i will be texting you throughout the weekend."

You chuckle slightly. "Why am i not surprised? Bye Lydia!"

"Bye Y/N!"

Twelve and a half minutes later, they pick you up. After many playlists, a lot of messing with sleeping Dylan & a few awkward glances from Braeden, you arrive at your Airbnb in downtown Chicago.

You stand there, staring up at the tall brick townhouse holding your suitcase. The grand, open windows stare down, welcoming you.

"Dibs on the biggest bedroom!" Cole shouts & starts running to the front door.

"Oh, no you don't!" Dylan sprints after him, abandoning his suitcase on the pavement.

As they disappear into the house, Braeden walks to stand beside you. Mirroring your stance, his eyes wander to the building. He leans closer to you, eyes still fixed on the house.

"Dibs on the third biggest room." He quietly says & slowly walks away.

You feel you breath get stuck in your throat. How could he have this effect on you? You shut your eyes & inhale deeply. Shaking your head, you grab your suitcase & drag it behind you towards the playful arguing escaping from the wide open door.

After unpacking, the four of you sit at the dining room table, filling your stomachs with leftover snacks from your travels. Your eyes shifted towards the daunting clock on the wall, tapping your foot anxiously waiting to go to the festival.

"You're being awful quiet, Y/N." Dylan smirks, throwing a crisp into his mouth.

You meet his eyes, staring coldly. "How are you not in a hurry to see your favourite artists?"

"Oh, we are." Cole says, untying the strawberry laces in a knot, "But we don't have to wait in the queue for hours since we can go through the performers' entrance."

"But....I'm not a performer."

They all simultaneously look up at you & freeze.

"Shit."

You arrive at the festival and make your way to the performers' entrance. Cole pushes you behind him as the four of you approach the security guard.

"Hey, we're Wallows." Dylan tells him, peering over his clipboard & pointing to their name. "Actually i see us right there."

After looking down at their photo & back at them multiple times, he nods them in. Suddenly feeling nervous, you keep your head down & try to avoid the guard's eyes.

"Hold on!"

You stop in your tracks & squeeze your eyes shut. "You need to wait in the normal queue."

Turning to face him & opening your mouth to give in to the defeat, Braeden quickly swings his arm around your shoulder & pulls you close.

"Actually, we're together." He chimes.

You gulp with worry & copy Braeden's enthusiastically wide grin. "Yep! I'm with them."

The security guard's facial expression quickly switches from concerned to understanding & brushes you off with his hand before writing on his piece of paper. You sigh with relief, still holding onto Braeden's side desperately.

Once finding a sheltered & secluded spot, you all stop & sit down on the grass. "You can let go of me down." Braeden cheekily whispers in your ear.

Quickly detaching your body from his, you can't help but feel cold, even on a sunny August afternoon.

"Well done guys," Cole sarcastically remarks, "now you two will have to pretend to be a couple in love for the whole weekend."

You shrug in response. "It'll be cool, Braeden is a talented acclaimed actor." Your hand reaches to his head & shakes your fingers, messing up his hair.

Dylan scoffs silently. "He won't have to act."

Your ears prick & you hold your breath when you hear his comment. Pretending to not have heard him, you look around for an excuse to step away for a moment. This allows you to not notice Braeden abruptly stop fixing his hair & blush rising to his cheeks as he stares at Dylan coldly.

Finding your target, you stand up awkwardly. "I'm, um, gonna get some hot dogs."

Braeden looks up at you. "I'll come & he-"

"No!" You put your hands out, "I've got it, don't worry. Anyways, you need to find out where everything is. I'll...meet you back here in a bit."

With that, you march off in the direction of the hot dog van, leaving three astonished men behind. Coming up to the van, you realise you need to compose yourself & rush to the VIP toilets.

Making your way inside, you gaze around the small stalls & sinks in front of you. 'Well, its certainly better than portaloos.' You think to yourself.

Walking up to the mirror & stare at the reflection. Feeling a sense of deja vu, you inhale & exhale deeply.

"You're with Jackson, Y/N, what the hell are you doing?"