Evan knew he would be late, but he didn't care. He just needed to get there at some point early enough that his parents weren't going to be upset with him. He had gotten distracted in the Strip, finding all kinds of awesome things that couldn't be found in Hershey. The vacation had been based around Maddie wanting to go to some concert of some boy band for her birthday. There were two concerts since they played for two nights in the city, and Maddie begged and pleaded. Thankfully, Evan hadn't been allowed to go. They didn't want to pay for a ticket for him since the prices were more than they wanted. Of course, to sixteen-year-old Evan, the city was the bigger draw. The family rarely left Hershey unless it was to go to the beach.

So, the trip for a week to Pittsburgh had been heaven-sent. Evan had been outside for most of it since his parents had their own thing, and Maddie and her best friend had been in their room screaming about getting to see the boy band. The music of the boy band was good. At least he didn't mind listening to it. He could do without the screaming.

Evan rounded a corner and stopped as he nearly ran into a guy who looked a few years older than him, maybe. A guy in Evan's class looked older but wasn't.

"Sorry," Evan said.

"It's okay. I wasn't looking either."

The guy had a bag of chocolate in his hand and what looked like a list of things he was looking for.

"You lost?"

"Actually, yes." The guy looked at Evan with a smile on his face. "I was dropped off here to get some things done and didn't realize how this place was."

"I can show you around and help you."

"You a local?"

"No, but I've spent most of the week wandering this end of the city. My family is here for a thing for my sister, so the attention is on her. They don't care what I do as long as I don't make a scene at things. Evan."

"Eddie. Thanks. I'll treat you to dinner; how does that sound?"

"You don't have to," Evan said just as his stomach growled. He laughed a little and laid his hand over his stomach like it would stop the sound of it.

"No, I was raised to be kind and nice. So, let's get the shopping out of the way, and then we can find food. I have gifts for friends and family on here, and I wanted to make sure that I did good."

Evan nodded, and he took the list. He pulled a pen out of his shorts pocket and made a note on the paper for each store and in what order they should do it. Then he thought about it. "What are you thinking for food?"

"I've been craving pasta."

"Oh, I saw a place that smells wonderful, and it's always packed; not like we won't get a table packed, but the good kind of packed." He changed up a couple of stores to make sure they were on the side of the Strip that would take them that way. He liked the plan, and he handed the list back to Eddie.

"Thanks. So what are you in town for? Something about your sister?"

"Oh, yeah. She's been a little upset lately because her husband died in a car accident last year and it's coming up on her birthday, and so she and her friend seem to love this boy band so they are going to see the concert tomorrow and the one in three days. They are killing me with the screaming over things. I swear they are the teenagers, and I'm the adult."

"How old are you?"

"Sixteen. You?"

"Nineteen just turned, actually."

"Oh! I turned sixteen last month. My sister's birthday isn't until September, but this is the best city in her mind where they are going to be on their North American tour. I would have voted for Mexico or even California or maybe Canada. My sister would have gotten it, and I would have been brought along. It would have worked out well for both of us, but now we are just here."

Evan looked at Eddie, who looked a little worried, but Evan figured it was over the whole present thing and not knowing the area that well.

"I guess Pittsburgh's not that big of a deal for you?"

"We are from Hershey; we didn't even leave the state."

"The chocolate city? I tried to convince my family to go there, but they didn't want to take the day for it. I figure it's not a big draw for you, but I want to hear about the city."

Evan started into what the city had to offer that wasn't Hershey Park or the chocolate factory, which, for most people, was the draw. Shopping took up a good bit of their time, so the story was broken into a few different parts, but Eddie seemed content to just listen to Evan. Eddie even offered up a few things about El Paso, where he lived, and the kinds of things he got up to there when Evan started to slow down on stories.

"So, what is your absolute favorite thing back home?" Evan asked as they left the last store. They were both carrying a few bags, most of them Eddie's, while Evan just had a single one with a few things that Eddie pushed on buying Evan when Evan looked at things too long or talked about loving something.

