I'M A ROCK STAR, BABY

"But Meems, what if this single doesn't do well? I'll be back at Pop's flipping burgers for the rest of my life!" Caleb all but yelled at me through skype.

I rolled my eyes at him, "What's so bad working at Pop's? I do." I watched him sputter for a few moments as I smiled to myself, "Caleb your second single is genius, everything will work out don't you worry."

I moved away from my laptop as I put a new load of wash into the washer. Caleb excitedly told me about the upcoming summer tour their label has them on. From what I can figure out, they're going on two different tours, and a few festivals being one of the opening bands on all of them. "So are you going to come with us this summer?"

I was asked to come with them on their last summer tour they were on right after they got signed too. This tour seems a little better then the last one, they are actually playing real venues not little holes in the wall. "I don't know Caleb, I have a job back at home."

"Awww Come on Meems! Please come! Em won't go if you don't come!" Caleb whined over skype at me, making me cringe.

"Where will I stay? With what money will I travel with you guys?" These all reasonable questions and hesitations running through my mind, that keeps me from flat out saying – 'when do we leave?'

There was talking in the background on Caleb's side, there was a scrapping sound, then the sound turned off on his side, I watched him talk to someone off screen. Suddenly there was a loud scrapping noise as I watched the camera turn to face Dan, "The boys and I have decided, that if you cook and do our laundry, we'll let you come on tour with us." He his face serious along with his beard needing a serious shave.

I was silent as I thought about what he said to me, it's hard to tell if he's joking with me or not because he's such a serious guy in general, which is surprising because almost every other drummer I know, -which also surprising that I know quite a few- are usually the goofiest guys of the band.

I stared down Dan for a few moments before I hesitantly asked, "Are you serious?" In all honestly I would if it meant I could go on tour with them. I could hear a loud burst of laughter from both Dan and the people in the background. "Hi guys!" I yelled realizing that there was more then Dan and Caleb listening to me. I missed this. I missed them. I missed being their manager; it made me want to go on tour with them even more. I just wanted to climb through the computer to New York City where the boys are recording and hug them all.

Duke, the band's lead singer shouted a little too loudly from outside of the camera range, "Patty saids it's cool if you come, it's on the record company, it's for showing them us and giving up your role of manager without a hassle, or asking for anything."

I heard flesh smacking against flesh, and a muffled curse before I heard Abel, the guitarist, yell at Duke, "Why'd you ruin the joke you douche I wanted to see if she would actually do my laundry."

I rolled my eyes as I heard arguing them arguing off screen, they haven't changed a bit since they got their recording contract still acting like a bunch of brats. I even bet they all will somehow trick me into during their laundry anyway, like I somehow ended up doing when I was their manager.

It felt like it was only yesterday I that I was over Caleb and Abel's apartment, I sat in the community Laundromat, as I tried to explain to all the boys in the band, except Duke, how to do laundry properly. I sat on top of one of the washers as I watched Caleb measure out the amount of soap needed for a load of jeans while the others waited their turns for me to give them my attention to help them. Caleb said to me as he intently stared at his task on hand, "I'm hungry."

Abel called from his seat not even looking up from the textbook he was reading from, "You're always hungry, that's why you're fat."

I glanced over at Abel, "Don't be so mean." I knew anything out of my mouth would be ignored when I chastised them on the treatment of each other.

Dan commented on from his spot in the corner where he lounged over three seats, "Mimi, you making dinner tonight?"

I snorted and rolled my eyes, "Yeah with what food? All Caleb and Abel keep in their fridge is milk, beer, and lunch meat."

Caleb said as he dumped the soap in the machine "I'm pretty sure there's pickles in the fridge too."

I glared at Caleb before I turned towards Dan, "If you guys drove me to the store and gave me food money I'd make dinner." I jumped off the washer I sat on and walked to the door of the washroom. "Who's driving me and giving me money?" I asked to get out of helping with their laundry, which really means me getting out of doing it for them.

I looked around at the room at the boys waiting for someone to step up. I knew one of them would, they love when I cook. Dan loudly got up from his seat and walked towards me a frown on his face, "I work all day and when I finally get home I've gotta play errand boy, fun."

I blocked the doorway and stood with my hands on my hips, "Well excuse me, I'm sorry I thought you wanted me to cook dinner." I stared up at him with a frown on my face, there was no need for him to get pissy with me.

Dan just smiled at me and picked me up under my arm pits and moved me out of his way and left the washroom. I stared after him in shock, I couldn't believe he had the nerve to be such an ass to me after I was doing something nice for them! I looked over at Caleb and Abel as they tried to hide their laughter from me. Well there goes them supporting me. "You coming Meems?" Dan shouted from halfway down the hallway. God these boys raised my blood pressure right through the roof those days!

I smiled at the memory as I listened to the boys tell me how the recording is going. I missed those days when it was just the boys and me, I would give almost anything to go back there.

