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glenechoslasher · 2 months

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Could I have a John x fem reader where the reader reacts to John winning (but still beat tf up) in a bar fight?

Thanks bestie <3

Eyyy of COURSE you can bestie?! I have been practicing writing John, and I may not be the best, but I think I'm confident in my abilities. I think. But here, have a fun, flirty little brawl with your man~

"Trouble" ||

John Marston x f!Reader

Length: 2.1k

Rating: Mature: Mentions of blood, fighting, language

How John ended up in this situation was honestly beyond him, it was just an innocent outing with you and him running some errands for the ranch, and yet he was getting fist after fist pounded into his face.

After a long day of working, you could tell he was going stir-crazy. His old life was all about freedom and running around, doing things to bring in money or just getting to do as he pleased, but now? He was on a ranch, pretending to be someone he wasn’t to get by, and his trigger finger was beginning to itch. But to make you happy, to keep your heads low, and to survive, John had to behave and live as his persona for the time being.

“So, Jim,” you said with a smirk, “maybe we should stop at a saloon since it’s getting dark, we could eat a decent meal, maybe stay in a hotel for the night. I’m tired,” you sighed and leaned your head against the man’s shoulder.

John matched your sigh and flicked the reigns on the horses as he pulled them to the right, heading into Valentine's territory, which he hadn’t expected to be back here so soon. “I mean, it is a long way back, we could use the rest. And I am starvin’, could use something that isn’t a stew for once.”

You both pulled the wagon off and made sure the horses were comfortable, hitched to a nearby post, and then John helped you down to the ground and smiled wide with his arm wrapped around your waist. “Well, let’s get inside, maybe we can get a bath before bed, too,” he said softly with a smirk. He pulled you along and walked beside you, looking around the town that felt so different from when he was last here.

As you both entered the saloon, you definitely could tell that the environment was more lively, but you both tried to keep your wits about you as you ordered some food and sat in the corner, away from the rowdy group of people. The food was delicious and the conversation you shared was pleasant, as usual, but John couldn't shake the feeling that eyes kept falling on you both. He'd look away from you as he stopped mid-sentence to see one of the men staring at the both of you, but he tried to pay no mind, you were taking his attention.

The food was finished and you both were feeling content, the party of people in the saloon only grew larger in number and louder in volume, so you both figured it was time to head out to the hotel for the evening. John allowed you to walk out first so he could follow behind you, but you had barely gotten several steps toward the door when one of the men stepped in front of your path, blocking you from the exit.

“Hey there now, y'all ain't plannin’ on comin’ over to celebrate with us?”

“Sorry, friend, but we have other plans to attend to,” John answered firmly.

The man just scoffed, the reek of booze was strong on his breath, it was a wonder he was still standing. “Aww c'mon, my friend over there is gettin’ married, you could have one drink to congratulate him!”

“Sorry sir, but we don't even know you,” you said sharply, stepping back from him, and bumping into John. You felt a bit more at ease since he was here.

“And? You ain't heard of makin’ friends?” The man chuckled and grabbed your arm, pulling you along toward the table. He then decided to yank your arm and attempt to pull you over toward the table, but John stepped up and grabbed his wrist hard.

“We ain't interested, sir. My woman and I are heading out for the evenin’, so maybe next time you should use your brain and not touch a lady when she says no.”

John pushed the man away so you both had room to leave, but some of the drunk’s friends decided to get involved.

John stepped up protectively, his spine stiffened as his hand hovered over the knife that was holstered, hidden beneath his jacket. “Sir, you got till the count of three to back off and leave us alone,” he warned.

There had been a taller man who stood up from the table and interjected, pushing his friend gently off to the side. “Are you threatenin’ us?” He snapped.

“I ‘spose I am,” John retorted, holding his ground as he pushed you further behind him to shield you.

Another of the man's friends stepped up and tried to land a surprise swing on John, but he pushed you out of the way and took the hook to his shoulder. After that, John was brawling with several of the men who ganged up on you both. The one in the red shirt had tried to grab John to put him in a headlock so his friends could take their turns wailing on him, but your John was fast. He elbowed Red and kicked his leg in, causing the man to fall flat on his face.

That was one down—three more to go.

