Our Time Has Come, and We've Got These Big City Dreams

Ellyn was going to kill me.

That was one of the thoughts running through my head. Not, Oh my God, Jack Barakat, Zach Merrik, and Rian Dawson! Not, I know famous people. Not, the fan girls will really want to kill me now. Well, a little of that one, but really, I knew for sure, that Ellyn was going to kill me. For not calling her right away upon finding out Alex was the Alex, for not telling her that I was meeting the “love of her life”.

Who, grinning cheekily, shook my hand as I introduced myself, and then swept me into a bear hug, yelling, “Yay! New bestie!”

Scratch that. Ellyn was going to pulverize me. She would rip my head off, grab my brains, and squish them on the ground. After making me introduce her to Jack.

Rian rolled his eyes. “Goodness, Jack, you’re blocking.”

Alex scoffed. “Is that all you think I think about? Sex?”

Rian, Zach, and Jack all exchanged looks. “Uh, yeah,” they replied in unison.

I giggled, then glanced at Alex. He stared at me, one eyebrow raised. “What?” I asked defensively. “Your track record seems to speak for itself. So don’t say anything.”

He sighed. “Everyone’s a critic.”

I laughed. “That’s not what you’re supposed to say.”

He shrugged. “Well, everyone is criticizing me; I have no clue what else to say, so I leave it at, ‘Everyone’s a critic,’ ‘kay?”

“Okay,” I laughed. “Whatever you say, boss.”

Zach rolled his eyes. “He’s the boss. Like we’ve never heard that one before.”

“Blocking,” Alex hissed.

“Boy, believe me, you are not getting anything, and even if they hadn’t been here, you still wouldn’t have!” I teased.

Rian whistled. “Holy shit. You actually aren’t going to sleep with Alex, are you?”

I smiled. “Nope.”

Jack scoffed. “That’s what they all say.”

I turned to Alex. “But I’m not just another fan girl, am I?” I asked, tilting my head to the side and placing my hands on my hips.

Alex pretended to gulp.

Zach stared at him.

Alex laughed. “Just kidding. She really isn’t, though. She actually had no clue who I was until we got attacked by fan girls at the café. I had to coax her into coming up here. I actually almost got on my hands and knees to—”

“That’s what she said!” Jack burst in.

We all turned to stare at him.

He stood there, a sheepish grin on his face, fiddling with his hair. “I’ve had a long day,” he finally said.

We all burst out laughing.

Zach shook his head. “Moving on, so, your name is… Tara. That’s all I know.”

“Well…” I said slowly. “My full name is Tara Katherine Anderson. I’m nineteen. I work at a music store so that I can make enough money to get out of this town. I hate it here.”

“Ah,” was all that Rian said.

“Well, Tara Kate,” Jack started, then stopped. “Oh! That’s what I’ll call you! Tara Kate! It has a nice ring to it, dontcha think?”

“Nice. Pizza?” Zack asked. We ended up ordering pizza, and as I hung out with the guys, I discovered that famous rock stars who can sometimes be arrogant asses are really no different from the regular arrogant asses people deal with on a daily basis.

I was about to leave, saying my farewells, when Alex volunteered to walk me to my car. “For protection from the fan girls,” was all he said.

“I believe it’s you they’re after,” I replied cheekily.

He sighed dramatically, looking up as we entered the elevator. “Oh, heaven above! Woe is me!”

“What the flip? Do you even know what you're talking about?” I asked as the ding sounded, signaling that we had reached the ground floor, and the golden doors slid open.

“Not really,” he admitted. We walked quietly to my car, keeping a wary eye out for fan girls.

“Well, thanks for everything. Really,” I told him, opening my car door.

“Hey, listen…” he sounded nervous.

“Yeah?” I asked, ducking my head down so I wouldn't hit the car as I sat down.

“How about you come on tour with us?”

“What?”