"Turn around, look me in the eye / Turn around and look me in the eye / Turn around, say it to my face / Turn around, say it to my face," Billy sang drunkenly at one of their shows, which didn't go unnoticed by anyone in the band. It had been a little after Camila had found out about his cheating, so he was definitely going on a downward spiral.

Stella glanced over at Eddie and the both of them shared the same look, knowing that Billy was making them sound terrible. However, Stella tried doing her best as the backup singer and rhythm guitarist to make it sound better than it had, but Billy insisted on lowering her microphone so no one could really hear her after he found out she had been the one to call Camila.

It was basically a punishment of some sorts, which royally pissed off the Stone girl.

"Thank you, San Diego!" Billy announced in the microphone after they ended the song. "You're beautiful, each and every one of you. We're gonna...We're gonna see you soon, all right?"

They all proceeded to walk off the stage, making the crowd start to boo since they had ended the set earlier than usual. And the reason was because Teddy Price had shown up from out of nowhere.

Billy walked off the stage — well, more like stumbled — and stopped once he had seen Teddy. "You fucking called him?" He questioned his brother.

"Billy, I didn't. I swear," Graham promised, shaking his head.

Billy turned to Stella. "Then it must've been you, you bitch," he assumed since she called Camila last time, pointing an accusatory finger at her.

She glared at him. "It wasn't me this time, Billy," she told him, trying to hold back since she knew he had been extra bitter due to his drunkenness. And she also knew that if Teddy were here, it must be something important so she didn't want to rile Billy up even more.

"It's good to see you, too," Teddy spoke up as he examined the state that Billy had been in. Graham looked at the rest of the band and gestured for them to back away, wanting to give the two some space. They listened and walked away, but still close enough to hear the conversation.

Billy patted him in the shoulder, starting to smile. "Hey, man," he greeted before pulling him into a hug. "What are you doing here?"

"I was just coming to check on you, but, uh...plans have changed." Billy didn't seem to be listening since he decided to light a cigarette. "Camila's had the baby, Billy," Teddy revealed, which made the band share a surprised look. "It's a little girl. Let's go meet your daughter. Come on. Come on."

Teddy forced Billy outside as the rest of them followed suit. "He'll see you in Seattle," Teddy told them as he shut the door for Billy who had gotten in the passenger seat. Billy looked over at them just watching him, starting to feel embarrassed for the way he had been acting. Teddy then got into the driver's seat, starting the car to drive off.

The band all shared a look before they made their way back inside the place. "What the hell are we supposed to do about the rest of this show?" Stella asked since no one else had been talking.

Karen shook her head. "I don't know," she breathed out.

"How about we just continue?" Warren suggested with a shrug.

"Without a lead singer?" Graham pointed out, giving him a look.

"I could do it," Stella stepped up. "I mean, I know the lyrics and whatnot. And, well, I can obviously sing."

"How would Billy feel about that?" Warren brought up, not wanting Billy to get mad at her just because she thought of a decent solution.

"Oh, he'd hate it," Stella answered right away. "But it's the only way we're gonna continue this tour. And besides, I seem to be the only one who can put up with Billy's wrath so I'll take the heat. I don't care."

"Thank you, Stell," Karen thanked with a small smile since she didn't want the tour to come to an end just when they started to get noticed, even though they only had a few shows left.

"Don't mention it," Stella replied.

✯✯✯

STELLA: I mean, I wanted to do it to get noticed as a real singer (shrugs). Yes, I loved being in the band, but it was hard when Billy always tried making it about him. I could at least get some recognition with him gone, right?

KAREN: I knew Stella had ulterior motives for stepping up. I didn't think she wanted to become the new lead singer or anything like that, but she definitely stepped up so it could help her career. Couldn't blame her for that (shakes head).

STELLA: But then I stepped onto the stage and realized that everyone was already leaving, and that they didn't really care about the rest of us (frowns a bit).

✯✯✯

"Hey, no, wait! We aren't done!" Stella quickly spoke into the microphone. "We just had some, uh, technical difficulties but we're all good now!"

"Shut the fuck up! We don't want you!" Someone yelled back at her.

"What the f..." Stella muttered before she went to go reply back in the mic, but someone had covered it with their hand. She looked over to see that it had been Eddie. "What are you doing?"

"I don't want you say anything stupid, all right?" He told her quietly, moving her away from the microphone.

"Stupid?" She repeated as she stopped and narrowed her eyes at him.

He clicked his tongue. "You know what I mean," he clarified gently and she sighed, knowing exactly what he meant.

✯✯✯

EDDIE: If she were to fire something back at the person, she'd be blamed for it and then probably get hated on. I didn't want her to ruin her career for just defending herself since I knew it was important to her (nods head).

STELLA: I guess I have Eddie to thank for a lot of the times I was about to say something impulsive and he'd stop me. Without him... (trails off, looking down a bit) I may have not been as successful.

And I am not saying I needed a man to be successful, hell no. I just may have not been as liked if I said some of the things he stopped me from saying.

✯✯✯

So, because of that reaction from the audience, they ended up cancelling the rest of their shows. Thankfully, they only had a few left but the record label had been pissed at them.

But a couple months after Camila had given birth, Billy had gotten out of rehab. The band had been working without him, trying to come up with new songs and ideas without him but they barely got anything done. As much as Stella hated Billy, she knew that the band needed just like everyone else.

