L.A Nobody | dlr

o n e

Dalton opened the door and stepped inside the famous fast food chain, In n Out Burger. He walked up to the counter where other people were standing around. Waiting for their orders to be called. He placed his order. A simple hamburger and fries.

"Order number 52" the girl behind the counter said while handing him his receipt. "looks like you've got quite a wait."

Dalton half smiled half laughed while nodding "welcome back to L.A" he told himself but was audible for the girl to hear.

"Don't worry, orders move pretty quick" the girl nodded and smiled before walking away.

Dalton turned around while looking at his receipt then looked back up. Wondering what to do with the time he had to wait.

He decided to go fill up his drink. He watched as the ice cubes poured in then decided on a beverage.
"Alright, you can do this. You've lived here before, and Will's with you. Just remember why you're here. Your fans" Dalton cringed at that last part "I mean, friends"

Dalton hated the word fans. It made him seem like someone who was much more important when in reality he was just a regular guy. So he saw the people who supported him as his friends.

"Fans as friends, that's cute. But, they'll always just be numbers" Dalton heard behind him. He turned around and saw a man sitting down at the nearest table.

Thick black rimmed glasses surrounded his eyes, a 5 o'clock shadow rested on his face, while the rest of his outfit consisted of a red sweater and jeans with holes in them. Dalton noticed the laptop in front of the guy and assumed he must have been previously typing something.

"Excuse me?" Dalton asked while tilting his head a little.

"Look dude we all say it. We all say our fans are way more then that. Heck some might even call them family. But deep down inside, they're just numbers."

"A little cold hearted don't you think?" Dalton asked while walking up a little closer to the man's table.

"Well, this city's known to do that" he replied

"I'm guessing you're not where you want to be huh" Dalton let out an empty yet confused laugh.

The man looked back at his computer before continuing "I've been in this industry for 9 years" he closed his laptop. The lid closed with a little more force then Dalton expected "I was in a boyband for the majority of it and now, all I have are a bunch of 12 year olds who want the boyband back. I'm 26 and I feel like nothing's happened."

"Still confused about how fans are just numbers though" Dalton responded

The man moved a little further across the table, arms folded. "I want a more mature audience. But I have to act like I love these 12 year olds just so they'll buy whatever I end up putting out. It's all about the numbers" He explained.

Dalton just looked at him. His thumb slowly moving across the plastic lid of his cup.

"Sorry, I never even introduced myself" the man said while sticking out his hand "I'm James. James Maslow" Dalton reached for his hand and shook it.

"I'm Dalton. Dalton Rapattoni" he said once they let go "and I'm sorry you're not where you want to be in your career, but your fans are the ones who'll always support you. You should probably love them back dude. My Nobodies are my friends, and I love them. I owe this all to them"

James nodded before getting up to leave "Well, that's cute and all. But, don't say I didn't warn you. Welcome to L.A dude." Was the last thing he said before turing around and leaving the restaurant.

Dalton stayed standing where he was, still watching James who had now left. Would he ever turn out like that? He hoped not. Never.

"Order number 52!" Dalton heard, bringing him out of his thoughts.
He walked up to the counter and exchanged his money for his burger and fries. Dalton thanked the girl behind the counter and smiled. He turned around, finally ready to head out to Will's. But something stopped him. It wasn't just something, it was someone.

A girl. The girl was leaning against the condiment table looking at her phone. She wore denim on denim. Her light brown curly hair was impossible to miss. Especially with its volume. He realized it was Brooke. He remembered she was his video girl in IM5's Touchdown Dance music video. She had been nice during her time on set with them. Maybe he could try to reconnect with an old friend from his past. One friend at a time, he thought. He took a deep breath and a step in her direction.

Suddenly he noticed a guy come up to her. He wrapped his arm around her and kissed her lips. The two pulled away and Dalton was able to get a better look at the guy. It was Cole. A much older looking Cole. Next thing Dalton knew, reuniting with Brooke was the last thing on his mind. He turned around to leave. Wishing he never saw them.