Little Drummer Boy

The More the Merrier

I woke up around 9:30 to the sound of the front door slamming shut, meaning my parents had just left for work. That's right, I still live with my parents. I've been looking at apartments for a few months now, but I'm still saving up. If I get this job I might finally be able to move out.

I walked out of my room and into the kitchen for a cup of coffee and a bowl of Special K cereal to start off my Saturday. I opened Instagram for my morning scroll when I got two notifications that stuck out among the rest:

@kyla.swan started following you
@kyla.swan has requested a direct message

I followed Kyla back and opened the dm.

K:
Hey Raelynn! Idk if you remember me but we met at the Calvin Klein
audition yesterday

R:
Hey Kyla,
yeah I remember u lol

K:
Lol good

K:
I just wanted to reach out since even though we didn't talk for long u seemed pretty nice and u know how people can be in this industry

R:
u have no idea

K:
Lolll well I thought it would be good for us to stick together u know?

R:
yeah of course

Just then, a text notification interrupted Kyla and I's conversation. I opened my messages to see a contact that hasn't popped up on my phone for so long I forgot it existed.

Vince:
Hey Rae, hope it's not too early to start my plans for the day

I then remembered the interaction that had took place yesterday and what Vince had said before we parted, which made me wonder what exactly I had agreed to.

Vince:
Hey that rhymed

Me:
omg ur so dumb

Vince:
You love me

Me:
Debatable

Me:
Anyway, what did u have in mind

Vince:
U gotta meet my bros bro

Me:
That's not very specific

Vince:
You'll see

Vince:
Just give me ur address so I can pick u up

Me:
Is this a kidnapping

Vince:
Yes

I smiled at his stupidity and gave him my address. I went to my room and started getting dressed when I had an idea. I reopened Instagram and went to my dms.

R:
Hey Kyla,
R u doing anything today?

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Just as I pulled my hair into a ponytail, I heard a honk from outside. I looked out the window to see the blue Jeep Vince had gotten for his sixteenth birthday (it was Caden's before his; Tris never passed his drivers test) parked against the curb in front of my apartment building. It definitely stood out against all the bland city cars.

I checked my outfit one last time in the mirror, adjusting my white denim jacket over black top that I had paired with a Navy blue skirt and black converse. I grabbed my purse and phone and jogged out of the apartment, locking the door behind me.

After waiting in the elevator for a few minutes then exiting the building through the revolving door, I opened Vince's car door and sat in the passenger's seat.

"About time," he said sarcastically as I buckled my seat belt. "I honked like ten minutes ago."

"It's been two years. I think you can wait ten more minutes," I replied with a laugh.

"You good to go now?"

"Yeah, but we have to make a quick stop."

"What do you mean?"

I opened google maps on my phone and put it on the dashboard for Vince to follow. "We have to pick up my friend, she's not that far from here."

"What?" he said, rather confused.

"Yeah, she's a big fan of your band so I invited her. That's not a problem, right?"

"Oh, uh, yeah, no problem," Vince answered uneasily. "The more the merrier, I guess." He put the car in gear and started to drive. "So, how'd you meet this friend of yours?"

"We met at an audition," I replied, leaving out the fact that I only met Kyla yesterday.

"She models too?"

"Mhm."

"Ooh, two models in one place. Aren't we a lucky bunch," he said with a smirk. I hit him on the shoulder, making him laugh.

"Shut up," I said, rolling my eyes as we pulled up in front of an apartment building where Kyla was already standing on the curb. I beckoned her through the window, making her grin from ear to ear as she jogged toward the car and entered the back seat. "Hey Ky, this is-"

"Vince Diono!" Kyla squealed. Vince smiled and turned around to greet her, but he was met with the flash of the polaroid camera Kyla had around her neck.

"Jesus," Vince said as he blinked his eyes a couple times then widened them.

"Sorry," Kyla apologized as she pulled the photo from the camera and waved it around to develop it. "I just love candids. And you look really good in this lighting." She showed us the picture and we both nodded.

"You're not wrong," Vince agreed, puckering his lips like he was deep in thought. Kyla giggled.

Once Vince's eyes adjusted, we pulled away from Kyla's apartment building and soon arrived at a noticeably nicer one. It was tall and wide with four revolving doors in the front and two elevators going up each of the sides. The sun reflected off of the blue windows that went all the way up to the top. It looked like the type of building that you dream of living in when you move to New York but are met with a harsh reality when comparing the rent to your salary.

"Dude, you live here?" I asked Vince in awe.

"Yup," he replied as if it were normal. "Our label owns places around the country for the clients to stay when they tour. We got the penthouse."

"Sick," Kyla said as I heard her camera go off behind me.

I nodded my head. "Agreed."