I wouldn't say this is one of my best stories, but I decided to post it anyway so I could get reviews to improve it. I know it needs a lot of tweaking. Also, I need help with a new title for it.
I stood intently in front of the movie theater, waiting for my besties to come out. Laurel, Katie, Grace, Ashley, and I made up the Pretty Committee, or P.C. for short. I stood patiently beside Ashley.
“That was actually a pretty good movie.”
“Yeah. I never thought I would like a movie that starred Zac Efron.”
“Hey, I have my iPhone with me, do you wanna listen to some Tally Hall?”
“Sure.” I pulled my iPhone out of my purse, unwrapped the headphones, and put one of them in my ear. Ashley grabbed the other and put it in her ear. I quickly scrolled through the albums until I found Tally Hall’s album and started it from the first song, Good Day. Ashley and I were the only members of the P.C. that liked Tally Hall. We both loved indie, alternative, and rock music; all the others liked pop and country.
The Pretty Committee was a band that was currently signed to Atlantic Records. We were working on our second album, The Pretty Committee Takes Over. Our first album was also recorded under Atlantic and was called The Clique, but we never rerecorded it, unlike Tally Hall’s first album.
Finally, Laurel, Katie, and Grace came out of the movie theatre giggling like crazy.
“Why are you guys laughing?”
“We just saw something really funny.” Laurel said while giggling.
“What?” I asked curiously. I was always in for a good laugh.
“We were on our way out of the bathroom, and we ran into Frank and started talking, which is why it took us so long to get out. Frank had to get back in line after talking to us for a few minutes and on his way back, he started posing and strutting. You had to be there.” Katie said after she was done giggling.
“Ahh.” Ashley and I said in unison.
“Where did you guys park the car?”
“We couldn’t find a spot nearby, so we had to park at the far end.”
“Ohh.” We then walked back to our glittery purple van in formation, with me in the center. Along the way, we talked about 17 Again, saying how it was a really good movie and pretty funny.
I ended up being the one to drive us back to our condo in SoHo. The condo was a graduation gift paid for by all of our parents. Ashley and I had to share a bedroom because there were only four, but we didn’t care because we thought of each other as just like sisters.
We finally reached the condo and piled out of the van to the front door. I fumbled with the keys until I found the one to open it. We inhaled the cold air seeping from the conditioner as we entered the living room. That Saturday evening was the hottest we had ever experienced in New York.
Ashley and I had plans to go to a club event where MR. F was DJing. As Grace, Katie, and Laurel walked towards the kitchen, we took two steps at a time up the stairs until we tirelessly reached our bedroom on the 3rd floor.
“Are you excited about the event?” asked Ashley while she slipped her shoes off and hopped up on her bed.
“Of course!” I said while plugging my iPhone into the green iPod dock on my end table. Ashley and I quickly changed into our outfits for the event and began our makeovers. Ashley wore dark wash skinny jeans, a fitted blue shirt, light gray halter vest, and metallic gold ballet flats. I wore a simple white blouse with a pendant, skinny jeans, and pale gold Converses.
About half an hour later, we had finished our makeovers and were dancing along to the last song on MR. F’s mixed tape. Ashley and I both wore pale, sparkly purple eye shadow and dark berry colored lip stain. The only difference was my skin wasn’t naturally tan, unlike Ashley, who always looked like she had just spent a day at the beach. Her nails were painted bright purple and my nails were plain.
We exited our room after gathering everything we needed for the ride there. It turns out that the rest of the group was at the foot of the French-inspired staircase. We had been talking about Tally Hall’s May Tour. We were surprised when we saw them at the bottom.
“Where are you guys going?” asked Laurel.
“A club event.”
“Ohh. What’s it for?”
“It’s just a club event. We RSVP’d to it on Facebook. There’s going to be live music and a DJ.”
“Who’s the DJ?” asked Laurel. I had told her about Tally Hall, but she just didn’t like their music. But when I played a mixed tape, she liked it because there were a lot of catchy tunes on it.