“I ain’t been in a bar fight in a long time,” John commented as he had both arms up, ready to block any attacks if needed, “but I’d rather continue my night with my lady if you gentlemen don’t mind.”

The three other men all ignored him and each one tried to punch him at different intervals to throw him off, but somehow, John managed to throw one man into the other and watched as the two tumbled straight into a table. The others who occupied the saloon were standing back and vacating the building. The bartender just sighed and walked off, not wanting to be part of yet another brawl. That left you, standing on the stairs away from the tussle.

The gunslinger looked back and you, making sure you were out of harm's way, then he got back to it. The two men who collided with the table were too drunk to stand, and all they did was stumble over one another. There was one left standing, and he was a little larger than the others.

“Look, I can just leave, no reason you gotta get involved,” John said nonchalantly, his stance easing up a little.

The man just glared down at him and he scoffed at the offer. “You ruined my engagement celebration, mister, I don’t take so kind to that.”

John just sighed and lifted his hands again, balling them into fists. “Alright then, have it your way,” he replied.

The man took a fast step forward and swung his fist straight at John’s jaw, and if it weren’t for the speed, maybe John would have dodged it, instead, he got nicked against his chin, which still caught him enough to cause some pain. That was all the distraction the man needed to step in and lunge at John, his larger body barreled into him and tackled him to the floor.

You let out a yelp, terrified that the man was going to have a one-up on John, and all you could do was watch in fear as your hands gripped the railing in fear.

The gunslinger was pinned onto the floor as the man above him threw punch after punch, landing a blow on his cheek, and almost breaking his nose at one point. John held up his arms to block and tried his best to use the strength from his legs to somehow get him to slip off, and he managed to throw the man off of him for a split second. He scrambled to find some balance, then rolled off to the side as the man recovered.

“Give up yet?” John asked with a smirk on his face as he licked the blood from his split lip, the bruises on his face forming fast.

The man just yelled out in frustration and then John had him in a blind frenzy, which made any man messy in a fight. John ducked from the swing and swung his right arm quickly, the blow landed in the side of the man’s temple, stunning him momentarily. Then it was over, John was finally standing over him and landing punch after punch in the man’s face until he fell unconscious. The gunslinger released the man’s collar, allowing his body to fall slack onto the wooden floor.

He looked up at you, panting to catch his breath as he straightened his posture. The people who occupied the saloon had all either hidden somewhere or run off, and there were just the two of you left with the pile of unconscious men scattered about on the floor. You waited a moment before hesitantly walking down the stairs to run into his arms, thankful he was alright despite being a little black and blue.

“As always you’re my hero,” you chuckled and reached up to touch his face, wiping away a smear of blood from his lip.

“And as always, we’re both gettin’ into trouble,” he replied gruffly.

You just scoffed. “We?”

“Well yeah, you’re my accomplice, partner in crime, ain’t you?” He asked as if it was the most obvious thing in the world. “Plus you’re the one always gettin’ the attention,” John teased as he slipped his arm through yours. He pulled you along and threw a couple of bills onto the countertop, then escorted you outside and across the muddly way, leading you straight to the hotel.

You both walked inside, the environment a complete flip from the saloon, and you were more at ease now, and even more thankful when you saw the list of services. The gentleman behind the counter stopped sweeping the floor and greeted you both with a kind smile.

“Howdy, how can I help y’all this evenin’?” He looked between the both of you with concern but didn’t voice them.

Your eyes looked over at John with a smile and then back at the desk man. “One bath and one room, please.”

The man smiled and got everything situated for you both, you thanked him and paid, then pulled John up the stairs to the bath. He followed obediently and cracked his neck as he ascended the stairs with you, groaning.

“Sleepin’ is gonna be a bitch, I just know it,” he complained.

“Well if you behaved for five minutes you wouldn’t have to worry about it, would you?” You scolded playfully as you looked over your shoulder at him. “He got some good hits in, but not gonna lie, Mister Marston, you looked really good kickin’ his ass.” You flashed him a cheeky smile and continued to lead him to the bath. “You go get cleaned up, I’ll get the room ready.”

You almost walked away, leaving him in front of the bath door, but his hand grabbed your wrist, and then he pulled you back toward him, falling into him as his arms wrapped around you. “Yeah? You think I looked good, huh?” He asked flirtatiously, pulling you close so his face was mere inches from yours. “Then why do you think you can just leave me here alone?” “John Marston, are you implyin’ I’m gonna join you in your bath?” You gasped, faux shock crossed your features.

