Falling Stars (closed)

[lafeae]

Eddy listened to her, and decided now was a time to shut up. He was horrible about actually stopping when he was ahead. There wasn't anything she hadn't said that he could improve on, anyways. Not without divulging the whole scandal to her this early in the game. Instead, he kept himself comfortable in the carriage, closing his eyes and opening them again as they went around. His stomach was doing flips, and it felt like it was hitting his heart in the process.


There was that element that Lilly had on him. She wasn't just that girl that stood in the checkout line, reading through the tabloids quickly so she didn't have to pay for them. She was the girl that wrote those tabloids and sorted through the trash and the gold, so that other people would be on the receiving end. She was more privy to things that some of the stars probably didn't even know they had. Lilly had a certain perspective on the in's and out's of the celebrity world, or at least, the musicians and all their stupid shenanigans.


When she said that he could come over to her place sometime, his eyes were firmly shut and he was biting his lip, praying for this to be over and not be a bloody mess amongst the concrete and metal of the carriage. So much for being daredevilish. Those movies could be damned. As she mentioned it though, his eyes opened, and they slid over to her. "Eh, it's okay. I've been in some squat little places. And...I know how to be pretty incognito for you, I promise."


Eddy wobbled off the ride, waving at the man who wished them well, and finding the tips of his shoes to follow until they were on secure(ish) ground on the pier. His back straightened, his breath heaved in, and he smiled, pretending that he was okay while she was likely still scared. Then, before he could open his mouth to suggest they go get cotton candy or a milkshake, his phone began to ring. "Craaap....."


Letting go of her hand, fishing the phone out and looking at the number, Eddy shook his head. There was no way he was going to answer it in front of her. That wouldn't have been all that nice, especially not after he had been last time. But it told him that he was going to have go, and go now without risking something troublesome. Reaching back out, Eddy took Lilly's hand. "I have to get going a little early," he said, shrugging lightly. But before he left, he set his opposite hand behind his back and, like an old school gentleman, kissed her knuckles. "Til next time."

 

[Captainsassypants]

As they began to descend she wasn't sure whether to be relieved or more worried. Going down meant there was a smaller chance of them dying but they seemed to move down a lot faster than they did going up. She finally settled on dealing with it the same way she always did- pretending like it wasn't happening. Denial and distractions were her number one coping mechanism. Focusing on other things like silly conversations or whatever else there was to throw herself into was easier than dealing with whatever was bothering her.


"Alright, you've been warned. So when you see it for yourself don't be surprised." She tried to sound calm and cool but she wasn't sure if it was coming off that way with how uneasy she still was even if she wasn't thinking about it. "Maybe you should come in disguise." She suggested half joking but when she said it she realized how strange it was. Wasn't the point of this deal to be caught seen in public? What was the point of him sneaking over to her place if it wasn't to be seen? Were they like friends now? Coming to that conclusion made her smile almost in disbelief.


Without her even noticing, the ride had come to a stop and she came climbing out after Eddy a few minutes later. It took her a while for her to get her footing again. Part of her still felt anxious and shaky even though she wasn't even on the ride anymore. It was probably just left over adrenaline, it would wear off soon enough. While she worked to shake the feeling she fell comfortably into step beside him wondering what would be next for them, but before she had the chance to ask his phone started ringing. Just from his reaction alone she had to wonder if it was the same person that had called during their meeting, or maybe it was just Andy angry he had been gone so long. He must have tons of things he needed to do, taking a whole day off probably didn't work well with his schedule.


"Is everything okay? Shouldn't you take that?" Her head tilted to one side as she worried she was keeping him from something important. "You really shouldn't-" she was cut short by him grabbing her hand, announcing he had to go, and then kissing her hand like some knight or something. As if on cue the blood rushed to her cheeks as soon as he did it and she felt at a loss for words. She was really going to have to get better at this sort of thing. If she acted like this every time something like this happened people were going to have a hard time believing she was his girlfriend. "Oh, uh, yeah of course, you should go. Just let me know when you need to see me again, okay?"