“MR.F.”
“Isn’t that Ross from Tally Hall?”
“Yeah.”
“Can I come?” Ashley and I glanced at each other. This wasn’t like Laurel. She didn’t like to go to events that had anything to do with Tally Hall. We stared back at Laurel.
“Sure.”
“I’ll be back in a bit.” She stated while bolting up the stairs.
About ten minutes later, Laurel came back down wearing her favorite sleeveless pink dress, black leggings, and metallic silver ballet flats. She carried her iPhone and was texting someone. As she got to the bottom, we immediately sprinted out of the apartment and into our other car, which was a white convertible VW Bug.
Along the way, we listened to Jukebox the Ghost and Malbec. Laurel sat in the backseat putting on pretty much the same makeup we had on.
We finally got to the club where the event was located, and found a spot to park that wasn't that far away from the entrance.
When we got inside, we immediately walked over to the bar to order some appletinis. Suddenly, Laurel said something that caught us off guard.
“Hey, do you guys know if Ross is single?” She asked after taking a sip from her drink. Ashley and I nearly choked, even though we hadn’t taken a sip from our drinks.
“He’s single. Why do you wanna know?”
“Well, umm, I’m not sure how to say this, but I have a crush on him,” she said nervously. Our mouths hung open for a few seconds in shock, but we quickly closed them.
“Why don’t you tell him?”
“I don’t know.” She nonchalantly took another sip from her drink.
“Just go flirt with him. Trust me, he will flirt back.” She glanced again at Ross, downed the last sip of her drink, and glanced back at us. We mouthed ‘Go’ and waved our hands towards Ross. She finally got up and walked towards Ross. Ashley and I made our way to a booth that had chips and salsa laid out on it for anyone who wanted munchies. We immediately high fived each other when we sat down.
“Can we sit here?” asked a guy hovering over our table. Another taller figure stood beside him. We assumed they were guys by their voices, but we couldn’t see their faces because of the horrible lighting.
“Go ahead.” The two guys sat down opposite of us. After a few minutes, the dark lights got brighter. We then knew that the band, April Smith and the Great Picture Show, was going to take a break. We looked at the two mysterious figures that were sitting across from us to see who they were. They were talking about a mini tour coming up.
When we looked at their faces, we immediately recognized who they were. It was Joe and Zubin of Tally Hall.
“Oh my gosh, I didn’t even realize it was you two. Are you guys here to see Ross or April?”
“Both. How about you?” asked Zubin.
“Same, along with Laurel. She went up to talk to him.”
“She did? I thought she didn’t like our band.”
“She doesn’t like your music, but apparently, she does have a crush on Ross. That’s why she went up there.”
“Oh…” Joe and Zubin said in unison. The four of us talked about random topics while live music weaved through the air with heavy vibrations over the next two hours.
“So, are you going back to A2 soon?” asked Joe.
“Yeah. The Blind Pig called us yesterday asking us to do a residency there every Friday in June. We’re going there to confirm it,” I said. Joe had switched seats with Ashley so that now she sat diagonally of me. Then, Laurel and Ross approached the table smiling.
“Great job tonight, Ross.”
“Thank you,” he said while sliding into the booth next to Zubin. Laurel sat next to me. I quickly pulled out my iPhone and signed onto AIM. Laurel was always signed onto it. I sent her a short IM. Her screename was ItalianGirl101 and mine was AlphaGirl01.
AlphaGirl01: So…
[b]ItalianGirl101: So what?
AlphaGirl01: So, did you flirt back?
ItalianGirl101: Maybe…☺
AlphaGirl01: He did! I knew it! I knew he would! ☺
ItalianGirl101: But I have just one question…
AlphaGirl01: What?
ItalianGirl101: How did you know he was going to flirt back?
AlphaGirl01: When you were running lines with him for the Internet Show, he came over to me and said he definitely wanted you to play Sally.
