Amelia could not quite believe it. Here she was turning up for her first day of work, and already she had been welcomed into the group and given a place to stay. The situation was an odd one to say the least, but she decided not to dwell on it. She was finding life in another country very different to back home in the UK.
Amelia had been keen to discuss shooting schedules and locations, but it became very clear that this production would not run as smoothly as any of her past projects. In fact, she suspected it would be down to her to manage the whole thing, but it didn't bother her as much as she thought. The most information she had managed to squeeze out of Bam was that they had planned to start shooting a week today, Monday, and until then she should chill out with the others and get to know everyone. If she was being perfectly honest, it was a strange set up, but moving to America had been totally out of character for the previously shy and unconfident Amelia, so she decided to just go with it.
As the guys helped themselves to a rewarding third round of drinks, Amelia chatted with them, finding out interesting things about each of them. She instantly warmed to Dico and Raab, who seemed so innocent yet mischievous, and Dunn and Rake were very friendly and charming. Bam had struck her as very intense, but she wasn't sure how much of an act he was putting on, she would have to get to know him better. She was a little wary of Novak, who spoke to her chest rather than her face, but on the whole she decided they were lovely guys, and she imagined it would be fun to work with them. She noticed that the previously loud and boisterous Bam seemed preoccupied. He was staring out of the window, not participating in the conversation. Amelia looked puzzled, and Dunn picked up on this, elbowing her gently.
"Bam's having problems with his girlfriend, every now and then he goes really quiet and serious, and then he's fine again. You'll learn to get used to him and his little mood swings."
Amelia wasn't sure why she was surprised to hear that Bam had a girlfriend, after all, he was a good looking guy. She was even more confused by her feelings towards this news. Why should she be bothered? She had only just met the guy. Amelia shook the strange thoughts from her mind, and finally accepted an alcoholic drink from Dico, now that she knew she wouldn't be driving anywhere.
Considering her odd attire, Amelia felt strangely relaxed around the guys, which she supposed was a good thing. Raab and Dunn had teased her a little, and she caught Novak perving at her legs on several occasions, noting that the panties would have been a really bad choice.
"So Bam Bam." Said Dunn affectionately, snapping Bam out of his thoughts, "What's the plan for tonight?"
Everyone around the bar turned to look at Bam. He was clearly the leader, Amelia mused. Bam scratched his beard, glancing at his friends. "Party?" he said, with a gleam in his eyes.
"PARTY!" chanted the room. Novak started off the celebrations by smashing an empty vodka bottle round Raab's head. To Amelia's horror and amusement Raab remained fully conscious and unscathed.
"Raab's a full time stoner. He's smoked so much grass that he doesn't actually feel pain anymore." Explained Novak, after seeing the look of amazement on Amelia's face. "It's one of our party tricks."
Raab grinned gormlessly.
The drinking continued throughout the afternoon, as more and more people piled into Castle Bam. Novak was desperately trying to get laid, walking around in a pair of y-fronts and nothing else. "Hey ladies." He would purr. "Have you ever wondered what it's like to be with a real man?" Needless to say, every girl he tried it on would walk off in disgust.
Amelia had never been a big drinker. The odd house party in her teenage years had put her off, as she always seemed to end up with her head over the toilet bowl. Staying sober tonight would not be an option. The guys were treating it as her initiation ceremony, literally pouring drinks down her neck.
Bam had disappeared to somewhere in the house with a skinny black haired girl Amelia supposed must be his girlfriend. Had it not been for the copious amount of alcohol she had consumed, Amelia would have felt completely out of her depth, but she was thoroughly enjoying herself, and Raab and Dico had offered up their services as her personal escorts for the evening, showing her around the castle and plying her with vodka cocktails.
"I was a bartender in another life." Explained Dico seriously, mixing a sickly looking pink concoction into a beer mug. Amelia and Raab took a sip, immediately spitting the thick liquid back out.
"Dico you ass, that tastes like washing up liquid!" yelled Raab, wiping his tongue with his hand in an attempt to remove the foul taste.
"Well at least that clears up what was in this unlabeled bottle." Smirked Dico, tossing away a near-empty bottle of soap. Amelia laughed, and let out a drunken hiccough. Raab patted her on the back.
