Sydney Wallace liked to think she was your average 20 year old. 5’6 with straight, chocolate brown hair that fell just below her shoulders and brown eyes to match. She lived in a 6-bedroom house with her Mother and their Siberian husky, Skittles on the outskirts of L.A but she was comfortable with that. Kathy Wallace worked all hours at a record label so Sydney had a lot of time to herself and when her Mother wasn’t working, they made the most of their time together with shopping trips, sports and DVD days. Kathy was Sydney’s Mom, sister and best friend all rolled into one.
The Wallace household was occasionally used as a sort of “hotel” for bands who were signed to the label Kathy worked for and as Kathy still had to work, it was left to Sydney to play host during their stay. This was her favourite thing about her life and her Mother’s job as she always made lifelong friends.
***
It was a normal Tuesday day, summer sun shining through the window as Sydney flicked through the channels. She eventually stopped on The Simpson’s and let out a sigh. It’s going to be a long day! She thought to herself as she checked the time and noticed it was only 11am.
Two episodes of The Simpson’s and an episode of Mickey Mouse Clubhouse later, Sydney felt her phone vibrating in her pocket. She quickly glanced at the screen before she answered it.
“Hey Ma, What’s up?”
“Hey Syd, can you make sure the guest rooms are tidy? The boss has a band coming to record and play a show so we need…”
“I’m on it Mom!” Sydney interrupted
“You’re the best!” Kathy replied and Sydney could hear the smile in her Mother’s voice.
They said their goodbyes and hung up as Sydney made her way along the hall to the first of the three guest rooms. She was used to these phone calls so she never really asked her Mom any questions. Sydney made up all the beds in the guest rooms as she was unsure how many people would be staying, then she made her way to the kitchen to fix herself some lunch and feed the dog, as it was nearly 1:30pm.
After lunch, Sydney and Skittles took a long walk to the park and by the time they got back to the house, it was 4pm. They were both tired so Sydney made her way to her bedroom, put on some relaxing music before collapsing on the bed and falling asleep. She woke with a jump after what felt like 4 hours and looked at her clock, which revealed it was only 5:30.
Dang, I was only sleeping for an hour? Weird…
Sydney could hear noises coming from downstairs but just assumed it was Skittles playing with one of his toys so she lay down again.
“Sydney? Hey, Syd!” Kathy shouted from the bottom of the stairs as Sydney sat bolt upright in shock.
“Mom? You’re home early!” She said as she got to the top of the stairs.
“Yeah, the band got lost so I got away early to help them find their way. Come on down, stop being so rude when we have guests!”
Sydney rolled her eyes but made her way to the sitting room anyway. That’s when she wished the ground would open up and swallow her whole…
Sydney’s POV
Oh! My! God! How in the world could my Mother not tell me?!
I was freaking out on the inside, shock displayed on the outside. I couldn’t move and I certainly couldn’t speak. I was a statue in the doorway, staring at the boys in front of me.
“Sydney, this is Alex, Jack, Rian and Zack. They are…”
“All Time Low!” I gasped
“Hey, another fan! WOO!” Jack joked
“Um…Yeah, I am.” I blushed before shaking their hands. I looked around and saw another three guys standing near the back of the sitting room. My Mom saw me looking confused so introduced me to them.
“This is Matt, Danny and Evan! They work for All Time Low.”
“Oh, I see. Nice to meet you.” I said with a smile and a handshake for each of them.
“Yeah, you too.” they replied.
Since we had seven guys and three guest rooms, we drew names out of Jack’s hat to see who got which room. Zack, Matt and Alex got the 3 bed next to my room, Jack and Danny got the 2 bed across the hall from mine while Rian and Evan got the room downstairs. My Mom showed Rian and Evan to their room while I took the rest of the band and crew upstairs, showing them to their rooms.
“So, which one’s yours then?” Jack winked, then grinned when I nodded towards my door and we all laughed. I had a feeling I was going to enjoy the next few days
