Rivals ➸ sidemen

Five - Things Aren't the Same Anymore

A L L I E

I hummed along to the music in the background as I wrote out my schedule for the month on my calendar. I was trying this new thing where I organized myself so I didn't fall behind on videos, or miss an audition for a band... again. The band thing was something I was doing in secret. As soon as Sophie knew about it she would be auditioning as well, and this was my thing. Something I was doing on my own.

I never did things on my own.

My phone buzzed repeatedly, making the music go away and I glided to it on my chair, picking it up. It was a number I didn't recognize, but I answered it anyways, "Hello?"

"Hey, is this Allie?" I furrowed my eyebrows. The voice only belonged to one person.

"How did you get this number?" I hissed, getting up from my chair. I started pacing around the room, a thing I did subconsciously when I made phone calls.

"So I'll take that as a yes" Simon's voice rung through the phone, I could feel the smirk that was probably radiating off of his face. His presence angered me, just a little bit, and I sighed deeply. Maybe we didn't leave things off as good as I had made myself believe.

"What do you want?"

"Is that anyway to greet an old friend?" he said. I found it funny that he was played off as lonely and awkward in the videos he did. He was a lot more confident in real life, no matter who he was talking to.

"I have some things to plan out and a song to learn on the bass, so please make it quick"

My most recent band ambition was to be a bassist for this small group that met down the road from my flat. They had a YouTube channel with two-hundred thousand subscribers and were pretty decent. It was a shot at finally being known as a musician, not as  just a YouTuber.

"Well, I got a message from you saying you'd be totally up for doing a collab, and I need a video for Saturday"

"I don't do collabs with people I don't know well..." I said, finding a reason to get out of this. I thought I would be cool with doing a video with an old friend, but maybe that was a heat of the moment thing. Now that I was talking with him it brought back memories I tried to tuck away.

"We were friends for years, I mean, you've known me longer than the two people you live with" he defended, "Sorry. Anyways, I am always open for a collab, or do you want to get to know me again?"

I found myself saying yes for some reason.

"You want to get to know me again?" Simon asked, "Oh, I get it. It's like the don't have sex on the first date rule, or whatever you girls do so you don't seem eager"

I wandered out of my room, noticing that Aria was not in the apartment. Sophie was strumming on her guitar. She was still mastering singing and playing at the same time. I went into my own "recording studio" which was originally a closet.

"Well normally with you, there's no sex at all" I said, referencing his asexuality that he told me about years ago. I cursed at myself for changing the topic, "I mean... I guess it's sort of like that. I'm not one who just jumps at collabs with randoms"

I arranged my guitars, a bit bored. I always found talking on the phone to be draining. I needed to be doing something.

"You sure have changed Harrison" Simon sighed deeply into the phone. There was another sound, the sound of a truck or something going by. He was outside, probably, "Years ago you would've jumped at the chance to make a video with me"

Because years ago I didn't know about the hate. Years ago, I was carefree.

"Things aren't the same anymore" I sighed. It was a bit ironic that that was the first line in the second verse of the song I was listening to before this phone call happened.

"You know, we don't have to do this video, but I am free Saturday, would you be up for a morning coffee? Two friends meeting up?" he asked. I tapped my foot on the floor, a thing I did when I was nervous. I didn't have anything going on Saturday so there was no excuse.

"I guess... but what exactly is morning for you? Cause last time I checked you were still on that inhuman sleep schedule"

"Eleven o'clock sound good?" He asked, sounding proud. I didn't expect it to be any earlier than 4 pm.

"Sound good"

"Listen, I have to go, I'm at the Cals. I'll see you Saturday?" he said.

"Yes"

"Don't miss it, Harrison" he laughed before he hung up. I sighed deeply and tossed my phone to the desk where I was standing.

I never did ask where he got my number from.

I picked up my bass, going to play a song, but I was cut short by Sophie clearing her throat.

"Who was that?" She asked, a sly smirk on her face.

"No one, don't worry about it" I said, playing the first few notes on the bass. I had gotten the beginning part down, it was the middle part of it that I needed to work on.

"I was there long enough to piece it together. Old friend with a messed sleeping schedule only leads to two people, and one of them asked for a collab on twitter today" Sophie sat down in a chair across from me, "Why the hell are you even meeting up with him though? I mean... all I got from you the first few years after you two broke up or whatever you call it was lists upon lists why you hated him"

"That never happened. Besides, I'm going for coffee to be nice"

To be nice, that was it. Sure.

"It's not my business, I'm just saying, as a friend I don't want you to get hurt again" she said with a smile, "Anyways, what song are you playing"

I paused. The song was a draft song, not actually released to the public eye yet. I only got it because I was in the lineup for auditions. I smiled and lied, "Stuck With Me by Green Day"

It was the first song that popped up in my head, and the last time I mentioned Green Day Sophie thought I was talking about St. Patrick's Day. 

"Oh. That's cool. Any new songs you have going? Like originals"

She was asking because she knew I was going to ask her to be the vocal part of the song. I always asked her first, her being the most vocally experienced of the people I know.

"Nope" I say, "Unfortunately I have no lyrics for you to learn buddy. Lack of inspiration"

"Maybe you're meeting with your inspiration this Saturday" Sophie laughed, standing up. I shot her a dirty look. She sighed deeply, "God, Simon is hot sometimes"

"Ew"

"I mean, I'm not one to go sleeping around with other people's boyfriends"

"He's not my boyfriend. That was the first time we talked in like five years" I shot, defensively.

"Geez no need to get offended" Sophie laughed, getting up from the seat, "Anyways, I've got to go bro. Videos take forever to upload"

When she was gone I sighed deeply and closed the door, going back to practicing.