"These notes... they're very... detailed." Daniel Ben, Goldie's editor at Rolling Stone, flips through her stack of papers. The expression in his eyes is unimpressed. "But I only see dialogue with Harry. I'm not saying that I hate this angle necessarily but where's the rest of the band?"

"Well, I have some drafts that are probably more in your wheelhouse. Sorry. I have so many ideas and -" Goldie moistens the tips of her fingers with her tongue to flip through the papers. A sheen of saliva sits on her bottom lip. She takes the top half of her pen and sits it between her teeth and makes indentations in the thin plastic. How she wants the cylinder to be an unlit cigarette. A blast to her past of innocence, sitting in her bedroom with her typewriter in front of her in the beach sunlight.

Confident yet insecure, she plays with the collar of her dark green, corduroy blazer. Daniel eyes her up and down. She's an enticing young woman. The inexplicable notes behind the story she's gathered suddenly makes sense.

"Wait." Daniel flicks through several papers. The tip of his pencil lines the bottom of various sentences. He makes superficial changes to her words. "How old are you?" He squints his eyes in her direction in condescension.

"I'm 19." Goldie diverts her eyes' attention around the lined paper in her lap and clutches at the corners of the leather bound notebook. Memories of her time with the legends feed her ego. This is her time to shine. "Did you read this?" She turns the parchment towards Daniel. "Bowie. Freddie Mercury. I think I have some tidbits here that would be of interest to your readers."

"Perhaps," Daniel says, smiling to himself. The young female is challenging him. By the tremble in her hands he can tell this is an experience she's unfamiliar with. "I heard there was a fight between The Rolling Stones and The Orphans. Is that true?"

"YES!" Goldie aggressively flips through her notebook to find the perfect excerpt. "Here," she says, pointing to a sentence on the page. Her heart beats with excitement. Finally a point Dan shows interest in and her opportunity to defend her friends' honor. "The boys, I mean The Orphans... they were standing up for themselves. It was incredible. Even the dogs jumped in! The comradery among them is something to be envious of. The kind of stuff that great novels are based on. Who punches Mick Jagger?" She points to the door, the other side of which the band strikes poses and laugh. "They do. The punch was nothing short of heroic if you ask me."

"But was Harry standing up for the band or was he standing up for you?" Daniel looks at her deeply. The tip of his ballpoint pen sits uncomfortably close the white notebook, barely touching. Blue lines frame her potential words. Dots of ink pinch the muted paper. Her thoughts bleed across the barriers of her soul. The faint blue lines rattle as they try to entrap her in a specific narrative.

She breaks through. The message she wants to deliver to the atmosphere leaks through the pastel cerulean like a slightly-cut vein.

Daniel's message is clear. He wants to reach deep down into her throat and bring out any ounce of artist he thinks would benefit the article, even if that means framing the story a way different than it exists in her head. Rolling Stone doesn't want an article written by a fan where the subjects are portrayed as white knights with their Fender steeds and denim armory.

"They stand up for anyone worth standing up for," Goldie responds. Her tone is stern. She's too close and has become too familiar with The Orphans story to disregard their heartfelt plot. "You don't know them." She closes her notebook in defense.

"You need to be an objective party, Goldie. You being a part of all of this only works in their favor. If you think all of this is real. If you genuinely believe that they're taking you in as one of them for reason outside of their own benefit, you might not be ready for this like we thought you were."

Goldie looks at the scribbles in her lap. It's a story of sweet, kind boys, who have tried to make the best of their lives. Young men who've managed to rebuild themselves while still in the thick of the hurricane. She wanted nothing more than to contribute to their cause but at what cost to her?

"Mr. Ben, there's something you need to understand." She plays with the collar of her shirt again and readies herself. Deep breaths. Stand up for yourself. "Their music is poetry. It's a perfect blend of maple syrup and salt water. They transport their listeners to a place in time that hasn't even occurred yet. You need to understand that if this sounds like I'm writing from the point of view of a fan, it's warranted, because anyone that listens to them would write this article the same way."

The Orphans. They're overwhelming. A special treat to be devoured and savored in a few bites but too good to be eaten slowly. She breathes in and out of her nostrils.

"I'm not denying your point, Goldie." Daniel looks at his watch and makes a note in the corner of his own notepad. He's a young man with a past of long forgotten desires to be a famous rockstar himself. Although he is an editor he understands how she's been swallowed whole in this lifestyle. "The Orphans are gaining A LOT of traction. The Midnight Special wants them on the show. This is a big deal. I cannot stress that enough. And this task of yours is not to be taken lightly. After they're done with their final performance, which is much awaited, your writing will have everyone's eyes on it. I need to make sure you understand that and something else."

