Zoned

~2012 was a stressful year, considering HU hasn't made a new album in 2 years. The girls are both 20, and this is October 30th. The boys are 22-24. They are in LA, and writing songs for their newest album they hope to release.~

"So, The Cage is ready? The new one, that is." I asked Jorel.

"Yep. We have to work on songs and recording, so we'll be in recording area." Jorel smiled and walked across the hall and went into The Set. I opened the black doors, with silver, vertical door knobs, and saw the beautiful new Cage. It was roomy. The floors were white carpet. It was cheap, but still pretty. Right as you walked in, there was a really cushiony, orange-red couch. The back faced the left wall and had a cute, red chair on the left of it. On the right of the couch was a small, red couch for one person. There was still a mini bar on the right wall, in the back, but a lot changed. The room was nicer and cleaner. There was an iHome that sat on the tiny, silver table that was next to the red one-person couch thing. There was a really pretty skylight that was right above the couch. I walked in and sat down on the orange couch and looked around the room. I saw a big sign on the wall with the words "Cage" on it. It had cartoon versions of the band inside a ragged cage and they looked like zombies. There were a bunch of mushrooms and trippy posters on the walls. So many colors and neon lights were on the walls.

"Vanessa? What are you doing here?" I said as Vanessa walked through the black doors.

"I came to visit J." She stood in the doorway.

"Who let you in? That sounds kind of mean, but you know what I mean." I giggled a little.

"Richi did." She pointed down the hall. She came in and sat down next to me. "Wow, The Cage looks nice!" She started looking around the room. "Where are the guys?"

"They're recording. Writing songs and stuff."

"It's been hard on them. They haven't released anything in 2 years, right?"

"Yeah. Matt and Harper broke up, Dylan and Brittany broke up, Asia being a bitch about George being on the road. A bunch of personal shit's been happening to them."

"Yeah. I don't understand why Asia gets so mad about George being on the road. Yeah, he should spend time with Ava, but he's been home for 2 years. That's a long time considering they're constantly touring."

"How do you and Jorel do it?"

"What do you mean?"

"How do you stay together without worrying about him cheating or something?"

"I trust him. We've been together for a long time."

"Congratulations, by the way. I wouldn't be able to keep a relationship as long as you."

"I thought you and Jordan were together?"

"What! No! No, no. He doesn't like me like that. Trust me."

"You two always act like you're in a relationship, though. I just assumed..."

"We're best friends, pretty much. He's my 'guy best friend', is what Richi calls it."

"Did you friend-zone him?"

"No! If anything, he's friend-zoned me." I chuckled.

"Do you like him?" There was a small silence.

"Yeah." I sounded like a little girl.

"Why not tell him?"

"He doesn't like me. I know what he looks like when he likes someone, and he doesn't look at me like that."

"I don't know him that well, but he seems to enjoy your company. Why not tell him, though! The worst he can say is that he doesn't like you back."

"That's what I'm worried about! He's tried kissing me before, but I never let him."

"Well he obviously likes you!"

"Nah, it's just a Jordan thing. He does it when he's drunk and only a few times sober, but he knows I don't want to kiss him. That only makes him want to more. Same with Dylan and Richi. She always teases him and it makes him so frustrated. Not an actual 'angry' kind of frustrated, but you know. A playful kind."

"Dylan is so sweet. Why doesn't she tell him she likes him? He likes her, I think."

"She's worried about the same thing I am. Plus it's nice to live in the suspenseful moment of not being sure. You know what I mean?"

"Yeah, I understand. They act like a couple, but they've never talked about it?"

"Correct. She really likes him, and I am 90% sure he likes her, but they don't ever hint at it. We sound like eighth graders, wow." We both laughed. Just then, Richi came in.

"Hey, I was peeing. I like the old Cage's bathroom more than the new one. It doesn't smell weird." Richi said as she walked to the mini bar.

"Are you and Dylan together?" Vanessa blatantly asked.

Richi turned around and looked at her. There was a small silence until she said, in a really weird way, "No." She sounded congested, the way she said it. "Why?"

"I bet he likes you." Vanessa smiled. "It's pretty obvious."

"I don't think so. I feel like he just wants sex or something." Richi lifted herself up on to the bar.

"If he did, he would've gotten it by now." I said.

"Good point." Vanessa took her phone out.

"What are you doing?" I leaned over to her.

"Texting Dylan."

"Woah what?" I have never seen Richi move faster than that.

"What are you going to say?" I asked.

"I just asked if he liked Richi."

"WHAT? No no, no no, um why?" She ran over to Vanessa.

"You deserve to know!"

"I don't want to know! I want to keep this spark between us. I like not knowing!"

"It stresses you out, Rich!" I said.

"I like it! It's a fun stress! I don't want to know!"

Dylan replied. Vanessa read her text, and had no facial expression that would give it away. "Okay, cool. Just wondering." She replied.

"What he say?" Richi asked.

"You said you didn't want to know. So I shan't tell you." She smiled and deleted the text. She put her phone in her purse and said, "Who wants to go to Taco Bell?"