Losers In Love ❁ d.j.h

• chapter thirty one •

Giggling.

That's all Ivan and Normani and everyone else on the fucking planet had been doing all sound check and Dinah wanted to rip her hair out. When she messed up on songs, it was the biggest deal ever and she needed to repent for her sins. But now that everyone else felt playful, it was okay to joke around during soundcheck...?

Currently, Normani was standing beside Isley as he showed her how to play a riff off of Heroes. Ivan was watching with a grin while Alex tuned his guitar.

On one hand, she was glad that everyone took to Normani. Ideally, you'd want the people in your life to get along with someone you had feelings for. But the idea of everyone getting attached to her and then not getting a moment alone with her, just... She was spiraling. She knew that. She was very aware of it actually. She wished she could stop it but each moment made it worse.

The blonde sat at her drum set with her sticks on her lap and a bottle of water crinkling in her hand. Maybe if she talked to Cliff, he'd push Normani off the stage. She hated to be like this, hated it so much that it made her blood boil. She didn't even want to call the feeling what it really was. Because then that'd mean she had more feelings than she'd let on, and it was a lot easier to admit when she wasn't sober.

Her hood sat on her head as she picked her drumsticks up and cleared her throat. "So, can we play now? Show's in a few hours."

Ivan looked back, before staring at the rest of the members with a grin. "Look who wants to be on time for rehearsal today. Hey, you see Normani on bass? Maybe we should put her in for tonight."

Isley shook his head with a smile, talking quietly to the brunette as he lifted the bass from around her. She nodded a few times, watching as he strummed again. Then he pointed to one of the seats in the audience and then towards the stairs. DJ couldn't help the sigh of relief as Normani smiled and mumbled a thank you before walking off of the stage. Alex and Ivan booed playfully, causing her to laugh as she took a seat in the front row.

Ivan turned to their bassist. "What's first? Heroes?"

DJ nodded.

"Alright, cool. Show of one, let's go!"

DJ lifted her sticks in the air to get everyone's attention and call in the count. Then, the song began.

Hearing it for the millionth time wasn't so bad, especially live. Sure, the band was growing on Normani, but not enough to be a fan. She'd hum a tune at best. She looked down to her Lost Mechanism crew shirt and tried not to snort.

Sound check seemed to go on for fucking ever. She was grateful when she didn't have to hear the same song over and over. DJ was the first to leap off of the stage, slinging an arm around the short woman.

"Are you hungry?"

"Starving. How do you guys not eat during these tours?"

The blonde shrugged. "They do. I'm not a breakfast person. Where's your bag, did you leave it on the bus?"

"Yeah."

Isley fell in line with them in that moment. He bumped shoulders with Dinah who did her best not to also carry the brunette away.