Make Me Bad

“So your sister’s a huge fan, huh?”

Addison nodded at Synyster, who also introduced himself as Brian. She popped another chip into her mouth, passing the small bag to Zacky.

She swallowed and continued, “Yep.”

“So you know our music, then?” Matt asked, taking a swig of his Pepsi.

She nodded, “You could say that.”

“So what kind of music do you listen to?” Johnny asked.

Addison took a drink of her own Pepsi and shrugged, “I don’t listen to music a lot, actually, with so much school and my internship and all. When I do listen, it’s mostly stuff like Nirvana, Alice in Chains, Metallica, Pantera…the like.”

Matt nodded in approval, watching Addison from the corner of his eye, unbeknownst to her.

“Metallica,” Jimmy smiled warmly, his mouth full of pretzels.

Addison looked around, wondering what had been taking Sally so long. She had been gone for over an hour and the guys had gotten restless. Eventually, Zacky and Jimmy raided the vending machine down the hall and brought back food for everyone.

“So what were you worried about earlier?” Johnny asked casually.

Brian smacked him on the head, “Stop asking questions! She’s supposed to be the one interviewing us!”

Addison chuckled, “It’s fine. And nothing…I was just thinking about my sister.”

“I take it you and your sister are close?” Jimmy asked, his mouth still full of pretzels.

Addison nodded, ignoring the tingly sensation in her fingers when they brushed across Matt’s as they both tried to grab a handful of animal crackers.

“We used to be.”

The guys said nothing, assuming it was a touching subject, and continued to eat. Addison let her mind wander off again as she ate her animal crackers in a thoughtful daze.

Here she sat, eating and drinking junky snack foods in a boring conference room with one of her sister’s favorite bands. They were actually really cool guys, in her opinion. They still intimidated her to no end, but she pushed back and hid the feeling. They hadn’t pulled any stunts on her yet, but she was still keeping her guard up, especially around Matt.

She was used to being in control, making the guys intimidated by her, not the other way around. This was a feeling she wasn’t used to: being the non dominant one. She may not know him, but this Matt guy made her feel that way, for whatever reason.

“Why couldn’t we have done this interview in a cooler place? Like a…bar?” Brian asked out loud.

Addison shrugged, “Ask Sally.”

“She’s that bitch with the blonde hair, right?” Matt asked, earning a shocked yet amused look from Addison.

“That’s her.” She replied, digging her hand into Zacky’s bag of chips.

The door to the room opened and Sally walked in, the guys all sharing mischievous glances as she stared at them with a blank expression.

“Speak of the devil,” Addison mumbled, earning a smile from Matt.

Sally sat down, not-so-discreetly yanking Addison’s swivel chair back over next to her. The bag of chips went flying, scattering them all over the floor and causing Zacky to give Sally a cold stare. Addison showed no fear, only distaste for Sally’s behavior.

An hour with the guys and Addison had already picked up on their lack of respect for authority. It only added to her stubbornness.

Sally gave Addison a stern look, one she didn’t back down from.

“Excuse my intern,” Sally said, scolding Addison with her tone, “she can get a little out of hand.”

“She was fine. We were actually enjoying her company,” Matt said, slipping his aviators back on.

Addison noticed that after their introductions, Matt had left his glasses off the whole time. It probably meant nothing that he decided to put them back on now that Sally was back, but Addison couldn’t help but wonder about it.

Jimmy nodded, “She’s cool. I like her.”

Sally sent the guys a fake smile, snippiness in her voice, “Of course you do.”

Jimmy’s good mood darkened and he scowled at Sally. Addison obviously knew nothing about his personality, but he seemed like a pretty chill and cheerful guy. He was definitely not being cheerful right now.

The rest of the interview went the same, and Addison learned just what had earned the guys their bad boy rep with the media.

Their responses to Sally weren’t truthful yet not far stretched lies, and they avoided the questions altogether. They made it obvious they weren’t telling everything and made a point to be jerks and answer wrong.

Sally was visibly fed up by the end of the interview, and stood up abruptly, smirks on all the faces of the guys.

“Addison, would you be as kind as to lead these guests out? Thanks.”

Addison glared at Sally’s back, not liking the way she bossed her around. Intern or not, she wanted respect. She was beginning to second guess why she wanted to be like that woman.

After Sally nearly stormed out of the room and slammed the door shut behind her, the five guys all turned to Addison. She stared back at them wearily.

“We’re going to a bar downtown. Want to come?” Matt asked, tipping his aviators so they were on the tip of his nose again.

She shrugged, “Sure.”

“Hold up, hold up,” Jimmy said, getting up out of his seat along with the rest of the guys, yet watching Addison, “how old are you, Miss Addi?”

She smiled at him, “Twenty one.”

Brian clapped him on the back, “See? No worries.”

Matt held his arm out for Addison, grinning down at her. She coyly smiled up at him as she put her arm through his, making his grin wider.

“Such a gentleman,” she teased.

He chuckled deeply, pulling down his aviators to wink at her.

“Only for you, beautiful."