Evan tried not to take them, but Eddie just looked at him with a pout on his lips. A lot was going on, and Evan knew he shouldn't be getting a crush on his new friend, whom he would never see again. There was too much that could go wrong with that. While his parents said the right things in public, there were a lot of things they said at home that made Evan worried about whether they would actually accept Evan with his love of both genders.

"Being at home, honestly. I've had a very hectic life growing up. I was pretty happy back home, but I love the stuff I do. Being at home curled in my window on the second floor with a book in my hand, soaking up the sun while still being able to be cool. What about you?"

"The park. There is one close to home, and I can do the same with books there. Even my sketch pad since I'm trying to do well in art class."

"How is that going?"

"Eh, I will never be someone who makes money off it, but sometimes it's calming."

"I've noticed you fidget a little. Do you have ADD?"

"What's that?" Evan asked. He had never heard of that. He would make a note to look that up and see what it was.

"Attention Deciefit Disorder. It's for people who can't sit still or stay doing one thing. Something like drawing sounds like something that would make it easier to focus on something since your brain is engaged a little and your hands and you are doing something."

Evan had never thought that he would have something wrong with him like that for this energy. He thought that it was something that was just him. It was part of why his mother hated him. She didn't like that he couldn't stay still. He knew he would get in trouble for staying with Eddie and not going to dinner, but maybe they wouldn't notice. It wasn't like they would be upset about not having to look at him and pay for him. It seemed like he was only allowed at the meals because Maddie's friend was with them. They were acting like the perfect family.

"I'll have to look that up; I've never been tested for this; I didn't realize it could be something that could be helped. So here it is." Evan waved his hand with only a single bag in it at the door and smiled at Eddie.

Eddie smiled back at him and waved for Evan to go first.

Evan stepped up and opened the door for Eddie, who just shook his head and smiled. He stepped inside.

"Would you like us to take your packages? I can put them in the coat check," the host said as they stepped inside.

"Yes, thank you." Eddie handed over his and then Evan did as well.

Evan hadn't realized this place was that fancy. At least he was in a good shirt. Eddie wore more dressy clothes than him, but at least it would look pretty good. Evan tried not to look Eddie up and down since Eddie was in front of him now. This wasn't the time to do that kind of thing.

"So your family is visiting, and you are off on your own?" Evan asked once they were seated at a table in the back.

"I needed a little alone time; I just didn't realize the area was that confusing. I'm glad I ran into you. It made this a lot more fun when it was aiming to be really upsetting."

"I'm glad too."

The meal was a lot of fun, with Evan getting something he had wanted to try, but his parents never let him order. It wasn't even that expensive, but his mother hated seafood, so he never could order fish and chips at places. Eddie had ordered steak and veggies with a side order of pasta. The pasta had looked pretty good, and Eddie ate it with his steak, cutting it up and adding it to the pasta.

"Want dessert?" Eddie asked.

"Not from here. I can do a treat of it at this shop down the street."

Eddie seemed to mull that over before he nodded. The bill was paid with cash, and it was another hundred-dollar bill. Evan had noticed that as they had gone from place to place. Eddie had a lot of money on him. Evan didn't feel as bad about the meal now since he had offered up a pricey place, but still, he wondered what Eddie's parents did that they allowed him to have that much money.

"Ready?" Eddie asked after he laid the bill book down for the waiter to come and take when they were ready to do so.

"Yes. I'll take us the long way to let the food digest a little more so we can eat more ice cream."

"That sounds great. Are you in town for much longer?"

"Another few days. We leave after the second concert in like three days? I think it's three days; I have no idea."

"Did you want to meet up here tomorrow morning? I wanted to go to Pamela's for breakfast, but they were closed by the time I got here today. I left again and came back after doing a few other things."

"Sure. I would love that. I had seen that place, but I never made it out of the hotel until after lunch and only got to see the place open once. So, tomorrow when?"

"Seven?"

Evan knew he could do it. He could set the alarm on the radio and head out without his parents knowing. They were in their own room and rarely left it. Maddie and her friend were in the bigger of the two smaller rooms, and Evan was in the room that had a small assed bed for his frame.