All he could do was smile, the raised edges of the scars across his face made his face look extra handsome, and the dim lighting in the hall only made you admire his face even more. “Nah, I’m declarin’ that you are, unless you don’t wanna?” His hands cupped your cheeks, pulling you into the most tender kiss he could manage.

When he pulled away, your eyes fluttered open and you just stared up at him with a lovestruck smile. “Well, when you put it that way…”

That was all the confirmation he needed, so he opened the door to the readied hot bath, pulling you in after him, and you couldn’t help but giggle as he closed the door behind you both. You sighed as he leaned your hands against his chest, just smiling up at him with that look.

“I know that look, what is it?”

“Nothin’, you’re just trouble, John Marston,” you said softly, your hand cupped his cheek again, mindful of how gentle you had to be. “But I wouldn’t change it for the world, you know that, right?”

The man looked down at you and pulled you into another kiss, pulling away a moment later with that charming smile you were unable to resist, his hand reached up to brush your hair away from your face so he could see the light in those pretty eyes of yours. Just a minor setback to your shared evening, but John always had ways to make it up to you.

#Tinalbion writings #john marston #john marston drabble #john marston writing #writing drabble #writing ask #rdr #rdr2 #red dead redemption #red dead redemption 2 #red dead redemption john marston #john marston x reader #john marston x you #john marston x f!reader #comfort #angst #fluff #afab reader #vidjausers-fable

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vidjausers-fable · 5 months

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PenPals(Veneer x OC)Chapter 4

Previous chapter

Author’s Note: This is a more Avery-centered chapter, so I hope you enjoy getting to know this character more! Thank you again to my best friend @tinalbion for beta reading for me! Here’s more fanart of Velvet, Veneer, and yes, even Avery.

How would one describe their work without sounding insane? Avery didn’t know, even though she’d been working at that stupid rink close to five years. She was on her thirty minute lunch in the staff lounge, her skates off and under the table at her feet. In front of her, she had a slice of pizza and a soda, with a pen and notepad. She found herself taking notes of things she wanted to tell Veneer throughout the day and used those notes to write to him in the evening. She wanted to make sure that her letters were full of content, whether it be photos or just daily updates. Never once did she want a letter to lack any content, especially since Samson put a lot of effort into writing her back. Sometimes she would get pages of letters and sketches.

For about a month now, they had been sending letters back and forth. Avery felt herself grow closer with the male, yet too shy to ask if she could visit in person. If anyone asked her a few years ago where she imagined herself, she would have not answered with: Oh yeah, I’m sending letters back and forth with someone who was close to going to prison!

It just made her feel less lonely, after losing her one and only friend. Her best friend too. She knew that she had to get back out there eventually, to learn to trust others again and make friends, but it was hard when someone screwed you over as hard as Rebel Rivers did to her. She still felt hurt that one moment they were roommates, and the next second she was quite literally drained of all her money and kicked to the curb. Would it be weird to ask a coworker to go out and do something? What could they even do: go to another nasty joint or go bowling at another cheesy diner?

Absent-mindedly, she allowed her foot to fidget with her skates, rolling them back and forth, though she made sure not to let them roll too far away. She didn’t know what else to write to Samson without sounding as though she was one who constantly complained about their situation. But truly, at her work, she felt lonely, and at home, she felt isolated.

From the other side of the staff lounge, one of Avery’s coworkers watched her silently mope.

What Avery didn’t know was that her coworkers had noticed this loneliness. One did. This one in particular was Gracie, who had been there the longest after Avery, and knew that Avery had been on her own since a young age. Gracie was only a few years older, but she felt as though Avery somehow was more mature than her, and isolated. She didn’t know why, however, but felt like she could possibly work up the courage to reach out and see if Avery wanted to open up to her at a later time. She would have reached out to Avery sooner, but it felt as though that once she finished cleaning up the kitchen for the night, Avery was already gone before she could ask. Gracie was one of the preppers and line cooks while Avery skated and waited tables, which made it hard to get her to slow down, and their breaks hardly aligned with one another. But today would be different, she promised herself. She told herself that she would ask Avery tonight to come with her to the club tomorrow. She knew both of their schedules and that both of them had the day off tomorrow.

