FUELED - Tyler Joseph

- chapter 1 -

Chapter 1

Bailey Humphreys

"Thank you for flying with British Airways. We hope to see you soon, and welcome to New York."

I couldn't help the massive smile that stretched onto my face as the airplane smoothed to a stop.

This is it. My dream - our dream - is coming true.

"You ready?" Thomas - or Tom, my band's guitarist, asked me, an identical smile on his face. "I am. I am so ready, I don't think I'll be able to sleep tonight. I am so jittery - so shaky! Feel me, Bailey. Feel me shake."

Oh, wait. You're probably wondering what band? Well, hello there!

I'm Bailey Humphreys, lead singer and front man - err, front woman - of the band Lunar Escape.

Just last week, we'd received an email from the record label Fueled by Ramen, which is the same record label as our freaking idols, by the way. Anyway, we received a reply from them, saying that they wanted us to go to New York to, I quote, "discuss matters that we believe are better and should be conferred in person,"

Formal, aren't they?

So here we are, in lovely New York, just a step closer to watching our dreams unfold and be true. It's surreal, definitely. Surreal, but nice.*

I snorted in faux disgust. "I'd rather not, Tom." I smiled, reaching towards the overhead cabin to take my carry-on bags.

"Could anyone remind me again why Tom is in the band?" I heard James remark behind me, making me laugh. "He's just as weird as the bloke who claimed he was Guitar Jesus and refused to play anything that wasn't religious in context."

Tom shoved James, which then caused James to shove Tom back, and...you get it.

"Stop it! You're causing a ruckus!" I scolded.

"James started it!"

"You're the one who pushed me first!"

"Ah, but you seem to forget that you teased me. According to Sir Isaac Newton's third law of motion, for every action, there is an equal and opposite reaction. Your action was to tease me, and my reaction was to shove you. You were first, you damn git."

"Shut your cake trap, you started it." James spat. "And quit talking so smartly, you're a college dropout for God's sake."

I rolled my eyes at the two. "Bloody hell, no one gives a crap who started it, be quiet."

We bound down the stairs of the plane, the strong wind blowing against our faces.

Adrenaline pumps back into my veins, and the huge smile stretches onto my face again.

"This is it, lads." Matt says, hoisting his rucksack on one shoulder. "We're going to go off and be millionaires, and have girls to shag every night-"

I smacked him on his shoulder, giving him a look. "Shut up, or you'll have to leave. We don't take misogynists in this band."

"Kidding! I'm kidding!" Mathew defended, the other two boys sniggering behind him.

Taking our luggage from Baggage Claim didn't take any long, and soon enough we stood before the huge, fancy hotel our management has booked for us.

The Plaza.

You know, the same hotel as the one in that American series. Gossip Girl, is what I think it was.

The three of us looked at Tom. He was a massive fan of Gossip Girl, and our management always takes suggestions on where we wanted to stay when we went overseas as a band, so put those pieces together...