"There now Amelia, it's only seven, we have at least another twelve hours of partying ahead of us!" Amelia groaned, she was ready for bed.
As it turned out, Amelia was out for the count by nine. She wasn't used to drinking so much, and had passed out on a sofa in Bam's living room. She was discovered three hours later, and she woke briefly to find herself being carried up the stairs by Bam. Her head was pounding and she felt horribly nauseous. She managed to communicate to Bam that she needed to be sick, and he returned her to the bathroom from earlier. Amelia collapsed to the toilet bowel, and felt the bile rise up her throat. She was too ill to be aware of the fact that Bam was still in the bathroom, watching her. Had she been sober she would have been mortified by the way her first day had turned out. She had flirted with the people she was going to be filming, drank herself into oblivion, and developed a crush on Bam. This was not that way she had envisioned it going.
Amelia was relieved to discover that she wasn't the only to get caught out by the effects of alcohol. Dico and Raab hadn't lasted much longer, Bam told her. "I walked into the kitchen to find them slumped against the fridge in each other's arms."
As the second wave of sickness took over her, Amelia became aware of a warm hand on her back. Bam had crouched down next to her, and produced a glass of water. She took a sip to rinse her mouth, but was caught out by the contents of her stomach.
"Oh god Bam, I'm so sorry, you must think I'm a right twat." She began sobbing, as he offered her some tissue to clean herself up. Throwing up had sobered her up enough to hold an intelligible conversation.
"Don't be silly Amelia, this is nothing." He joked. "Just wait till you see Novak tomorrow morning. I guarantee you'll feel like a teetotal in comparison."
Amelia smiled weakly. Once she was sure her stomach was stable she made to stand up, but Bam's hand on her back remained. She felt glad of his comfort, but she really needed to get to bed. Reading her thoughts, Bam removed his hand and helped Amelia to her feet. She rinsed her mouth out once again in the sink, and Bam passed her a toothbrush. She was in no state to care who it belonged to.
"You're one of a kind Amelia Jones." Laughed Bam, as she freshened up. She allowed him to guide her out of the bedroom and along the corridor to a big wooden door.
"You can sleep in my room tonight." Bam said, "With the excitement of the party we didn't get chance to set you up in your own room."
Amelia felt her cheeks flush as they entered his room. She wasn't sure why she suddenly felt really shy around him. The room was huge, despite the black walls and matching furniture. In the far corner was a miniature skate ramp, and in the centre was a massive four poster bed, with silk purple sheets. It smelt musty but warm, like the t-shirt she was still wearing. She noticed embarrassedly, that the t-shirt was now damp with tears and sick. Without thinking about the present company she quickly pulled it off and let it drop to the floor. It wasn't until she turned around that she remembered Bam was in the room. Her arms instinctively crossed over her chest. If Bam was a little flustered by this he didn't let it show.
"I promise I won't perve on you." He said solemnly, crossing his heart. Amelia sniffled a little and smiled, letting her arms drop to her side.
His room, including the bed, was a mess to say the least. There were skateboards, clothes and magazine strewn all over the place. Bam realised there was no room on the bed to sleep, and so with a flourish of the duvet cover, the contents of the bed fell to the floor in a heap.
"Are you sure you don't mind me sleeping here?" said Amelia, looking at Bam worriedly. "Where will you sleep?"
"Haha, don't you worry about me, get some sleep you little alchie." He teased.
Amelia approached the bed hesitantly. Bam watched, amused. "It won't bite!"
As if to prove this to her, Bam walked over and plonked himself down on the bed, holding out his hand for Amelia to join him. She allowed him to pull her on to the bed, feeling the dizziness creep back.
"Oh dear, I think I need to lie down." She groaned.
Bam shuffled across to the other side of the bed, and stretched out with his hands behind his head. Amelia curled up with her head turned away from him. She was increasingly aware of the fact that they appeared to be sharing a bed. She was even more aware that she quite liked this, but quickly told herself it was the drink talking. Amelia's queasiness began to subside, and she started to drift into a soothing sleep.