The Band Next Door | Jily

Meeting + (screaming at) The Band

2015, Alice's Bedroom Floor.

The first time Lily had heard of The Marauders, she had been sitting cross-legged on her childhood best friend's bedroom floor. She was fifteen and with her oldest and closest friend, Alice. She remembers this distinctly because this was when Alice was going through quite an excessive 'My music taste is better than yours' phase, and Lily also noted that this was when Alice had forced everyone to only refer to her as 'Ally' because it, quote:
"Sounds a lot more grungy"

Naturally, Lily had bullied her about this soon after Alice had become aware that it was quite ridiculous, but back then, Lily went along with it quite happily, she didn't mind appeasing Alice - she knew it was just a phase, like how Alice had a rather memorable phase about being entirely one-thousand percent certain she wanted to become an Olympic ping-ponger, (That phase only lasted about three days, ending quite soon after her father refused to buy her a ping-pong table.) Lily had always adored Alice and her bonkers phases, which always kept her rather entertained.

But back to the bedroom floor, and another detail to note; Another thing that was quite notable about Alice Fortescue, was that she had always been completely and utterly boy-mad. So when she'd learned about this brand-new up and coming boy-band, Alice had obviously gone nuts.

"Lils, you don't even understand. They are... Ahh! I'm completely ob-sessed!" Alice giggled, clicking the CD into place on her player.
"Alice-" Lily started, which made Alice give her a stern look.
"Sorry, Ally" Lily smiled, "You're always completely obsessed with one boy or another, I can't keep up."

Alice rolled her thickly lined eyes, (another phase.) "It's because you aren't obsessed with any boys, I have to harbour twice the amount of boy-love, ya see?"
Lily smiled and nodded, always amused with Alice's apparent 'philosophical' observations.

"So this is only their debut, so don't be too critical," Alice defended, giving Lily a look that meant Don't be a bitch . "Also, they're only sixteen, which is basically our age - so before you go all," Alice pulled a snotty looking face, which only mildly offended Lily.

"I do not go like that!" Lily laughed, pushing Alice slightly.
Alice shrugged with a smile, before passing Lily the CD.

The album was called ' Mischief Managed' which Lily wanted to snort at, but then she remembered the face that Alice had pulled and she rearranged her features back to normal. She flipped over the CD, to view the tracklist, where there were only 10 songs. Lily thought the names sounded a bit generic, but she didn't want to be that judgy.

"They started the band only a couple of years ago, apparently in their shared dorm room!" Alice giggled, clearly enamoured.
"Dorm room? So they're private school twatters? No wonder.." Lily smiled, inspecting the four boys on the cover - clad in posh school clothes that were worn quite ruggedly.

The boys were all positioned on a sofa, reminding Lily of a posher, more wankier version of Friends . She decided she probably would hate any of these boys if she met them in real life. Alice could probably read her thoughts from her face, as she snatched the CD back and rolled her eyes.

"Don't be so judgy, I doubt you could get a record deal at sixteen!" Alice said, slightly huffily.
Lily smirked and leaned forward, "Ally, anybody can get a record deal, especially if Daddy's money is paying for it!"
Alice smirked back, but turned the CD, allowing it to play.

"Well I love them, Lils, and I will marry one of them, and then you'll have to be around them all the time!"
Lily rolled her eyes and sat back, leaning against Alice's bed, believing that Alice could/would marry and have any pick of these Marauders.

Oh, how wrong she was.

2021, The Office

Lily hates her boss, and Lily doesn't usually hate anybody, but there was something about Bridget Matthews that just got on her last nerve. Like right now, when she was making some really passive-aggressive comments about her outfit.
"You're just so confident , I could never be! Especially someone with your..." Bridget trailed off, looking down at Lily's body like it was some alien lifeform.