Hey guys! A bit of a longer chapter today! I had a lot of fun with this one, and I think things are about to pick up more in the next few chapters. I'm excited! I hope you guys are too :)

Enjoy!


Despite growing up in New Jersey, I had never found myself in the heart of New York City as I did a week later, pulling my suitcase, as well as one of Gumi's (Miku had the second while the fashionista herself took the third), out of Luka's rented car.

"Oh, miss, please," a man came up beside me, nearly causing me to jump out of my shoes as he reached for my bag. "Let us take these for you."

I nodded in his direction, sending him a small nervous smile as more people dressed identically to him took the large suitcases from my friends.

"We're really living it up, huh?" Miku asked with a sly grin. She jabbed me in the side when I gave no response.

"We're here on business," Luka reminded us, handing the keys to the valet and slinging the chain of her designer handbag over her shoulder.

Gumi's shoulders slumped. "Oh, come on. You can't let us have any fun?"

"I think Vegas was nothing but fun," Luka pointed out.

My eyes fell to the ground. The four of us walked towards the front doors, the porters behind us with our luggage.

"And this isn't a festival," Luka continued. "This is much more organized and professional. Therefore, I expect you three to act the same-"

"Luka," Miku began, taking a step in front of all of us and turning to face her. The pink-haired girl stood a good foot taller than Miku. This didn't stop her though, between the two of them, the pop-star looked much more threatening when she wanted to. "We literally wrote lyrics and instrumentals for Ken's song in a week. We made it on a Rolling Stone's article. Our album is about to release. Can you chill out?"

Luka, arms crossed, looked down at the girl with contempt. Gradually, however, her expression began to soften. "I… I guess. But business comes first."

"Well we don't have anything going on tonight, right? Why don't we have, like, a movie night? Or something?" Gumi suggested, clearly put off by the sudden tension in the air.

With a single sigh from Luka, her posture slackened, and the tension was instantly lifted. "I… will run to the liquor store and get some wine. Yeah? How does that sound?"

A pleased grin covered Miku's face. "Now that's what I wanted to hear."

Luka pulled the keycards from her wallet, handing one to each of us. "Don't lose these-"

"We won't!" Miku groaned. "We'll see you up there!"

Luka took a deep breath, sending a smile our way before heading back towards the front doors.

"Wow," I said. We resumed our path to the elevator, the porters following us like baby ducklings. I cast a look over my shoulder at Luka's retreating figure. "Didn't think I would ever see her lighten up."

"Enjoy it while it lasts," Miku smirked.

Our suite was not nearly as grand as it had been in Vegas, but I still wasn't about to complain. It was a single bedroom, with a fully furnished kitchen and living room. The porters left our luggage near the front door, per our request, as we unanimously decided that Luka would get the bedroom. I had no problem sleeping on the floor.

"Radio City is right around the corner," Miku told us, pressing her forehead against the window behind the couch to get a better view. "You think we can see it from here?"

I rolled my eyes, pulling my suitcase onto its side and unzipping it. "I doubt it-"

"Wait, dude! It's right there!"

"No way," Gumi bounded across the room, perching up on the couch like a cat next to Miku, peering down the street.

"See it? It's the one with the big red letters. 'Radio City Music Hall,'" she read.

"Oh! I see it!"

I shook my head, smiling at my bandmates as I pulled my pajamas out of my bag. It was only just after noon, but I didn't have to worry about bringing up any of our equipment now. The staff would take care of that for us. That meant I was free to relax.

"You don't want to come see, Rin?" Miku asked.

"I'll see it in a few days," I told her. "Right now, I just wanna drink some wine and pass the hell out."

"Yeah," Gumi agreed. "That plane ride was pretty rough."

Five hours, actually. Almost six. I was ready for bed.

"We've still got a gala to go to," Miku pointed out. "Don't crash yet."

Oh, I remembered. Right. Another fucking party.

From the hall, I could vaguely hear the footsteps of our neighbors walking to their rooms. I scanned the kitchen, opening the fridge and peeking at our choice of snacks.