"That sounds good. Now let's get ice cream." Evan rushed up and opened the door for Eddie, and he was happy to see a smile on Eddie's face when he did it. Evan knew that there was a little flirting going on. He just wasn't sure that Eddie realized he was doing it, so Evan wouldn't call a single bit of attention to it. This was just good to have a friend around him, and Evan didn't care about anything else.

---

Evan looked around for Eddie. It wasn't even seven yet, but Evan had left his hotel room really early. His parents hadn't cared that he hadn't been at dinner, not even really talking to him at all the night before when he got home. So Evan had just escaped early. That night was the first concert, and Evan would enjoy being alone in the hotel. Maddie and her friend were going to the concert, and their parents were going to a fancy place for dinner. Evan had been given money for the day already since they would be going with Maddie to something that afternoon.

It was another time that Evan hated that he didn't have a cell phone like some of the other kids in his class. He could call Eddie and not have to sit here and think about the fact that Eddie was going to stand him up. No one liked Evan when he was himself, but he didn't like not being himself to make people like him; that was lying.

"You are early," Eddie said as he came up to him. He had a long-sleeved shirt this time and looked worn out already.

"Late night?" Evan asked.

"Always. I'm good to go and just need coffee. It smells great. Are you ready to head in?"

Evan nodded. He wanted to lean over and kiss Eddie, but that would freak the other man out a lot, especially since the gap between their ages had Eddie as an adult while Evan wasn't.

Eddie was the one to get the door this time, a smirk on his lips. Evan slipped inside and looked around. There were a lot of people in there, and the talking was a buzz. It was the kind of place that Evan loved to be to watch people. Watching people as they did their normal thing was a lot of fun.

"When do you leave?"

"IN five days," Evan said.

"I do as well. I think we can meet up here a few times if you want to. It's nice to have someone who I can just be myself with," Eddie said.

Evan wondered why Eddie wasn't allowed to be himself, but he thought about his own life. He never was himself when he was around anyone, mainly because he wasn't allowed to be a shame for his parents. It was the kind of thing that Evan could understand.

"Do you have a cell phone?" Eddie asked.

"No. My parents won't buy me one because of how expensive they are as well as the whole paying for it and then the minutes. I don't really have a need for one, anyway. I don't have friends."

"None?"

"Just the guy down the street, but I stay at his place a lot, so there's no need for a phone."

"Two?" a waitress asked as she stepped up to them. She barely looked at them.

"Yes, please," Eddie said.

Evan had made sure to grab all of the money he had been keeping back from the trip since his parents were very free with money to make sure he didn't bother them too much. He was happy about that. He could pay for his and Eddie's breakfast with no issue. The waitress showed them to a table that was in the back corner of the place. There were other tables around, but they were down a little step, so it felt like they were in a place all on their own.

"Well, that kind of sucks. What about letters?"

"Like pen and paper letters?"

Eddie nodded.

"Sure. You want to keep in contact?"

Eddie looked at Evan like he was an idiot.

"Um, sure. That's great. I have never had a pen pal before. I'll make sure to write it down before we leave. I'll probably give you my friend's address, just to be safe."

Eddie looked for a few seconds like he would ask, but he shut his mouth and nodded.

"I'm glad I almost ran into you," Evan said.

"I'm glad you did, but also that you didn't actually run into me."

Evan laughed and picked up the menu to find something on there that sounded really good. He wanted to eat a whole big meal because he wasn't sure he would leave the hotel again after he went back there. He could entertain himself with the books he had bought two days before and think about Eddie.

"Want to share a few things? I want to try so much but can't eat that much."

Evan nodded, got up, and moved over to sit beside Eddie so they could figure out the food they wanted. The waitress came back with the juice and coffee they had ordered. Evan started to get his coffee ready while Eddie ordered for them, and then Eddie doctored up his coffee cup with even more cream than Evan used but a lot less sugar.

"How can you drink that?"

"I'm eating enough sweets with the crepes and the rest of this meal. I figured that I could drink this a little less sweet."

"You are so skinny."

"I need to stay fit for my job."

"Job? You never said you had a job."

"It's a family thing. I don't like to talk about it."

For a few seconds, Evan thought about the big bills all in cash and the bruise he had seen on Eddie's side the day before. He wasn't so innocent that he had never heard of people who sold their bodies for money.

