The Lost And Forgotten Memories

      The next day, Terrence, Edward, Daniel, and Peter are going to appear on one of the most popular morning shows in the United States. Since the band is going to release their album very soon, they attend shows, give interviews, tell more about their music, share some impressions, and perform their first single.       Behind the scene, the people are working on the shooting very hard. Except for “Against The System,” many famous people were invited to the show. Someone is famous around the world, and someone is just getting their desired piece of fame. And while one celebrity is busy shootings on the show, the others are in the dressing room, trying on clothes, shoes, and accessories. And girls are waiting for stylists to do their hair and makeup. Operators, lighting technicians, producers, and other people, who are working on the shootings, have much work and do not almost sit with anything to do unless they have a little break.       The members of “Against The System” are sitting in the dressing room and warming up their voices. The truth is that they do not do it all together. Only Daniel and Peter are sitting in a spacious and light dressing room, in which many bags are placed on the floor. The bass guitarist and the drummer do not feel bored without Terrence and Edward, loudly singing the song that was released some time ago and has become very popular. Despite being a drummer, Peter plays guitar very well and does not stay behind his bandmates. The blond is confidently playing guitar, as he is sitting in a black spinning chair next to the table, on which many things are placed, and singing along with Daniel sitting comfortably on the soft brown sofa with one leg put on it, clicking his fingers to keep the rhythm and shaking his head.       After ending this song, Daniel and Peter decide to take a break and let the people, who are in the closest dressing rooms, spend time in silence, without their singing. Even if it’s incredibly harmonic.       “I hope the people won't come here in a few minutes with a wish to kill us for annoying them with this song,” Daniel chuckles.       “Yes, and the MacClife brothers are gonna be the first ones to do it,” Peter laughs quietly, still pressing the guitar to himself. “They do hate this song because we sing it anywhere.”       “They always say we’ve dinged this song into their ears. I personally love it, though! It’s so energetic and cool! It gives me some energy and helps me wake up. Forget that I wanna sleep.”       “I couldn’t disagree. It’s not amazing that it has become so popular in a few days. The lyrics are memorable, and the music is super energetic… I wanna listen to it and play it again and again. Besides, it’s quite easy to memorize.”       “I will never get sick of this song.”       “Agree.”       “But I’m afraid that they wouldn’t pity us if we play it again,” Daniel laughs quietly, pulling down his black jacket.       “Because we annoyed everyone with this song?”       “Sorta.”       “Okay. Then let’s take care of people’s nerves and take a break.”       With these words, Peter puts the guitar aside, on the black spinning chair that is standing next to him, and looks around, while Daniel clears his throat and glances aside.       “Hey, where did Terrence and Edward go?” Peter asks, smoothing his gray, sleeveless shirt. “We’re gonna go on the stage soon, but they are hanging around somewhere!”       “I can’t say anything about Edward, but Terrence might definitely be somewhere next to food,” Daniel assumes thoughtfully. “There is a cool cafeteria where you could buy lots of delicious things.”       “We should’ve told everybody to hide food as far as possible. If MacClife sees at least one pie, you can think it doesn’t exist.”       “I think he has lately eaten especially much.”       “It’s true,” Peter laughs shyly. “Is he so excited before his wedding?”       “Oh, yeah, it’s the case when you eat stress down.”       “When we met him, Terry held himself down somehow, but now he eats everything he sees.”       “I’ve gotta confess he’s a real devil,” Daniel says confidently. “Because that rooster eats much, but he doesn’t get fat. And he doesn’t know what a ‘diet’ means.”       “Terry would say he doesn’t need any diet and would be perfect and irresistible with any weight.”       “Oh, yeah, there would be many people to wish to pinch him by his big cheeks,” Daniel laughs quietly.       “And a soft belly.”       “And it seems like it’s gonna happen, because Connor is definitely sick of bringing him food.”       “Yeah…” Peter leans back in the chair and runs his hand over his face, getting a little gloomy. “Blake Connor… Our walking trouble that showed up like out of the blue.”       “Yeah, he’s a kid yet, but that creature is full of shit.”       “We’re very unlucky to have him as our assistant,” Peter says tiredly, stroking down his blond standing hair. “Seriously. He’s been working with us for two months, but he annoyed us so much that I’d love to strangle that asshole.”       “I agree, that boy annoys me, too,” Daniel agrees, spreading his legs a little wider. “He does never answer any simple question without being a badass! He always finds a reason to insult us.”       “The most important thing is that we’ve never done anything bad to him. But he behaves as if we’ve done many dirty things to him… Even George can’t do anything with him…”       “I don’t understand, couldn’t Smith find anyone better? He found a pizza-faced kid, who does nothing! We have an assistant or don’t – it doesn’t change anything!”       “That’s why we may regret thinking George was a terrible man many times.”       “That’s right!” Daniel exhales sharply and glances aside. “I thought George was a heartless scumbag, who thought only of money. But when we met Blake, my mind changed because George is an innocent angel, unlike that asshole.”       “I can’t wait to find someone to replace him… You know how much I wanna tell him he’s fired.”       “I can’t wait for that day!” Daniel smiles slyly. “I wanna wave a hand at Connor happily and tell him to get out as far as possible.”       “If they don’t find anyone, we’ll do this.”       Silence settles in the air for two seconds, which might be broken by Daniel and Peter’s quiet laugh. And then they hear the female voice that announces that the episode with “Against The System” starts in forty minutes. Being a little nervous, the men look around quickly, check their clothes and hair, and shake something off their almost black and dark blue jeans.       “Oh, perfect!” Daniel exclaims. “The airing starts in forty minutes, but we don’t know where Edward and Terrence disappeared.”       “C’mon, dude!” Peter chuckles kindly. “They won’t have a choice! They’ll show up soon! The band leader and our little motor!”       “I dunno… If they saw something delicious, they might get stuck in the cafeteria for ages. And if the MacClifes wanted to fight, we could wake them up by only hitting every one of them on the head.”       “Okay, let’s walk and find them?”       “That’s good they change their clothes, and stylists got their hair done.”       “Agree. We wouldn’t have to take them to the stage in their underwear.”       “Huh, MacClife, Sr., would be happy to show up this again,” Daniel chuckles loudly.       “I feel the younger one doesn’t mind it, either. If he said he wouldn’t mind acting in a bed scene and walking naked in front of a camera.”       “He’s taking after his brother.”       “That’s bad that he’s imitating him not in the best situations.”       After chuckling quietly, Peter and Daniel get up slowly and decide to walk into the studio. But when the friends come to the exit from the dressing room, the door opens suddenly, and they see the young boy at the age of eighteen-nineteen with dirty-blond hair, a choppy bang, cold gray eyes, and a grin on his face, some areas of which are covered with acne. He is much lower than Daniel and Peter, who have almost the same height with a difference of a half or one centimeter, and is also very slim and does definitely not have a perfect physical education. After he sees the friends, the boy chuckles quietly with contempt in his voice, as he is chewing gum and slurping. While Peter and Daniel, who are not very happy to see this boy, roll their eyes and moan silently.       “Oh, hello, clowns!” the boy pronounces loudly with mockery. “I knew I’d find you here!”       “Get out of our way, Connor!” Daniel replies coldly and clears his throat. “We don’t have time to talk to you and listen to your bullshit.”       Daniel and Peter want to leave the dressing room, but the boy does not let them go, closing the exit with his body.       “Are you looking for MacClife and his bro?” the boy asks with a sly smile. “Aren’t you?”       “None of your business, Blake!” Peter says coldly. “Get outta here while you have a chance!”       “Or what? What would you do to me?”       “Listen, pizza face kid, you don’t better stand in our way. In forty minutes, the guys and I are gonna go on the stage, and we don’t want to make our mood worse because of you and your words.”       “Calm down, Rose, don’t start insulting,” Blake says confidently. “Or I will tell you everything I think of you. Not only you. But also your whole fucking band.”       “Don’t make us wild,” Daniel throws rudely. “Either you leave at your wish, or we use a force!”       “I have nothing to do now! I did everything one proud peacock and his fucking gang asked me about. At least, you will eat very much soon.”       “Wonderful! Then, get out of here!”       “Fuck, how rude you are!”       “We do not wish to waste time on you, Connor!” Peter says confidently. “We have so much to do! Move over and let us go!”       “Come on, guys,” Blake pronounces with a sneer, putting his hands on his hips and looking at Daniel and Peter with contempt from head to foot. “Stop pretending to be kings.”       “You heard what we told you? Or you’re stupid? Deaf?”       “You won’t get off me at the nearest time because today you have a very busy day. The shooting of the show, an interview, a couple of photoshoots, and a meeting with your managers to solve some questions.”       “As if we didn’t know!” Daniel rolls his eyes. “What a fucking surprise!”       “So, guys, you’ll have to see me, and I will have to see your faces that make me feel sick.”       