"Should we ask Luka to pick up some snacks while she's out?" Miku called.

"I mean, we have stuff," I called back to her. "It's just five bucks for a bag of chips."

"I can text her-" Gumi offered.

"Nah, it's alright. She's probably almost back already-"

And she was, because, at that instant, all three of us heard her gentle voice from outside the door, presumably speaking to our neighbors. The ones causing all that racket.

"I'll get it," I told the girls. I rounded the counters of the kitchen, wrapping my hand around the door and turning the knob.

"...we just weren't aware that you were performing, too," Luka was in the midst of saying as I opened the door.

I widened my eyes. Fukase, TR's manager, stood in the hall with her, while a crowd of uniformed porters carried luggage into the room directly across the hall from us. Luka looked over at her shoulder at me, showing her surprise at me through a brief widening of her eyes and a nod towards the room across the hall.

Fukase seemed equally as flustered.

"Oh, you've got to be kidding me," Miku said from behind me. Both her and Gumi had followed me to the door, despite my insistence otherwise, and were now peering over my shoulder.

As if on cue, the boys themselves appeared in the opened door of their room, their warm expressions darkening.

Except for Len.

Unlike all of our previous meetings, I didn't have to hide my reaction to his presence. I glared at him especially. He leaned against the doorframe, his hands in his pockets and his eyes on the floor.

"Um, well," Fukase said, rubbing the nape of his neck as he looked between the two groups. "This is… awkward."

"I didn't know we would have such easy competition," Miku sneered from behind me.

Luka turned on her, nostrils flaring. But before she could say anything, Len finally raised his eyes to meet mine. His expression was emotionless. I couldn't see any hint of regret at his poor attempt to booty-call me, happiness to see me for the first time in weeks, or anything. Without thinking, I slammed the door shut with Luka still in the hall.

"They fucking follow us everywhere!" Miku yelled, stomping into the living room.

"You think they're gonna release an album next month?" Gumi asked with a smirk. But she wasn't amused.

I, however, wasn't even in the mood for jeering. "I'm taking the bedroom," I stated in a flat voice, grabbing my opened suitcase and dragging it across the floor towards the open door.

Slamming one door in Len's face felt great. Slamming two was even better.


I awoke to the sound of knocking on my door. Forcing my eyes open, the first thing I saw after my nap was the darkness on the other side of my window.

"Rin," Gumi cautiously asked from the other side of the door. "It's time for the gala."

Shit. I shot up in bed, completely forgetting about the kick-off party for this whole event.

"Are you ready?" Gumi asked.

"No," I answered, my voice curt and my eyes still heavy with sleep. "Give me five minutes."

"Okay," she responded. "Just… hurry up. Miku wants to leave before… before they do."

They meant the boys across the hall, and I understood Miku's desire to avoid them at all costs. "I'll hurry," I promised.

Sometimes, I amazed even myself. One of my skills which I was particularly proud of was my ability to go from looking like an angry cave troll to borderline-supermodel in under ten minutes. I had already set aside my dress and organized my makeup in bags when I packed the night before, so I was in the dress and brushing my hair in the bathroom within seconds of getting out of bed. Makeup took a bit longer, however, and it was impossible to beat my seven-minute and thirty-six second time for my full routine to be completed. Well, impossible to beat that while also still looking decent.

When I was done, I poked at my eyelashes a few more times with the mascara before I was finally pleased with their volume. I wanted to look hot. And I did.

I grabbed my white bow from my suitcase and fixed it into my hair as I walked out of the room, the chain of my handbag slung over my shoulder.

"Ugh, finally," Miku said, her hands on her hips. She wore her hair down tonight and I had to do a double-take as we walked towards the door. It was a professional event: no jeans or leggings for tonight. All four of us wore dresses in increasingly extravagant colors; Luka in a pure white, Miku in a pale blue, myself in light yellow and white, and Gumi in her obnoxiously-bright leaf-green. It matched her hair almost perfectly.

