Through the Lens

"So, when are you working next?" Samantha Harding asked her bestfriend/room-mate as the two of them sat in their small apartment kitchen on a warm Tuesday morning, both of them with a bowl of Cheerios and a cup of steaming black coffee.

"I have to go in today. The Bamboozle Roadshow is here." Scarlet answered, drinking the rest of the milk from her bowl.

"I wanted to go to that! All Time Low is on it, right?" Scarlet stood up from her seat as she shrugged. She placed her bowl and empty mug in the sink, saving to wash them till later.

"I have no idea who is on it. You can come with me, if you'd like. Be my assistant for the day." Sam smiled and shook her head, standing up with her empty bowl and mug as well.

"If only I could. Me and mom have to do the hair for a wedding party today. I'll probably be gone till late, it's a big family." Scarlet nodded, making her way out of the kitchen.

"Okay, well have fun with that. I have to go get ready." All she got back was a grunt as Sam began to wash the dishes. She hated when there were dirty dishes, even if it was just one. Scarlet loved living with Sam for one of those reasons, she always did the dishes, which was one boring household chore that Scarlet absolutely hated.

Scarlet made her way into their one and only bathroom and took a nice warm shower. She stepped out, wrapping a white fluffy towel around her short 5 foot 3, 125 pound body. Scarlet always needed to go running. She ran at least three times a week and if she didn't, she felt all gross and fat, even though she knew that she was far from it. She had just been running that morning before breakfast and so right now she felt great, so happy and full of energy.

Scarlet went into her bedroom, turning on her stereo which started playing Good Riddance by Green Day. She sang along softly as she made her way over to her closet and chose an outfit for work. Her job was simple. She just went around the amphitheater she worked at, taking pictures of the band and the attendees. Very easy, the pay was okay, and occasionally she got approached by bands and would join them on tour. She has been the photographer for Hey Monday, blessthefall, We The Kings, The Maine and Paramore.

Scarlet chose a pair of skinny jeans, a black tank top and a simple pair of black Vans. She blow dried her long brunette hair and ran a brush through it, that was all. She did simple black eyeliner and eyeshadow for her makeup.

She looked at the clock on her bedside table and saw that she had to be at the amphitheater in 15 minutes. She turned off her stereo, grabbed her camera bag, phone, and car keys before leaving her room.

"I'm off, Sam! See you tonight." She called as she walked towards the front door.

"Okay! Have fun!" She got as a response from Sam's closed bedroom door. The drive to the amphitheater was quick enough, getting there five minutes early. There were only band members and workers milling around right now as there was still ten minutes until doors opened for the crowd to get inside.

"Hey, Scarlet!" She turned to see Beau Bokan from blessthefall walking towards her, a wide smile on his face.

"Beau! Hey! Are you guys playing today?" She wondered as they hugged tightly. They had only just toured together last month but he had been so busy since then that they hadn't really talked that much since then.

"No. We are playing down the street tomorrow but me and the guys thought we'd come and hang out here as we have the day off and there is nothing else to do." She nodded as she pulled her camera from its bag.

"I see." She brought her camera up to her eye and snapped a quick picture of him as he smiled and shook his head.

"Still taking pictures every second, I see. That sure hasn't changed." She grinned and snapped another one.

"What can I say, I love taking your picture." She answered.

"Yeah, cause I am just so great and photogenic." He joked.

"Very much so." She then saw a few people milling around, meaning they must have opened the doors a few minutes early. "Well Beau, I have to get to work, but it was great seeing you. Text me sometime, okay?"

"I will do that." He hugged her once more before they turned and went their separate ways. Scarlet found a nice place to sit and began taking pictures of the people walking in front of her. She spent a little while doing this until the first band started. She walked through the big open space that people were beginning to fill up in front of the stage.

She went to the front of the stage, showed her photographers pass and got in the space between the stage and the crowd barrier. She looked at the backdrop behind the band to find that this was All Time Low. She had never listened to them apart from when Sam played them around the house or in the car occasionally. She took pictures of the guitar player who moved around a lot, and had a random patch of blonde in his black hair, kind of like a skunk strip. She then took some of the bass player who didn't have a shirt on, showing off his tattoos and rippling muscles.

