Photograph

Five

"Look at me when I talk to you, Billie." The buff guy spat.

She continued to fiddle with her long sleeves, she swiped her tongue against her bottom lip, a small smirk plastered against her now dampened lips, ignoring her tour manager. She looked over at me, rolling her eyes at his monotonous voice, making me chuckle slightly, my cheeks warming up at her icy gaze.

We were now in said lobby, Maggie and Finneas and I standing slightly behind her, watching as the man lectured the poor girl.

"It's just a room. You really wanna split up the couple of the year? That sounds a bit fucking selfish to me, Rob."

"Language, Bils." Maggie hushed.

"Finneas is responsible for Alex's wellbeing this tour, Billie. You're the star, not the chauffeur." He said. I watched as she rolled her eyes at him, looking up at him. "If anything, people should be chauffeuring you."

"Yeah, but Claudia—"

"Claudia is our guest, as well as Alex. She isn't staying. And, it's just until she gets in the swing of things, Billie. Grow up, you're old enough to know better. It's just hotel rooms."

"But—"

"There should be no further arguments."

She huffed and turned to her mum. "Are you gonna let this jackass talk to me like that or what?" She asked.

Maggie cleared her throat slightly as she faced the man before her. "Now, Rob, I-"

"Mrs Baird, I appreciate your concern, but I'm pretty sure Miss Eilish can handle a few nights without her little friend here, right?"

He turned to me, and I felt my throat dry up at at the sudden movement. He stank of alcohol and tobacco, and he was very intimidating.

"Claudia doesn't share the same love for Reese's puffs as I do, Rob." Billie suddenly stated dramatically. "I might die if nobody else on this tour puts up with it. And, quite fucking frankly, my 'little friend' over here does. Right, Alex?"

I had no words.

"I- uh, yeah. They're great. Too bad she ate them all before I could get some though."

Really?

That's what I chose to say?

I've never really been good with first impressions. I'm pretty sure Rob hated my guts by now with this encouragement.

"Don't worry ma, I'll get some for you to cop." She winked playfully at me, before turning back to her tour manager, her face slightly dropping as she watched his impatient gaze. I felt my stomach flutter slightly as she shot me that gaze, making me blush again.

"As much as I want to help you out with this, Billie, I'm sorry, love. You can't just skive off in a hotel room with someone you barely know. You really have to get your head in the game for this tour before your new album."

Billie opened her mouth to speak but simply shut it after hesitating.

"Good. I hope for no further discussion after this final decision. Now, I hope to see you next week in Washington, same deal, same mindset."

Billie withdrew her hands from her arms and stuffed them in her pockets, impatiently clenching her jaw and looking at me with tense eyes as Rob said his goodbyes and left the hotel. Her gaze and her posture was so strangely calm, but I knew she wanted to run after him and square him in the face. A very Billie thing to do.

"Can we go for burritos? Just the family? And Alex?" She asked as Rob was out of sight, digging around in her pocket for something.

"No, Bils."

"Why?"

"We just had a barbecue down at the beach. You should go back and rest up, because you're performing tomorrow. It's gonna be exciting! Your friends are meeting you at the venue and everything!"

"K, cool, but, me and Alex haven't eaten and all my shit is in her and Finn's room upstairs. Can't we not just order room service and share for this one night?" She asked, avoiding Maggie's point, and stuffing a peppermint in her mouth.

Finneas nudged Maggie, whispering a, "go on."

This was the first thing he's said the whole time we've been in the lobby.

She nodded sceptically as Billie practically skipped over and tugged at my arm, leading me over to the elevator.

/

"This is so fucking stupid! Stupid bitch-fuck Rob and stupid Finneas and stupid, stupid tour. They're just rooms! Not even one show in and I already want to go home to Shark and Pepper."

There was a knock at the door.

"Billie."

"—And, like, it's not like you wanted Finneas to introduce you to the tour team. He's supposed to and he's doing a pretty shit job since you don't even know anyone here yet! There's Mark, and Sully and Andrew, and I'm soooo introducing you to Zoe and Drew and Katie."

"Bils-"

"And, we couldn't even go to get burritos! Tomorrow we are getting burritos. Never ever fucking deprive me of my burritos, because I'll cut a bitch. Now, we're stuck with gross, cold, damp, stingy ass hotel burritos instead of those sweet, thick, heavenly god sent Taco Bell burritos! The fuck? The fuck?"

"Bill-"

"Don't even get me started on Dragon. Holy fucking shit balls, dude. I could be driving anywhere right now and not up in this stuffy room waiting for shitty room service! But no, Finneas says we can't get Dragon here so we definitely can't get Dragon because he definitely makes the rules. For fuck's sake."

"Billie Eilish! Burritos are here!" I raised my voice to get the green rooted girl's attention. She looked up at me, and then to the door and then to me again, furrowing her brows and cocking her head to the side until she heard another knock.

"Oh."

We were chilling on the couch— well, I was chilling on the couch. Billie was pacing back and forth around the room anxiously, ranting about her day.

She had thrown off her hoodie and chucked it across the room because she felt like she was 'suffocating in her own skin', and so she paced back and forth in a tank top, shivering. Despite the heat, there was a chilly breeze circling through the room.

She walked up to the door and opened it, peeking her head out to see who was there.

"Yo, It's on the tour tab, homie." She chuckled, before snatching the bag with the contents in it and closing the door again, joining me on the couch after throwing the bag onto my lap.

"Let's fuckin feast, bro." She started, "But wait, I need my hoodie back on. Shit's cosy."