"Give me a break," I told them, fixing my pins into my hair next. "I was asleep ten minutes ago."

"Let's just get out of here."

"I'm excited," Luka said, earning the attention of all three of us. Her usual flat, calm voice actually had some emotion to it.

"Why?" Miku asked. "I mean, I like parties, but…"

"This venue is supposed to be amazing," she pointed out as we walked out the door. Each one of us glanced in the direction of the room across from us, the door firmly shut. We passed it and continued down the hall without incident. "It's in the middle of Central Park."

"So we're walking?" I muttered, already regretting my decision to wear heels.

"It's right across the street!" Gumi argued. "You'll be fine, Rin."

It wasn't good that, this early in my career, I was already growing an aversion to parties. But I agreed with Luka that this one, at least, was at a beautiful venue. It was a mere five-minute walk from the front steps of our hotel. But stepping through the lush gardens that surrounded the surprisingly private restaurant, bar, and plaza, it felt like I was far away from the crowds of New York City. There were quite a few people there that I recognized, and I was beginning to understand just how small the world of stardom was. Everyone was dressed elegantly and professionally, many with wine glasses in their hands filled with either a deep red or a light white liquid, refilled often by people in uniforms buzzing around while also managing to stay expertly out of the way. There was a live musician, a harpist, and I stared at the magnificent instrument for a long time, sipping my wine and zoning out while my friends socialized around me until Miku pulled gently on my sleeve.

"Teto's here," she told me with a smile. "Haven't seen her since Psycho."

I followed her gaze towards the girl. She sat at the bar in a glimmering purple dress, talking with the bartender with a bright smile. It was odd seeing her at a bar. She was small, with young features and a smile that could only compare to the innocence of a child, so I had just assumed she was underage. Until now.

Unless they don't care, I thought to myself, thinking of how little my own ID had been checked when I ordered drinks.

"We should go say hi!" Gumi told us. I hadn't even realized that Luka had already disappeared somewhere, likely chatting with some big-wig executive.

I followed the girls, scoping the area for any more familiar faces. The more I thought about it, the less I wanted to see someone that I knew. We were pretty close to home, only about an hour away from where I grew up. But what were the odds of seeing someone here?

Pretty high, the pessimist in me said. I had already had pretty shit luck with meeting people at the worst times. Plus, Len was definitely here. Somewhere.

And I was definitely not looking for him. At all.

"Teto!" Miku greeted, taking an empty seat next to her. She spoke as if we had known the girl for years, even though we'd only met her a few weeks ago and hadn't seen or spoken to her since. Unlike some of my other acquaintances, however, she was very pleasant and bubbly. Teto could have given even Gumi a run for her money when it came to peppiness. I liked her.

Teto's eyes flashed with glee when she recognized us, even though it took a moment. "Whoa, hey guys! Didn't expect to see you here," she told us. "You're competing?"

"Guess so," I said, sitting in the seat opposite of her. "And you?"

"Of course!" Was her answer. She clapped her hands together in excitement. "I was begging my manager to get me in here."
"Sorry to say, Teto," Gumi said, sitting down next to Miku. "But you're going down."

The playful banter was enough to earn a laugh out of Teto, which made her look even younger. I had a really hard time believing she was twenty-one, but I didn't find it appropriate to ask.

"Have you guys met the other contestants?" She asked as the conversation lulled for only a moment.

I shook my head. "Don't think so."

She began to count on her fingers. "I could introduce you! I met Chris and Amy, Avanna, Galaco, TR-"

The immediate dissatisfaction must have thrown her off guard, because all three of us groaned at once.

She paused, lowering her hands back to the table and lowering her head. "Oh. Right. Sorry, I forgot about that."

"We just… don't get along," Gumi told her.

Teto furrowed her brow, as if contemplating something. "Do you guys actually not like them? Or… is it a publicity thing?"

Miku let out a single jarring, loud laugh. "We actually hate them, Teto."

