"Wes move your butt from my face!" I shriek trying to move him away from me.
This only egged him on as he continued to shake his butt in front of my face. All I want to do is watch TV in peace and I can't when one of the Stromberg's decides to dance to bother me.
"Wesley Trent Stromberg I swear I'm going to hurt you!"
"Empty threats sure are your strong points eh Rory?" He teases taking a seat on my lap.
I punch him in the arm, but instead of saying "Ow" like I'd hoped he would, he laughed.
"Keaton save me from your delusional brother!" I ask little Stromberg as he walked into the living room with a plate of food.
He puts a free hand up in surrender, "Your problem not mine," he mumbles with food in his mouth.
"I hate all of you. Shouldn't you guys be leaving for an interview or something now?" I huff.
"Except for moi," Drew pipes in. He's been on the phone texting some girl he met a few days ago, not saying a word until now. He even ignored the question I asked them, thanks buddy.
"Says the one that won't spend some time with his best friend whom he hasn't seen in a while." I stick my tongue out at Drew when I knew he was looking over at me.
He pouts in his seat until he thinks its a great time to pounce on Wes and I. Throwing Wes off my lap, Drew picks me up and throws me over his shoulder to bring me to the chair he was just sitting on with him.
Facing him on his lap, I ruffle his hair and play with his ears as he texts back the girl, Natasha, Rebbecca whatever her name was. I laugh at his facial expressions when I pull on his ear feeding into my amusement.
As soon as my show returned from commercial, I turned to face the TV waiting to see what made it to the number one spot on MTV'S Top Ten Music Video countdown. The boys called me lame for keeping up with my Saturday morning tradition in Cali.
Nick Cannon bothers me for some reason though, why must he host this show. He hosts like fifty other shows.
"Number 1 spot you're the one I want!" He sings the last bit, laughing at his own joke.
The three very boys I'm sitting with got the number one spot and they aren't even paying attention to it.
I jump up from Drew's lap trying to get their attention. Getting all three up from the couch I start jamming out to their song, muting the TV to hear the live thing.
"Aw guys can I please hear the album?" I beg after we finished performing in our own living room.
Everyone else got to hear the album except for me because they wanted it to be a surprise and it quite frankly makes me angry. They suck. I just want to hear it. Shouldn't I have the right? I am their best friend after all.
In unison all of them harmonize a "No" as if they've practiced for the times I do ask them.
"I hate you guys."
"We'll bring you to Taco Bell to make up for it." Keaton suggests using his puppy dog eyes to persuade me. As if he actually had to say that twice, does the boy know me at all?
"But after the radio interview we've got." Wes interrupts my answer as he checks his phone probably reading a text from his manager I don't care to learn the name of.
This is the first time they've ever brought me to their work place, but I had to beg just to get the opportunity. I guilted them into it using the "You guys left me in Sequim alone for two years" card which seemed to work just fine. (I've actually used that card more than a few times since I got here on Monday, but its whatever.) And the fact that Ryan Seacrest is my husband and i have yet to meet him, so i mean.
I have no idea how the guys deal with fans being everywhere they go. Jesus Christ. How do they know everything? At the radio station the whole entire teenage population was already there and shouting in their faces. Some gave me dirty looks, some didn't pay any mind to me, and some even shouted my name asking for a picture with them because they recognized me as their best friend. (Thanks to the boys who always decide to tweet me, or post horrendous Facetime screenshots, just about every hardcore Emblem knows me.)
I have to say having people knowing me has its perks because now I can post embarrassing photos of them and people can crack jokes with me. I wont be the only one hiding in the corner laughing my ass off at the picture anymore. I think that's actually the only perk to be honest. Oh, and the random compliments, which balances out with the hate so I mean, is it really a perk?
The boys enter the studio with Ryan Seacrest while I stay outside of the booth behind a glass. Ryan is actually hotter in person, oh. I wish I could pounce on that. He smiles and waves to be polite, and I almost fell and bust my face because it's the Ryan Seacrest. Would it be socially acceptable to cry over his face right now?
Ryan, after greeting the guys, sits back down in his seat and hands the boys their headphones to use during the show. "Hey guys!"
"Hey!" Keaton, Wes, and Drew reply in unison. It's kind of weird how they do that thing. I swear they're all basically the same person in their own separate ways. Does that make sense?
"I see you've brought someone with you today," Ryan hints, taking a look over and smiles. I just…his smile…do I die now or later?
