Book 1: Echoes Of The Past

Chapter 3 - Flashbacks and Panic Attacks

The Uber pulled up outside Bossy's and Jess got out to pay the driver.

"Come on Iv!" Jess exclaimed, running to Ivy's side of the Uber and opening the door for her.

"OK! OK! I'm coming. I'm sure they won't be running out of olives for Martini's anytime soon." She slid out of the car making sure to pull her skirt down and her top up, before grabbing her bag and climbing out.

"Come on! Come on!" Jess reached out and grabbed Ivy's hand and dragging her to the front of the queue that was already starting to form outside the club.

"Ladies." A bouncer stood up, blocking their way.

"Jess let's just go join the back of the queue, the lines not really that long yet and —"

"No. No. It's good, I've got this." Jess turned back around to face the bouncer again, when she spotted someone, she knew, over the guy's shoulder.

"PETE! PETE!" Jess yelled, waving an arm above her head.

The guy stopped and turned his head in the direction that he heard his name being called. Jess moved herself around the bouncer's body slightly so that Pete could see her more easily and realise it was her who was shouting out his name.

He eventually spotted her and made his way over to where the girls both stood.

"Hey Jess. I didn't know you were coming tonight. Are the rest of your team here as well?"

"Erm...no, just me and my friend Ivy." Jess gestured towards Ivy who was hiding behind Jess finding the situation incredibly awkward.

"Oh OK...what can I do you for?"

Ivy's phone went and she pulled it out of her bag and glanced at the screen, 'Tom'. Jess was still busy talking to Pete.

"Well...I guess you could kind of say it is work business. I heard the guys from Thirty Seconds to Mars might be popping by."

"Thirty Seconds to who?"

"Thirty Seconds to Mars. Band? Jared Leto? Mark said they were flying back into LA tonight. My company is going to be working with them on their upcoming music video for their new single. Ivy's having to fill in as one of the lead roles after the original girl had to pull out with a broken leg. I-I thought it would be good for Ivy to meet the guys beforehand to get to know who she would be working with."

"Ooooh! That's why the VIP section is all booked up then."

"Probably, yeah."

Ivy looked down at her phone screen and saw another text from Tom.

'Ok sure. You looked really nice today by the way.'

She smiled to herself when she saw the compliment that he had sent her. She was in the middle of about to be replying when she suddenly felt her arm being grabbed and she was yanked through the front door of the club. She stuffed her phone quickly back in her handbag and followed after Jess.

"What did you do?" She questioned Jess; the beat of the music already thumping through her body.

Jess turned around to face her, "WHAT?" She shouted over the music.

"What did you say to that guy to let us skip the queue?" Ivy yelled back at her.

"Oh. I just said it was work business. Come on, let's go find the VIP area."

"VIP area??"

"Yeah. Come on. Free drinks all night! What more could you want?"

"To be back at home, curled up with a good book." Ivy mumbled to herself, pulling her top up a bit more.