Love And Other Drugs

Luxe smiled as she looked around the dimly lit living room, taking in everything that surrounded her. She, Mads, Pixie, Lulu and Char we all seated around Char's den with snacks, wine and a DVD playing on the television in the background. They were all in their pj's, laughing and gossiping as the four girls sipped wine and Luxe stuck with her bottle of water.

It was Girl's Night-something that Char had suggested a few weeks ago when Andy had left for tour and Luxe had dove head first in to a deep depression.

Luxe had barely left her home, she hardly showered and the girls couldn't get her to pick up the phone. Char had been so scared that Luxe had relapsed that she finally called Alex, who drove straight over there and together the guitarist and manager broke down a side door. They found Luxe curled on the couch, takeout boxes and water bottles littered the floors of the place and Char quickly went to her best friend's side.

Luxe cried then-she hadn't cried the entire time Andy had been gone, but seeing Char and seeing how worried she was, Luxe finally broke down.

It had taken that scare to show the girls that they needed to stick by one another and so they had decided that once a week they would meet up and have a night with just the girls. It was usually at Char's place, which was hard for Luxe because she never really liked leaving her house. Every time she did leave, flash bulbs went off in her face, people screamed at her-she couldn't get a moment of peace. Andy had been gone for a month, but to Luxe it felt like a year.

Every GN was the same-the other girls would sit around and share a bottle of wine, they would eat takeout and usually gossip about the guys in their lives. For once all of the girls were involved with other people and it was almost strange in a way. Luxe laughed as Pixie talked about her boyfriend's bad habits, but while it made her smile, it also made Luxe miss Andy even more. Luxe was sitting on the floor, her back up against Char's legs with Char's hands braiding her hair gently.


"So Luxe-how's Andy doing?" Lulu asked and Luxe looked up, realizing that all of the girls were looking at her. She cleared her throat, thinking over things carefully.

"He's really sick actually. They had to cancel a few shows the last couple of days." Luxe said sadly. She felt bad that Andy was so sick-he'd had to go to the hospital and was now holed up in a hotel room. Luxe knew the feeling and she only wished she could be there for him right now.

"Oh God! What's wrong?" Pixie asked in between sips of her wine and Luxe bit down on her lip ring.

"He's got the flu and a serious respiratory infection. They have him on antibiotics and they're hoping to get back on the road tomorrow." Luxe said as she reached out to the middle of the semi circle and grabbed a handful of chips and stuffed a few in her mouth.

"That fucking sucks. I was talking to Ash yesterday and he was saying something about them all being pretty run down. I think they're looking forward to having some time off." Mads stated and Luxe only smirked. Two years ago the drummer hated the sexist bassist, but now they texted one another like teenage girls.

"I'll bet. They've been touring almost non stop since last winter..." Lulu said, pushing her black and green hair out of her face. Luxe nodded-she knew that feeling and she knew how hard it was to live like that.

"I, on the other hand, am getting restless. I mean I know we just toured over the summer, but I'm ready to get out there!" Char said as she tied off Luxe's hair and then took a long sip of her wine.


The group had kept their demons under control, but Luxe still couldn't look at any of them as they took sips from their glasses. Mads had been out of rehab for only two months and yet the drummer couldn't help but have a small glass of wine in her calloused hands. This was going to end in disaster and Luxe wanted out-she couldn't do this anymore.

They had worked together back before the summer-they had worked so hard to deal with their problems, both separately and as a band, but none of that seemed to matter now.

Luxe was the only one who was pretty much still completely sober-she hadn't had a drop of hard alcohol or a snort of anything since the early spring and she wasn't about to ruin everything. But she was now the odd man out, which had started their problems before because the girls felt like Luxe was segregating herself.

Truthfully she just wanted to be healthy and the other girls weren't worried about that. Were they boozing it up every night? No, but even a glass of wine or going to a bar a few times a month was still pushing it and Luxe was done.


"Well we've got the video shoot tomorrow-maybe we should talk to Alex about getting us out there again." Pixie suggested and Luxe only smiled. Getting back on the road would be fun, but it was also right around the holidays, so it wouldn't be until after December.