 

[lafeae]

Without a word, just hand wave, Eddy weaved through the crowd of folks, looking at at Lilly one last time. Hopefully that left a good impression, or it at least left the media with a little bit of something to go off of. Though, for once it wasn't for publicity's sake. And neither was inviting her to his apartment. That was just to make her comfortable and happy. That was a game. Which meant this whole thing probably wasn't anymore. There was a whole new level to it.


--


In the following days, Eddy did his best not to look at tabloids or any of the Internet bullshit Andy was sending him through email. The only reason to be worried is if that wasn't happening.


He couldn't find a reasonable excuse. Nothing exciting or noteworthy other than what seemed to be a pile of work. Shirking it off was out of the question, he'd done that enough. Having suggested to Andy that he just invite her to his apartment for something casual had been shot down in a millisecond. Andy said it was 'too early' and not interesting enough. Like the man knew what it was like to have camera lenses through the Venetian blinds.


Then a party came up. A close friend finishing up an album and celebrating not having to do that for another few years and simple float off eh exonerate and the iTunes sales. Without hesitation, Eddy picked up the phone and told Lilly, telling her to be a little dressy, but not overdo it.


Having told her to meet him at the record label at seven, hoping to be fashionably late, some part of Eddy thought she wouldn't even show up. Like she was scared, or overwhelmed, and would back out.

 

[Captainsassypants]

Lilly returned back to her life as usual. She put most of her time and energy into just staying focus on her work. Now that she was being given more responsibility she was going to have to make sure she didn't mess up. She had gotten at least two of the articles she worked on printed- granted they were small and not about things most people would be interested in, but it was a start. She was trying to look at it mostly like practice work until she chashed in on her favor with Eddy to write an article about him.


Speaking of Eddy she hadn't heard from him during the days that passed after their day at the beach, but every once in a while some tabloid or article with their picture plastered on it would float across her desk. In response there were always a few snickers and comments from her coworkers but she mostly ignored them. It was strange seeing herself in print like that and reading what the media had to say about her was even stranger. Eventually she stopped looking at them all together. She was just satisfied that she had played her part and the plan was working.


When Eddy finally did get around to calling her she was surprised to say the least. She had been expecting something along the same lines as their day at the beach hearing he wanted her to be his date to some fancy party was not at all what she had been anticipating, but of course she agreed it wasn't like she could say no.


The day of the release party finally rolled around and Lilly showed up to the record label at seven o'clock on the dot. She wasn't sure what she was supposed to wear. Eddy had said dressy but not too dressy but she wasn't sure how dressy would be too dressy, so she stuck with a simple black cocktail dress with lace detailing here and there. She hoped that would work as she really was clueless how these things went. She had a feeling she was going to stick out like a soar thumb among all the swanky rich and famous people that were bound to be there. There was no way she belonged at an event like that.If she really had been dating Eddy she would have hated being dragged to things like this because it would be like a giant neon sign screaming she didn't belong, Luckily she wasn't really dating him and she already knew she didn't belong with him. All she really wanted was to just go by undetected like she was used to doing, but she knew that wasn't the point of doing all of this which was what made her nervous.

 

[lafeae]

Eddy leaned outside his car, as if she couldn't miss the bright yellow color, his hands tucked in his pockets. Even though he told her to be dressy, he was anything but. Dark colored jeans and a faded t-shirt emblazoned with some hardly able to read logo, covered in a fouled attempt at looking nice: a black blazer that probably needed a good ironing. Maybe the only thing that stood out was the mess of hair semi-curly hair, down past his shoulders, seeming like humidity had gotten the best of him. Then again, it was always different for guys and girls, especially in Hollywood. If he didn't tell her to look nice, and she picked out something simple instead, she would be criticized by the crowd. No one usually said anything so long as guys were tacky--gals, on the other hand, they could get vicious with. Even the unknowns.


"Aren't you looking nice?" he called out, and Eddy pushed himself off the car, opening up the passenger side door. Ever the knight, bleeding over from the beach side rendezvous. His goal was to make her turn that shade of red again, but he would probably have to catch her while her guard was down. "You ready to mingle?"