"Did he just say we're going to be on The Midnight Special?" Matt whispers to Grimmy. Unbeknownst to Dan and Goldie, the entire band had been huddled outside the door listening to the tail end of the conversation taking place.

"What the hell is Midnight Special?" Jonesy asks, his volume too loud.

"Jonesy!" Harry screams his whisper and smacks him on the side of the head, knocking his friend's skull hard on the door.

"What the fuck, man?" Jonesy rubs the crown of his long hair, his stoner drawl still at a high volume.

Goldie and Daniel look at the door confused and return to their conversation.

"What's the second point you need to make sure I understand?" Goldie stares, awaiting the answer she already knows.

"Depending on how this article goes, we'll likely have more work for you. Once this article is done and the tour is over, this life you're building with The Orphans will be over too. This isn't a forever lifestyle for you. It's a chapter in something bigger. They'll go back to England. You'll be assigned a new story. This will all be something you look back on and smile when your kids ask how you were like when you were younger. Cherish it. Use it to write a fucking great article. But try not to get too attached, okay?"

"Come on, guys. We gotta get back to the shoot." Grimmy puts his arm around an obviously perturbed Harry. They all heard Dan's speech. They all knew he was right and this is their reality, but they all wished they could remain in the bliss of ignorance a while longer.

Especially Harry.

While The Orphans all had their issues with Goldie and their frontman being romantically involved, they each had formed their own special bond with the long-haired pixie that charmed her way into their hearts. They'd eventually see her in the rearview mirror, like the roads of Kansas or sunset of the California beaches.

* * *

The cabinets of the tour bus shake in the background along with the strings of Mitch's acoustic guitar as Goldie writes a postcard to her dad.

Hi Jimmy - Had my first meeting with my editor today. I'm not sure how they feel about the article so far but sounds like they think it's gonna be a hit. We're on our way to South Carolina. Can't believe this is all coming to an end soon. Bitter sweet. I need to talk to you about Sarah Lawrence when I'm back. Love you and miss you more with every passing mile. Love, M

"Alright, guys!" Harry stands and claps his hands. "And lady," he says with a bow. "I'm tired of us all sitting here in silence. Let's talk shop!"

"What's going on?" Niall halts drumming on his knees as he and the rest of the band look at their fearless leader.

Matt, sitting at the front of the bus turns to Goldie. "Is it true we're going to be on The Midnight Special?"

She smiles and nods. "Hope you don't mind me tagging along on the trip back to L.A. for that."

"You kidding me? It wouldn't be the same if you weren't there," Mitch replies with a shy grin. The other Orphans look at her fondly, all silently agreeing with Mitch. Regardless of the drama that took place at their east coast kick-off party, they would never wish Goldie not be there. "We'd keep you around forever if we could figure out a way."

Harry shoots Grimmy a look in response to Mitch's last thought. It goes unnoticed by Goldie.

"Are you all excited?" She stuffs her Florida postcard into her bag with plans to mail it at their next stop in Myrtle Beach.

"Yeah, man. I thought we could all celebrate." Jonesy pops out of his bunk with a bag of cut brownies in hand. "Everyone take one."

"When did you bake?" Matt asks as the bag is passed to him. He grabs one of the treats and bites in.

"Special occasions call for my special brownies."

The guys all take a few small bites, knowing the usual potency of Jonesy's baked goods.

"Oh my god, I LOVE chocolate. These are delicious! Why don't you bake more often?" She wipes a speck of chocolate off the corner of her mouth.

Jonesy quietly watches as the guys swallow their small helpings. He stands abruptly and throws his arms in the air in celebration. "I finally fucking did it, dude. I pranked you guys!"

"We knew there was pot in these, Jonesy," Matt comments.

"Nah, man. There's pot AND shrooms in there!" Jonesy holds the bag next to his face and points to the leftover brownies.

"Wait." Harry's face fills with concern as he walks to the back row of the seats where Goldie sits. "Where's your brownie, Belle?"

The naive chocolate lover she is, Goldie figuratively (and quite literally) bit off more than she should chew.

"I ate it..."

* * *

Author's Note: You guys! 100k reads! This is incredible. You're all incredible. This doesn't seem real! Thank you so much, from the bottom of our hearts, for reading and commenting on this book of ours. We're so happy and love you all! Also, now that we've hit 100k, it's time to announce the winner of our merch giveaway! We'll be revealing who it is soon, so keep an eye on your inboxes and message boards for the big announcement. Thank you all again!

Love,
Fat Bottomed Girls