It was now or never.

Gracie calculated that Avery had about seven minutes left on her break, same as Gracie herself. Her palms were sweaty. She was nervous that she would be rejected. Now was the best time to do it, if she really would ask Avery tonight.

Stumbling over to the blonde in the booth, Gracie approached Avery. To her, Avery was beautiful and had her own unique style with the pink strip in her hair and the fishnets she wore under her uniform skirt. Gracie wished she had her confidence.

Despite being standoffish, Avery always smiled at her coworkers, so Gracie wasn’t any different. Avery smiled up at her as she approached. “Hey Grace, what’s up?” Avery asked, flipping the paper she was writing over, then sat up straighter.

Gracie scratched the back of her neck. “Sorry if I’m asking on such late notice, but if you’re not busy would you like to come clubbing with my boyfriend and me tomorrow night?” The question came out in stumbled words, so Gracie hoped that they were understandable to Avery, “I just realized that we’ve been working together for two years and we’ve never even stayed over extra for a drink or anything. It felt wrong to me in a way.” She smiled timidly.

Avery blinked up at her coworker in shock. Gracie was…sort of like her. Gracie kept to herself at work, though once when Avery was working, she had waited at her coworker’s table when she was out for some friends, and seemed to be a social butterfly then. Avery still treated her with kindness outside of work.

Avery stared up at the dark-skinned girl and admired how pretty she was with her curly dark black hair she had to keep pinned up and hidden while on the job. It was hard to believe that she even stuck around at a cook job when she could be out there and be a model or something.

“I don’t see why not,” Avery replied, smiling at her, “I’m off and if I take another shift, I would be doing TOO much overtime. So yeah, that sounds fun. Do you want to make plans to maybe do our hair together and makeup? I also have a couple dresses I could wear. I’ll bring them over.” Watching Gracie’s bright brown eyes wide when she answered did make her feel happier in a way, “I could come over, or you could come over to my place.”

Gracie nearly bounced off the floor. Avery wouldn’t realize that she had just opened Pandora’s jar. “OMG, that would be amazing!” She clapped her hands in excitement, “You can come over to my place, I have all KINDS of makeup to share with you. Just text me through my personal number. Can I write it down?” she pointed to the piece of paper that Avery’s hand had remained on top of the entire time.

Avery looked at it and handed it over hesitantly, “Yeah, sure.” She watched carefully as Gracie wrote her number out, and made sure she didn’t flip the page. She was a bit anxious for others to find out she was sending letters to someone who had been arrested.

“Text me tonight so I can text you my address ASAP! I don’t have anything going on, so I’ll be back at home with my boyfriend. Feel free to come over any time! This is going to be so much fun.” Gracie giggled, “Oh, we only have a minute left of our break! We should get back to work. It’ll help make time pass for the rest of the night!” She turned on the ball of her feet and rushed back into the kitchen. She stopped for a moment to look back at Avery, “Don’t forget to text me!” And then she was gone.

That wasn’t so bad… Gracie thought to herself, Avery is actually an interesting person. I shouldn’t have judged her so quickly. With that thought, she returned to her work.

Avery didn’t personally mind being a couple minutes late returning and took her time to slip back into her skates, sliding her notepad into her uniform apron. She chuckled quietly to herself at the encounter with Gracie. She didn’t realize Gracie had so much energy in her. Though she had to think to herself for a moment—Gracie had been so nervous about approaching her? Did Avery give off that vibe…? Was she just that unapproachable to others?

Shaking off some creeping thoughts, Avery skated back into the room, where her shift was as normal for the rest of the night. When she returned home, she was almost too tired to shower but did anyway because she did not want her bed to smell like grease. So, she took a long hot shower, taking her time to wash the smell off herself before she went to bed, not even adding to Samson’s letter for the night, too exhausted from her long shift. She did make sure to text Gracie before she passed out.

When Avery awoke, she was more sore than usual. Honestly, she was considering texting Gracie to cancel. The longer she lay there in bed, teetering back and forth, the more she began to think about the day. She had already promised her coworker to go out for the night, and she didn’t like the thought of chickening out and then facing Gracie at work the next day. Plus, it would probably do her good to get out to somewhere that wasn’t the grocery store. This soreness would pass.