"Ay dios, no. It's more like I need to look good, but I don't do that." Eddie shoved Evan's shoulder, but he was laughing.

"Sorry. My brain spirals a lot on things."

"You really need to talk to someone about the ADD stuff. I don't have it, but one of my cousins does, and he reminds me of you a lot. It's good to know how to do things that are better coping mechanisms."

Evan nodded. He debated getting up and moving back to the other side of the table, but Eddie just leaned in, and they started discussing the city and Eddie's favorite things so far. Evan wanted to keep the conversation just as it was, so he didn't move.

"Gotta hit the bathroom," Eddie said. He grabbed the cell phone on the table and stood up.

Evan had to stand up to let him out, so he did that, debated what to do, and just sat on the inside. Eddie could sit in the outside seat or sit across from him. It was a nice place. Evan could see that it was mostly locals, but that was the kind of place that he loved to eat at.

Eddie came back a few minutes later, slipping his phone into his pocket as he sat down. Evan wondered what Eddie did for his family and why he needed a cell phone. He hadn't noticed it all the day before. Eddie didn't seem to care that they had swapped spots. He just picked up his drinks and moved them over to his new side of the table.

"Did you have the phone all day yesterday?"

"Yeah. Mom yelled at me for not answering it when she called me the one time. She wasn't worried, or she would have called back. Or that's what I said. Did your parents miss you at all?"

"Nah, they don't care about me. They care about Maddie. I was the surprise baby. I am nine years younger than Maddie. They had their perfect kid, and then they ended up with me."

"I'm the baby too. My sisters are older than me but I'm the male child in a very Mexican heritage family. My mother is white but grew up in the area, so she understands."

"Wow, I can't even think of having two sisters. One is bad enough. She spent an hour last night just talking at me about the boy band. I guess there is a guy in it that's close to her age. Most of them are too young for her in her eyes, but there is one who is a year or so close to her. I guess there is a ten-year gap in the ages of the guys in the band. I don't know. I like their music. It's not going to be something I seek out like she does. I swear she's too old for that crap, but she's not. There was this girl in my class at school who actually bought tickets with her parents' money and then snuck out to go to the concert last year. I was freaked out by even trying something like that. Then I realized that I could do it and not have to sneak. I could call myself off from school and then just go, and they would never know."

When he stopped speaking, Evan realized he had done it again. he had said too much.

"I am not sure I would like that, but my parents try too much to keep me under their thumb. I'm looking forward to next year when I'm out of the contract I'm under now and do things on my own."

"Do you have plans?"

"I do. I have people helping me with them as well. So, I get it. We have two sides of the same coin of too self-involved parents."

Their food started to come out, and it was too much, but Eddie looked at it like he was starving, so they worked on splitting it up with the extra plates they were given.

More coffee was brought out once the last of the food came out.

"Gonna need boxes?"

"No, Ma'am," Eddie said.

Evan wasn't sure about that, but he would surely help Eddie try and eat all of the food. They would make a huge dent, if nothing else. There was something that just felt right about them, and Evan wasn't sure if it would be something that lasted with letters or not, but he wanted it.

---

Evan picked up the magazine that was on the couch and he frowned at the face that was on it. He knew that face from somewhere, but the stern look on it and the way the hair was styled made him question it. He laid his hand over the hair and then dropped the magazine. He knew that face well.

"Evan, be nice with your sister's things," Margaret said as she came into the room.

Evan bit back his reply because it wouldn't do well to make his mother think of him more. She just swept into the other bedroom.

A knock on the door had Evan looking back at the bedroom his parents were in. They didn't get up.

"Fine, I'll get it."

It was the last concert night and his parents were going to go to it with Maddie and her friend, just to show they were good parents to the friend. Evan would be stuck in the room since it was raining, and that meant he didn't want to get wet doing anything outside.

Evan opened the door, expecting it to be a staff member, but it was a woman.

"Can I help you?"

"Oh, you are cute. Evan?"

Evan hesitated to answer. He knew about stranger danger and everything.

"Sofia Diaz. I'm Eddie's sister, not the eldest but the middle child. So, we have a wild assed plan that involves you coming with me to see Eddie tonight, but you have to come with me like right now."