It was probably a stupid question. This wasn't something she regularly did. Touching shoulders and lingering with the elite was probably going to leave her without a voice, and a pair of bug eyes staring through the whole time. The car ride over was going to, maybe, give him just enough time to explain that it was a normal party. With all the normal party things. Just amped up to the max.

 

[Captainsassypants]

Lilly had been on her way towards the doors unsure if she was supposed to wait outside for Eddy or if she was supposed to meet him inside. She tried to think back to what he told her over the phone but all she could remember him saying was the record label at seven. She had gotten half way to the door deciding to go in and ask someone about it when she heard his voice and she stopped in her tracks turning around to search him out but it didn't take long for her to spot him.


"Oh jeez, am I over dressed?" She asked walking towards his car, her heels clicking against the pavement . Perhaps when he said dressy he just meant a dress in general, something more like a sundress. Judging by his attire that seemed most appropriate. She was beginning to wonder if she had over thought her wardrobe, but when she thought about it, being overdressed was probably better than under dressed- so she had that going for her.


"Well I wouldn't say ready.." She nervously laughed and slid into the passenger seat, offering him a little smile while he held the door open. She had to admit he could be quite the gentlemen. She had to wonder if that was really him of it if was just apart of an act. He was known for his relationships after all and it wasn't hard for her to see how he won the ladies over.


"So what is this for exactly?" She asked after buckling her seat belt. A hand went to fix her hair even though she already had the front pieces pulled back so her fussing didn't really serve much purpose other than it gave her something to do with her hands. Once that was finished she let both her hands fall into her lap to mess with a ring on her finger. "Also how long is this going to be? Is there something specifically I'm supposed to do or do I just stand next to you and look pretty? Sorry I'm asking so many questions, It's just that I've never really gone to anything like this. I hardly go to parties with where its only normal everyday people."

 

[lafeae]

All the little gestures seemed just like something Eddy wanted to do to make her happy. To get a smile on her face and so that maybe he left something of a good impression. He was still her friend, not her enemy, and he intended to make that as obvious as he possibly could for her.


Buckling in, revving the car up, turning the radio to a low hum, Eddy listened to her questions and tried to figure a way for him to answe them in order. He opened her up to these questions, he was bound to answer the for her. Though, really, he didn't exactly know the answers to any of it. It was all speculatory and depended on the crowd. This crowd, usually, was pretty mellow.


"It'll last as long as the booze holds out," said Eddy. "And even then, of everyone's so hammered they won't see you leave, then it doesn't matter. There's gonna be a lot of people who don't know rah other. People invite their...plus ones and then friends show up. It's not always exclusive, just ritzy in a sense. But don't worry," he set his hand on her shoulder. "You're not meeting the an orchestra. Its just...you know, musicians and stuff. People who know how to be fun. Just have fun." He said, as a rule of thumb for her. No need to be uptight. "Sound cool? Just...talk to whoever will talk back."

 

[Captainsassypants]

Slowly she began to grow calmer the longer she sat there listening to the low hum of the engine while Eddy answered her questions. It would probably be a whole different story the moment she stepped foot out of the car. She was always going to be anxious, that was just what she did, but for now she was alright. There was no use getting to worried about what was going to happen when she couldn't do anything about it.


His answers hadn't been the most informative bit she had a better idea of what she was walking into now. He had made it all sound so simple, like it was nothing. Maybe it was nothing for him, but for her it was a big deal. She supposed he did that to make her feel better, that was nice of him. "Okay, I think I understand, thank you." She smiled turning to glance his way, her chin brushing against the hand he had placed on her shoulder. "Although I have a feeling I won't do much talking" She added a little later and went to watch out the window for the rest of ride.


She was beginning to wonder how much longer it was going to be until she spotted what she was pretty confident must have been their destination judging by the number of cars parked outside many people they're were all dressed up walking inside or just standing around out front. She didn't recognize any of them but they were still far enough away that they looked more like silhouettes. She was curious to see if she'd spot some other famous person she knew of at this thing or maybe the question wasn't if she would, but who she would spot. "So is that it?"