But did she really want to face the Boom Box again? After what had happened with Velvet and Veneer, and now her own personal trauma of having her own art stolen, that place seemed almost…traumatic for her now. Even if nothing remotely traumatic happened to her in it.

Avery released a long breath. “Okay, stop thinking or you’ll start to spiral. Let’s get up and do something,” she encouraged herself and stood, stretching her long limbs above her head. If her body could make cracking sounds, then it would have.

Avery checked the time. It was only 9am. She sent a text to Gracie, seeing that she had texted her address late last night, probably around the time when they both got home. I just got up. Going to get ready. Do you want breakfast while I’m getting some? There, that seemed friendly, right?

Gracie texted back immediately, making Avery wonder if she was staring at her phone the entire morning, waiting for Avery to text. Yes pls! A coffee and a burrito if possible! ^0^

Will do! How do you like your coffee? After texting, she set her phone aside to brush her hair and look at herself in the mirror. She ran her fingers over the pink strip in her hair, seeing that it didn’t look as glossy as usual. Was your natural hair color supposed to fade this early? She brushed her teeth and then tended to her pets.

“Sorry guys, I can’t let you out today. I’ll be out all day. But here’s some extra treats to hold you over until then.” She took them out of their pen and allowed them to eat the snacks in her lap. When they were done, she put them back and returned to her phone. She picked it off her kitchen counter and checked to see if Gracie had answered her text. She had, so Avery made a mental note to her coffee order.

Avery’s fingers acted out of instinct, and she found herself looking up Samson on her phone. When no name popped up, she realized that she was about to text a man’s number that she didn’t even have—but a number she realized she desperately wanted. This made her blush to herself before she went and looked for Samson’s letter where she had started but not quite finished yet. She wanted to finish writing to him, but she didn’t want to keep Gracie waiting.

“I’ll finish you tomorrow morning before work,” she promised to Samson as if he was right in front of her, then set the letter down on the kitchen island where she did most of her writing.

Avery took her bag and headed out the door after she dressed. Today she was in a black t-shirt and pink skirt with fishnets. She had brought with her a dress or two for the club, though wondered if Gracie would make them go out shopping for some together. She secretly hoped not.

There was a coffee shop near the bus stop that Avery often visited on the days she went grocery shopping. She went ahead and got their coffees and two burritos before making sure that they were wrapped up nicely in a bag and secured. Sometimes the roads in Mount Rageous were crazy fast and tossed you back and forth, and Avery didn’t want to start this day with coffee all over herself or her dresses.

The ride took about fifteen minutes, and sure enough, the bus was fast, tossing Avery around in the back. Had she not needed to bring so much with her, she would have just skated and saved herself the aches and pains in her arms and legs. She pulled the brake for the bus driver when she neared the street that Gracie had texted her and then stood. When she exited the bus, she immediately texted Gracie, Hey I just got off the bus and I’m close. Do you think that you could step outside so I can see where you’re at?

There had been no response back immediately, though very did see the seen marker pop up under the text almost instantly. Her face was still buried in her phone when she heard someone call her name, “AVERY! I’M OVER HERE!”

Avery looked side to side but saw no one. All there were, was the apartments stretching down from both left and right.

“I MEAN UP HERE!”

Avery then looked up and saw Gracie standing on a fourth story balcony. She was waving her hand back and forth erratically while smiling. She cupped her mouth when she called out, “CUT THROUGH THE BUILDING IN THE CENTER AND I’LL MEET YOU DOWNSTAIRS!”

“Okay!” Avery called out but not nearly as loud as Gracie, so she wasn’t sure if her coworker had heard her. Gracie smiled anyway and disappeared back into her apartment.

As she had been told, Avery cut through the center of the apartments, where there were stairs, and waited in case that was where she was supposed to be. Sure enough, she heard the loud tapping of frantic shoes before Gracie made an appearance. She was wearing shorts, a white hoodie that had rabbit ears coming off the top of it, and house slippers. It was strange to see her outside of her work uniform.

“Good morning!” Gracie said excitingly, greeting Avery by kissing both her cheeks. It was a bit of a greeting that was too far into Avery’s bubble, but she didn’t voice that. Gracie immediately took the food out of her hands, making Avery’s load lighter. “We only have to go up one flight of stairs to the lobby, and then we can go into the elevator.”

