Reasons To Stay

NINE

Things are starting to get interesting!!

"And this is our floor," aunt Rae squealed as soon as the elevator opened. For some reason I found her excitement both endearing and slightly frustrating. "The band spends a lot of time here, so you'll have to get used to them being in the apartment," she said as we walked towards one of the doors on the floor.

I hate to admit that the fear and regret from the bus had given place to excitement as soon as I had seen aunt Rae. Not only was I going to live in one of the most expensive buildings in New York and attend the university of my dreams for the following month, but I would also get to meet the hottest band every girl in the world wanted to meet, and see them often for the following four weeks. I may have not been their biggest fan like Trish was, but I was still exited.

"You'll even have your own room, and I made sure it is equipped with all the art materials you will need," my aunt kept saying as we stopped in front of the apartment numbered 1803. "I think you'll love it," she said as she inserted the key in the lock and opened the door.

Saying I was short of breath was an understatement. Not only was the place amazingly big, with a second floor and expensive modern furniture, but it was also cozy and decorated beautifully. There were even many paintings on a wall that I found myself wishing I could steal and then hung in room back at home.

"Nice, huh?" aunt Rae said as she dropped the bag she was carrying on the floor.

"Uh huh," I mumbled in response, stunned by the view of New York you could see from the window in the farthest wall or, most accurately, through the glass wall I had in front of me. In awe, I walked towards it. The buildings had a yellowish tint to them due to the early morning light. The city I had seen while traveling in the taxi was now waking up, and the streets began to crowd themselves with cars of all colors and sizes.

"Hey! You must be the girl who took our best agent from us!" I heard a cheery voice say behind me.

Four young men were looking at me from behind the kitchen counter. I didn't need a second glance to know exactly who they were. Porter, the one who had spoken, I assumed, was smiling brightly at me with a cereal bowl and a spoon in hand. His blonde, almost white hair was a mess and his smile made cute dimples appear on his face. He was the drummer. Next to him and sitting in a stool was Egan, the keyboard player. He had a rock magazine in his hands and was eying me with an uninterested glare. He seemed bored, and his dark eyes and hair helped give him a bad boy, I-don't-care-about-anything look. He reminded me a little of Trish. Standing next to him with a Cheshire grin and a glass filled with orange juice was Roderick, guitar and bass player. Most of their fans believed him to be the handsomest of the group and sadly he thought that, too, which meant he was also the most arrogant. Finally, leaning against the wall with his arms crossed over his chest and watching me with interest was Kyle, guitarist and lead singer of the band. According to Trish, he was her future husband, even if he was the oldest of the four with twenty-four years of age. He looked a lot like the youngest member, Egan, who happened to be his brother, but he didn't have his brother's snobby gaze. Actually, he had a spark in his eyes and a soft smile that made me instantly like him.

I suddenly became aware of the fact my hair probably looked like a mess, my dress was all wrinkled because of the long trip, and I hadn't brushed my teeth in a while.

"So, are you just going to stand there or are you going to tell us your name?" Egan said with an indifferent tone.

Roderick, who happened to be the closest to him slapped him hard in the back of the head, and Egan immediately placed a hand where he had been hit and jumped off the stool to put as much distance between him and his aggressor.