"I can grab my money, and we can leave."

"Don't worry about money. I'm getting it. You'll be going as a friend of mine, not Eddie's. Is that okay?"

Evan looked back at the rooms and then made sure he still had his keycard for the hotel. He nodded to follow Sofia out the door.

"Eddie said it would work, but really? Now I'm a little upset."

"About which part?"

"Oh, not following me. It's the whole your parents aren't going to care. Eddie told me not to be shocked."

Evan followed behind Sofia as they headed out of the hotel. No one paid them any attention. There was a car sitting out front and a man who was smiling at them as they walked closer.

"So this is Evan?" the man asked.

"George, don't scare him. This is George, the guy who drives us around a lot."

Evan knew that there was something big going on, but he had already figured out who Eddie was and why he had dodged a lot of things. Even why Eddie had been tired in the mornings. He was up late. Still, he wouldn't say anything, letting Sofia think they were pulling a fast one on him. He didn't care about going and seeing Sonido Loco, but he did want to see Eddie.

There was a lot of traffic as people drove to the concert, and there were buses all over, as well as teenagers pouring off and even other people who seemed to be Maddie's age.

"This is the first time Eddie's ever gotten close to anyone. I'm not sure you are worth it, but tonight will tell."

Evan didn't say anything. He just watched people as they ran in front of the car, even as a few slammed their faces into it and tried to see inside.

"Ugh, why did my brother have to become a heartthrob?"

Evan laughed, and he thought about how Maddie would be pissed if she knew where he was going.

The car went into an area that was guarded. There was no one else around when they parked, but a woman was by another door looking for something or someone.

"That's Adriana. She will keep our parents busy so we can sneak you in without them knowing. They don't trust anyone. You don't need that kind of shit."

Evan nodded. He looked around at the controlled chaos that was all over. It was the kind of thing that Evan loved. He followed Sofia over to an area where he was told to stay while she got him something. Sofia came back with a lanyard that she put over his head.

"This gets you into a lot of places, including where only the family can go. Don't abuse it; just use it to get to somewhere, you know, if I lose you. Things will get chaotic as they get ready to take the stage."

"Where will I watch him form?"

Sofia looked at him, and she just stared for a few seconds before smiling. "You know."

"About a minute before you got to the hotel room, I picked up one of Maddie's magazines, and I knew that I knew one of them from somewhere. I figured it out and dropped the magazine. I hadn't quite fully processed when, all of a sudden, you were there."

"Well, Eddie's going to be happy you aren't upset by that."

"What's his stage name? Maddie's never talked about Eddie in the group, and picking out each one is beyond me."

"We will take care of that later. Ávila Aguilar is the name he goes by. I never figured out why he liked it. The band will call him Ávi a lot, and our parents just call him Ávila. It's entertaining."

"And what do they know about all of you?"

"There are a few who know our real names, but most of them don't. Our personal security that works just with us all knows who we are, but there are clauses about leaking that. No one wants to get sued."

"Ávi's upset about things," Buck said, trying to get used to saying Ávi because he wouldn't call him his full name like his parents did. He had never really had too much in the way of nicknames because their parents hated that. He wondered what Eddie would want to call him.

"He's handling it. Don't worry. It's going to be a shock, but Adri and I support him. We will make sure that our parents don't fuck him over for the rest of his life."

Evan followed Sofia until they were taken to a room where there were a lot of screaming girls. Evan stayed off to the side even as Sofia tried to get him to go closer to where the band was all signing things for the girls in there. There were a lot more boys than Evan thought there would be, and not just boys that were there with girlfriends. Maddie and her friend were somewhere in the room getting things signed before the concert. He didn't need to have Maddie see him.

"The second group is going to start to be brought in soon," Sofia said.

Maybe Maddie was in a later group. They hadn't yet left the hotel to get to the concert, but they had priority over everything. No money had been spared on Maddie's trip to help her get over the life her husband had been making her lead. Evan had only heard snippets of what happened and when he tried to find out more to help Maddie, their parents had not been happy at all about him asking anything. There were just a few things that needed to be known to Evan, and that was all he needed to know. Maddie had moved back into the home, and she didn't have to do much beyond cry to get their parents to do anything for her.

