I Can't Take Another Disappointment- Ben Bruce

Speak of the Devil, and He Shall Appear

Emily's hand felt warm and sweaty in the palm of mine. The clouds hung above us in the sky, gray but not dark enough to get me worried about rain.

"Look! Ice-cream!" Emily's cheerful little voice rang out and a few people turned their heads and smiled.

She was so young, so innocent. It made me smile at her, and I wished she could stay this way forever, protected from all the bad things in the world.

"Ash, can I have one?" My little sister gave me puppy eyes and pouted. I chuckled at her and nodded. "I don't see why not." I handed her the money and she skipped ahead a little, securing a place in the short line.

I watched her and she looked back at me with a smile wave. I waved back, when suddenly I was pushed the side a little. "Oh, sorry. I didn't see you there." The man stopped and smiled at me.

"It's cool, sorry." I apologized, feeling a knot form in my stomach.

"Are you Ben Bruce?" I mumbled, a little unsure of myself. He was smoking hot, and it looked just like him so I assumed it was.

He nodded. "Hey, you a fan?" He asked with a crooked smile. I nodded.

"Yeah, went to your concert not long ago." I admitted as Emily skipped up to us with an ice cream in her hand.

"I should get going, Danny and the guys are meeting me at the pub down the road. It was nice meeting you....?" He waited for my name and I gave it to him.

"Ashlyn." I held out my hand and he took it firmly, giving it a quick squeeze.

"Cute name. See ya, kiddo." He saluted to emily and she waved, completely clueless as to who he was. "See you." I watched him walk away.

"That was cool." I smiled as Emily took my hand. "Who was that boy?" Emily asked innocently as we walked down the street.

"One of Ash's heroes." I admitted quietly, the corners of my lips refusing to turn downward.

-------

"Hey," Nikki greeted me with a hug, scented with her usual Guess perfume that I loved.

"Hi, you'll never guess who I met the other day." I'd actually forgotten to tell my best friend.

"Who?" She asked, taking a can of coke from the fridge and sitting on our couch beside me. I flipped channels until I found a music one with an ADTR song playing.

"Ben Bruce." I replied with a smirk, remembering his smile.

She looked at me with her jaw hanging open, making me giggle.

"What? I leave for one week and you meet a member of our favourite band?" She scoffed. "Typical." She shook her head.

"Speak of the devil and he shall appear." I winked at her, pointing the remote to the tv where Asking Alexandria's Not The American Average began playing.

Immediately we both jumped up, clearing the coffee table and climbing on top of it.

"Come on baby, keep it down! Honey, hush your lips!" We sang loudly, grabbing each other's hands and dancing like the lunatics we truly were.

It had always been like this between us; the dancing, singing, silly jokes and secrets. She was like the older sister I never had.

The song ended with us throwing our hair brushes to the ground as if they were microphones. "Well, lovely I'm off to my room." I stated with a huff of air from my stinging lungs.

"Sure. Off to write some more songs?" Nikki wondered, tying her long layered brown hair back. I shrugged. "I'll try, I've had writer's block for a while now." I told her with a sigh, still regaining my breath.

"Grab your inhaler, dumb ass. You'll die." She laughed and I stuck my tongue out at her. I did however find my inhaler and use it breifly, feeling much better afterwards.

"Where's Em, by the way?" She called as I headed to my room down the hall.

"Sleep over at her friends." I replied over my shoulder before wandering into the dark room.

I flicked on all the lights like usual, then wandered into the ensuite I'd fought Nikki for. Rock, paper, scissors settled that disagreement.

I took a shower and washed my long blonde hair before taking the fudge hair dye from the draw and taking it to Nikki in the living room. "Help." I stated simply before sitting in front of her spot on the couch. She was used to this drill every few weeks, putting colour in my hair or bleaching it.

We sat and watched a bit of Beauty and the Beast before I washed out the colour at the ends of my hair, revealing an intense purple.