Love And Other Drugs

The five girls walked quickly down the long hallway of the studio and Luxe could feel her heart pounding out of her chest. After the day in the studio where she had had her run in with Andy and heard what he had to say about her, she had felt like maybe this wasn't for her. Instead of just running away though, she had confided in Char and the other girls, who all were outraged enough for her and demanded that they all go down to see Alex. It was pretty simple-they did not want Andy on their record and they wanted Alex to leave Luxe alone about the way she looked.

Was Luxe the rocker chick to end all rocker chicks? Fuck no. But she was a nice girl who played her role whenever they were out in public and who gives a fuck if she wants to wear simple sweats when she comes in to record. Charlotte could feel her blood boiling-this is why she hated Andy and the rest of Black Veil Brides so much. They were stuck up, ego maniacs who didn't care if they hurt the feelings of anyone else around them. What he said about Luxe that day in the studio and what he was continuing to say around town was not okay and it made Char and Mads both want to ring his scrawny little neck.

They were so close to having this record done-Luxe had two more songs to record, including the ill fated cameo song with Andy and then the record would go to printing. They still had a lot of work to do-photoshoots, interviews and summer was coming up, which meant a five show stint on the Vans 2011 Warped Tour. They wouldn't be touring the entire tour because they weren't known well enough yet, but Alex had worked it out with Kevin Lyman that they would play the shows in California, which is where the tour always started off. The girls were excited, they had been practicing together for over two months now and all of them felt really comfortable on stage.

At first Char had been unsure about Luxe-the poor girl didn't even know how to hold a mic at first. But with a little bit of coaching and watching a few youtube videos, the girls now were able to really rock it out on stage. Luxe had this thing that she did when ever a song started-she would stand completely still with her head down, her hair in her face and she would just start tapping her toes to the beat. Then her entire body would begin to shake and her hair would swing back and forth to the tune of Char's guitar and then she would open her mouth and the best sound in the world would come out.

Pixie and Lulu also played it up when they were on stage-hanging on one another, pecking one another on the lips and just being crazy. Pixie was a little more outgoing than Lulu, but the two girls really loved playing with one another. Then there was Mads-her name fit her attitude and as Char looked over her black t-shirt clad shoulder at the drummer, she could only smirk. Mads was more angry than all of them over this entire thing-she hated that band and while she would never admit it, Mads really did care about Luxe.

Now the girls were standing outside of Alex's office, the pale yellow door shut but they could hear the smarmy music producer behind the closed door and they knew he was in there. Char knocked, softly at first, but then her insistence grew once there was no answer. Finally the door popped open and Alex stood before them, a phone up to his ear and his black hair was crumpled and not styled like it normally was. He crooked a finger for them to enter and one by one the girls did so, taking seats all around the overly decorated room while they waited.

Awards, won by bands that Alex managed and produced, lined the walls and of course there was the ever present BVB plated record. They were the record company darlings-they could do no wrong and Char knew this was going to be hard for her to negotiate. Alex remained on the phone and as Char repositioned herself on the leather couch, she focused in on the conversation at hand.


"Look man, these girls are ready. No, no I don't care what anyone says-I have faith in my girls and I know they can do this. Fine. Fine! Call me later..." What was that about? Char sat there and watched as Alex shut his phone down, tossing it to the desk before taking a seat in his oversized leather chair that probably cost more than her car.

"What can I do for you ladies? Can I get anyone anything to drink?" Alex asked them sweetly and Char noticed that Pixie had raised her hand, but Lulu shot the girl a look and she quickly placed it in her lap. Luxe was sitting beside Charlotte, silently chewing on her lip ring as she avoided everyone's gaze.

"No and you can do something for us Alex." Charlotte said sweetly as she leaned forward, her arms resting on her knees as she looked their music producer and manager in the eyes.

"What's that Char? Need some new clothes for your upcoming tour?" He was so smarmy and greasy looking that Charlotte had a hard time keeping her massive eyeroll down to a minimum.

"You can keep that little shit off of our record and out of our lives." She said fiercely and it was clear that Charlotte had shocked Alex enough. That smirk had left his lips and his brows were now furrowed as he looked around the table at all of them.

"Who are you talking about Charlotte?" Alex asked as he folded his hands in front of him and looked around at all of the girls. Charlotte and Madeline looked pissed, Pixie and Lulu also looked kind of angry and Luxe...well she just looked kind of sad.

"Andy Six...Biersack...whatever the fuck he's going by these days." Charlotte said and Alex could hear the venom in her voice and he could feel his stomach clench. Not good-this was not good for any of them and it was going to ruin all of his plans.

"And what has Andy done to get you so riled up Char?" Alex asked as he leaned back in his chair, his eyes locking with Charlotte's.

"Luxe heard what he said about her the other day-saying she wasn't good enough and begging you not to work with her. That's bullshit Alex and you know it! We aren't going to work with any of them...that entire band is full of nothing but a bunch of douche wads!" Char was angry now-Alex could tell and yet he just remained calm and smiled at them all.