Avery smiled and teased, “Thank god. You scared me for a moment when I saw you on the fourth floor. I’m on the third floor in my apartment, and our elevator breaks often.”

Gracie giggles, “You should move here then. The maintenance here is pretty fabulous!”

Avery thought to herself, If I could only afford it. Gracie and I work the same job, but she also has her boyfriend to help pitch in for rent…

“Oh shoot, I forgot to ask if your boyfriend wanted anything for breakfast.”

Gracie scoffed playfully and waved her hand, “Psh, don’t worry about him. He can fend for yourself. Thank you SO much for breakfast, it smells so good! Where did you get it?”

Avery followed Gracie up the stairs and to the elevator, “There’s this coffee shop kinda in the center of my apartments. It’s an amazing hang out place, and the food and coffee is—and don’t tell the boss—so much better than at the diner. I go there every other week, if not every week. It’s called the Truffle Tower ironically. Maybe the two of us can go together after work one day.”

“I would SO love that!” Gracie squeaked and pressed the button to the fourth floor, continuing to talk as the elevator went up, “My boyfriend is home but he won’t bother us. I told him to play video games all morning if he had to. I’m so excited to have a girls day out!” She tried not to jump while they were in the elevator, but once they stepped out she leaped for joy, unable to contain herself.

This made Avery laugh and snort, “Are you SURE you need this coffee? You’re bouncing off the walls!” she teased.

Gracie was too pumped to stop bouncing, even as they made it to her door. There was a doormat in front that said, Only come in if you have my delivery. “Gods yes, I’ll need more bean juice if you want to keep this party in motion! Oh, here’s my place.” She unlocked the door and stepped inside.

Upon stepping inside, Avery was greeted with an apartment that was luxurious compared to hers. The walls were light blue and the furniture had a gray, blue, or black modern tone to them. She could see the balcony with glass sliding doors, where Gracie had called out to her earlier. Avery almost gasped out loud.

What Avery was almost greeted with was a tall male with dark blue hair and pale skin. He was wearing a hoodie and boxer briefs, and was also in the middle of eating cereal messily.

“TROY! I TOLD YOU TO GET DRESSED, WE HAVE A GUEST OVER!” Gracie screamed and grabbed an orange off the counter, throwing it at him.

Troy laughed and grabbed the orange with one hand, the other still wrapped around his bowl, “I’m not starving myself for you, woman! Fine, I’m going!” He took the orange and the bowl and disappeared into one of the rooms, closing the door.

Gracie released a dramatic sigh, and for a moment she seemed to calm down, “Sorry about that. He doesn’t like to listen to the words I say!” She scoffs and takes Avery to her kitchen island. It was much longer and had a better countertop than Avery’s back at home. “Let’s eat here before I starve myself. Do you want anything back for breakfast?” she asked calmly as she took out the burrito box and the coffee labeled with her name.

Avery returned the smile and shook her head, “No way. I asked because it’s a treat from me.” She took her own coffee and removed the protective top that prevented spills and dove it, “I forgot to ask what meat you wanted on your burrito, so I hope sausage was okay. I got bacon for myself in case you didn’t like it.”

“Sausage was a fine choice! Thank you again!”

As they ate, it was silent, but only for a moment before Gracie began to speak again, “I’m really excited to go clubbing tonight. I heard that there’s going to be something exciting going on at the Boom Box tonight. Have you seen it on the news?”

Avery tried not to pale. Luckily her pink skin never seemed to lose much color, “No. I guess I haven’t lately. What’s going on?”

“I’m not quite sure yet…But I heard that it’s going to be AMAZING! It’s a surprise but it’s being announced tonight. I’m thrilled you’re going. It gets lonely with two people, especially when the other person wants to go do something else. With you and my boyfriend, there will always be someone there! Have you been clubbing at the Boom Box before?”

Avery tried not to hesitate, but her words faltered for a moment, “Oh, yeah. Once or twice. But I haven’t since I started picking up evening and double shifts.”

Gracie pouted her bottom lip, “That sucks. I see you working your ass off all the time. You deserve some time to rest.”

Avery shrugged it off, “I guess I’m just trying to save up some extra money.”

“But aren’t you burnt out or something?”

