Broken and Fearless // C.B.

Chapter 1

(Early March 2017)

Juliet's POV:

My flight landed at LAX and as soon as I reached the gate, I sent a text to my Vine friend, Elton. 'Just landed.'

He almost immediately sent back, 'I'm waiting for you. Hurry up'

I grabbed my bags and met up with Elton. "Hey, fellow Viner!"

"Hi! Vine is dead. Ready to move in? I've been hyping you up, and all the guys are excited to meet you."

"I'm excited to meet them. Do you mind if I play music?"

"Is it going to be that pop crap?"

I grimaced. "No, it's going to be better than that."

"Very well. Plug it in."

I plugged in the aux and Teenagers by MCR soon came resonating through the speakers and Elton frowned. "Isn't this contradictory? You're still a teenager. So doesn't that mean you scare the shit out of that singer?"

"I suppose so, but it's still a good song."

"Yeah, you're still a teen for a one-and-a-half years, Juliet."

"A year-and-a-half a year is a long time. Anyway, how big is this house you've been talking about?"

"It's a mansion."

"A mansion with no cellar."

"No need. It's LA. It doesn't snow here."

I sighed. "I know. It's a shame. Oh yes but what a shame. I'm sorry. I had to do it. I had to make a Panic! reference there."

Elton caught me off-guard by saying, "We've been talking, and I was wondering if you wanted to join TFIL. Last I knew, you were interested."

"I still am. Are you asking me to join?"

He nodded. "If you'd like to."

"I'd love to. Thanks, Elton. Hey; think you could do me a favor and swing by a Dunkin, maybe?"

"What am I, your taxi service?"

"Well, to be a taxi service, you'd have to be paid, and you're just transporting me from LAX to your mansion. Now hopefully from LAX, to Dunks, to your mansion."

He sighed. "You're relentless, you know that?"

"So I've been told."

Elton stopped by Dunkin and I got a large regular, which is a large coffee with four creams and four sugars. I also got a maple donut. I was nice and paid for my own stuff.

We got to the house and Elton unlocked the gate before driving in. "Everyone's here, so I'll be able to introduce you immediately. We'll figure out where you can sleep later."

He opened the front door and we walked in. There were four guys in the kitchen yelling about something, though it sounded like they were joking.

I saw Elton roll his eyes and he said, "Guys, this is Juliet. She just flew in from Boston."

A tall guy with dark brown hair walked up. "I'm Colby. I remember you from Elton's Vines."

"Impressive. I wasn't in very many of them. I enjoyed the one you and, I think his name is Sam, did about keeping an eye, I, out."

"That's an old one! And that's not one of our better ones."

I shrugged. "I don't know. I like bad jokes."

"Really?"

"Yeah, really. Um, is there somewhere I can put my stuff?"

Colby nodded. "You can put them in my room for now. I'll take them, if that's okay."