You're Automatic.

"So, what'd you think?" Tom sat next to me on the couch and put his arm over my shoulders, which made me slightly uncomfortable but I did nothing to show it.

"You guys are different. In a good way, of course! I like it." I smiled and looked at the satisfied and proud faces of my companions.

Bill sat on the arm of the couch, turn to face Tom and I as he put his shoes on one of the cushions. "What song did you like best?" He propped his elbows on his knees and rested his chin on his hands.

Great question considering I didn't know the names of any of the songs. "The one where you sand, 'there's no real love in you, why do I keep loving you' has to be my favorite. Or maybe, 'Silence has been killing you, screaming deep inside of you; just turn it up, just turn it up!'" I sang the lyrics that spoke to me most. The latter was more me than I cared to admit. "Sorry, I'm not a very good singer," I said sheepishly, giving a smile smile.

"Automatic and Hey You. Somehow, I knew you'd like Automatic." Tom chuckled and shook his head.

"Who told you you're not a very good singer?" Georg asked like it was the most ridiculous statement in the world.

"Yeah, 'cause whoever they are, they're full of sh-"

Bill cut Gustav off, "You're wonderful!" A large grin was stitched across his was. "Who could ever think you're not good?"

I shrugged and looked at the floor. "I don't know, no one really. I don't like to sing in front of people." I made a face and looked back at them.

"You didn't seem to not like it a minutes ago," Tom stated smugly, giving me a smirk. He kissed the top of my head before getting up and leaving the room, saying he'd be back in a minute.

I blinked and looked at the others. "He's a little cocky, isn't he?" Georg snickered and made a face like I had no idea what I was talking about, a smirk playing at the corner of his mouth.

Bill sighed and bit his lip, nodding. "You don't even know." He cleared his throat and motioned me closer. "Can you sit closer over here?" He got up when I was closer to the arm of the couch and sat back down on my other side. "Tom's kind of..." He stopped, trying hard to think of the right words. "Well, he isn't a 'relationship' guy." He looked at me, searching for a hint I knew what he was talking about. He sighed when I just looked at him blankly. "He'd rather... how do you say it? 'Fuck and chuck', 'hit and quit'." He seemed embarrassed to even be saying it, his face turning slightly red and a giggle bubbling from his throat.

My eyes widened and I blushed. "Oh. You mean he...?" I shook my head and looked at my hands knotted in my lap. "I think I'm going to avoid him from now on."

Bill chuckled and half smiled. "He's a great guy, don't get me wrong. You don't need to avoid him, just be on your toes. He isn't usually friends with girls, and he's already trying to put you under his spell." He shrugged and pat my arm reassuringly.

"But we're boring. You should tell us more about you!" Gustav beat his drum sticks on his legs and smiled at me.

I made a face at what Bill had said but shrugged and sighed. "Well, my twenty year old brother Skye I already told you about. My step-dad Shawn is a real jerk and he changed my mom... not in a good way. I really hate him." I shuddered and chewed on my lip for a second. "My mom, Melody, is just a shell of who she used to be. She isn't really my mom anymore than any of you are... not since dad died. What more is there to say?" I shrugged and looked at them, hoping they would ask a more direct question.

"I said tell us about you, not your family," Gustav muttered sarcastically, rolling his eyes. He looked at me teasingly, reaching over and playing a beat on my knees a second.

I giggled and thought for a minute. "Well, I'm a junior in high school. Music is my life, it keeps me sane. I'd like to be in a band someday. I'm seventeen, and I-"

"Only seventeen?" Georg shot a glance to Bill before howling in laughed. "Oh boy, just wait until Tommy finds out." He shook his head and grinned.

I looked up as Tom walked back in. "Wait until I find what out?" He looked at the guys and rolled his eyes when no one told him. He stopped mid-step and glared at Bill, who just smiled innocently. He sighed and sat down in a chain across the room. "Hey, what time do you need to go home, Amanda?"
I looked around the room for a clock and, not finding one, shrugged. "I don't know. What time is now?"

"Almost 4:30," he said, casually looking at his watch.

I jumped to my feet, eyes wide. "Shit, uhm, now. Skye will be worried and my parents are probably home." I chewed on my lip and looked at Tom, "Could you drive me?"

I barely got the question out before he was on his feet. He twirled his keys on his index finger and wrapped his arm around my waist, dragging me along with him. "Don't wait up," he called back.
I turned back just in time to catch a glimpse at the worried look on Bill's face. when we got outside, I climbed into the passenger seat. I sighed and closed me eyes, leaning my head back. The staying up so late doing homework was starting to catch up with me and there was a headache starting to appear.

Tom put the key in the ignition and started the car. "Where am I taking you?" He revved the engine a little, trying to impress me I figured. I told him how to get to my house and he laughed. "That's not far from the hotel we're stay at. Just a few blocks, I think." I peeked my eyes open just enough to see him look me up and down and play with his lip ring.

"So, this is a pretty nice car. Is it yours?" I asked, opening my eyes. I hoped it to get his gaze off me and I could just go home.

He pulled the car out and shrugged, "This one isn't. I have one just like it back home though. But we needed a way to get around while in America." He shrugged again, eyes on the road.

"Not a cheap car. How can you afford it?"

He looked at me like he wasn't sure if I was joking or not. He laughed and shook his head, "You're joking?" He took a hand off the wheel and gestured to himself, "Rockstar. Huge in Germany." He looked back at the road, still chuckling and shaking his head.

I half smiled and laughed. "Yeah, that was stupid." I shook my head at myself. "Do the other guys drive?"