"Is anyone else really fucking excited for this shoot to happen or is it just me?" Char laughed and the girls, even Luxe, all agreed with her.


The following day would start the three day shoot for their single off of the EP-Mz. Hyde. The concept for it was amazing and the record company was giving them a full budget for it and the girls were beyond excited. The EP in itself had done really well, paving the way for their third album, which the girls were hoping to work on over the holidays. Luxe had been writing like crazy and even though Alex had threatened to have someone else write this record, the girls were still preparing.

Usually their nights together ended with a jam session and tonight would be no different. Luxe had worked on this particular song all week, texting Pixie and Char the lyrics to see if they could come up with anything for it. Finally it seemed like they had and as Luxe looked around, she noticed that Char was moving to get her acoustic guitar and Mads had turned over an empty box to set the beat. She only smiled as Luxe cleared her throat and looked around at her bandmates.


"So Pixie, Char and I have been working on something and I was hoping we could get it pretty concrete and maybe add it to the set list when we do tour." Luxe said as she looked towards Lulu and Mads. The small bassist looked excited and the drummer-well Mads looked like she always did.

"Does it have a name yet?" Mads asked and Luxe only nodded, a soft smile playing on her pale pink lips. She hadn't been wearing makeup lately and it felt good to just be herself-to just be Luxe.

"I think I might call it Here's To Us." Luxe said as she looked towards Char and the two of them shared a look.


The two girls had been through a lot and Luxe knew she owed a lot to Char. The guitarist had been there for her, had held her hair when she was puking her guts out and let Luxe rest her head against her shoulder when things with Andy had been rocky. Char got her and had always supported her-even when Luxe was the new girl. She had helped Luxe with her hair, her makeup and her overall look when she had still been that mousey blonde in the AC/DC t-shirt.

The girls smiled at one another before Luxe opened her mouth and smacked her hands against her knees.

We could just go home right now
Or maybe we could stick around
For just one more drink, oh yeah
Get another bottle out
Lets shoot the shit
Sit back down
For just one more drink, oh yeah
Here's to us
Here's to love
All the times
That we fucked up
Here's to you
Fill the glass
Cause the last few days
Have kicked my ass
So lets give em hell
Wish everybody well
Here's to us
Here's to us

It would be the perfect song to play on stage and the music that Char and Pixie had come up with was really going to make this song something different. It wasn't their usual fast and loud song, but more of a soft undertone with a heavy guitar over top. This song would work and as Luxe finished it and looked around, she could see that even Mads was in to it. Here's To Us would be an anthem of sorts, chronicling their struggles together and cementing their time together as a band and as friends.


"So? What do you think?" Luxe asked after taking a sip of her water. The room stayed silent for a few moments, but then it seemed to explode.

"It's fucking amazing!" Char said as she sat her guitar down and wrapped her arms around Luxe's neck.

"Perfect!" Pixie said between sips of her wine.

"I really think people are going to like it...I love it." Lulu smiled at them and Luxe felt a blush creep across her cheeks.

"I think we should take a shot during it on stage." Mads suggested and the entire room seemed to come to a full stop.

"What?" Char said, shock lacing her features and Luxe was trying to remain calm. The thought of drinking, especially hard liquor in front of their fans, was terrifying and she didn't know how to feel.

"I just-I mean come on...the song pretty much calls for it." Mads defended and the girls just all looked at one another. Luxe could see that Pixie was all for it and that would mean Lulu would tag along, but what about Char?

"Yeah, but we just spent all this time..." Char started, but then she stopped. Luxe knew that she would, of course, be the only one on the opposing side and it would look pretty cool.

"I know and it doesn't mean we have to do more than a shot each. What do you say? Luxe?" Mads asked and soon all of their eyes were on the silent singer.

What would she do? What could she say? Taking in a deep breath, Luxe looked around at them all and shrugged her shoulders.

"Sure...why not."

Notes

Seems like Luxe is giving in to the pressure from her peers more and more.

How will Andy feel about that?

Review to find out<3

Here's To Us by Halestorm