"Mark!" I yelled as I ran down the ramp backstage.
"What?" he asked as he turned around. I almost ran into him at the speed I was going.
"Hey, uhm I was wondering if you guys wanted me to go check in at the hotel we decided on or what...?" I asked out of breath. He just smiled. "Well?"
"Yeah if you want to, but make sure you see us perform or we won't have any good luck, okay?"
"Okay, I'll be right back. What time do you guys go on?" I questioned as I slid m hands in my back pockets. He looked around and then at his cell phone.
"In about ten minuets."
"Okay I should be back by then, but in case I'm not, good luck." I smiled as I leaned over and gave him a kiss on the cheek, then one to Ponci and Cubbie. I left as they were introduced onto the stage and ran where I wasn't driving.
I arrived at the large hotel and walked in. the woman at the front desk looked nice enough so I smiled and walked over. She looked at me like I was a little crazy, or dirty, or maybe a little bit of both. I didn't really know why, but I'm sure it had something to do with my hair, or clothes, or the sunglasses that sat on my face.
"How may I help you?" She asked me with the fakest smile I'd ever seen.
"Uhm yeah, I'd like to check in on the hotel rooms reserved for the band Foster the People, please." I smiled at her. That's when her whole face dropped. I frowned as she stopped typing and looked at me.
"Listen here, honey, you think I haven't seen a million other little girls in here like you that try to do this. I know that some one like you doesn't have any type of association with somebody that big." She sneered. "So why don't you just take you little funny dressed, sun glassed self right back out those doors and never come back, hmm?" She smirked pointing at the golden paneled revolving doors.
"No ma'am, you don't understand, clearly. I really am in association with them, and I really do need to check them in, honest." I sighed, nobody ever acted THIS bad when I tried to do something that involved their name. And seriously I didn't really see anything wrong with what I wore or the sunglasses I got from Mark.
She just gave me a slightly disgusted look and then planted her hands firmly on the counter in front of her as she slowly rose she said, "Look. I knew you were trouble coming in here, and I still let you think that you were going to get away with even stepping foot in here and talking to some like me, but now this has gone too far." She picked up a phone behind her desk and started to dial a number I wasn't familiar with. "Security? Yes, thank you I have another fan girl down here and I need you to come throw her out, I don't want to touch her. Thank you." She looked at me the whole time she spoke with a devilish smile on her lips.
"You know what?" I asked as I threw my hands up in defeat. "Never mind. I don't want them to feel bad because I didn't make it to their set, and I don't have time for this. You'll see when they get here I was right, and you'll feel like an idiot. Have a nice day, and I'll see you later, bitch." And with that, I walked out as security pulled up outside. They watched me leave with a questioning look on their faces and I just smiled and flipped the off as I got back into my car.
I got back just in time for their last few songs.
I showed up to the left of the stage, and waved at Mark. He caught me out of the corner of his eye and smiled at me. He did his little dance as they played "Miss You", one of my favorite songs. Fans screamed, pictures and videos were taken. They played two more songs, "Houdini", and "Call It What You Want" then they walked off stage thanking everybody for coming and stuff like such. As soon as Ponci saw the worried look o my face he asked, "What's wrong?"
"Nothing really, I just couldn't get you guys checked in." I sighed as I once again stuck my hands in my back pockets, a nervous habit of mine.
"What? Why not?" He asked grabbing my shoulders.
"The lady at the front desk ended up calling security on me...again. " I said not looking at him. Mark looked at Cubbie, Ponci, and then me.
"What'd you do this time?" He asked as Ponci and Cubbie went off to get more water.
"Nothing I swear! She was crazy, she thought I was 'another an fan girl' and called me funny dressed and made fun of my sunglasses." I whined, pouting as we walked along behind Ponci and Cubbie back to their van.
He chuckled at me then said, "Were going to have to get you something that officially shows you belong to us." He threw his arm around my shoulders as we walked and I shook him off, "Eww! Mark don't do that until you've changed shirts!"
"You know how many girls would kill to have me sweat on them?" He asked.
"Yeah, I'm clearly not one of them. Maybe it's because you've been sweating on me for like nine years, huh?" I smirked at him.
"So! That doesn't count!" He mumbled under his breath. It was starting to get dark but we didn't mind.
"...so she really made fun of your sunglasses?" He questioned as we set off for the hotel, Mark, Ponci, Cubbie and I were all piled into my car and their suit cases were in my trunk.
"Yeah, she really did."
"I paid good money for those!" He declared.