Her bright eyes scanned the counter in front of her. "But… why? They're pretty nice guys-"

"Yeah," interrupted Miku. "When they're not shit talking us or trying to gain fans by stealing our limelight, they're pretty cool guys."

Gumi hit her in the shoulder. "We just don't get along," she repeated. "It's not a big deal." The last words she directed at Miku, who was still fuming.

"They're in the hotel room across the hall from us," I told Teto, taking another drink of wine. It tasted disgusting, but I figured the buzz would help me through the night. "Miku's a little mad about it."

"Mad?" Miku laughed, unamused, once more. "They're stalking us! I'm more scared. You know, I heard some shit about them."

I raised an eyebrow. "Heard some shit? Or looked up some shit?"

"Apparently," she began, lowering her voice and ignoring my question. "The purple one-"

"Gakupo," Teto corrected. I could barely detect the annoyance in her voice; she was very good at hiding it. But it was there.

"Gakupo, is, like, this hard drug dealer," she revealed.

I couldn't help it. I laughed softly, shaking my head.

"I'm serious, dude! People were saying he did time for dealing," Miku insisted.

"You're feeding rumors," Gumi accused.

"It's not a rumor if it's true!"

"How do you know it's true?" I asked her.

"Just…. Just look at him! Next time we see him. Why do you think he's all calm all the time?" Miku was really into this, beginning to raise her voice before Gumi hushed her. "It's because he's always completely out of it."

"God, you're awful," I muttered, half-joking. The alarming thought occured to me that we might have rumors this extreme circulating around us.

"And the blue one-" Her eyes flashed to Teto, who was avoiding eye contact. "Kaito. He's a huge player."

"Miku, I don't want to be mean, but I don't care-" I said.

"But this one is funny!" She argued. "He's a player, but he's, like, horrible at picking up girls. So horrible that it's a joke."

I leaned my head in my hand, attempting to keep myself from banging it into the counter.

"But here's where it gets good," she promised. "Now, the blonde one…"

My eyes flickered up to her.

"His mom is, are you ready for this? Hina. Kagamine."

Gumi's jaw dropped, and even Teto looked a bit surprised.

I narrowed my eyes. "Where have I heard that from?"

Miku shot me an incredulous look. "Rin, she's the most successful luxury real-estate agent in L.A."

Oh. Right.

"So," Miku continued. "We know exactly where all that money comes from. Not from daddy's wallet, but his mom's."

I remembered the Tesla he drove me home in a few weeks ago, the mansion he lived in… It made sense. They definitely weren't making that money from album sales.

"It… It doesn't matter, Miku," Teto insisted, trying her hardest to remain neutral. "They're nice guys."

"Maybe to you," she argued.

"Ignore her," I told Teto. "We don't like you any less because you hang out with them. We just like to stay out of each other's way."

She sighed, as if relieved. "Okay. I can understand that."

On my right, a figure sat in the empty seat. "Excuse me, bartender-"

My eyes snapped over to him, his voice sounding vaguely familiar. He wore a set of dark blue dress pants with a matching blazer, a complex pattern decorating the undershirt visible at his collar. He looked down at me, a greeting smile on his face.

Of fucking course, I thought.

Everett Blakeslee had not changed much in the few years it had been since I'd seen him. I'd known he was a minor TV producer, but he had apparently climbed quite a bit recently, because this was bigger than anything I remembered him working on before.

He probably thinks the same of me.

He was old enough, and his job stressful enough, that I imagined he would have some grey hairs by now. But he didn't, his dark hair looking freshly dyed and his expression cunningly warm and artificial. He had naturally narrowed eyes, giving him a permanent look of suspicion.

He looked just like his son.

"Rin," he greeted. Behind me, the conversation quieted. I wasn't sure if Miku and Gumi had ever met Dex's dad, but I couldn't remember ever introducing them. Not that Dex had ever given me the chance. "How have you been?"

I opened my mouth to respond, but I couldn't think how to. All I could do was think about the last person I wanted to see right now.

Does this mean Dex is here, too?