“Yeah, a bit, but at least I’m getting numbers saved up in my bank account.”

Gracie crossed her arms as she scoffed, “That won’t do you well, Avery! You’ll work yourself into a grave at this point. From now on, you and I are going to have some more girl time. Got it?”

Avery chuckled, not arguing with her coworker, though she worried that this wouldn’t work out. “Alright, alright. We’ll see how tonight goes, and go from there.”

Gracie agreed and then the two finished off their food. Avery went into the kitchen and washed the grease from her hands. “Where’s your trash?”

“It’s under the sink, but I’ve got it!” Gracie insisted and took their breakfast trash, throwing it away for them. “I see you brought some dresses. Can I see them?” she asked excitingly,

“Sure, I wasn’t sure what to bring really. I don’t have many dresses, but I dug out a couple. It’s been a while since I wore them though.”

Avery pulled out three dresses. There was a silky black one that reached her knees, and a blue one that had a low V line with a window in the back as well. It was the third dress that caught Gracie’s attention, however—it was a neon pink latex dress. The color was the same as the pink strip in her hair. The moment that Avery lifted it, Gracie covered her mouth and gasped, “Oh my god, try that one on, I think that one’s perfect!”

Avery blushed and held the dress. She looked down at it. Indeed it had been a while since she had worn this particular dress. In fact, it was probably a year at most? The last time she had was when she was at a Velvet and Vene…a…a concert. Yeah. How could she have forgotten? She had the sudden urge to shove this dress into the toilet and flush it until it was gone, but she couldn’t let Gracie know that she was upset. Instead, she smiled and nodded, “Yeah, of course. Where’s your bathroom?”

Gracie pointed to a door to the left, “That one. While you’re getting dressed, I’m going to get my makeup out. I already know the perfect look for you!”

Avery disappeared into the bathroom and changed into the pink dress. She hesitated to look at herself in the mirror but smiled when she did. The dress still fit her perfectly. It was a tube top that reached her midthigh. It wasn’t too short or too long. It also didn’t squeeze her, which surprised her considering she worked in such a greasy place. Her neck looked exposed, however, so she wished she had grabbed some of her jewelry to help her not feel as naked. With some fishnets and her long black boots, her outfit would be complete! Maybe it wouldn’t be so bad wearing this dress again.

Avery didn’t know what to expect when she stepped out of the bathroom. Gracie was seated on her couch and gasped the moment she saw her, her jaw nearly hitting the floor. “Oh. My. God. AVERY, YOU’RE BEAUTIFUL!” She almost cried, “Do you have shoes to go with it?!”

“I have my knee-high black boots since they could go with any of the dresses, and I plan on wearing my fishnets. I was wondering if you had a spare necklace I could borrow? I totally forgot how exposed this dress makes me feel right here.” She touched her neck.

“Girl, I was thinking the same THING! We’ll look for something before we leave okay? Now, tell me, which makeup style do you prefer…” Gracie motioned for Avery to sit down next to her.

Together, the two spent the morning and afternoon prepping for the evening to come. They watched a show together, and when it was closer to time, Gracie did their makeup. Avery had a glittery pink eyeshadow along with some black that smudged all around her eye. She also had lip gloss that made her lips look sparkly but didn’t take away from the masterpiece that was her eyes. Gracie chose something more teal. Her outfit was a teal crop top and skirt that could have been one dress had Gracie not wanted to show off her midriff. She also wore teal makeup to match. Her top lip was black while her bottom was the same blue as her dress. The two looked ready for the club, and Avery felt ready for it too.

After a small fit between Gracie and Troy, the two were soon out the door. Gracie was glued to Avery’s side the entire time, hugging her arm, as Troy walked behind him. Gracie happily chatted the entire time, even through the bus trip to the Boom Box.

Standing outside the Boom Box made Avery’s knees feel weak. Though the real nerves hit her the moment she passed the bouncer and stepped into the club. The lights blasted the colors of the rainbows and the combination of the others screaming along with music made it nearly impossible to hear Gracie despite the girl speaking directly into her ear.

