Snapshot

Raise The Roof

"You did great out there," her new boss compliments, cleaning his lens with the corner of his T-shirt. 

"Is that a compliment, boss man?" she asks in amusement.

He shakes his head at her. They just finished up her first concert, and she has to admit that she had fun. It has been a while since she has been around so many people, and the atmosphere had been electric. The band was great and the fans had been in a frenzy. She had gotten a few shots, and she was pretty sure that she had a few commission-worthy ones too. 

"You can call me Trevor," he says with a smile, and she knows that she's just made a friend. 

"Come on," he tells her, slinging his arm around her shoulder, "it's time for the best part."

"What's that?" she asks with a smile. 

"The after-party," he whispers in her ear with a mischievous grin. 

"Actually," she starts, starting to feel uncomfortable, "I have some unpacking to do..."

"No can do, new girl, Kaden himself requests your presence."

She feels herself deflate. Parties are not her thing. Parties suck. Do you know why? One, her friend had been killed at one. Two, the venues are always crowded, loud and suspiciously dirty. If we were meant to be pressed up against so many people, we'd be born as conjoined twins or something. Bottom line, parties suck, and she didn't want to go. 

But it's very hard to say no to your enthusiastic new boss-friend named Trevor who you feel guilty about calling a "great guy". So, that's why she finds herself in an overly crowded, overly loud and suspiciously dirty space. 

"There you are!" Kaden yells boisterously, hanging on two girls at once. 

"I didn't think you'd make it," he slurs. 

Avery wrinkles her nose in disgust. He's drunk. 

"Come on, meet my bros!" he says happily, ditching his two girls and dragging her behind him.

With each step, the music becomes unbearable, the sickly sweet smell of marijuana and tobacco assaults her senses. Her head begins to ache from the flashing lights, and she wants to throw up. 

***

"We're about to raise. This. Roof!" Clara yelled loudly, nearly falling from her perch on the coffee table.

They're all at yet another house party. This was their third one this week. It was Wednesday. The crowd gathered around Clara cheered, and they all began knocking beer glasses together as they toasted to her crazy ways. She giggled, feeling utterly thrilled by the attention.

Avery just sighed and looked away. 

The only way she dealt with so many parties was by not drinking. She and Lexi came up with that idea after they learned a few hard lessons. Speaking of Lexi, she was pretty sure her eyes were about to melt they were focused so intensely on Clara. 

"If you hate her so much, why are you watching her?" Avery asked tiredly, "go on, have some fun, Lexi."

"I can't," Lexi growled, focused on Clara with an intense rage that could be seen from her expression.

It was surprising that Clara hadn't burst into flames yet. 

"She just waltzes in and wrecks our entire dynamic. And what's up with Jeremy bringing her to the races like that? How do we push our merch while the sheriff's daughter is hanging over our main man?"