"Five dollars is not good money, Mark. Her nail polish costed more than that. She was high class." I giggled as I took said glasses and held them out in front of him. He took them and looked at me as I drove into the parking lot. He smiled at me and said, "But you like them, right?"
"Yeah, they're my favorite. Along with the hat Ponci gave me and the Shoes Cubbie gave me. I love all the things you guys give me. That's why you're my best friends."
"Good. Now lets go deal with this lady. I'm tired as fuck." I laughed as we approached the doors. I suddenly stopped and pulled out a cigarette. Ponci looked at me knowingly.
"No smoking inside," I smiled as I waved the lit cancer stick around, leaving a trail of smoke, "I'll grab the bags and be right in behind you guys, okay?" He just nodded and continued inside.
Once I was sure that they had been checked in I headed in with the cart full of bags and wheeled them in. I saw the woman standing there typing in their names. She smiled at that plastic smile and told them just how much her daughter loved them. Mark just smiled his own synthetic recipe for disaster and looked at me.
"Is this her?" He directed the question towards me, but before I could answer, then woman at the counter answered.
"Yes, that's the girl that came in earlier claiming to know you guys. I'm so sorry; I thought that security got rid of her when she left earlier. Pathetic isn't she?" She tsked and shook her head as if she pitied me.
Ponci and Cubbie immediately looked at Mark. His eyes glinted with something between anger and mischief as h redirected his attention to the woman.
"Marilyn, is it?" He asked as he checked her nametag, she nodded promptly.
"'She' is actually our friend, and has been since I was 18. I just want to thank you so much for showing your true colors. You almost fooled me." He smiled at her in the most pseudo friendly way I had seen him do in years. He took the keycards off of the counter and went on his way. Cubbie hung back with me and helped me push the cart saying, 'ladies shouldn't have to do things like this alone' and then told me to hop on. He pushed me down the hall all the way to the elevator and into the shiny space with Mark and Ponci.
Once we reached the fourth floor, we searched for the numbers written on the slip the keycards occupied. I found my room and Cubbie found his and Ponci's. We said goodnight and agreed to try out the indoor pool early in the morning, then went our separate ways.
I unlocked the large door and stepped inside pulling my luggage off of the cart as Mark grabbed his. The room was huge, or maybe it was just me. It had light beige walls and dark maroon wood furniture. There were two large beds in the middle suddenly looked like the best things an Earth. There were fluffy white comforters and a nightstand in between them. There was a couch and a few chairs around a table. There were two doors one right when you walked in, the closet, and one next to the TV stand, the bathroom. A tiny kitchen area resided through a short passageway on the other side of the TV stand, and a large floor-to-ceiling window to the left of the beds.
I dropped my track bag on the bed farthest from the doors and unzipped it pulling out my pjs and walking into the bathroom. I took a quick shower and got dressed in the blue cotton board shorts and white v-neck t-shirt. I brushed my teeth and pulled my bark brown hair into a high floppy bun. Mark walked in and set his things down next to the shower. He set the water and grabbed a towel.
I went and sat on the comfy pillow top mattress sighing as I sunk into it and all of the stress of the day seeped out. I could hear Mark singing in the shower over the running water. I giggled as he hit almost none of the notes and laughed at himself. Awhile later I saw steam flow from the bathroom door as he stepped out in a towel around his waist and on his hair. I snickered at him as he hummed 'Waste' and shuffled around. Let me tell you ladies, he's not as smooth as he seems, really. He just looked at me and smiled.
"Let me know when you're done, please, so I can fawn over your immense dancing skill, seriously."
"Shut up. You're just jealous because you'll never be able to be as good as me." He accused as he dropped his towel to reveal his boxers. He unwrapped the towel from his head and slid on a white t-shirt and some blue plaid sleeper pants. He looked so comfy.
"Yeah, that's it." I rolled my eyes as I updated my Twitter and uploaded the picture of mark in his towels shuffling around. He ran and jumped into my bed just as I was closing my laptop lid and lay on his right elbow flipping through the TV channels. He settled on some music awards and watched contentedly next to me. We laid there and watched TV for awhile before I made him get up and go to his own bed so I could sleep.
"We can't cuddle like we used to?" He asked as he wrapped his arm around my waist and pulled the blanket over us. He turned off the TV and reached over me to turn off the light.
"Goodnight Mark." I whispered as he tucked my head under his chin and pulled me tight to his chest.
"Night Chole." He replied giving me a quick kiss on the top of my head.