Evan hated how even Maddie had been turned against him now. He didn't know what was going on, but he was counting down the days until he was free to go to college and escape them.

There was one security person who stayed with Evan the entire time, even when Sofia slipped away to do something and told him to stay. Eddie was vastly different when he was there doing what he was doing. His hair and the look on his face were just the start of it. He didn't laugh as freely as he had with Evan when they had been wandering around Pittsburgh over the last few days. Evan hoped that the one he got to know was actually Eddie and not some hybrid of the two.

He knew the moment that Eddie caught sight of him during a few minutes break where he got to stand up and move to get some water and just take ea few. Eddie looked like he wanted to go to him, but that would just draw attention. Eddie gave him a wink where no one would really see it and then went back to the table. This was the kind of friendship that Evan had been missing his whole life. He just hoped that it survived Eddie going back on the road again.

"Evan," Sofia said.

Evan turned to look at her, and she was holding up a very light jacket that had a hood as well as the name of the band on it. It was very nice.

"I got this for you to wear since the concert is outside, and the wind from the river will whip up a lot and make it colder as the night goes on, and you'll not have the crush of the people to keep you warm."

"He's been an asshole," Maddie said.

Evan nearly turned round. He grabbed the jacket and put it on before moving the hood up.

"Your little brother is weird, Maddie."

"I know."

Evan swallowed, and he tried not to react. Sofia must have seen something as she looked pissed off, but she just stepped up to him and tried to pull him out of the room again. Evan fought her and shook his head.

"Mom can't wait until he's in college. She wants to turn his room into something besides his room. I have no idea what, but when he's back during the summers, which is the only break he'll be coming home for, he'll stay in the guest room, and his stuff will go into the garage. Dad's already bought a few totes to make sure that things are taken care of as soon as possible."

"That's kind of cold. Don't you think that's part of why he's like he is? I mean, your parents are doting on you, and they have stepped up after Doug's death, but they act like they don't have time even to make sure that Evan's okay. He's been wandering the city; would they even notice if he didn't come back?"

"Of course they would. They aren't monsters, but Evan's wandering around like he is for attention. He has always done things for attention. He'll always come back because that's the kind of kid he is. I was the on who practically raised him, and it was only in the wake of Doug's death that I realized how much of a spoiled brat he is."

Evan followed Sofia when she drew him away this time. He could feel his eyes starting to water.

"So, that's your sister? Ávi said that she was a piece of work along with your parents. I'm glad that you are here with us for this. I hate that we are leaving early tomorrow to head to the next place, and the crew who takes care of the stages and stuff will work through the night and then get to sleep on the road. I wish you were eighteen and could just tell your family to go to hell. You could follow us on the road, and we would ensure you were cared for. This team is more like a family than they are to you."

Evan had no words, so he just nodded as Sofia made comments. It was a nice thing to do because Evan wasn't sure he would start to cry fully if he said anything.

"Okay, well, let's go and get you set up in the area where you are going to be for the concert. It's not the best view of the whole stage, but it's better than most outside of the front row center. That area will be a madhouse and not fun at all right now."

Evan made a promise to himself he was going to enjoy the concert, if for nothing else seeing Eddie up on the stage.

---

There was even more chaos in the wake of the show's ending. Evan was pressed into a seat and told to stay there until Sofia came and got him again. He wasn't sure what was going on, but he would gladly just stay there instead of getting crushed in the wake of the people who were all doing something.

Then, there was Sofia bringing him to a room on the far side of the area. He thought it was a dressing room, and it just had an AA on the door. He figured it was Eddie's, but Eddie wasn't inside.

"Stay here. He'll be here soon, and no one else but he will be able to get in. His main security, Eddie and I are the only ones who have keys to the room. There is a bathroom and snacks on the far side. Help yourself to whatever. I mean that."

Evan nodded and grabbed a bag of chips before sitting on the couch on the far side of the room. He tried not to think about the things that happened on this outside of shows. He had seen enough stuff about rockstars and even other people who did tours that he figured would freak out if he followed that train of thought.

