CODA

Nineteen

The apartment is quiet when Carter steps back through the door, Olive and Delanee sprawled across the couch, both asleep as credits roll across the tv screen. Carter laughs at the scene, seeing as it's only early evening. But she leaves them, knowing she has another sister she needs to talk to more.

Setting her things on the counter she pads quietly down the hall, knocking quickly on Ava's bedroom door before she can chicken out.

"What the hell do you want?" Ava sneers at her, cocking a hip as she swings the door open.

"To talk." Carter sighs, "Before this gets worse than it already is."

"Worse than it already is?" Ava laughs.

"Yes. Before this breaks up the band. Because that is the last thing you or I want."

"Fine. Come in." Ava sighs, letting Carter past her.

"Thank you." Carter nods, taking a hesitant seat on the edge of Ava's bed.

"So how are you going to fix this?" Ava asks, her voice hostile, "Quit the dating contract? Break up with Calum? Forget the collaboration? Stop being the it girl of the band? All of the above?"

"Ava. Please, can we just try to discuss this. Rationally." Carter swallows her snappy comment, pursing her lips tightly.

"No, Carter, we can't, because you have taken over the band. You are the fucking band! No one cares what my name is, or Delanee's, or Olive's. All they care about is Carter Fucking Heart and her relationship with Calum Hood! How do you not see how much this is ruining us! We are supposed to be a team and instead we are a star and her back up loser friends, if you can even call us that. You sing the single, you got the collaboration with 5sos, you have the most followers, you are in the tabloids, you are the only face the media care about in the band. And you have to realize that and fix it."

"I can't help that I am lead vocalist. I can't decide what the media print, Av, but I can decide that this band is important to me, and I'm doing all of these things to benefit our band. It's hard to get attention, especially just starting out. Dating Calum is getting me and us attention, collaborating with 5sos will get more people listening to us, it will bring in new fans, just like touring with them will! Why is this so hard for you to understand?"

"Because two months ago, this band came before every other thing in the world to you, Carter. Two months ago you told us it was us over Calum, us over fame, us over everything."

"This band is still my priority, Av. I am working every hour to get the best music written, to work with the vocal coaches to keep my voice healthy, every single thing I am doing, I am doing to benefit us!"

"Ya, and that's why the article about your day date with Calum today called you the new comer in the industry and never mentioned the band at all. I loved my friend Carter, the sassy and loud and happy girl who put her friends over everything else. But you have changed from being her real fast, and I don't even recognize you anymore, Car. You're not you, and you need to fix it fast or I'll get on the next plane home. I'd already be gone if I didn't love Oli and De so much honestly. I refuse to let you push me down, to make me less than you in this band. Now get the fuck out of my room. I have things to do, if you want to go solo just let me know. Or maybe we'll let you know, because obviously that's what your goal is."

"I don't want to go solo, Ava! I want to do this with you and Delanee and Olive, and I just wish you could see what I am doing is for all of us. I can't do any of what your asking, it would ruin me and ruin our band. I signed a legal contract to date Calum for the next few months publicly, because I felt it was the right way to help our band. We were pressured into it, we didn't really have an option, even if they wanted us to think we did. You know me, you know I don't post shit like I did today, would you like to see the text Jaydan sent telling me to post? I have it. The collaboration will work better as a 5sos featuring me than the other way around. We can't have eight fucking people on that stage, that's insane! And if we sing it it won't get the same response as if they do. But I wrote it, and I am going to sing on it, to push our music into more hands. My entire focus is on furthering this band's career as a band. I'm sorry that things are a little lopsided but I won't apologize for giving everything I have to every part of making this happen for us."