The Switch [COMPLETED]

Chapter 9

Asher Halen:

I was still thinking about Paisley even after the meet and greet was long over. Paisley's little "friend" from the back of the line, whose name I quickly discovered was Mackenzie, had been absolutely shameless in her flirting when she had finally reached the front of the line. Part of me cringed a little bit to admit that I definitely would have flirted back and maybe even gotten her number if it hadn't been for Paisley's stubborn refusal to leave my mind. Compared to Paisley, Mackenzie just seemed fake and obnoxious. 

I wasn't sure if Paisley's blatant disdain for me was insulting or intriguing, but either way I couldn't stop thinking about the way her face had hardened into a mask of adorable determination when I had said that I could get her to like our band. I wondered what she had against me to make her seem so spiteful towards me for no apparent reason...

I was still thinking about Paisley that night when the band got together to eat dinner in our tour bus, and apparently I wasn't the only one.

"Dude...that blonde girl and her sister were SMOKING hot," Tucker said out of nowhere, licking some ketchup off of his finger before using it to swipe through something on his cell phone. 

"Dude, for real!" Leo gasped, slapping a hand over his heart and dramatically rolling his eyes up to the ceiling. "I think I'm in love."

"Well don't fall too hard, because I call dibs," Zack chimed in from where he was seated on the floor, shoveling fries into his mouth like he hadn't eaten in years. 

"You can't just call dibs!" Tucker exclaimed, looking up from his phone to glare at Zack. "That's against the Bro Code!"

"No it's not," Zack argued back, swallowing his fries. "Bro Code says you can't infringe on another man's dibs. It says nothing about calling it in the first place."

"Well, whatever," Tucker said, throwing up his hands in defeat. "You can have dibs on the blonde. I want the brunette."

Something inside of me snapped at his words, and I squeezed my eyes shut tightly in an attempt to block out their bickering. 

"Paisley," I said quietly, massaging the bridge of my nose with one hand. I suddenly had a massive headache. 

"What?" Zack and Tucker asked at the same time, turning to look at me in confusion. Zack had half of a fry hanging out of the corner of his mouth.

"Her name. The brunette. Her name is Paisley. And the blonde one was Ashley. And I just think it's kinda effed up that you're all sitting around calling dibs on human beings like they're toys."

Zack and Tucker stared at me silently for several long moments before suddenly bursting into laughter, throwing their heads back like I had told the funniest joke of the century. 

"Good one, man," Tucker said, wiping imaginary tears from his eyes. 

"For a second I thought you were serious," Zack guffawed, finishing the rest of his fries and crumpling the paper bag in his fist. 

I rolled my eyes and forced myself to plaster on a tiny half smile. 

"Yeah...funny," I said with a weak laugh. "I'm going to bed. Stay out of trouble." 

I got up from my seat and made my way towards the back of the bus where our individual bunks were, glancing back at the guys as I took my shirt off and prepared to climb in. Zack and Tucker were still laughing and throwing bits of burger bun at each other. The only one who wasn't laughing was Leo. He was sitting in his chair with a pensive expression on his face, watching me curiously as I walked away. I nodded briefly to him and he returned the gesture stoically before turning away and gazing out the window, deep in thought. 

I plunked down on my bunk and pulled the blankets over me with a yawn. I loved my band mates. We were all more like brothers than friends. Still, sometimes I couldn't help but feel like I needed a break from them. I knew that I was being hypocritical right now. When it came to girls, I was definitely the worst of the bunch. Still, hearing Zack and Tucker talk about the Monroe sisters - especially Paisley - in that way was making my blood broil in a way that was confusing and irritating to me. What made her so special, anyways? She was just some random girl who had copped an attitude with me, and I would probably never see her again. 

I sighed and rolled over to face the wall in frustration. That last thought had made me feel unexpectedly disappointed. Why? Did I WANT to see Paisley again? What for? One of the perks of being a rockstar was that I could have any girl that I wanted.

"Not that one," an annoying voice in my head chimed in, and I pictured Paisley's face as she had glared at me during the meet and greet. "Fame and fortune can't get you EVERYTHING you want," the voice continued obnoxiously. 

"Shut up," I muttered out loud to the voice, yanking the blankets tighter around me like a child throwing a tantrum. 

I was vaguely aware that the guys had turned on the TV, and some infomercial was playing loudly.

"ARE YOU MISSING SOMETHING IN YOUR LIFE?" an annoying man's voice boomed through the trailer. 

I snorted and rolled my eyes. I wasn't missing anything. I was Asher Halen. I had everything I wanted. 

"DO YOU WANT TO HAVE IT ALL?"

"I do have it all," I murmured stubbornly to myself.

"I MEAN DO YOU REALLY WANT TO HAVE. IT. ALL?"

I turned my head slightly to the side to see the TV. A fat, bald man with an enormous ginger beard and twinkling eyes was staring out from the screen, seeming to somehow make direct eye contact with me. 

"Yeah," I sighed miserably, staring back at the man as Paisley's face swam before my eyes. "Yeah, I guess I sometimes wonder what it would be like to ACTUALLY have it all. To be normal for once."

I watched in amazement as the man on the screen's face stretched into a mischievous smile. His eyes shone even brighter as he continued to stare directly at me before slowly nodding his head and winking...

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A/N: Hello, lovelies!

Sorry it's been a little bit - I've been super busy! Thank you as always for continuing to read and vote and comment and share and all that good stuff. I always like hearing from you guys :)

Xo, Adrienna