ItalianGirl101: But what does that have to do with what we’re talking about?
AlphaGirl01: I wasn’t finished…
ItalianGirl101: Ohh…
AlphaGirl01: Anyway, he also told me he thought you were cute and funny. He’s had a crush on you ever since. I didn’t tell you because I thought you didn’t like Tally Hall. Ross said the same thing.
ItalianGirl101: Thanks ☺
ItalianGirl101 has signed off.
I looked up from my iPhone and quickly put it back in my purse. I turned towards Joe, who was busy whispering something to Zubin that I couldn’t understand. When he finished, Joe and I started talking more about residencies, tours, and our CD’s.
“So, are you going to have any other residencies?”
“Yeah. We’ve got an all ages residency offer from the Bowery Ballroom, which we accepted, and another one from a club in Jacksonville, Florida called Freebird Live. How about you? Do you have any other plans this summer besides the May Tour?” I asked while gazing into his hazel eyes. He gazed back with such high intensity that it made me flinch.
“Not really. We’re still in the process of trying to record our album. What’s your second album going to be called again?” He asked while still gazing into my hazel eyes.
“The Pretty Committee Takes Over,” I responded. Suddenly, Joe grasped my hand in his. I thought I was dreaming. I quickly pinched my leg to make sure. I wasn’t dreaming. Nobody else in the P.C. knew I had a crush on Joe.
Joe and I had been friends since I moved to Ann Arbor when I was 12. I had moved next door to him. It wasn’t until college that I had began to form a crush on him.
Joe then leaned in towards me and whispered in my ear:
“I like you. Not as just a friend, but also more. I’ve had this feeling for you ever since high school graduation. I just couldn’t stand keeping it in anymore,” he then pulled away as he said the last word. I felt my heart beat faster and a ringing sound fill my ears.
“I feel the same way about you.” As we got up out of the booth and exited, the club, I laced my arm through his, and rested my head on his shoulder, somewhat dazed. I then felt him kiss the top of my head lightly.
The rest of the night, I walked through Williamsburg with Joe, somewhat dazed, still able to talk and smile at him.
Around the time we were in one of the parks about twenty blocks from the club, I felt my iPhone vibrate. I stopped in my tracks and pulled it out of my purse. I had a chat invitation from Laurel and Ashley. Ashley’s screename was SailorJupiter10.
AlphaGirl01: What do you guys want?
[b]ItalianGirl101: What did Joe tell you back at the club?
SailorJupiter10: We’re dying to know.
AlphaGirl01: I’ll tell you guys back at the condo. Bye.
ItalianGirl01: WAIT!?!?!
SailorJupiter10: WAIT!?!?![/b]
AlphaGirl01 has signed off.
“Look, Joe, I really need to get back to my car. I have the keys and Laurel and Ashley don’t want to take the subway back to the condo. Is that okay?”
“It’s fine.” Joe and I ran back to where I had the car parked, and Ashley, Laurel, Ross, and Zubin stood intently between the Bug and the TH van, talking in low whispers. We slowed down so we could catch our breath while we approached them. We said our goodbyes to them and climbed into our cars.
As I was about to plug my iPhone into the dock, I felt their eyes on me. When I looked at their faces, they’re eyebrows were raised.
“Okay, fine. I’ll tell you what happened,” I said while starting up the car. They relaxed their shoulders, “he told me was that he liked me for more than just a friend,” they gasped. “The thing is, I feel the same way about him and so that’s what I said back.” They gasped again, “Now, how about you and Zubin, Ashley? Did you tell him?” I asked while eyeing her in the rearview mirror.
“First of all, how did you know?”
“Intuition.”
“Okay. Umm, yeah, I did tell him,” she confessed.
“Laurel?”
“Yes. We’re going out tomorrow.”
“Good.” I said triumphantly. We drove the rest of the way home singing along to Vampire Weekend like we were drunk. We immediately got ready for bed when we got back home and fell asleep happily.