She was just about to turn to the singer when she felt a tap on her shoulder. She turned to see one of her fellow photographer friends named Macy.

"Hey, Macy." She greeted, getting a smile in return.

"I was told to tell you that you may take a break. Carol knows you like your smoke breaks." Scarlet laughed and nodded.

"Thanks, Macy." She put her camera away as Macy took her spot, snapping pictures of the two remaining members of the band, while Scarlet fought her way out of the crowded area, finding a semi secluded area to light up a cigarette. She found it off to the side of the stage on a low decorative wall. She couldn't see the band but she could still hear them so as she puffed away at her cancer stick, she found herself humming along slightly.

After she finished her cigarette, she tossed the butt to the ground and sat on the wall for a little while longer, looking around at all the people walking around, talking, joking, dancing, laughing, living.

She heard the singer of All Time Low bid farewell to the crowd and then there was silence from the stage. She stood up and began to make her way through the crowd of people. She needed to get on with her photos. She needed to get a good amount of photos, photos of good quality, so she could just go home already.

Scarlet looked around at the crowd of people around her. None of them paid her an ounce of their attention, but she didn't mind one bit. Her hair blew in the soft, warm wind that blew in from the west. She clutched her Nikon in her hands tightly, looking for a good subject.
Her eyes rested on a couple a little ways away from her, her boy was smiling down at the girl who grinned up at him happily, clutching onto his hand tightly.

She brought her camera up to her eyes, her finger poised to take the picture when suddenly a man blocked her view.

She saw just his chest, as he was closer to her than the couple was. He was dressed in a flannel shirt and that was all she could see of him. Her hands moved the camera up until they rested on his face.

Her jaw dropped open as she looked at the gorgeous man in front of her who was smiling at someone to his left, whom she could not see.

She brought her camera down to stare at him with her own eyes, rather than through the lens of her camera. He was stunning. He had light brown hair speckled with blonde streaks. She saw now that along with his flannel shirt, he was dressed in black skinny jeans and a pair of Nike's.

She continued to stare at him, her mouth hanging open slightly, until he turned and their eyes connected. Both of their chocolate brown eyes zoned into the other, neither of them able to tear their eyes away for what seemed like minutes.

Scarlet finally contained herself and turned away quickly, starting to walk in the opposite direction but she heard someone yelling at her.

"Hey! Excuse me? Wait up!" She slowed down just a little before this mystery man appeared in front her, making her come to a halt. "Hi." He said breathlessly, a small smile on his face.

"Hello." Scarlet answered, smiling back a little as she gripped her camera in her hands tightly, trying not to make eye contact with him that much, instead staring down at the dark pavement under their feet.

"You a photographer?" She couldn't help but chuckle and look at the camera clutched in her hands, making him laugh too. "I mean, like you were taking pictures while my band was on, weren't you?" Scarlet raised an eyebrow at him.

"You play in a band?" He laughed again and nodded.

"All Time Low. I'm Alex Gaskarth, I sing and play guitar." She nodded.

"Oh. Yeah. I did take pictures of your band, but my coworker let me take my break before I got to you." She explained, making him nod and smile slightly.

"So do you work for the venue or what?" He questioned her. She shifted from foot to foot, still not making full eye contact with him. She then realized that she might just get a job out of this, his band may be in need of a photographer. She then cleared her head of these thoughts, she couldn't go on tour with this guy, he caused her to go crazy and her mind go blank. She wouldn't get any work done if she had to tour with him.

"Well at the moment yes, but I sometimes go on tour with bands and take photos of them on stage and just around and things. Just got back from blessthefall tour actually not too long ago." She explained.

"Oh, nice. We just may be in need of a photographer to come on tour with us. Would you be interested in such a job?" He questioned, raising an eyebrow, which were very big and dark she noticed.

"I might be. I have been looking for a band to let me tag along with them." His smile grew bigger.

