Crash and Burn - LH

1 - Social Casualty

I should have worn a jacket. The air conditioning in this office is brutal, slowly freezing my body bit by bit. I guess I shouldn't be surprised, since it is the middle of summer in Los Angeles. I would think after nearly a year that I would be used to it, but coming from San Francisco, where it usually doesn't even get above 70, it's still an adjustment. I just hope that whatever Amanda called me in for is worth it.

Since Next Pop ended 3 months ago, I've been coming in to meet with her at least once a week. Every offer she has for me is terrible: a commercial for medicine, a spot on a children's tv show. It's all awful. I guess that's what happens when you get kicked off the country's biggest talent show a week before the finale. And I don't mean eliminated. I mean kicked off.

I don't regret what I did, even if doing it leads me to a lifetime of guest appearances singing about fruits and vegetables on Disney Junior. He got what was coming.

"Hi hi, sorry I'm late," Amanda stammers rushing into the office, nearly dropping the tray of coffee that's precariously placed against her arm. "Oh perfect, they're not here yet," she breathes when she notices I'm the only one in the room.

"Who?" She didn't tell me that anyone else would be at this meeting.

As if on cue, the phone on her desk rings. "Great, send them in," she answers to the receptionist.

"Amanda, who else is coming?" She ignores my question and frantically gets each cup of coffee ready to serve, like an overeager barista on her first day of work. This is how she is. A 5 foot tall bubble of chaos. We found each other by some stroke of luck. No one would sign me because of the incident and she was having a hard time finding clients due to the "unfortunate" fact of her being a young woman.

"Welcome everyone!" She plasters a smile on her face. "Please, have a seat."

I take in the men who have just entered the room. They look familiar, especially the one in the seat right next to me. He sits in his chair with an essence of being too good for everyone else in the room.

An older man in a suit stands next to Amanda behind her desk. "Dani, my name is Theo. I'm the boys' manager." I flash him a small smile. "I want you to meet the boys."

I look to the chair next to me again and the recognition hits. I'd know that curly blonde hair anywhere. Sitting next to me is Luke Hemmings, the lead singer of 5 Seconds of Summer. "Hi, I'm Dani." I hold out my hand for him to shake. He just glares at me with his bright blue eyes.

Why the hell am I in a meeting with 5 Seconds of Summer? They blew up three years ago and were huge until they disappeared last year. I just assumed they weren't together anymore.

"I'm too excited. Let's just get to it!" Amanda interrupts the silent tension. "You all need a push right now. Dani, I know things have been rough in launching your career. And boys, I know you've had some...troubles." Troubles? What does that mean?

"Yes, but we're making a comeback," the stoic man next to me finally speaks up.

"Exactly," Theo interjects. "Which is why Amanda and I think that Dani should join the band."

Luke looks around at his bandmates with a smirk on his face. "Absolutely not," he laughs. I study the other guys and their weary expressions.

"Wait, Luke. Maybe we should think about this," the boy who I've since recognized as Ashton Irwin, the drummer, speaks up.

Luke laughs dryly. "Oh really? Is that really what you think, Ashton? Is that what you all think?" We all stare at him. The boy's expressions say it all. They want me in the band but they're too afraid to stand up to Luke.

"Fuck this," he says after a beat. He storms out of the room leaving the remaining 3 members of the band. I scan their faces. Calum Hood, the bassist. Michael Clifford, guitarist. Ashton Irwin, Drummer. We're all left in an uncomfortable silence.

"What do you think, Dani?" Amanda asks.
What do I think? From what I know about the band, they've all been friends for years. They started out playing small shows in their hometown in Australia before making it big. If I say yes to this, I won't just be a new band member. I'll be infiltrating a family.

"Um," I stutter, my usual confidence wavering. "I don't know." It's all that I can say because it's all that I can think.

"Do you mind if I have a word alone with Dani?" Amanda asks. "I can't force you, but I really think you should say yes," she tells me once we're out in the hallway. "It's not like opportunities have been plentiful."

I sigh. "I know. It's just that they've all been friends for so long. Plus, Luke already hates me."

"Look, the band needs this just as much as you do. Luke won't admit it but the other guys will. And it looks like he's outvoted 3 to 1." I stare at her blankly. This whole idea scares the shit out of me but I'm not gonna let it show. "Let's go back in and we'll go over some contractual things. Then you can decide, okay?"

"One album and one world tour. That's all that's being asked to start," Theo explains back in the conference room. Luke is still nowhere to be seen but the other boys are eagerly listening.

"I'm in," Michael says. "I watched some of your performances on Next Pop. Your voice is insane and I think it would go well with our sound." Calum and Ashton nod.

"What about Luke?" I ask.

Calum scoffs. "Don't worry about him. Leave that to us."

"So, Dani," Theo asks. "Are you in?"

I take a long look at the men in front of me. "I'm in."