 

[lafeae]

The party was already jumping when they arrived, and Eddy manuevered around the mess of cars until he could find a space. There was a man that was walking around, dressed in a waist coat and white shirt. He approached Eddy, who handed a small envelope to the man. Without a word, the man walked away. It was just a lot of well-cared for cars, save for some of the rusted old trucks or the cars they used for discretion.


Getting out, Eddy nodded. "This is the place. Blue always has an odd choice of venue for his parties." Because why make it sleek when it could be hard core? Blue, the lead guitarist and ringleader of the band To Breathe, was often the quirky type. If Eddy didn't know any better. He'd guess it was a converted warehouse.


Eddy opened her door and took her hand, pulling her along and into the party. There were only a few that were still flowing in.


"Oh my God, Ed, mate. Where the fuck did you learn to read time?" An Australian accent called from near the door.

 

[Captainsassypants]

"Blue?" Lilly questioned for a moment before realizing who ever this blue was it must have been the person throwing the part. She had a hard time believing Blue could be their real name and she wondered how they had gotten the nickname. But in the grand scheme of things it really wasn't that important and she had much bigger things to worry about. Like the fact she was about to be surrounded by a bunch of people she didn't know or have anything in common with, all while keeping up some charade. It was easy to pretend when the most they had to do was just be seen next to each other but this party was going to put them under a microscope which would make things a little harder.


She was still busy staring at the people milling around when Eddy urged her out of the car and into the party. All her movements were a little delayed compared to his. When they entered the party she was glad he'd taken her hand for once, because she was almost afraid she might get lost in the crowd of people inside the building and instinctively her hand tightened around his the same way she might clutch onto something to keep from drowning.


The expression on her face as she looked around could best be described as wonder, or maybe fear- it was hard to tell the difference. She didn't even know which it was herself, but she didn't have time to figure it out because about that time she noticed someone trying to talk to them- well no them but Eddy who she just happened to be attached to.

 

[lafeae]

The whole room, once they were let inside and the door was promptly closed behind them, was a mess of people floating in between one another, talking, laughing, dancing and drinking. All of them were levels of celebrity in some way, whether just knowing one, or being one. Coloured lifts flared through the building, with light strobe, and a definite baseline was heard just a little over the noise of people.


There was always something disorienting about the parties. Even if Eddy had been to ten million of them. Nothing worse than a certain stale smell he couldn't quite get over. It was probably nothing, but it nearly made his eyes water.


And her hand clutched so tight around his that his fingertips were losing feeling. Briefly, he looked to her, surprised she didn't know who he was talking about. At least not yet. Not until the aforementioned man came into view. Tall and lanky, with his hair buzzed short except for the the top, slicked back with off shades of blue in it. Some of the colour was fading out. For his look, he was somewhere near middle aged.


An old officer's jacket, complete with drives shoulders and ornate buttons, hung loosely from his shoulders. It fit well with the combat boots. "Hey, it said 18 o' clock. I figured this was...close enough."


"6, mate. That's six. You have the Internet for God's sake..."he paused, looking Lilly up and down. "Who's this little doll you brought with you?"


"This is Lilly," Eddy said, and took the advantage of her grip to swing her forward. "Lilly, this is the host for tonight, David Dodge. We call him Blue." And he figured, since Lilly worked at Filter, she'd have at least heard the man's name before. Or the fact that the band was notorious for delays on their albums. "She's never been to one of these things."


"Oh, well, pity and good. It's a lot of fun, would've been better if he brought you on time though." Blue replied, and he clapped a hand on her shoulder. "These people don't bite. Have a drink; have some fun."

 

[Captainsassypants]

This party was much more elaborate than anything Lilly had ever been to. The parties she had be to, which weren't many, had always been held in someones cramped apartment with people huddled together here or there, with the distinct smell of cigarettes and cheap liquor in the air. This party was nothing like that however. This one was big and loud and there were more things happening at one time than she could keep track of or even process for that mater. It looked more like something from a movie than something from real life.


