ML   “Could we get that take again, Joshua?”

ML   “Your juicy ass was blocking the shot.”

She screams and pushes you, all while laughing so hard she’s shaking. It makes you laugh, too.

SF   omggg

SF   i cant

ML   “Voluptuous.”

SF   lmaoooo

SF   u sure ur not the 1 with voice?

ML   hmm...

ML   last time i checked i still need a mic. ;)

SF   lmao yeah thats freaking right

SF   stay in ur place

As much as you wield the essence of sound itself, your voice will never match hers. Fortunately, you’ve come to terms with it. Having VOICE is like having an incredible instrument. Having SOUND is like controlling sound itself. At the end of the day, you'd rather be the conductor than the soloist.

Plus, your voice has been dropping since you turned 12. An instrument that constantly needs re-tuning is not a reliable one.

SF   but as the expert...

SF   u got some srs chopz

SF   n u can def do impressions better than me }:)

SF   wats ur secret?

ML   ha ha.

ML   you just have to know people well enough.

ML   sound just helps me fine-tune it exactly to what it needs to be.

Maybe you'll work in music production once this pop band thing is over. Your headphones built for it, though you use it more to reduce noise than channel it.

SF   so its a social thing 2

SF   u gotta try me next

ML   how to talk like stefani...

ML   like...

ML   u have this valley girl southern thing goin on

ML   and u cant b bothered 2 enunciate most of the words

ML   so i just kinda keep my mouth open

ML   n pretend im just a hot grl };)

Stefani fake-gasps, putting her hand over her mouth.

SF   zomg

SF   u should do that all the time

SF   its a srs improvement

ML   u think so??

She gives you another playful shove.

SF   no

SF   step off my throne bestie

ML   aww.

ML   weve shared plenty of other things.

SF   the spotlights the 1 exception

ML   oh well!

ML   youre definitely the only one capable of being like that for long periods of time.

SF   and wat the heck is THAT supposed 2 mean?

ML   youre really one of a kind stef.

ML   like big bright pink stain you cant ever wash off. ;)

SF   eff u }:/

She flips you off but has her other hand cover it. You have to hold back a laugh so she doesn't get any angrier.

SF   but i am srs

SF   u r NOT getting me in trouble with these paper thin walls

SF   anyone can eavesdrop n stuff

ML   ooh! sounds like you have a fun story!

ML   spill.

ML   did you hear something juicy? something incriminating?

SF   it wasnt me doing it u jerk

SF   it was the others

Her co-stars are your studio lot neighbors. You don't see any collaborations in the future, but the two groups socialize now and then. That's how you came to meet Stefani - someone refreshingly honest.

No doubt that others are sneaking out and wandering the studio after hours, too. If you concentrate, you can hear them giggling and whispering like little brats.

SF   we were having a party in one of the trailers

SF   i 4get which one

SF   n justin said he had 2 go 2 the bathroom

SF   once he left...

SF   ppl started talking crap about him

SF   it was kinda funny i guess }:P

ML   what were they saying about him?

It’s probably his stupid hair. He doesn’t wear blonde well.

SF   just stupid stuff

SF   but it just kept goin until he came thru the door

SF   sooo mad

SF   i had 2 like calm him down! theyre so lucky he didnt tell on them

ML   sounds like a pretty big deal if he got that angry.

SF   i mean...

SF   it wuz just about his name

SF   ppl just think its corny that he goes by his middle name now

SF   even though his codes still the same

ML   ah.

You shake your head.

ML   same old beaver. ;)

SF   shut up! i think its cute

SF   its a family thing or whatever

SF   theyre all nature stuff

SF   plus what kind of brown-y colors start with j? not a lot

SF   so i think its fine

Stefani gives a lot of people too much grace. Especially Justin, of all people. You've spoken with him a few times, but you've heard plenty from and about him.

ML   you...

ML   You really think so, Stef?

SF   omg

She gives you another hearty shove, which throws you back onto the sofa.

ML   Ouch. Why would you lay a hand on me?

ML   Don’t you know I’m a sensitive guy?

She lights up, all adorably flustered. But because it’s you she’s dealing with, she groans and covers her face with her hands.

SF   ur a monster

ML   So mean...

SF   u have no right 2 make him sound all smooth like that

ML   Man, you sure like talking about me, don’t you?

ML   It’s enough to make a guy weak in the knees…

There’s a guttural noise in her throat as she tackles you off of the sofa and on the floor. You laugh as you land on the plush carpet, ignoring how much it hurts with her weight on top of you.

SF   who the heck talks like that!

SF   hes 16 not 60!!

ML   his dads a church choir director stef.

ML   why wouldnt he talk like that? you said hes got a family thing. ;)

SF   well...

SF   it doesnt mean hes like that

Her tone is strangely uncertain. You manage a shrug, still below her.

ML   what? dont you want him to sing gospel to you?

ML   praise the lord with you?

SF   shut up

ML   but hes good at it. gospel and country were his repertoire before remember?

ML   la ha! i wouldnt be surprised if he got one of those rings.

ML   purity. what a joke.

SF   i said shut up

ML   i bet hes saving himself for the right one at the right time.

ML   and for the perfect family in the future.

ML   doesnt that sound nice?

ML   an angel like him made for someone like -

SF   i said SHUT THE FUCK UP!!

You get shoved clear across the room.

When you sit up and look at her, she's breathing heavily. Still smiling, but not one you can trust. Like the brightly-lit signs of a poisonous animal. You catch your breath.

ML   sorry.

ML   i was... being stupid.

Her eyes dart over to the door.

SF   theyre gonna wonder what the noise was

ML   yeah.

ML   theyre probably looking for me over there too.

You hastily make your way off of the floor, walking all the way back to the room’s entrance. You reach for the doorknob.

ML   youll... text me?

It’s quiet. You hear her clenching her fists, exhaling shaky breaths. But you also hear her sigh, her shoulders loosen, and all that anger being replaced with exhaustion. An exhaustion you know all too well.

SF   dont b stupid

SF   who else would i talk 2 about joshs bad dancing

As you leave, you carefully mute yourself, preventing any noise from being made. As if you were never here.