Me: Hey guys!

Ali: Heyyyyyyyy!

Me: Sorry about Ali, she got a boyfriend so she's really happy…and she just had four cups of coffee.

Ali: His name is Yankadori.

Me: He's really ugly.

Ali: Cassie! Why are you being so mean?

Me: Because! I am the Vampire's Assistant!

Ali: What?

Me: It's a vampire movie but it's not overly corny like a lot of them. Plus it's got Josh Hutcherson! Who is the third hottest guy in the universe next to James Maslow and Nathan Fillion!

Ali: You have issues.

Me: And so will you if you don't get paid!

Ali: Cassie only owns the O/C's and the plot!

Me: Thank you.

Ali: You want to hear about what happened at our date last night?

Me: Not really.

Beep! Beep!

I groan. I throw the covers off and my feet hit the hardwood floor. Work in an hour. I walk out of my bedroom and through the living room to the kitchen. I take a carton of orange juice out of the fridge. I wonder why Logan broke up with Penny. They seemed fine, better than fine, at the beach. James kept glancing at them. No. Stop, James loves you. You thought your parent's loved you too. They did love me. Something cold trickled on my feet. I looked down. Damnit! I put the orange juice on the counter and grab some paper towels. I clean up the orange juice on the tile floor and throw them in the garbage. Is my boob vibrating? No, it's just my phone.

"Hello?"

"Mel?"

"Yeah Sky?"

"Well I kind of ran into this little problem."

"Did you get arrested again?"

"No. Aubrey and I won't be able to come to LA. Well I could but Aubrey can't."

"Why?"

"She can't leave the state."

"Why not?"

"According to my grandma I would be arrested."

"But you need to be here!"

"I know, I'm going to try and figure it out."

"You better, but I need to get ready."

"Bye."

"I love you Sky!"

"Don't lie to me."

"I wasn't-"

The line goes dead. I put the orange juice back in the fridge. I'll get breakfast at Dunkin Donuts or something. My phone vibrates again. It's James.

"What do you want?"

"I'm sorry. I just wanted to tell you to be at the studio in 45 minutes."

"Okay, bye."

"Wait, what's wrong?"

"Nothing."

"What did I do?"

"James, you didn't do anything."

"What happened?"

"Don't worry about it."

"Wh-Okay. I love you Mel."

"I love you too James."

I click the end button. I run into the bathroom and set my phone on the sink. Today is going to be very interesting.

~30 minutes later~

I gaze into the mirror. My hair is down and wavy because I didn't use a hairdryer. I'm wearing a white tank top and black skinny jeans, plain black flip-flops and a silver chain that had a black flower and sparkled in the light. I grabbed my purse that held my phone, make-up, wallet, hair-ties, the CD with all of the music to all of my songs, and camera. I grab my keys off of my dresser and walk out to my car. I drive to Starbucks and get a caramel mocha latté and go to Dunkin Donuts and get a chocolate donut. I call James.

"Hello?"

"It's Melody."

"Hello my love, What's up?"

"Well I am in the Dunkin Donuts parking lot and I have no idea where I'm going."

"Look to your left."

"Why?"

"Just do it."

The line goes dead. Come on. I look to my left and there is James in his car. He pulls out of the parking lot and I follow him. One left turn, right, drive a mile, right, left, straight. He parks and I pull next to him. I get out and he walks up to me.

He slips his hands into mine. "You ready?"

I look up at him, I can never not wear heels around him. "On one condition."

He smiles. "What would that be?"

I smirk. "You shrink a couple inches. I can't reach when I'm not wearing heels."

He rolls his eyes and leads me into the building. We go through a couple halls and stop in front of a normal wood door. He opens it and we walk in. Kendall is leaning against the wall, Carlos if sitting in a chair with his crutches next to him, Logan is sitting on the floor and a middle-aged man with gray streaks in his dark brown hair was sitting in a chair in front of a panel with hundreds of buttons and knobs.

He stands and shakes my hand. "My name is Chris Frand. You must be Melody. I'll be your music producer. Andrew has told me so many great things about you, and he was right about how beautiful you are."

I smile, that's not weird. "Nice to meet you too." I hand him my CD. "This has the music to all of my songs."

He takes the CD and ushers me into the little booth. "Just sing into the microphone. Which track?"

I sit on the stool in front of the microphone. "Twelve."

I hear the music playing. This one's for you Royce.

You, with your words like knives and swords

And weapons that you use against meYou have knocked me off my feet again

Got me feeling like I'm nothingYou, with your voice like nails on a chalkboard

Calling me out when I'm woundedYou, pickin' on the weaker manWell, you can take me down with just one single blowBut you don't know what you don't knowSomeday I'll be living in a big ol' cityAnd all you're ever gonna be is meanSomeday I'll be big enough so you can't hit meAnd all you're ever gonna be is meanWhy you gotta be so mean?You, with your switching sides

And your walk-by lies and your humiliationYou, have pointed out my flaws again

As if I don't already see themI'll walk with my head down trying to block you out

'Cause I'll never impress youI just wanna feel okay againI'll bet you got pushed around

Somebody made you coldBut the cycle ends right now

'Cause you can't lead me down that roadAnd you don't know what you don't knowSomeday I'll be living in a big old cityAnd all you're ever gonna be is meanSomeday I'll be big enough so you can't hit meAnd all you're ever gonna be is meanWhy you gotta be so mean?And I can see you years from now in a bar

Talking over a football gameWith that same big loud opinion but nobody's listeningWashed up and ranting about the same old bitter thingsDrunk and grumbling on about how I can't singBut all you are is meanAll you are is mean and a liar and pathetic and alone in lifeAnd mean, and mean, and mean, and meanBut someday I'll be living in a big old cityAnd all you're ever gonna be is mean, yeahSomeday, I'll be big enough so you can't hit meAnd all you're ever gonna be is meanWhy you gotta be so mean?Someday, I'll be, living in a big old cityAnd all you're ever gonna be is meanSomeday, I'll be big enough so you can't hit meAnd all you're ever gonna be is meanWhy you gotta be so mean?

I smile and they clap vigorously. Chris opens the door and walks in. He has his hands out as if to strangle me. He places them on each side of my head and stares into my eyes. He kisses each of my cheeks.

I hear James. "Okay! That's enough!"

He yanks Chris away and pins him against the wall. James raises swings his fist but I catch his arm. "Jaymie, calm down."

I pull him out of the booth and Kendall, Carlos and Logan step into the booth. I grab my bag and pull James into the hall and he slams the door. "I can't believe he just did that to you!"

I roll my eyes. "James, it's not a big deal."

He stares at me. "Not a big deal? Not a big deal?" He takes a deep breath and places his hands on my shoulders. "It's a guy thing."

I giggle. "A guy thing? Is that like the guy code?"

He nods, totally serious. "Yes. You see, when a girl is dating a guy, for example you and me, she is completely off limits to any other guy. She belongs to the guy she is dating and when another guy besides on of her family members so much as looks at her the wrong way her guy gets very angry."

I stifle the bubble of laughter in my throat. "So, let's say Logan was to make a move on me. Would that be against the guy code?"

His face tightens. "Yes. Because you belong to me."

I take his hands off my shoulders and feel the bubble of laughter turn to a bubble of anger. "I belong to you?"

Whatcha guys think? This was all me this time. Rachel is busy working on some of her other stories on some other website. So please click that button down there and tell me what you think!