"Sometimes. I'm mostly the one driving us around, unless we're on the bus. I don't know, we spend so much time together and I'm kinda the leader, I guess." A smile played at his lips, but he managed to avoid letting it show. Another thing to impress me? "Gustav has a pretty nice little sports car. Kind of a reckless driver, though. I like to speed but I'm safe most of the time."

The rest of the drive was quiet. I actually appreciated it though since I had been right about the headache. I closed my eyes and rubbed my head. Tom stopped the car and I opened my eyes to looked out the window. I was home. I looked over at him. "Thank you. It was really good meeting you guys and hearing you play. Tell the others I say thanks?"

He nodded with a smile, "I will." He grabbed my arm as I went to get out of the car. "Hey, uh, maybe we'll see you around?"

I smirked and shrugged, "Maybe." I pulled my arm from his grasp and got out. I turned when something bounced off the my shoulder. I turned around and looked at a wad of paper on the ground. "What's this?" I called, picking it up with a laugh.

"What do you think?" he called back before he sped off, engine roaring, which made my head throb.

I opened the paper and giggled. His phone number. How had I known? I folded it back up and slipped it in my pocket as I walked up to the door. I walked in, rubbing my head again and sighed. I could hear the television on, but the rest of the house was quiet. Maybe my parents weren't home after all. "Skye, that you?" I caught movement at the top of the stairs by our bedroom door and looked to see my brother waving his hands frantically and shaking his head.

Too late. Shawn grabbed my arm and flipped me to face him before pushing me into a wall. He ignored my yelp as pain shot through my shoulder. "Where the fuck were you? And who the fuck was that?" he demanded in a vicious growl.

"I-I-I... I went to go to the store. He's a friend." I glanced over at my mom, looking like nothing more than a ghost standing in the doorway. It was actually really eerie.

"Oh really? You went to the store? Where the fuck are the groceries you were supposed to get? Bet you spent the money we gave you for it on more stupid band shirts." He pull at the sleeve of my shirt, causing a small tear. "And he's a 'friend' huh? I'm supposed to believe that?"

I blinked and made a face. "Right, no, you caught me, it's my boyfriend," I mumbled, unable to control it as I rolled my eyes.

He smacked me and my head whipped, causing pain to shoot through my neck to my head. I was suddenly overcome with light headedness and nausea. "Don't you fucking talk back to me you little bitch!"

I held my head in my hands and rubbed my cheek. I opened and closed my mouth, "Alright I'm sorry!" I yelped again as he smacked me again. I stumbled and fell, the opposite side of my face colliding with a side table. I resisted the urge to scream in pain.

"I didn't tell you to say anything so keep your trap shut you little tramp!" He grabbed me by my hair and knelt me in the the stomach hard enough to make me throw up. He hissed angrily and threw me back away from him.

I scrambled to my feet and ran up the stairs to the bathroom, my stomach heaving. I barely caught what he said before losing the rest of what was in my stomach.

"Clean yourself up and get rid of this mess! Because you're a worthless bitch, we're going out for dinner!"

I stood up and looked at my suddenly rugged appearance in the mirror. When my face it the table, it hit just below my eye; it was starting to turn dark and bruised. There was a red hand print on the opposite side of my face. I was sure there was going to be a bruise on my back as well. I looked over as Skye stood in the doorway.

He sighed and shook his head, hugging me. "Are you okay, Mandy?" He pulled back at looked at me, carefully tracing his fingers over the marks on my face. His eyes were sad. He couldn't stand when this happened but we both knew there was never anything he could do about it.

I shook my head and looked back at my reflection. I pulled a bottle of ibuprofen out of the medicine cabinet and took four before brushing my teeth to get the rancid taste from my mouth. I washed my face and left the bathroom to clean the mess downstairs.

Skye pulled me back and hugged me again. before nudging me toward our room. "I took care of it, don't worry." He gave a forced smile.

I smiled appreciatively and walked into the bedroom. I laid face down on my bed for a minute before rolling over on my back. I looked at the tear in my shirt and frowned deeply. "My bag was stolen. The grocery money was in it." I sighed and covered my face with my hands.

"I have enough to cover it. They don't have to know it was stolen." He sat on the bed and moved my hands from my face. "We'll go tomorrow, okay?" He smiled. "Come on, get ready to go or he'll get mad all over again." He frowned and stood up, opening my closet. It was then I noticed he was wearing a dark blue dress shirt and black slacks. He pulled out a black, half sleeve dress shirt and my grey bootcut jeans. He laid them on the bed, gave me a kiss on the cheek, and walked out of the room. I looked at the outfit, then across the room at my reflection. I'd have to hide the bruises. I sighed and stood up to get ready.

We stood waiting for a table to open up, a couple other groups cluttering the little area. The air conditioning was on and I was freezing, having forgotten a jacket. I rubbed my hands over the goosebumps on my arms. Barely a second late, Skye came up behind me and wrapped me in a bear hug to help keep my warm. "Do you want my jacket, Aims?"

I shook my head and watched a another group walked in. I suppressed a groan, a part in the crowd opening just in time for me to see a member of group slide a $20 to the waitress. they were going to get the next table that would fit them, it was pretty much a guarantee.

I leaned my head back against Skye's shoulder and closed my eyes. My head still hurt, though not as bad as earlier, and I just wanted to go to bed. But no, Shawn made me go even though I told him I wasn't hungry and just wanted to stay home. He probably thought I was going to call my "boyfriend" and go hang out with him instead.

"Amanda? Wow, is that you?"