Iliana's car pulled up to the Andaz three hours later. She handed her keys to the valet and turned to Stella.
"I fucking hate downtown traffic." Stella looked around.
"Why are we here?" She asked.
"You need to meet Cora." Iliana replied. She grabbed Stella by the arm and pulled her inside. They were immediately greeted by the receptionist. "Cora!" Iliana beamed
"Iliana! What are you doing here?!" Cora asked. She looked at Stella. "Who's this?"
"This," Iliana said, "Is Stella. She is joining the fandom."
"Welcome!" Cora said, giving Stella a quick hug. "We're gonna need everyone we can get right now. They need some support, you know."
"I don't, really." Stella admitted.
"What?" Cora asked. "Is she that new?" Iliana nodded. Cora walked them over to one of the couches in the lobby. "Check-in isn't until two. We've got some time."
"Time for what?" Stella asked.
"Stella, on the list, there were four girls listed before me. This is number one: KissingQuiseng." Cora stuck out her hand.
"Pleased to make your acquaintance." She smiled as Stella accepted the handshake.
"Cora." Stella nodded. "Are you Cameron's girlfriend?" Iliana and Cora erupted into hysterical laugher.
"I don't think the first person with that title is going to last very long." Iliana said, wiping tears from her eyes. Stella tilted her head.
"First person? Wait ... isn't he twenty-two?"
"It's adorable, isn't it?" Cora asked. "Never had a girlfriend. That is just the beginning! He's so endearing." She said, swooning. "He's got those gorgeous eyes, big smile, and even bigger biceps-"
"Cora, you're going to start drooling." Iliana said, playfully slapping her.
"He's twenty-two, plays guitar, and hasn't had a girlfriend? What's wrong with him?" Stella asked.
"Nothing! That's what is so strange." Iliana said. "Cora, here, has been a fan since practically the beginning."
"Back in the days of OuterspaceAllStar." She sighed. "I just think they should be so much more successful than they are."
"So, okay ... tell me about yourself!" Stella said.
"Being an Adubber is a great thing. The guys are easy to meet, really sweet, but mostly ... normal. Meeting other celebrities, you know, they're very much obviously celebrities. But if you run into Allstar Weekend at Starbucks you wouldn't be able to tell they have over a million fans."
"Over a million?"
"Just hit it on Facebook." Iliana smiled.
"I always love VIP meet-n-greets. Those are the best because they're so awkward, you know?" Cora said. "The fans act like they're famous. Because they are, of course. The guys, though, they don't get it. They're like, 'How can we have changed someone's life?' They really think they're just a bunch of guys from southern California making music."
"Aren't they just a bunch of guys from southern California making music?"
"That's just it, they're so much more!" Cora said. "Every Adubber has made friends in the fandom. They've changed our lives. They are sometimes the inspiration for people to stop cutting, or purging, or doing any number of self-destructive things. I can't explain it, I don't understand it, myself, but what a fandom is can truly change a person's life. We are a family."
"That's true." Iliana nodded. "We're a family."
"Allstar Weekend did all that?"
"Absolutely." Cora said. "But they refuse to take the credit."
"What did they do for you, then?" Stella asked. Cora smiled and said,
"They just gave me a place to fit in." Stella glazed over Cora's appearance. Like Iliana, she had a very small frame. Cora, however, was very tall and spindly. Her hair was gelled into a Miley-esque, blonde fohawk.
"That's great." Stella smiled. "I hope they can do the same for me, then."
"Iliana, don't you think Stella's cute?" Cora said, tilting her head to one side.
"I suppose she is." Iliana nodded.
"Are you thinking what I'm thinking?"
"All along, girl." Iliana winked. Cora smiled.
"You are so bad!"
"What?" Stella asked. "What did I miss here?"
"Nothing, girl." Cora said. "Nothing. You're just ... very pretty. And we know someone else who would think you're very pretty. That's all."
"Okay?" Stella asked, eyebrows raised.
"Well, we must be off!" Iliana said. She and Stella walked toward the hotel's entrance where their car waited. "You go ahead, I've got some catching up to do real quick. It'll be just a second." Iliana told Stella. Stella went to the car.
"Do you think Cameron will like her?" Iliana asked Cora.
"Of course he will. She's gorgeous." Cora replied. "Like you." She leaned down to place a soft kiss to Iliana's lips. "Who else are you taking her to see?"
"Just the rest of the list: Emily, Lauren, and Kelsey."
"Emily? Do you want her to think we're freaks of nature?"
"I want her to get a full circle viewpoint." Iliana replied. Cora rolled her eyes and gave her a good-bye kiss. Iliana smiled and pushed her away.
"I don't want your manager to see."
"I don't give a shit." She chuckled. "I love you, now go!" Cora yelled after Iliana as she ran to Stella.