If she had thought she didn't belong there before, she definitely knew she didn't belong now. With the number of people there were, she hoped that people would be too busy in their own worlds to pay her to much mind but as long as she was standing next to Eddy that wouldn't happen. That was only proven when they were approached not even a few minutes after stepping through the door by a vaguely familiar edgy looking, and probably Australian from the sound of it, guy.


She had been perfectly content to hang back while Eddy caught up with his friend but of course that wasn't possible because it didn't take long for the friend in question to notice her , perhaps a little to well for her liking. Her instinct was to want to hide behind Eddy but he wasn't going to let her do that because before she had a chance to pull away he was pushing her forward, a helpless terrified look flashing over her face in response.


"Um hello.." she said regaining her composer and looking the guy over a little more closely now. As soon as she heard the name it became obvious to her why he looked vaguely familiar. Filter had run a few articles on his band but it had never been anything she worked on and she had more or less forgotten about them until now. The hair at least explained why he was called Blue.


"I'll try, thanks" She said with a nervous laugh, visibly uncomfortable at the fact his hand was on her shoulder despite her trying to hide it. Maybe he was right, if she had a drink or two she might just be able to loosen up a bit.

 

[lafeae]

Even though Eddy and Blue were close, he knew that sometimes that guitarist had a bad tendency to hang all over people and butt himself into anything. Before he actually could say anything to try and get Blue to get away and give Lilly some space, the man's name was being called over a microphone with a little bit too much feedback. It was hard for Blue not to ignore that. He moved away from Lilly, catching glances with Eddy. "When you get a chance, talk to Lizzy, yeah? She's got a little present for you."


Those were words that made Eddy frown, because there were only so many things that could be. He wasn't a fan of Blue's presents; he'd wound up in too many bad situations with it. "Sorry about him," Eddy said, and he rubbed the back of his head. "He can be sorta....obnoxious sometimes." Like that was making it any better to deal with. She'd just had a man in her face that she didn't know, and there were a hundred more besides him that were milling about.


Taking Lilly's hand again, leading her through the party across the side of the warehouse where he saw there were drinks being made. Taking out his wallet and putting a few dollars in the tip jar before he even ordered. "Heineken. And....what do you want?" Eddy asked, and he looked back to Lilly. "Beer, wine, mixed drinks?" If he knew how Blue was, the bar would probably be full. "Or nothing. Nothing is fine, don't take it anyway..."

 

[Captainsassypants]

Relief washed over the seemingly overwhelmed girl the moment Blue was called away and he finally released his grip on her. She wouldn't say she disliked the man, as he seemed perfectly nice, he was just a little to enthusiastic for her taste. If the setting had been any different she might have been able to respond better rather than looking scared to death and doing a horrible job hiding it. If she had had some time to adjust, their encounter would have been better she thought.


"No, it's alright really." She said turning to Eddy and giving him her most reassuring look. "I'm just sorry that I'm not better at these sort of things." She used one of her hands to rub the opposite arm then let both her arms fall to her side. " He's very.." She had to search for the right words. "Interesting." She finally settled on that not sure if that was quite the word she'd been looking for. "So you know him well then?" she asked a bit curious about their relationship.


When he then guided her over to the bar she felt like he must have read her mind, or at least have been thinking something along the same lines. "What do I want? well..." She paused to look over the drink menu for a moment. She didn't much like beer but she also didn't want to get too drunk and being the lightweight she was that left out most of the mixed drinks so really all that was left was wine. "I think I'd just like a Riesling if they have it." She finally decided and with in a matter of moments their drink had been served to them.