There was a lot of noise outside of the room and even noise in the two rooms on either side of him. The other people in the band were much older than Eddie. There was alike a four-year gap between the closest in age to Eddie.

Evan nearly jumped when the door opened and shut pretty quickly. It was Eddie standing there looking like he escaped a mob.

"You know, the whole group pales compared to you on the singing front."

"I know. It's part of why I will be able to get out of my parents' clutches before they want me to. Right now, they still control me even though I'm nineteen, but the contract that I signed back then with them only took me up to twenty. I have already started to work on a new one with my agent and the lawyer she got for me and me alone. My parents have their own, and they are in fake contract negotiations with the label and my agent. It's all being done so that nothing can happen to me and my money before they figure out that I'm going to fuck them over. My mother loves the attention she gets, acting as my pseudo-agent and making everyone around me hate her. I just want to be out of her clutches. I love what I do; don't get me wrong, Evan. I love this so much. I just don't want to have to deal with her being a horror to people. Did you have fun?"

"I did. Have you talked to Sofia?"

"No. I told her everything to do. She got you a jacket, I'm glad were you cold?"

"No. The cold front wasn't too bad tonight, even with the air from the rivers. August is supposed to be hot, but it's been so cold this year."

Eddie finally pushed off the door and headed to the back of the room. He grabbed a towel and started to dry his head. His hair was a mess when he was done. He looked exhausted. Evan stood up to walk over to him.

"Why?"

"Why what?" Eddie asked, using the mirror to look at him.

"Why me?"

"Ah, why tell you who I was and not make you sign a lot of paperwork to make sure you don't tell your sister my name? I trust you. It's rare that I trust anyone who isn't family. Sofia backed me up, and Adriana agreed that Sofia was a good judge of character. She really likes you and now hates your family worse than I do. The guard with you wanted to punch her, and he's not one to punch people. I mean that. He'll go out of his way not to touch anyone if he can." Eddie dropped the towel, turned in the chair he was in, and kicked at the second one beside it. "Come over here so we can talk."

Evan got up from the couch, and he did it. he thought about how he had given Eddie his address and hoped that Eddie would write to him. He couldn't wait to see where Eddie was from when he posted each letter.

"Did you enjoy it?"

"Yes. It knew more lyrics than I thought. Except for the song at the end."

"Ah, that's from the new album. Tonight was the first night we have ever sung it."

"The one that comes out next week? The surprise album?"

"Yeah. Sofia has a goody bag for you. It's nothing really that would put it as you got here and there is only the album with the band stuff on it. But it's a lot of things that I wanted you to have that I coudln't give you without you knowing who I was. So, I made the rash decision."

"Where is it?"

"She'll give it to you when you leave. There is also an MP3 player in there with the album that has the entirety of our discography loaded on it already. We had a few of those as gifts for a few fans, and there were a few extra. I thought you might like one." Eddie glanced at Evan again in the mirror.

"I know you're not buying my affection, Eds. Thank you. I would love to be able to listen to the music without hearing it through the walls of my sister's room."

"Sofia told me about the plans they have. I'm doing college via a college that sends people to me. Well, more like one person. I have to learn the stuff myself and pass tests. There are recorded lectures and the like. I do some of the testing online, but other things are paper. So, look, I am going to be really busy. The schedule picks up after the album drops, but I'll write you a letter every chance I get and mail it out."

Evan nodded. He pulled his feet up into the chair and thought about how it felt to have a friend. He had one close friend, but he had feelings after they graduated high school. They would never really talk again. Being friends with Eddie felt different. It felt like it was going to be a lot of fun. It felt like it would be something he would want to hold onto.

"I'm happy I nearly ran into you."

"I am as well. Now, tell me all the stuff you want to tell me about my fans."

Evan smiled, and he started into the stuff he saw fans doing, including seeing way too many boobs when girls flashed the stage when they wouldn't get caught. It would be a long story, and Evan hoped Eddie was ready for it because he had so much in his head that he needed to get out. He knew that Eddie would be busy getting cleaned up from the show before they did whatever was next, but for now, Evan had his full attention.

The End