"Perfect. I can take you to Matt, my bands tour manager and you can talk to him about it, this is his area of expertise." Scarlet couldn't help but giggle slightly.

"Alright." He gestured for her to follow him before he turned and began to lead her to the parking lot where the tour bus's were parked.

"So, did you enjoy my band?" He asked as they walked.

"Yeah. My best friend slash room-mate listens to you guys so I've heard a couple of your songs. She was going to come today but she had to work." They got to the gate where a security guard sat to keep fans out of the tour bus area.

"She's with me." Alex explained, making the guard nod and let them pass. They walked through the sea of buses in silence until Alex stopped in front of one that had loud yelling and laughing coming from inside it. "This is it. The guys are kind of rowdy and ... weird. So I apologize in advance." Scarlet smiled and nodded before she thought of something. As Alex began to open the door, she reached out and grabbed his arm.

"Wait, can I do something really quick, first?" He frowned at her but nodded. "Since you got in the way of me about to take a really good shot, will you pose for me for a few pictures really quickly?" He broke into another smile and nodded.

"If you would like." She nodded. "How would you like me to pose?" Before he had even finished the question, she had brought her camera up and snapped a picture of him, making him laugh. "That wasn't a pose." She snapped another picture, making him laugh more, which made her take another picture.

"If I do go on tour with you, you will find that I like to take more pictures by surprise and when the person doesn't know than when they are really posed and ready for it. It makes the emotion in it more real." She explained as she put her camera back into her bag.

"Oh, yeah. I guess that's a good answer." She smiled and rolled her eyes slightly. She was so caught up in him. She could just spend the rest of her day here, talking and laughing with him. He made her feel fully happy. Really genuinly happy for the first time since her ex boyfriend Max and her had broken up. "Well come on in." He opened the door and held it open for her, letting her go first. She went up the stairs and straight into a bus filled with guys. All of which froze and turned to stare at her.

"Ah! Pretty lady on board!" One of them yelled. Scarlet recognized him as the guitar player. He was shirtless, so he quickly reached for something to cover up his bare chest, making Scarlet laugh a little bit as Alex stepped up behind her.

"Guys this is... I just realized that I never got your name." Scarlet smiled.

"Scarlet." She answered, looking down at the carpet of the tour bus.

"Guys, this is Scarlet. Scarlet this is Jack, Zack, Rian, and Matt." Alex introduced. The guitar player with the blonde patch in his hair was Jack, the muscular bass player was Zack. She hadn't looked at the drummer so she didn't know which one was Rian or Matt but that question was answered when Alex started talking to the one who had brown hair, a lip ring, and was seated on one of the couches, a laptop resting on his knees. "Matt, remember how we were thinking about hiring a photographer to tour with us?"

"Yeah." Matt answered, not looking up from his laptop.

"Well. I have found us a photographer." Matt finally looked up at Alex before looking beside him at Scarlet who smiled nervously.

"Alright." He then looked back at his laptop. Making Alex jump up and down.

"She's going on tour with us?" Jack questioned, pointing at Scarlet who stood there smiling.

"Yes, Jack, she is." Before Scarlet even knew what was going on, she was enveloped in a very tight hug, her face being pressed against a bare chest, meaning it was Jack.

"Yay! The pretty girl is bunking with me!" He exclaimed as he finally let her go.

"I think not. She'll take my bunk and I'll sleep on the couch in the back." Alex explained.

"Oh, no. Alex. I can sleep on the couch. I've done it loads of times." Alex rolled his eyes and was about to answer but Matt stood up, shutting his laptop and cut off whatever Alex was about to retort with.

"Alex, why don't you escort Scarlet to her house to gather her things. We have to head out in an hour and a half." He explained, making Alex nod and give him a soldiers salute, which Matt rolled his eyes at. "Welcome to the All Time Low family, Scarlet. You're in for one hell of a ride."

As Scarlet looked around at the guys she'd be joining on tour, she knew Matt was completely right, especially because of the most gorgeous guy standing beside her, grinning down at her.