"Oh, you mean our manager? Nah, he's always with us." Drew replies nonchalantly, looking at Ryan with a straight face.
Ryan, Keaton and Wes laugh and I stick my tongue out at Drew again. I'm so going to get him back. I revoke his best friend status.
"Nah but for real though, that's our best friend Rory." Drew corrects himself, blowing a kiss my way.
Since I'm oh so mature, I stick my tongue out at him again and cross my arms. Their manager (whom I still haven't learned the name of, nor care to) laughs beside me, and so does some older woman who seems to be apart of the radio crew.
"She kinda sucks though," Wes puts his two cents in with a laugh.
Instead of sticking my tongue out, I flip him off. Wes's face twists in mock hurt as he holds his heart. Going along with the act, I blow him a kiss, which he catches and puts it in his pocket. Wes and I both laugh at each other, but it's awkward because I can hear him laugh while he can't hear me laugh and so I must look like an idiotic seal to him.
"Is this a new power couple everyone in Hollywood needs to watch out for?" Ryan suggests to Wes, who immediately shakes his head and laughs.
"No, no, definitely not."
"If you asked him a year ago, the answer would definitely be a yeah," Drew teases the already blushing Wes.
Aren't they supposed to be promoting their album, not our past relationships or am I getting this all mixed up? I'm really starting to hate their whole honesty is the best policy rule that the guys have with their fans.
Beside me their manager was just as shocked as Ryan was. There's a look on his face that wants to ask about it, but then again he knows he shouldn't ask. Ryan on the other hand has no boundaries.
"What happened a year ago, Wes?"
If Ryan weren't so beautiful I would have already punched him in the face. Can we not talk about me? I don't want a voodoo doll of myself in teenage girl's refrigerators with needles sticking into it, thanks.
Wes looks over at me waiting for my approval to continue with the story. I shrug; it's already out there. Might as well continue telling the entire planet what happened a year ago. I feel so vulnerable and violated right about now.
I see Keaton elbow Drew in the ribs for bringing it up in the first place knowing he shouldn't have. This is why Keaton is my babe. Little Stromberg is my favorite.
"What else can I say other than we were really into each other?" Wes nervously laughs, as he spins around in his chair.
I have to remind myself to give him a cookie for avoiding the question to the best of his ability. It makes it sound so mysterious summarizing what happened as perfectly as that.
"What's that Ray J song? I hit it first?" Drew says making me want to physically strangle him. He's acting like a complete asshole and not like himself at all. For fucks sake Drew why must you be working right now? I want nothing more than to barge in there and yell at him.
"You're the one that broke up with her man, stop being bitter about it." Keaton says out of the blue.
Ryan realizes it went too far and cuts for a commercial break.
"You look like you're about to throw up," the woman who laughed earlier asks, putting her hand on my back with a genuinely concerned look on her face.
I nod my head, and in point two seconds someone had already brought me a Styrofoam cup with water. I shake my head mainly because I dislike the lack of flavor water has. "I just need some air,"
The manager this time gives me directions to the back entrance of the studio guessing it'd be the best place to be right about now. Hopefully no fans would be waiting for them that way or I'm screwed. I don't even want to check my twitter right about now just in case.
As soon as i step outside I exhale the breath I hadn't realized I had been holding. Jesus Christ.
"Rory-" A voice behind me starts off saying but i cut them off as soon as i realize it's Drew.
"What the hell was that?!"
"I don't know, it's like I couldn't stop myself from saying it. It was just word vomit and I'm sorry."
It's hard for me to stay angry at Drew. Drew's just a big teddy bear and mellow and adorable all at once. I should actually be furious with him but...it's Drew. I've known the kid for ten years and I still go weak in the knees whenever he just...Drew.
I lean into him, resting my head on his bicep with my arms still crossed. "I hate you,"
"I know," he sighs.
The door swings open behind us as soon as Drew opened his mouth to say something, but then shut it when Wes said: ,"Keaton wants to talk to you, bro."
Wes replaces Drew and instinctively wraps his arm around my waist.
"I really shouldn't have come for the summer." I kick a rock by my foot over to Wes who passes it back.
Wes shrugs, "I missed you."
"Wes,"
He sighs in defeat and mumbles an "I gotta go," before he leaves my side to get back to my husband in there.
I throw the rock that I've been kicking back and forth with Wes a the wall and groan. I slide against the side of the building trying to think of everything but Wes and the pile of shit that happened last year.
What the fuck am I doing here spending the whole summer with the two boys that ruined my life?