coffee boy || luke hemmings

12: I Have An Ego Inflating Day

A/N: HEY HEY! so I've finally caught up to myself in my writing, so all chapters from here on out are going to be like written the day before so um, plz pray for me? BUT I'M SEEING ALL TIME LOW AND BLINK 182 IN TWO DAYS!!!!!!!!  but that's just me! okay okay read you shitbuckets (i'm kidding i love u) 

10:41am

June 11th, Saturday

Le Pain Quotidien, Beverly Hills

"Uncle John, I don't understand." 

"Carter, you know what an assistant is, correct?"

"Yeah I'm not stupid."

I was sat in a chair at my favorite restaurant. Earlier in the day, Uncle John called me and asked if I wanted to go to lunch with him today. I said yes, even though I was exhausted, had several exams to study for, and a music theory essay to write. Just a few minutes ago, John brought up the summer and asked what my plans were. I told him the standard "working at Cath's and prepping for college," but then he cut me off and offered me something: work as a manager/assistant for one of the newer and younger bands he's working with. Their current assistant is on maternity leave, and they've been calling everyone, but nobody is available. 

"So then how do you not understand?"

"No, I understand what you're asking me. I just don't understand why you want me to do it." I clarified my question and looked down at my lunch plate.

 I needed a summer job that was more serious than working a coffee shop year round. Don' get me wrong, I love Cath and I love the shop but what would look better in the future? It was a great opportunity, but touring with a band whose members were only a few years older than me was scary. I just didn't need situations reminding me of the summer before senior year; Vijera was in Spain and it was just me and Wren stuck in LA. We fell into the wrong crowd of kids, students at UCLA, and everything seemed to go sour from there. Wren and I were getting drunk four nights a week. We both had fake ID's, and Wren threw a party when her parents were out. Somehow, we ended up being party buddies with Lucy (bitchy minion of an even bitchier Grace,) so she knew  all of my dirty secrets. Not that there are many; I'm still a virgin but yeah, I've gotten really drunk and said some really stupid things. Before I could get too lost in thought, Uncle John taps his fork against his plate, the sound startling me. 

"You hear me?"

"No," I say. 

"I want you to do it because you know this industry better than they ever will. Tompkins, you grew up in the music industry; you spent every summer on tour. You can set up a drum kit at the speed of sound. You're a talented kid and you have a knack for managing things. Managing and putting teenage boys in their place." He snorted and I knew he was talking about Sam and Henry. I laughed a little bit but then I thought about how If I took this job, I wouldn't spend my summer with my family. I'd have a tour family, just like the old times. And Luke, god,  how would Luke react to me spending my summer with a bunch of boys in a tour bus? I threw that thought away for the time being. I wanted to do this, I needed to do this. I couldn't be afraid of music forever, I needed to get back into what used to be my everything.

"I'm in. When do I start?" 

John smiled proudly, "That's my girl. June 30th in Connecticut. Now, let's talk details."

An hour later, I walked out of the restaurant, said goodbye to uncle John and walked down the street to my car. Everything seemed to be sorted out. John thought it may be a little risky having a 17-year-old doing an adult's job but I turned 18 one week into touring. Then my next issue was my boyfriend and being the great uncle he was, he gave me a cover story; tell Luke I'm going to camp for the whole summer. It wasn't very me to lie but I figured I'd rather that than have my boyfriend be calling me every ten seconds. Like he was reading my mind, Luke called me.