"I'm sure there's been some misunderstanding...Luxe probably just heard him wrong..." Alex said and as Lucinda looked up and caught his eyes, she could see the warning in them. She should have kept her mouth shut they seemed to be saying and Lucinda couldn't keep the blush from creeping across her neck and cheeks.

"She didn't hear shit wrong! He's been badmouthing us all around town!" Mads spoke out, her eyes on fire to match her red and black hair.

"I'm sure it's just idle gossip. You girls are going to have to learn to play nice with people in the industry." Alex said as he cracked open a bottle of water and took a sip. He had to remain calm-they were just weeks away from announcing the best thing that had ever happened to this record company and these five girls were not going to ruin it for him.

"Well what if we don't want to be a part of your industry anymore?" Mads asked, her tattooed arms crossed over her chest and Alex flared his nostrils. He got up quickly, moving over to a filing cabinet that sat in the corner with his two Best Producer Awards from Kerrang sitting on top.

"You don't have a choice." He said nastily as he tossed down five thick bundles on to the desk and watched as they spread across his table. Charlotte reached out and grabbed one, seeing her own signature at the bottom of each page.

Their contracts.

"I own you. I own your talent, your likeness and your names. Charlotte Rousse doesn't exist without me-The Hollywood Dolls is nothing without me. The sooner you realize that I own every single one of you and begin to play nice...the better your lives are going to be." Alex said as he leaned towards them and Char felt her heart stop. She should have known-Alex McFadden was nothing but a snake.

"And if we walk?" Charlotte asked as she set her contract back onto the desk and reached for Luxe's hand. The poor girl was shaking and she looked like she wanted to cry-as did Pixie and Lulu.

"You will fall. You'll go back to waitressing and making just enough to eat every week. Madeline will go back to her Security job at the Whiskey, while Penelope will probably have to move back home to live with mommy and daddy. Talula will get shipped back to that strip club in Georgia and Lucinda...well I'll make sure she gets sent packing back to that backwater town in North Carolina. The record won't see the light of day and I will make damn sure that none of you survives in this town...ever."With that Alex smirked at them all and waved his hands in the air.

"But let's not think about that now! You girls have a photo shoot for the cover of your record later this evening and we want you to be well rested. So, why don't you lovely ladies go out to lunch-on me-and then I'll see you back here in three hours!" It was like dealing with Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde and as Charlotte took Alex's credit card from his fingers and stood, she could only nod.

"Charlotte?" Alex asked as all of the girls had left the room, except for the outspoken lavender haired girl. Charlotte only turned around, her hand on the doorframe as she faced their manager from Hell and nodded that she was listening.

"Don't you ever...ever...come into my office with these demands again. Understand?" His eyes were deadly as he stared her down and Char could only nodded and left the room, letting the heavy door slam behind her.


Charlotte was the last to enter the elevator and when she did so she felt her stomach drop. Lucinda was in the corner, her head resting against Pixie's shoulder and the two girls were crying softly. Mads looked pissed the fuck off, her eyes on fire and Char noticed that her fingerless gloved hands were clenched into fists. Lulu was also crying, her head resting against the back wall of the elevator as Charlotte entered and the doors finally closed. This was it-they finally realized what they should have known all along. They weren't a band-they were a product, something that was made by a machine of people and would be kept well oiled and well maintained.

They had no freedom-they lived and breathed The Hollywood Dolls and they were trapped for at least six years. Silence filled the small space as they all stood around and thought over things that had just happened. Andy and the rest of Black Veil Brides hated them-well they would hate the band right back if that's what it came to and the girls all shared a collective smile. Andy and those guys didn't know what was coming-they would rue the day they ever smack talked The Hollywood Dolls. Finally the elevator came to a stop and the girls all got out, entering the large marble lobby and saying hello to Francis, the security guard who stayed by the front doors all day long.

They walked as a group down the street, knowing full well that in just a few days their names would be out there for all to see and know. The record photoshoot was later tonight, something they had all once been looking forward to, then tomorrow was a press day that they had all been kind of scared about. They would meet with magazine reporters one after another, all discussing their new album and who exactly The Hollywood Dolls were. Then there was their first show at the end of the week, which they were very nervous about. Luxe still had to record that stupid cameo with Andy, which was in two days and she was not looking forward to it.

Collected at a small table, outside in the sunshine, were five girls who had nothing but one another now. They couldn't fight against the powers that be because those powers were so much stronger than them, but they had something that they hadn't known they'd had until now.

Each other.

"What are we going to do Charlotte?" Pixie asked as she took a sip of her water with lemon and the guitarist noticed that all of the girls were looking at her now. Luxe looked like she was going to be sick and Charlotte only smiled softly as she took the lead singers hand and squeezed.

"We're going to do whatever it takes to make this work. Alex has our names, our lives...everything. But there is one thing he will never have...our friendship." She said and all of the girls smiled as they nodded at one another and that was their silent promise.

They would always be there for one another, through thick and through thin.

Notes

What could this big announcement be? Any guesses?

I promise that BVB will make an appearance(and stay in the story) in a bit, but the girls have to get to a certain point before that happens.

Review loves<3