XxXxXxXx

A month after I told the boys I'd join them on tour my phone buzzed in my apron for the sixth time tonight while I was working. It distracted me enough that I had to ask a customer to repeat his order. Who the hell needed me this bad? I bet it's one of the boys calling me drunk again, I will kill who ever it is if I'm right. I made the excuse of needing a new pad so I could walk into the stock room and check my phone. There were 8 missed calls and 5 text messages, I quickly scanned the messages and found out that Patty called me once and that I had to call her back. The other texts were from the boys of the band giving me Patty's number and telling me it's important and I needed to call her right away. Well too bad for Patty she's going to have to wait a half a hour till my break until I could call her. I sent a quick text to Caleb saying I was at work then I returned to the front.

When I took my twenty minute break, the first thing I did after I lite my cigarette was pull out my phone to call Patty back. She picked up on the first ring. "Mimi! I've been waiting for you! I have a lot of things to go over with you before the tour."

I mentally groaned, I knew when Caleb told me I could come on tour no strings attached was a lie! "A lot of things? What do you guys need to fill me in on? I don't have any hand in things."

Patty's laugh floated through the phone, "Oh don't be stupid of course there's things you're going to be in charge of." I rolled my eyes and sat down to prepare for whatever came out of her mouth. "You're going to be in charge of making sure the boys don't do drugs. I know one of the boys of The Shattering does some type of drugs, make sure Duke stays away from that. Watch Abel with his drinking you know how he gets." I took a drag of my cigarette as the list went on. "I need you to watch how the boys interact with the fans I don't need Duke getting another girl pregnant, we were lucky that she was okay with abortions." I cringed as I thought of the poor girl that Duke knocked up last tour, I wonder how the record company got her to do that. "If you could make sure the boys, you know stay in line that would be great. I won't be there to hold their hands this time. That's your job."

As the last words of her little speech clicked in my head my cigarette dropped out of my mouth and onto the cement stair where it sizzled out. "What do you mean it'll be my job? I gave up the band once they signed on, they're not my responsibility anymore."

Patty hollow laugh filled my ears, "Don't be naive, you don't get to go on tour with them for fun. You're there to work. It's much cheaper to hire you as a handler then someone else. You know how the boys work, they would think twice before they blew off what you had to say."

I was silent as I thought this over, was it really worth taking the summer off from Pop's? Did I want to play mother all over again? Patty took my silence as an okay to spit out instructions on what I'm in charge of, where to catch my flight to meet with the band. I listened to her speak mentally taking note of everything I had to do. When I signed off to go on tour with them I didn't even think I had to work during it! It was supposed to be my great summer vacation!

Patty explained everything I needed to know before tour while I was on my break, even spilling over after my break. I worked the rest of my shift on autopilot as I worked through everything I had to do before I left to go on tour with them. I had to figure out which clothes to bring, what I could leave at home. Should I bring all my makeup or should I shrink it down to just the basics? What is Em bringing with her? When is she meeting up with us? All those questions and more swam around my brain while I worked for the last time before I took off for the summer.

The excitement over my impending semi-vacation kept building as the end of my shift came. Once two am rolled around I was still super excited that I would leave in two days, but the exhausting bone tired feeling followed me home. I didn't bother checking my phone again till I made the twenty-minute drive home from work to my parents' house. After I washed all my makeup off and threw my hair in a bun, did I call my best friend to consult him of the change of plans. Did he know about this from the start?

I called Caleb's cell phone, it rang twice before a sleepy voiced whispered "Hello?"

I whispered my greeting back, "Hey Dan, is Caleb up?"

I heard rustling on the other side and his hushed response "No is it important? I could wake him up if you wanted me to?"

"No, it's not important enough to wake him up over it, I'm sorry I woke you up Dan." I hurriedly spoke to make sure he didn't wake Caleb up.

"Nah it's cool, something on your mind? " His voice grew louder after a door clicked shut on his side. He must have moved out their shared room.

I let out a sigh and snuggled deeper into my bed getting settled, "I talked to Patty today. It seems like I'm more of a handler then a friend going on tour. "

"What? What's that supposed to mean?" His voice raspy with sleep floated through the line to me, I could tell he was confused.

"You know how everyone was calling me to get back to Patty right away?"

"Yeah! I texted you three times and not one response!" He sounded a little annoyed when admitting I didn't text him back.

"Sorry bout that I was at work and Patty's phone call took up my whole break. Yeah well anyway Patty basically told me that I will bee your handler for the summer. To make sure you guys stay out of trouble and drug free."

Dan chuckled as he listened to me go into detail my conversation with Patty. He reassured me a few times that this would be easy money. I tried to listen to reason but I was still a little nervous. I know these guys. They're my friends they won't do any crazy shit that get me kicked off the tour. They'll listen to me, they've done it before. The boys wouldn't do drugs anyway, Caleb and Abel's dad was a drug addict, they would kick anyone ass who did drugs. My conversation with Dan drifted from my working on tour to the cities we will be going to. The more we talked about places to visit in different cities the more excited I got. I had a feeling that this was going to be a life changing summer. I could just feel it!