We're from America (Marilyn Manson)

Slutgarden

Brian woke up at noon. When he looked at the bed next to his, she wasn't there anymore.

He really didn't want to entertain the thought of where she was, so he just ignored it. He sat up in his bed and stretched. He decided on making it through the day sober.

It was a weird sentiment. Doing some type of drug or even drinking alcohol was almost second nature to him by now. He wasn't addicted, per se, but he did use them as a means of escape. His decision to be a better person left him in a more optimistic state of mind, therefore he didn't feel the need to escape anything. For now. Who knew what sort of emotional wreckage Molly would cause him by being there all the time.

He was nowhere near being free of the feelings she had succeeded in drawing out of him. It was his choice to ignore them. He decided on keeping their relationship platonic. At some point in time, he was bound to start seeing her only as a friend. He did appreciate their friendship prior to all the shit that went down afterward. There was something about her that drew him in. She was intelligent and interesting. And fun.

His phone let him know he'd received a message. He looked at it and saw it was from Sophie. He smiled when he saw her name.

S: What's up? How was your first show?
B: It was great. Everyone seemed to like our new album. How are things in LA?
S: Same old. I got a job offer. At a gallery. I'm gonna take it. Actually excited about it. I did choose Art history as my MA for a reason.
B: Congrats! We should celebrate! I'm throwing a party tomorrow in Miami after our concert. Join?
S: Yeah, I'd love to.
B: I'll text you the deets later. Now I gotta get going. See ya.
S: Have fun.

So, now he'd have to throw a party. Well, he's done that many times before. Such trivial problems. It had been a while since he had to worry about such mundane things. Lovely.

He got up and packed his things. Molly had already packed her stuff. Someone would come up later to take their things to the tour bus. He'd tell the others about the party on their way to Miami.

They wouldn't be leaving for a few more hours. After he was done with packing and getting ready, he texted Twiggy to ask about his whereabouts. It turned out they were all together having coffee near the hotel. When he read the text message, he laughed. He didn't know why he found that information so amusing. It seemed such a normal thing to do with your friends. He shrugged and told Twiggy that he'd join them.
.
"I really want to take a picture of this. This is the most normal this band has ever looked." He said as he arrived. They all looked at him and laughed. "That's actually true. I don't know why I didn't think about it like that." Twiggy said.

"So, who was the instigator of this historic event?" Brian asked. "T'was I." Molly said as she raised her hand. "T'was?" He smiled brightly at her. She nodded and chuckled. "Scott and I wanted to grab a coffee and we ran into those two on the way here, so I suggested we came here together."

"Twiggy and I were going to grab a coffee too." Pogo added.

"It's good that you're all here cause I wanted to run an idea by you. All of you. I was planning on throwing a little rager in Miami tomorrow. It's been a while since we all partied as a band should. Without all the drama." Brian told them. "That's a great idea! I think we could all blow off some steam." Daisy agreed.

"Good. Oh, I invited Sophie. She just got a new job, so it'll be like a celebration for her too, I guess." He was looking at Molly when he said it. She didn't show any sign of distress when he spoke. That was good. He guessed that she appreciated their friendship slowly regrowing too. He made it clear the previous night that that was all it was. It needed to be said. For both their sakes.