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   u sure ur not the 1 with voice?

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

SF   lmao yeah thats freaking right

SF   but as the expert - u got some srs chopz }:)

As much as you wield the essence of sound itself, your voice will never match hers. You’ve come to terms with it. You'd rather be the conductor than the soloist, anyway.

And your voice has been dropping since you turned 12. An instrument that constantly needs re-tuning is not the most reliable one.

SF   but i am srs

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

ML   sounds like you have a fun story. ;)

SF   it was the others actually u jerk

Her co-stars are your studio lot neighbors. And your own group does like to bring them up now and then. If you concentrate, you can hear them giggling and whispering like little brats.

SF   we were having a party in one of the rooms

SF   n justin went 2 the bathroom

SF   so people started talking about him

SF   n he came running back sooo mad }:D

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

ML   mmm so what were they saying about him?

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

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

SF   even though his codes still the same

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

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

SF   ur a monster

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?

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.

SF   i said shut up

ML   saving himself for the right one at the right time.

ML   and for the perfect family in the future.

ML   doesnt that sound nice? an angel like him made for someone like -

SF   i said SHUT THE FUCK UP!!

You get shoved almost 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.