Learn to Spell, God!

Layla’s POV

When I woke up, all of the guy’s were elsewhere, only us being in the room where we had all fell asleep. I looked at my phone and the time said 6:43am. It was Sophie’s birthday! We’d all been too caught up in organising all of our stuff to remember to get her presents! I hope she won’t mind though, she slept next to Synyster Gates last night and we’re going on fucking tour with them! Couldn’t get much better really.

The best way to wake someone up on their eighteenth birthday? Wake everyone else up and have a massive pile on, of course! I wandered around the room and shook Pippa, Jenn and Danni awake. Slowly, we advanced on Sophie’s sleeping form and, when we were close enough, we pounced.

“OH MY FUCKING GOD!”

“Happy birthday Sophie. But if that’s the reaction we’re gonna get, I’m goin’ back to sleep!” Pippa replied sarcastically.

“Nooooo! I’m eighteen! Wooooooooo!” Sophie squirmed underneath us, trying to escape.

“Nuh uh, you’re goin’ no where!” Jenn giggled, re-adjusting her weight.

“No fair, I’m officially the youngest now! I’m still fucking seventeen!” I complained, receiving laughs from my friends.

“Well know, what have we here? Some girl on girl action and we weren’t invited? How rude!” I heard a voice come from the doorway and we all turned our heads, to discover the source. The entire band was standing in the doorway, watching us slowly crush Sophie to death. We immediately moved off of Sophie’s, now limp, body and sat on the floor, all blushing slightly.

“We actually came in here to wake you up and tell you to come onto the bus where you can crash again, but you can stay here and do that all day if you want!” Matt laughed.

“Even though staying here and starting Sophie’s birthday in style sounds good, I choose the bus, it’s probably more comfy on there anyway.” Pippa said, standing up.

“Wha?! It’s Sophie’s birthday?!” Brian exclaimed.

“Yeah. Birthday’s are the only time where anything close to girl on girl happens. So you’re gonna have to wait until the end of January to see some more. Or, you could just get us stupidly drunk.” Danni told him, as we followed Pippa’s lead and stood up.

“Who’s is in January?” Zacky questioned, only Brian knew our birthdays, Sophie informed him.

“Mine. I’m now officially the fucking youngest.” I pouted, they all laughed at me.

“Oh well, they’ll get wrinkly before you!” Zacky replied, helping me up as the rest of them were already out of the door.

“Ha! Blates. Y’think we should go? It’s , like, seven and they’re all on the bus already. Nuu! They’re gonna go without us!” I giggled.

“Dramatic, much? C’mon, let’s go.”

“You better believe it. That’s me through and through.” I told him as we made our way towards the bus, where everyone else was already. The guys were all in the lounge area and my guess is that my friends had already chosen bunks and fell asleep again. Falling asleep didn’t sound too much like a bad idea, so I followed type and took the bunk above Pippa.

***

“D’you think we should wake them?” A voice broke my sleep and, as I prised my eyelid’s open, I saw Brian and Matt standing in the walkway between the bunks.

“Yeah, we should. The show’s in four hours and we still need to sound check. And do you remember how long they took to get ready when we first met them?” Brian asked.

“Unfortunately, I do. You take one side, I’ll take the other.” Matt told him as he bent down to the bunk below me and gently shook Pippa awake. After he had awoken Pippa, he moved up to my bunk.

“Touch me and I kill you.” I mumbled into my pillow, startling him.

“You’re awake!” He exclaimed.

“Yeah, you woke me up a few minutes ago when you were debating whether to get us up or not.” I told him, swinging my legs over the side of the bunk and sliding myself off of it.

***

Sound check was amusing to say the least. Seeing as it was Sophie’s birthday, they let her choose a song for them to sing. Unsurprisingly she chose ‘Seize The Day’, typical Sophie. The five of us stood at the side of the stage, singing our hearts out, as they made their way through the song. Matt must have heard us, as he looked over at us and smiled during the guitar solo.

After they had finished the song, they downed their instruments and walked off the stage, towards us.

“And that was only sound check?” Pippa asked sceptically, referring to the presence they commanded on the stage.

“Yeah. That’s us doing our sound check. You should see us when we’re actually in front of a crowd.” Matt replied.

“We will, later.”

“Yes you will indeed. But now, the curtain goes down and your equipment needs to be set up in front of it.” Brian said.

“H’okay. Where is our stuff by the way? ‘Cause you loaded everything up and we have no idea where it is.” Danni pointed out.

“It’s just over there, by that rig.” Johnny pointed to the other side of the stage.

“’Kay, thanks.” Sophie said, as we made our way over to our equipment.

“D’you need any help?” We heard five voices chorus from behind us, we turned around and nodded our heads.

***

“Holy shit, holy shit, holy shit!” Danni squealed as we were stood backstage, putting the final touches to our outfits and makeup.

“Danni, chill. Just think of it as performing at high school prom again. You’ll be fine.” Sophie re-assured her. I was buzzing around on a caffeine and sugar hype, so I was fine, the rest of them were just naturally calm. I have no idea how they do it.

“We all ready?” Pippa asked, receiving a series of nods. “Right then, let’s go!” She exclaimed as we followed her onto stage, grabbing what we needed on our way out.

“Hello New Orleans! How are y’all tonight?” Pippa screamed into the microphone, the crowd screaming back at her. “We’re Pure Poison!” She exclaimed, as we played the intro to ‘Blackula’.

Halfway through the song, I glanced at the side of the stage, and saw the guys standing there, watching us. I quickly turned my head back to the crowd and re-adjusted my eyes to the light. After ‘Blackula, we made our way through ‘Replay’, ‘Mr Phillips’ and ‘Excuses, Excuses’, before coming to our final song; ‘MoFo’.

“This is our last song now! Then we’re gonna go disappear so the band you’re all here to see can set all their shit up!” Pippa announced over the intro to ‘MoFo’. After the song had finished, she thanked them before we bounced off stage.

We were met by five guys, all beaming at us as they engulfed us in hugs.

“And you say the biggest thing you’ve played before was your high school prom?” Matt laughed.

“Err, yeah. Why?” Jenn replied.

“’Cause that was amazing!” Jimmy chuckled, and we breathed a sigh of relief.

***

“How are y’all doin’ out there tonight?!” Matt asked the crowd. Cue screams. “What’s you think about our choice of support?” Cure more screams. “Well, we found out this mornin’ that it’s their drummer’s eighteenth birthday today. So, what d’you say we get her out here and wish her happy birthday?” More screams. Sophie started backing away from where we were stood at the side of the stage. Matt had the crowd chanting for her. Jenn and Pippa pushed her forwards; she tripped over a wire before landing flat on her face, on the stage. The crowd laughed, as she pushed herself up and brushed herself down. “What an entrance there, made by Sophie!” Matt laughed into the microphone. She flipped him off.

“Why’d you want me out here?” She asked him.

“So we can wish you happy birthday, duhh!” Brian chuckled into his microphone. Sophie turned bright red as Matt turned into a conductor, conducting the crowd.

“Happy birthday to you! Happy birthday to you! Happy birthday to Sophie! Happy birthday to you!”

“This is officially the best birthday ever!” Sophie laughed, as they finished singing. She went to walk back to us, but Brian grabbed her arm and kissed her cheek before letting her go again. When she returned to us, she looked like a beetroot.