Otherside

Chapter 2

After work, Elle and Cassie went as fast as they could back to the apartment to get ready for the night. Thankfully Elle's roommate was out of town for a couple of weeks, so the two had the place to themselves. As they walked through the door, they were greeted with a small bark from Elle's dog, who trotted up to the pair and was given a few scratches in return. Elle's bedroom was located up on a loft, and the three of them bolted upstairs to find something for her to wear.

After half an hour, Elle stood in the center of the room staring at an ever-growing pile of dresses that Cassie threw out of her closet. She watched as a pink flew by, then a blue, then a bright floral, and she let out a groan.

"We have to find something that says 'I'm down to get a lil dirty', but at the same time doesn't scream 'I'll do anyone in this club', you know what I'm saying?" Cass was more talking to herself than to Elle.

Elle sent a glance over to the dog. "Do you think she's crazy, Katie? I think she's crazy." A squeak sounded from deep within the closet and Cass ran out with a dress in hand and a 'This is it' look on her face. Elle unbuttoned her long sleeved uniform and slipped into the small black dress. Cass zipped it up for her and Elle turned to look in the mirror. The dress came down to her knees and was was fitted to her curves, with the smaller straps showing off the tattoos on her arms. She nodded and Cassie, obviously pleased with her choice, bustled into the bathroom dragging Elle along behind her. Once Elle was properly put together (according to Cassie at least), they went downstairs. Cass had decorated Elle with a small pearl necklace, matching earrings, and bright red lipstick. She decided to leave her mouse-brown hair loose and hanging to her waist, sliding on a pair of black pumps and turning to face Cass.

"Well?"

Cass was beaming from ear to ear. "Perfect. The outfit says 'classy lady' but that tats say 'I know how to have fun', so I think it's just the right vibe for a night with some rock stars." She winked.

"All we know is that I'm singing tonight, you dork. They may not even show up." This prompted Cass to lift an eyebrow, annoyed at Elle's pessimism, and Elle squinted her eyes in return to mock her.

Cass changed as well, and as they walked out of the apartment she threw her arm around Elle's shoulders. "You are gonna have so much fun tonight. You're gonna do great, and those guys are gonna love you, and then" she balled her hands into fists and thrusted her hips, moaning. Elle pushed her friend away from her, laughing and desperately trying to get her best friend to behave.

They arrived at the club early enough to watch a couple of acts from the small lounge backstage, and Elle made a point of scanning the crowd during each set change. A twinge of disappointment hit her when she saw that the men weren't in the crowd, but she shook it off. They probably have better things to do than watching some girl sing in a club anyway. The act before her finished, and she stood and smoothed out her dress. There was no setup required for her music, so she calmly walked out on stage with a pianist following close behind and grabbed the mic.

"How is everyone tonight?" Elle grinned at the crowd, and a murmur echoed throughout the crowd. She nodded back to her accompanist and he played the opening to Ella Fitzgerald's 'Round Midnight. She swayed slightly in rhythm and closed her eyes as she sang. She allowed herself to be absorbed in the music, and as she hit the last notes, polite applause sounded from the crowd, followed by hoots and hollers from a back corner of the club. Elle's eyes flew open and spotted them almost instantly. Both Flea and Chad were on their feet making a ruckus, while Anthony sat quietly, smiling widely. Elle returned the smile and glided off stage toward them, with Cassie running into her as soon as she reached the floor. They linked arms and approached the table; Elle receiving hugs from the boys (also noting Dave's absence), and another kiss on the cheek from Anthony as he took her hands in his.

"My dear Eleanor, that was a lovely performance." Anothony cooed, receiving a blush from Elle.

"Thank you all so much for actually coming to see me. This is Cassie by the way." Elle motioned to her friends, and the boys all said hello.

"Of course we'd come to see you," Flea slung an arm around both girls, "now if you'd be so kind as to join us, we're going out to a little party and we'd love to have some company." Cass and Elle made eye contact, Cass winked and said "We'd love to, show us the way!"

They made the short walk to the bar where the party was being held, making small talk on the way and flirting back and forth. Flea and Cassie seemed to click pretty quickly, and once they got to the bar they went off together to get drinks. Chad went off to flirt with some girls near the back, leaving Elle with Anthony, who held out a hand and nodded to the dance floor. She took his hand and he spun her out, keeping her close to him. His hands roamed lightly over her hips, pulling her against him and swaying her body with his.

The music pounded, they had a few drinks, and danced way too much. At the end of the night, the five of them met back up and decided to crash back at Elle's place. Somehow they all managed to squeeze onto Elle's bed and passed out almost instantly in a tangle of arms and legs.