Graham had picked him up from rehab and drove him back to the house, where he was greeted by all of them. "My man!" Warren shouted happily, holding his arms out.

"Hey," Billy replied before Warren enveloped him in a hug. "Looks good on you," he complimented, gesturing to Warren's mustache that he had grown.

Warren smiled, "It's not too bad."

Karen walked over to him and gave him a hug. "You good?" She asked quietly before backing away.

Billy nodded. "Yeah. Been worse."

He then made eye contact with Stella, who had just given him a short wave. Even though she disliked the man a lot, she still wanted him to be around for the band, and his wife and child.

Warren, noticing the awkwardness that had just risen, suggested, "Pittsburgh on three?" He placed his hand in the middle of all of them, waiting for them to do the same.

"Hey, man, I-I gotta show you this bass," Eddie stepped in excitedly as he held the bass guitar he had been working on, making Warren slowly lower his hand.

"Hey, Eddie, Eddie, Eddie," Graham iterated, stopping him from going any further. "Just give him a minute, man. He's gotta meet his daughter." Eddie's grin faded at that and Stella gave him a reassuring nod, knowing that he just wanted some validation from Billy.

Eddie would never admit it, but Stella could tell he wanted Billy's validation. And that was probably why Eddie didn't like him as much as the rest of the band, she assumed, because Billy never seemed to compliment him or give him some sort of acknowledgment.

"Yeah, but it's good to see you guys," Billy told them with a small smile before he began walking to the house that had baby clothes drying on the line in front of it.

"Good to see you, Billy," Eddie replied although he hadn't been looking at him when he said it.

"Welcome home, man," Warren called out before Billy slowly stepped inside the home, leaving them out there.

"How do you think that interaction's gonna go?" Stella whispered to Karen, crossing her arms over her chest.

Karen slowly shook her head. "I'm not sure. I know she's angry at him, but she also knows that Julia needs her father."

Stella sighed. "Hopefully he's got himself sorted out. It's hard enough being a mother, let alone a single mother. I had a friend in high school that had four other siblings and just a mom; her dad died right after the last child was born. There's a difference between leaving and dying, but...it's still hard."

Karen nodded. "And that's why I do not see kids any soon in my future," she joked, letting out a soft laugh.

"Oh, me either," Stella agreed before she glanced over at Eddie, noticing he had sat down and had been examining his bass guitar. She decided to walk over to him, putting a smile on her face. "I'd like to hear of it," she voiced.

Eddie looked up at her, knitting his brows together. "But you've been hearing the sound of it," he pointed out, shaking his head slightly.

She sat down across from him. "And I want to hear it again," she told him, knowing he'd been eager to show it off. "Play me anything."

Eddie tilted his head to the side, chuckling softly. "Okay." He plugged the bass into the speaker before he grabbed a pick and then fixed his hands so he'd be able to play correctly.

He then began to strum to the tune of Brooklyn Baby, but since he was using a bass guitar, it was deeper. She scoffed at him, "Seriously?"

He shrugged as he continued playing. "Hey, you said to play anything," he replied before he speaker over to right before the chorus. "Sing."

"Right now?" She questioned, giving him an incredulous look.

"Yeah, c'mon," he urged with a smile.

She sighed, letting up. "Well, my boyfriend's in a band / He plays guitar while I sing Lou Reed / I've got feathers in my hair / I get down to Beat poetry," she sang as Karen, Warren, and Graham came over to listen with smiles on their faces. "And my jazz collection's rare / I can play most anything / I'm a Brooklyn baby / I'm a Brooklyn baby."

Eddie then stopped playing once she stopped singing, making the rest of them clap. "Bravo! Bravo!" Warren cheered happily.

"Why, thank you," she spoke as he got up from her seat, taking a bow. "Now let's hear it for Mr. Eddie Roundtree, world renowned bassist," she said dramatically, gesturing towards him with her hands. He laughed as he got out of his seat and took a bow like she had done. "We can't forget he started on rhythm guitar, though," she added knowingly.

Eddie immediately looked up at her as he rose from his bow, not believing she had remembered that about him. "I think it's safe to say I'm better at it than him, though," she teased cheekily, which made him roll his eyes playfully.

But, he was glad that someone seemed to recognize him as being a part of the band. Sometimes he had forgotten he was a part of the band because Billy just never seemed to acknowledge him. It was nice having Stella around.

✯✯✯

STELLA: Although we had our fair share of fun together, our plans of being the 'greatest band in the world' were put on halt because of a certain Dunne brother (inhales sharply).

EDDIE: The label dropped us a week after the tour was canceled.

WARREN: They made us pay back our advance and everything.

GRAHAM: I kept us practicing as much as I could...and got a job at a body shop.

WARREN: Yeah, I was working down at Malibu Harbor cleaning boats, which I loved, and uh, and doing a lot of mushrooms (laughs as he speaks). Which I also loved.

EDDIE: Basically, we were back where we started (shakes head). Worse, even.

INTERVIEWER: Are you still upset about it?

EDDIE: (raises eyebrows) Me? Nah. I mean, holding onto that shit will be the death of you (stares at the camera for a few moments). But he really fucked us over.

authors note
the timeline is messing
with my head but hopefully
u guys understand what's
going on lmaoo. and if some-
thing is out of place just pretend
it's not!!!! anyway, hope u guys
enjoyed this chapter!