Avery stood in the middle of the Boom Box now, but she recalled the familiar excitement she felt when she had gone to see Velvet and Veneer for the first time. She stood in the loud, crowded room now, but her mind was elsewhere, further away into the reaches of her memory. This brought Avery back so many months ago. Maybe even a year? Back when Rivers and her were rising to the top. Until they suddenly weren’t. Velvet and Veneer had hit the charts and hit them hard enough that it nearly knocked River off the charts. Avery believed that was the reason Rivers turned on her—when she realized Avery didn’t want to do more to rise back to the top. That’s why Rivers had stolen her work.

Staring at the stage, she saw Veneer and Velvet performing. She really did feel like she was living a sweet dream listening to them.

Avery was at the front of the crowd, her hands in the air reaching for the popstars. She was in the VIP crowd, screaming in pure joy. She swore Veneer turned toward her and winked, making her feel butterflies in her stomach and a blush in her cheeks. This was pure bliss, she had noticed him!

Sweet Dreams continued to play through the club, and even with the crowd joining in on the fun of singing, the twin’s voices carried the most. Velvet’s voice rang the loudest, and Avery wished that she could hear Veneer more. He was her favorite out of the two, though she never would admit it out loud since everyone else seemed to be Velvet fans.

“Alright, Mount Rageons!” Velvet held the microphone to her lips, her voice blaring over the music as it died down, “We’re so appreciative of our fans that we decided to give you all a gift. From us!” She grabbed some shirts and started to throw some out into the crowd. When someone caught the shirt, the fan screamed loudly.

When Veneer grabbed t-shirts of his own, that’s why Avery’s stomach dropped. She screamed as loud as she could and threw her hands into the air, trying to reach as far into the air as she could. For a moment, she swore he looked at her, flashing a charming smile her way. She wasn’t imagining it. They made eye contact. Veneer took one of the shirts and tossed them her way. Avery nearly climbed over the crowd to catch it. Some people tugged on it, but she refused to let it go. She threw it over her body before anyone could snatch it from her. The shirt was a fluorescent neon green, which glowed in the dark. It was completely unique! Holding it and wearing it almost made her cry. She pulled it over her pink dress and hugged it tight.

“I LOVE YOU VENEER!!” She screamed, cheering for her favorite idol.

Veneer winked, “I love you too!”

Avery nearly fainted on the spot. He noticed her!

Velvet took the front again, her brother falling behind as always. She looked over to the crowd as if they were her puppets and called out, “Whoever caught the t-shirts get backstage passes to meet my brother and me PERSONALLY! We look forward to seeing you all!” She blew kisses to the crowd, “Goodnight everyone!”

Avery’s jaw fell open, and her knees became weak. She was about to faint for real. Holding onto that shirt felt more like a priority than anything. She couldn’t let anyone steal it from her! She pushed through the crowd and found the twin’s bodyguards, who were intimidating.

“I…I have a pass.” She pointed to her shirt nervously. Her heart was beating faster the more she thought of the two, but specifically Veneer.

The guards leaned in closer and observed the shirt closer before they parted the way, allowing Avery to squeeze past her. One of the guards followed her down the hallway.

“To the door to the left,” he said from behind her, making her jump. The closer she came to the door, and soon her hand was on it. She was about to meet the people who inspired her the most…

Avery snapped out of it. She had been so out of it that she didn’t remember where she was or what she was going. Something felt wrong. When Avery looked up to the stage, she noticed her. A beautiful woman with a sparkling blue dress and pure white hair that touched her waist. Rebel Rivers. She was on the stage with small creatures on her shoulders. They were Trolls…?

Everyone quieted for Rivers as she called out to the crowd, “Brozone and I are happy to announce our collaboration and celebration of smaller artists with our Battle of the Bands! Brozone and I will open with some banging music before we ourselves will become judges. MAKE SURE TO COME BACK NEXT MONTH AND SIGN UP STARTING TODAY! The first ten people to sign up get autographs from Brozone and me! Cheers, my loves!” She blew a kiss to the crowd, and everyone screamed their approval.

Everyone except Avery.

This had been what Gracie was talking about earlier in the day. A special announcement.

Avery felt as though she was about to cry. She couldn’t breathe. Remembering everything upset her, and now Rivers was in the same room as her. When Gracie was preoccupied with her boyfriend, she slipped out of the Boom Box, her legs heavy as she dragged them. The wind felt cold against her cheeks as she cried to herself. She shouldn’t have come tonight.

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