"Crap. Another overnight party?"

"C'mon, Mel. Don't be a bloody tightwad." Matt grinned. He tossed his Camel on the ground and ground it into the concrete.

"I am not a tightwad. I'm just sick of those stupid parties."

"Hmph."

The door opened, and L stood there, looking weirdly hyper, as usual. I flinched as his eyes met mine. There was something almost inhuman about my boss, at times.

"Come right in, gentlemen," he said.

We sat down across from his desk. L runs his business right out of the back room of the club, which means that, for the most part, it's hard to hear him over the music blasting on the dance floor. Fortunately, it was still afternoon, and the Vega wasn't open yet.

"I hear you've caught wind of the situation. Yes, there is going to be a slumber party, but the reason I requested the both of you is because I thought you to be the appropriate ages for these women."

"How old are they?"

"Nineteen, twenty, something like that. Have you ever heard of the popular girls' group Broken Wings?"

We both nodded.

"The party this evening is being hosted by the lead singer and the drummer."

I swallowed. I knew what this meant. Celebrity requests basically meant no fucking way are you backing out of this, Mello. Oh, brill. I reached in my pocket for the half-eaten chocolate bar I had stashed there earlier.

Matt laughed. "Damn, Mel. This is our lucky day. Those chicks are gorgeous."

I nodded tightly. Beautiful or not, they were customers. And God knows I hated customers. My mind flashed to the older woman that morning, and I shuddered, remembering how sad she had made me. How would these crazy pop singers affect me?

L was sorting through his desk drawer. He held up a scrap of paper. "Here is the address of the hotel. They are staying in the penthouse suite."

I knew I should have shut up then, but I couldn't help blurting out, "Can I not go tonight?"

L and Matt eyed me as though I were a lab specimen in formaldehyde. "Are you crazy, Mel? I'm not handling a bunch of wild girls on my own."

L pursed his lips. "You are one of our newest, Mihael. I believe that this will be good practise for the future, when you are requested by larger groups."

I bit into the chocolate. "Fine, fine."

Hal and Weddy were the lead singer and drummer of Broken Wings. They didn't tell me their real names, but I figured it wouldn't matter. I mean, we were just recording a stupid single, right?

When I arrived at my hotel suite, Miss Yagami stopped me. "Wait, Misa-Misa. Let's go check out the room next door."

"Why?" I demanded, as she and Rico swept me towards the adjoining door. "Sayu, can you set Misa-Misa's suitcase down on her bed?"

Sayu nodded and slipped inside. I shot her a smile as she closed the door. Sayu had been a good friend of mine, ever since Miss Yagami had been hired as my travel manager. She was sunny and not conceited, unlike many of the girls my age I had been forced to mingle with. She was a few years younger than me, though, maybe sixteen or so. But I still liked her.

Miss Y opened the door, and a blurry ball of pink and white-blond shot forward, enveloping me in a hug. I gasped for air as the person released me.

She was Hal, the lead singer. Her long, pale blond hair fell across her narrow, white shoulders in a stylish, stick-straight cut, much like my own, and she was dressed in loud, clashing shades of magenta and rose.

"Omigod, omigod, omigod!" she squealed. "It's Misa Amane! Omigod!"

"H-hey," I stammered, edging backwards ever-so-slightly.

Weddy stepped out of the room too. She was taller, her blond hair slightly darker, flipping up at the ends. She wore a mirrored pair of shades over her eyes, and her pouty, mocking mouth was slathered in dark red lipstick.

"Hello, Misa-Misa," she greeted me coolly, not hugging me. She flashed me the smile that had gotten her on the cover of Seventeen and Lucky all those times. "It's awesome to finally meet you in person."

"You too." Was she being slightly condescending, or was it just my imagination?

Miss Yagami tittered. "Well, why don't you three get to know eachother while Rico unpacks? I'm sorry, Misa, dear, but I'm going to have to excuse myself and Sayu. We have some business to attend to."

"Cool. Bye!" I smiled another Misa-Misa smile as they left.

Hal grabbed my hand. "C'mon, let's go inside!" she bubbled, leading me into the enormous, sumptuously decorated suite. The ground, bed, and every available surface was littered with bottles of nail polish, tubes of lipstick, compacts, and every variety of clothing imaginable. I sidestepped a pair of platinum, diamond-tipped hair combs that were dumped on the ground as though they were plastic and followed them to the mini sitting room.

"So, like, we're throwing a party," Hal was informing me excitedly. "We're gonna invite everyone from Broken Wings, and then a couple of my BFF's, and then Weddy's BF, Light."

"You have a boyfriend?" there hadn't been word of it in the news.

She made a moue. "Don't tell anybody. He's a University student, and hot as hell."

"I'll bet."

"Whoa, you have, like, no accent!" Hal exclaimed. "You sound, like, so American!"

"Thanks," I said. "So, when's the party?"

"Tonight. You totally have to come. We've got tunes and beer and we're ordering pizza from Papa Near's. And…" she trailed off suggestively.

"And what?"

She giggled. "The entertainment's going to be the best part."

"What is it?"

She put a finger to her pouty pink lips. "Secret."

Weddy groaned. "Lame," she intoned. "Secrets suck. We're getting male strippers from Vega."

"Oh." I didn't know how else to respond to that.