Picking her glass up and taking a few sips from it, she looked over the room once more. People were everywhere she looked, some were dancing, others formed large groups around the edges of the warehouse, while many, like them, were just hanging around the bar. "So, what do you want to do now?" She asked tearing her attention away from the crowd and back to him. "Do you have more friends you want to see? Please don't let me hold you back "

 

[lafeae]

"I know him pretty well, yeah. I had the chance to be their opener one year," Eddy said, taking the cup they'd given him and drinking nearly half in one go. These parties were great, but overwhelming when sober. Though that was a quality that maybe Lilly didn't need to know about him. Looking down into the liquid, Eddy tried to tell himself he would use moderation. "We've kept in touch ever since. I helped him get a place in the States since he was always...against the idea."


Keeping in mind that she was a wine drinker, or at least liked it, Eddy wondered if he could use that later on to be charming. Why did that matter though? It wasn't as if this was long term to that degree. Knowing her favourite brand of wine would have been about as important as knowing who her childhood friend was: considerate, but unnecessary to the ruse.


"There's a lot of people here I wouldn't mind talking to," he shrugged, taking a few steps towards the main dance floor. People were coming and going out of doors to each side of the stage, probably seperate rooms, possibly to get away from the chaos in the main. "I don't want to leave you all by yourself though. Be kinda mean."


Somehow, he could make this interesting for her. Maybe even make her social. Once she was in, no one cared who she was. She was somebody's somebody. "You know...this would be a good opportunity to get any info on people of you wanted. They're all drunk and having a good time. Probably having loose lips. Or..." He shrugged. "See someone you always wanted to talk to, I can probably introduce you to them."

 

[Captainsassypants]

"Oh, cool." Lilly said and took another sip from her glass which was still more or less full. "He's not like I expected him to be like." She noted thoughtfully a moment later. She had to wonder who else Eddy was friends with it. She had never really considered it before but he was bound to know all sorts of famous people . She wondered if any of them would meet her expectations of what she thought they'd be like.


"You can do whatever, I know how to take care of myself. I don't wan't you to feel like you have to babysit me." She shrugged. "This is your thing anyway. I'm just here for the pictures." She really didn't mind if he wanted to go talk to some people for a while. She had a knack for finding relatively quiet spots in even the noisiest of places where she could stay out of the way and keep herself entertained for a while, so it would be fine.


When he mentioned this possibly being a good opportunity for her she hummed in thought tossing the idea around for moment. " You might be right... but that's kind of unfair. Plus anything I could get out of them would be useless unless I could get them to agree to go on the record." she said a moment later after having thought it over. "Besides I have no idea who's here and just going up and talking to them would be weird, I wouldn't know what to say."

 

[lafeae]

Eddy shrugged. If she was being an honest sort of reporter, a rare occasion in this day and age, then he wasn't about to stop her. That didn't mean he would leave the situation lie. Because there were plenty of friends here, but there were also plenty of people he could do without. It was one of those occasions where showing up late was more strategic for him and Lilly than showing up on time.


"Talk to people like you talk to anyone. Just...talk. Just pretend you've been in a movie or something," he suggested. It probably came out sour, and he hadn't meant it that way. "They're all drunk, half of them are probably hopped up on something. They won't know what's happening until next Thursday." He laughed a little bit. It was strange, because that was how many people lived their lives, famous or not. Except in this venue, everyone was happy to be hopped up on something. It was a thrill. Unlike many who drank and snorted something to fall away from their problems.


Taking a few steps into the grinding crowd, maneuvering around the dancing, nearly moshing mess, he went into one of the side rooms and looked back. If Lilly followed him, he wouldn't mind. If she wanted to talk to someone, hide in a corner, hide in the car...he couldn't stop her. Barely through threshold, he was stopped by a woman in cut off shorts and a glittering tank-top. "Hey! I was wondering when you'd show up." And she went in for a hug, wrapping around him tightly.


"Eh, I was busy."


If Lilly wanted someone to talk to, the person for the job was right in front of him. Sure, they all slammed on guitars and had wooed a crowd, walked a red carpet once or twice. But Katie was a little more than just the average of them. "Yeah, right. I know what that means." She rolled her eyes. "Heard you brought another one of your girls. Where is she?"


"Somewhere around here."Eddy turned to look over his shoulder. This would be a good way to let him float through the crowd and maybe give Lilly someone to talk to. Better than all the crazy guys here. Katie was down to Earth. Giving a nod once he caught Lilly's eye, he stepped out of the way, allowing for her to see Katie Minx.

 

[Captainsassypants]

"I guess I could try that, but wouldn't it be obvious that it isn't true?" She asked almost positive it would be impossible to convince anyone she a movie star or anything of the sort. Even if she could , talking to people she didn't know wasn't as nearly as easy as he made it sound, even if they were all drunk or on something. They might not know what was going on but she would and that was what mattered. It was her own thoughts that always got in the way and held her back. She was constantly picking everything she said and did apart. It wasn't even like she wanted to, it was just something she did without thinking. Some times she wished she could just stop thinking and do things without worrying about it. So on that note she took a large drink of her wine hoping that would help.


When she lowered the glass from her face Eddy had already begun to walk off, which she took to mean he was going to find his friends and she was on her own for a while, which was fine with her. She watched him for a little just to see where he was going in case she needed him for some reason. Then she was going to go off in search of somewhere not to crowded, where she could hide out for a little while until she needed to make another appearance with Eddy. She even considered following his advice and talking to someone but she doubted she'd ever work up the nerve.


She waited until he had gone into another room and was about to start looking for somewhere to go when he caught her eye and she realized he must have wanted her to follow and she felt a little dumb for not catching on before but it wasn't like he gave her much information about what he was doing. So carefully she made her way through the crowd of people trying her best to avoid bumping into people but of course that was nearly impossible. It was just as she was getting to the door way she realized the girl with Eddy.


"Oh, hello." She said stepping into the room which considerably less noisy and crowded than the main area which was a relief to her. She then took the opportunity to get a better look at the woman while she waited for some one to say something or Eddy to introduce her so she'd know who she was.

 

[lafeae]

In the recesses of Eddy's brain, there was a part of him that knew that he was like Lilly once. Shy, introverted, and dealing with these levels of crowds gave him the heebie-jeebies. It wasn't even that he was worried what other people thought, just that there was no charisma in him to actually try and deal with any of them. They were all just noise. Faces and voices. His parents had plenty of parties where the whole downstairs was filled with suits and cocktail dresses. He'd hide upstairs, hanging around the banister, lowering his head anytime one of the adults would wave.


And he knew that had to be Lilly now. That little kid hiding behind at the banister trying to pretend they weren't even there. And here he was, being that adult waving at her, making her feel shy and awkward even more than she already had. This wasn't something she was trying on her own. This was him forcing her into a contract just for the publicity. What publicity was there here, though?


Taking another big gulp of the Heineken, Eddy washed away the thoughts. There was no undoing what he had done, but maybe distracting Lilly with glitz and glamour might do something. He hadn't met too many girls who didn't fall head over heels for Katie Minx. She played the kind of bubbly music that most teenage girls played on repeat on the iPhones on the way to school. Though, in her current state, Katie was more or less just an average person. She didn't have on her stage face.


It felt maybe a little awkward as he said: "This is Lilly."


"Hello there," Katie replied, a small finger wave to Lilly. "She is cute."


Eddy sighed. Well, it wasn't like there had been anything passionate between him and Katie, and it was no fault of his own. She just had her own urges, and moved from one guy to the next to fulfill them. "You might recognize her more with a pink wig and tutu--this is Katie Minx." Eddy knew that Blue may have been a vague pop culture reference for Lilly, but Katie was the 'here and now'. "She's an...old friend of mine."


Katie more than happily walk forward and looked Lilly up and down, as though she were inspecting girl for some sort of quality. When she threw a glance over her shoulder to Eddy, she quickly shooed him off. "Go on, you have other things to do. I'll talk to her for a bit. Us girls can gossip." And she made it clear, with just a slight tilt of the head, that she'd rather Eddy run away from them. The singer merely shrugged his shoulders and began to float away, mingling with the crowd. "Ugh...he can be so clingy sometimes."