With these words, Blake claps Daniel and Peter on the shoulder, but they quickly move it off with a sharp movement of the hand.       “Listen, kid, what do you want from us?” Daniel asks coldly, exhaling sharply. “Why did you come here? To make our mood worse? Again! Show your stupidity?”       “Oh!” Blake smirks contemptuously. “I’d bet who’s stupid.”       “Don’t ask for trouble, Connor,” Daniel clenches a hand into a fist tightly.       “Calm down, Perkins, don’t show your teeth. Stop, doggy! Stop! No!”       “Listen, bastard, get out of here at your wish and do what you should do,” Peter demands rudely. “You’re an assistant of the band! So, do what you must do instead of showing off and insulting us constantly.”       “Oh, Peter… I haven’t even started it. But if I start it, I will have great pleasure in reminding you of four of your sins. And say that you’ve been pathetic and will always be like this.”       “Alright, stop, you annoyed us!” Daniel throws sharply and points at the door. “Turn on one hundred and eighty degrees and go to the exit! Now!”       “Ah, guys, guys…” Blake shakes his head with a sly smile. “How much you don’t wanna see the truth clearly. Confess who you really are.”       “You heard what Daniel told you?” Peter asks rudely. “Get out of here! Do your fucking work!”       “Listen, guys…” Blake enters the dressing room slowly with his head proudly raised, pushing off Peter and Daniel, who look at each other and roll their eyes. “Let’s be honest. Maybe, you’ve got a little talent and can use it very well. You have the brain to use a part of it. But your band is popular because of the simple reason that you know about it very well.”       “Yes, yes, you’ll say a couple of dirty things to us because you just envy us,” Daniel rolls his eyes.       “Envy?” Blake wonders. “Why, Perkins? The fact that more than half of your fans are teen girls, who are still obsessed with MacClife, Sr.?”       “Not only does Terrence have fans, but we also do,” Peter says quietly, crossing his arms over his chest. “Yes, he has more fans because he is a famous person. But we don’t feel worse because of that. We also have fans, who love every one of us. To your disappointment.”       “Exactly! He’s a famous person! But you both and MacClife’s sucker are people known to nobody. If MacClife hadn’t decided to start a band with you, you would’ve been sitting somewhere in a dusty garage, playing guitars and dreaming of getting famous around the whole world.”       “So, do you think we use Terrence’s fame?” Daniel hums and crosses his arms over his chest.       “Well done, Perkins! As it turned out, you aren’t as stupid as I thought.”       “Actually, we worked hard to get what we got,” Peter says confidently. “And trust me, it’s not the end.”       “Yeah… Recording videos and publishing them on the Internet with the hope that you’ll get noticed is such hard work. Aren’t you, poor guys, too exhausted? Maybe, you should take a break?”       “Stop doing our favorite thing just to please Your Highness?” Daniel rounds his eyes. “Not for anything!”       “Because of people like you, we will be working much harder and proving to the world that we could do much more than everyone thinks,” Peter says with his head proudly raised.       “Okay, okay, I will pretend that I believe in your painstaking work,” Blake says with coldness in his voice, laughing contemptuously. “However, a fact is a fact: you three are nobody without Terrence. And I wouldn’t be surprised if you remained the men, who’d always be the reason why teen girls run saliva and go crazy because of you. How many artists and bands have been doomed to this fate!”       “You won’t believe it, Connor, but many adult people also love our music,” Daniel says confidently.       “Don’t comfort yourself, Perkins. The only adult people that might like your fucking music are your mommies and daddies.” Blake says nothing for two seconds and smiles slyly, putting a finger on his lip. “Ah, yeah, I forgot! You are both orphans. You have no parents. The parents of the first one died by themselves. But the daddy, who he didn’t have, and the alcoholic mommy didn’t need the second one.”       “You will ask for trouble, pizza-face bastard!” Peter exclaims loudly, barely holding himself down. “Another word before you regret it!”       “Wow, wow, calm down, Rose, calm down,” Blake simpers evilly, raising his hands up. “You aren’t the only one to be an orphan. Your pal also stayed without his parents. I don’t know if they praised him or despised him as well as you were, but a fact is a fact. Only the MacClifes are lucky, ‘cause they have both parents yet.”       “Listen, did you decide to do everything for us to get the fuck ashamed of the people and not to be able to perform well?” Daniel asks rudely. “Because one little bastard with a pizza face decided to make our mood worse and get us enraged.”       “Trust me, everything will be over soon. I’m ready to bet that your career will be over after a few songs and albums. People forget even the most famous and favorite celebrities. Even after their death, great ones are remembered one or two times per year, in the best case. And you won’t do anything for people to remember you many years later.”       “Dream as much as you want, boy!” Peter says confidently. “Our band will reach very much and won’t stop after what we’ve gotten to make haters like you angry.”       “We have great plans for the future,” Daniel says. “So, try not to choke from the jealousy that you’re gonna get obsessed with when you realize you wanted our career to be ruined for nothing.”       “We will see, guys, we will,” Blake smirks evilly. “A too great self-confidence has never given anything good to people. And you won’t get it, either.”       A few seconds later, Edward enters the dressing room where Peter, Blake, and Daniel are, as he smothers the shoulders of his black waistcoat and straightens the sleeves of his gray t-shirt.       “Fuck, fucking kid…” Edward moans tiredly when seeing Blake in front of him. “I got off you five minutes ago!”       “Oh, here’s the main MacClife’s sucker!” Blake exclaims with an evil sneer, turning on Edward and crossing his arms over his chest.       “Here’s the greatest fan of ‘Against The System!’” Edward shows quotation marks.       “Hear, snotty boy, where’s your brother? Did he go to eat for the thousandth time and didn’t call his entourage with him?”       “What’s your fucking business?” Edward throws rudely.       “But he isn’t worth anything. A pathetic, talentless actor that nobody remembers. Though, he pronounces himself a king that everyone must bow at.”       “Listen, Connor, could you not make our mood worse with your pretense and dirty tongue? We’ve gotta get ready for a show, but you don’t let us do it!”       “Oh, why should you get ready? You will screw it up! And lots of little girls will pretend that they don’t see your mistakes.”       “Huh, don’t meddle in what you don’t actually understand! Better go to find a girl and seduce her! Or have you already snuck around with all the girls, and there’s not a candidature for you? There is nobody you could fuck? Is that why you walk here, doing nothing? If it’s so, I will personally find work for you!”       “Easy, MacClife, I know your tongue is too long, but don’t pretend to be tough as well as these two idiots do.”       “You’re told to do nothing hard,” Daniel meddles. “Just don’t stand in our way and let us quietly get ready for the performance.”       “Okay, okay, if you like being suckers for such a famous man as Terrence MacClife, you can do what you want. Just remember that only teen girls, MacClife’s fans, would be listening to your bullshit that you’re gonna release soon.”       “Just shut up and get out of here!” Peter says louder, pointing at the door.       “Okay, blond, I will leave. But we will meet again. Since you lost your lord somewhere, I will walk into the studio and find him. And say his obedient doggies are already waiting for him.”       Blake opens the door with a contemptuous laugh and leaves the dressing room, leaving Daniel, Peter, and Edward alone. Then the first one puts a hand on his forehead and takes the guitar from the chair, the second one exhales loudly, grabbing his hair, and the third one growls irritably.       “Oh, if he had played on our nerves for two more minutes, I would’ve taken the guitar and hit his head,” Daniel says tiredly. “Or I would’ve thrown a drumstick at him.”       “I hate that pizza face rat,” Edward throws coldly. “When I thought I got away from him, he came and started to wash my brains again.”       “Someday that bastard will ask for trouble, and I will strangle him with my own hands,” Peter says confidently.       “Agree. Oh…” Edward, exhaling quietly, sits on the spinning chair, while Daniel stays where he has been standing, and Peter comes to the mirror and fixes his hair slightly. “He’s got the perfect talent to suck energy and wish to do something outta you.”       “Yes, like a dementor from Azkaban…” Peter replies thoughtfully. “That boy makes us feel empty inside after we begin talking to him.”       “I still can’t understand, why does he behave like this? What did we do to make Connor treat us so rudely? He must be happy that we still take him and ain’t gonna fire him ‘till we have someone to replace him!”       “He’s just envying!” Daniel assumes confidently, clearing his throat. “We’ve reached such great success, but the only thing he learned to do for the years of his life is to fuck girls and be rude.”       “Honestly, I’m sorry for his parents, who educated that monster,” Peter confesses and puts his hands in the back pockets of his jeans.       “And I’m sorry for those, who befriend him.”       “Ha, which friends could that egoist have?” Edward scoffs loudly. “Connor loves nobody! I doubt that someone would love to befriend a stinker, who could easily frame and humiliate someone. Even big money wouldn’t help him.”       “Nobody doubts it,” Peter agrees.       “And the more he calls us suckers or something like that, hinting that we wanna get famous by using Terrence’s fame, the more I wish to strangle him,” Edward says gloomily.       “But we know that no one of us talks to Terrence for a benefit,” Daniel notices, puts the guitar on the small sofa, and puts his hands on his hips. “We’re united because of the common business that we love.”       “He’s like everyone: when someone gets easily famous, people say that person slept with someone, paid someone, or something like that,” Peter replies, gesticulating actively. “Nobody thinks you can get success with your talent, even if you have famous friends or relatives.”       “Alas, you can’t explain it to everyone,” Edward sighs tiredly, stroking down his standing, incredibly soft-to-touch hair. “Especially that fucking kid!”       “I don’t also feel nice that he says things like these, but…” Daniel says confidently and looks at Edward and Peter. “Guys… Why do the heck we excuse ourselves and try to prove something to him? Connor is one of our band’s haters. We shouldn’t give up because of one nineteen-year-old boy, who hates us nobody knows why!”       “Yeah, but you know how much he irritates me! Even Terrence doesn’t irritate me as much as that little bastard. Though, my bro does love playing on my nerves.”       “Early or late, we will have a wonderful assistant. But now let’s forget about him and remember what we should do. And be happy that our sweet girls and loyal fans support us. Our contingent is not only young girls that go crazy from Terrence, as Connor wanna believe. We’re loved by many adult people. So, let’s try to work for them. For those, who expect good music from us.”       Daniel is speaking so confidently that it gives Edward and Peter a belief in themselves and makes them smile.       “Nice words, Daniel!” Peter agrees with a slight smile. “Let’s just do what we love and try not to pay attention to Connor, even if it’s gonna be madly hard.”       “Yeah, you’re right, guys,” Edward says confidently. “It’s gonna be madly hard ‘cause Connor is unbearable. But if we wanna get much more famous, we should put our doubts and fears in our asses.”       “Sort of,” Daniel nods. “We’ve gotta keep moving, even with the great pain in the ass like the pizza face rat.”       “In this case, let’s focus on the band’s business,” Peter suggests. “On our upcoming performance.”       “But first, it would be great to find Terrence,” Edward replies thoughtfully. “I can’t find him anywhere. He literally melted in the air.”       “Weren’t you with him?” Daniel asks.       “We went together to the cafeteria to eat something. But later, I had to leave and answer the call. And I lost my bro. I asked some people, who told me Terrence had left the cafeteria a long time ago.”       “I hope you didn’t decide to get your family in trouble again?” Peter asks hesitantly. “We do know you can’t stay quietly in the same place. And your brother has to slow you down.”       “Calm down, blond, nothing criminal! It’s about the wedding stuff. They just asked to make something clear.”       “Oh, I see Natalia, Terrence, Raquelle, and you are getting ready for the wedding so hard,” Daniel notices with a slight smile. “As if it’s gonna happen today or tomorrow.”       “No, not today or tomorrow,” Edward laughs amicably. “But we need to get ready now. Who knows what we’d have to run into during this process. People get ready for a wedding a few months before it for a reason. Besides, we’re getting married on the same day. It’s a much harder mission.”       “Anyway, you have Perkins and me,” Peter says thoughtfully. “As the best men of the grooms, we’re ready to help. And we’ll help you with everything we can.”       “I know, guys. We’re gonna need your help.”       Edward, Daniel, and Peter’s talk stops by the female voice that says “Against The System” will be on-air in twenty minutes.       “Twenty-five minutes?” Edward wonders. “Fuck, how time flies!”       “Okay, bros, let’s talk about the wedding later,” Peter jabs. “Now we’ve gotta find MacClife.”       “I thought he was supposed to find us,” Daniel crosses his arms over his chest. “A fucking band leader.”       “Okay, come on,” Edward says quietly. “Let’s not waste time.”       Edward, Daniel, and Peter turn around and leave the dressing room by one. On the way, the men continue talking, as they walk down the long halls, where there are many open and closed doors and people being busy with something.       “Hey, it seemed to me that he was kinda tired,” Edward says thoughtfully. “And even a little absent-minded.”       “Really?” Daniel frowns slightly.       “Yup. If only he didn’t mess up everything during the performance. I had to repeat something a couple of times when we were at the cafeteria.”       “I don’t think it’s gonna happen,” Peter replies. “Despite nothing, Terrence is a very responsible man and would never let anyone down.”       “That’s right!” Daniel exclaims. “The band is very important to him.”       “Anyway, get ready that we might probably have to get him outta trance at times today,” Edward warns.       “Actually, we always do this to you. Because you always dream of something and have your head in the clouds.”       “This time, it’s gonna be otherwise.”       Daniel and Peter say nothing and just shrug. And then silence settles in the air, during which the young men are quietly walking down the long, well-lighted halls where they can see many people, who have to do with the shootings of the show. But some time later, the friends hear the voice of Blake, who is standing afar from them and checking out something on the phone.       “Hey, clowns!” Blake exclaims loudly. “If you’re still looking for MacClife, he decided to take a nap in the restroom. I found him there a few minutes ago!”       “That kid again!” Edward growls irritably.       “I’d hit him in the face,” Peter throws gloomily. “So, he doesn’t meddle in what he shouldn’t.”       “Calm down, bros, don’t pay attention to him,” Daniel says quietly, pushing Peter and Edward in the back. “We’d waste a lot of time if we started fighting with him.”       Edward and Peter listen to Daniel and decide not to waste time on their helper and to keep walking down the hall quietly. Blake is surprised that none of them tries to snap him back, rounding his eyes that he sets on the members of “Against The System”, who are ignoring him.       “Okay then!” Blake scoffs loudly. “I wanted to help you, but you…”       Blake says something under his breath and sets eyes on his phone again, while Edward, Daniel, and Peter keep walking down the long halls. And some time later, the three men come to the room that the young boy meant.       “Listen, something tells me we should check this room,” Peter says. “Although Conner annoyed all of us, I’ve gotta admit that he does good things sometimes.”       “Oh, yeah…” Edward replies thoughtfully. “For example, give us food, find out something…”       “But Peter is right,” Daniel says confidently. “Let’s check this room.”       After shrugging and sharing a look with each other, the young men come closer to the door, near which they are standing. Daniel opens it carefully, enters it slowly, and looks around carefully. And two seconds later, he sees something that makes him chuckle.       “Hey, guys, come here!” Daniel crosses his arms over his chest. “You just look at the frontman of our band!”       Edward and Peter quickly enter the room and see Terrence, who… Fell asleep on the comfortable sofa, wearing the clothes that he put on to perform with his band: a black waistcoat, dark blue jeans, dark shoes, and a gray t-shirt.       “Great!” Peter chuckles quietly after he sees Terrence, who is lying on the sofa with his hand put under his cheek, and puts his hands on his hips. “We have to be on the stage in twenty minutes, but he fell asleep!”       “Yes, friends, I have nothing to say!” Daniel shakes his head, laughing shyly.       “You say Terrence is a very responsible man?” Edward smiles slyly.       “We didn’t think this peacock would go to sleep a few minutes before the shooting,” Peter throws his hands up.       “Hey, MacClife, wake up!” Daniel exclaims loudly. “Stop sleeping! We’ve gotta go on the stage soon! MacClife!”       But Terrence does not wake up, just moans quietly and slightly changes the pose he keeps sleeping in.       “Nothing!” Daniel exhales sharply. “He’s sleeping like a log!”       “Maybe, we splash cold water over him?” Edward chuckles quietly. “He’d run on the stage in only his wet underwear!”       “Yeah, but before, your brother would get our heads into the water and kick our asses for daring to do it to His Highness,” Peter says confidently.       “Yeah, but how do we wake up this pretty boy?” Daniel throws his hands up.       “Maybe, we send him to hell? Go on the stage without MacClife and rock on!”       “Aha, and what would we tell the folks?”       “Truth! That MacClife refused to go and decided to go to sleep! But if he wants, he can come to us, of course.”       “And kick our asses right before our fans.”       “Oh, c’mon, the people would love it!” Peter says confidently. “They do love these things. When someone kicks the ass of someone funnily and generously gives slaps on the head.”       “Well…” Daniel thinks for two seconds and smiles slyly. “You know… You’re right! I think they’ll really love something like this. And you and I would have some fun.”       “Hey, bros, I have another idea,” Edward says with a sly smile.       “Oh, MacClife wanna have fun and mock his brother again,” Daniel laughs quietly.       “I’m serious! Just imagine how much Terrence would be surprised if he checked out Twitter or Instagram and saw photos of him sleeping.”       “Listen, kid, that’s the idea!” Peter exclaims cheerfully, putting a finger on his lip. “Let’s really take a photo of him and share it with the signature, ‘We’re ready for the show and go on the stage soon!’”       “Let’s think we have nothing to do,” Edward says confidently. “So, we can only play the fool and mock my beloved brother.”       “Alright, stop talking!” Daniel exclaims. “Let’s take a couple of photos while he’s sleeping deeply.”       Edward and Daniel laugh quietly with their mouths closed with a hand not to wake Terrence up. Then Perkins checks the pockets on his black leather jacket and moans disappointedly when he does not find his phone.       “Fuck, why did I leave my phone in the dressing room when I need it so much?” Daniel wears. “I’m missing a chance to take priceless shoots.”       “I’m ‘lucky’, too!” Peter exclaims, trying to unlock his phone. “I have the phone, but it’s charged at point zero!”       “It’s okay, I have it!” Edward says with a sly smile, taking his phone. “Charged.”       “Who would doubt!”       “I literally felt I should’ve taken my mobile phone. And here’s the chance to mock my bro.”       “Your day would be worthless if you didn’t kick each other’s asses,” Daniel laughs shyly.       Edward unlocks the phone with a quiet laugh and opens the camera app, while Daniel and Peter hold themselves down so hard not to laugh very loudly. The three men smile slyly and carefully come to the sleeping Terrence to take some photos. His younger brother managed to take a couple of shots from different sides, barely holding his laugh down. Then the happy Edward shows Peter and Daniel the result, and they laugh quietly.       “Hear, it’s very cool!” Daniel smiles widely. “Terry is so cute! Girls are gonna be thrilled.”       “Now post it on Twitter,” Peter says quietly. “On the band’s account!”       “It’s gonna be a surprise for MacClife,” Daniel rubs his hands with a sly smile.       “We’re ready for today's show!” Edward says, still laughing and typing something on his phone. “Watch the episode of ‘America, Wake Up’ featuring ‘Against The System’ in twenty minutes.”       Daniel, Peter, and Edward laugh again, and the latter is still typing something for a post with the photo that he is going to post on Twitter. The men try to laugh quietly, but later they make a loud chuckle, which wakes Terrence up, after all. MacClife, Sr., opens his eyes slightly with a quiet moan, rubs them quickly, sits up, and moves his half-sleepy look to Peter, Daniel, and Edward standing against him and laughing so hard, as they watch something on the phone of MacClife, Jr.       “Hey, guys, what are you doing there?” Terrence asks in a little hoarse, sleepy voice.       After hearing Terrence’s voice, Edward, Daniel, and Peter turn on him and distract themselves from the information on the phone of MacClife, Jr., who has already published the photo of his older brother.       “Oh, look!” Daniel exclaims happy, raising his hands. “Our Sleeping Beauty is awake!”       “Good morning, sleepyhead!” Edward says happily.       “Do you actually know we’re gonna go on the stage soon?” Peter asks. “Twenty minutes before we go out, but you went to sleep!”       “Yeah! If you’re kicking us, be nice to move your ass, too. Or would you start showing off by saying your name is Terrence MacClife, and you can do anything?”       “Ar-r-r, the riot began in my henhouse again!” Terrence exclaims. “You’re clucking again!”       “C’mon, c’mon, get your gorgeous ass up!” Daniel jabs. “I do hear loud whoops from your fans waiting for you to show up on the stage from here.”       “Aha, don’t disappoint them, bro,” Edward says with a sly smile. “Otherwise, you won’t get your everyday piece of love and admiration.”       “Oh, shut up, idiots…” Terrence shakes his head and looks at the three men disapprovingly, standing up from the sofa slowly. “You’d better get ready for the performance and think about making it perfect.”       “We’re kinda ready!” Daniel exclaims, crossing his arms over his chest. “What about you? Why are you the fuck sleeping here?”       “And you better say why you decided to fall asleep?” Peter frowns slightly.       “Erm…” Terrence stutters and runs his hand over his little white face. “I just didn’t get enough sleep… Didn’t sleep all night… Fell asleep only when I had very little time to sleep.”       “So, I was right when I said you looked like you didn’t sleep all night?” Edward frowns slightly.       “Yeah…” Terrence replies hesitantly, glancing aside, and massages his neck. “I had insomnia all night…”       “But why?”       “I don’t know… So, in order not to be a vegetable, I decided to find a quiet place and take a nap, at least for five minutes.”       “Nothing happened to you?” Daniel frowns slightly. “You look kinda exhausted!”       “Nope, it’s okay.” Terrence rubs his hands nervously, while his eyes run from one side to another. “I just didn’t get enough sleep… So… Don’t be surprised if I sleep sometimes. The day is gonna be long and busy.”       Terrence’s not very confident answer and his tired look make Edward, Daniel, and Peter believe that he does not tell them the truth and suspect that something happened to him. But after looking at each other quickly, they shrug and decide not to torture their friend with questions.       “Okay, we got it,” Peter shrugs. “We won’t ask anymore.”       “But let us know if you have problems,” Daniel adds.       “It’s okay, guys,” Terrence smiles slightly. “I just found a quiet place to hide and take a nap.”       “Well, as for a quiet place, I’d also run away where I wouldn’t see Connor,” Edward sighs tiredly, running his hand through his hair. “He can annoy and make you get tired for one minute.”       “Oh, Connor…” Terrence runs his hands over his face. “That pizza face shit starts to needle me more and more.”       “He’s already washed our brains,” Peter confesses.       “I also ran into him and had to listen to his fucking jokes.”       “There are people that could get energy outta you,” Daniel exhales sharply, putting a hand on his forehead. “After talking to him, I feel terrible.”       “I agree. And that’s bad it doesn’t let us perform well. Connor strikes us down.”       “Oh, fuck, I wish we found another assistant,” Peter moans tiredly. “Find a good person instead of that shorty.”       “Yeah, but there’s nobody to replace Connor yet.”       “Why did the fuck George actually persuade us to hire that deadbeat?” Edward wonders. “Didn’t Smith see what that shit was made of?”       “Alas, but we’ve gotta take it somehow. I see no other choice. I know it’s very hard, but we have to.”       “Someday I will hit him on the head with a guitar…”       “We all would hit him with something heavy,” Peter says quietly. “Slap him in the face or hit him on the balls, so he shows off less.”       “Be happy that he doesn’t at least frame us and just behaves like he is tough, and we’re nobody,” Daniel notices, clearing his throat.       “No, he won’t frame us,” Terrence assumes. “If Connor isn’t a moron, he knows we could easily fire him if something went wrong because of him.”       “I’m personally surprised that he hasn’t put poison in our food,” Edward crosses his arms over his chest. “We could expect anything from that rat.”       “You’re exaggerating about poison. Of course, Blake is a real bastard, but he won’t go too far.”       “Who knows, Terrence…” Daniel says tiredly, putting his hands in the back pockets of his dark blue jeans. “Who knows…”       “And actually, he only thinks about how to charm a beautiful girl and fuck her.”       “But there’s nobody around to pick up,” Peter notices. “And he wouldn’t love to spend time with adult ladies. He only wants girls younger than eighteen.”       “Sorry. Maybe, he’d get off it for a while.”       “And fuck a one-hundredth girl,” Edward laughs quietly.       “Oh, yeah,” Terrence chuckles quietly with his mouth closed with a hand. “I don’t even remember how many girls we’ve seen next to him.”       “Yeah, that little horse fucks any young girl,” Daniel says confidently.       “It’s the only thing he can do.”       Edward, Peter, Terrence, and Daniel laugh quietly and look around, saying nothing for two seconds. And then Blake enters the room, where he sees the four. The men do not even have to turn back to understand that the young boy literally chases them like a crazy fan.       “Fuck, Connor, what kind of talent to immediately end up where people talk about you?” Edward wonders with rolled eyes, not even turning on Blake.       “Ha!” Blake crosses his arms over his chest with a contemptuous sneer. “MacClife, do you have eyes on your ass if you realized that I was standing here without turning to me?”       “That’s hard not to guess because you walk like an elephant!” Peter throws, turning on Blake along with his friends.       “I’m not a girl to walk like a model on a runway. From a thigh, shaking my ass.”       “No, you must not be allowed to go on a runway,” Daniel says confidently. “Such short, clumsy folks with a pizza face like you aren’t expected there.”       “Oh, oh, six-foot-tall closets came together!”       “By the way, I often notice that all short people show off too much,” Edward notices, putting his hands on his hips. “They try to compensate for their short height.”       “You know, boy, a six-foot height doesn’t stop your brother from showing off so that MacClife annoyed everyone by saying he’s irresistible, sassy, sexy, and something like what makes him feel literally God.”       “Don’t worry, Connor,” Terrence says. “You’re a little boy now, but you will grow up and become a man later. A bad one, but still.”       “Right, everything is waiting for me. I’m young, hot, and incredible at sex, and girls have a crush on me… But your time is slowly going. No matter how hard you pretend to be a sexy macho that all little girls have a crush on, it won’t happen anymore soon.”       “I’m only twenty-eight and still young.”       “And you’re gonna be thirty in two years. And then, nobody will need you. Because little girls care only about twenty-year-old boys.”       “I don’t care about what you say.”       “But I’ve gotta admit that you’re perfect for acting in love scenes,” Blake says with a sly smile. “You can imitate passion with your beloved cutie, whom all men have a crush on. That scene of your fight from the music video was absolutely cool! And how good it ended! An amazingly hot kiss that Raquelle didn’t definitely expect, and a gorgeous bed scene that got excited literally everybody on the set.”       “You were imagining yourself instead of me?” Terrence scoffs with both arms crossed over his chest.       “Maybe. And I’m gonna say that your cutie is called one of the sexiest girls on the planet for the reason ‘cause she’s walking sex. Anyone wanna take her to bed. And silently hate you for taking the place wanted by everyone.”       “Don’t worry, buddy, you aren’t a log at all. And you’re full of passion, knowing how obstinate you are when you sneak around with girls, not being afraid of anyone.”       “I’ve gotta agree with you,” Blake says proudly with a sly smile and slightly pulls up his light blue, by far not the new baggy jeans. “Because I’m a young, attractive, and sexy boy. And those, who get a crush on me, have very good taste ‘cause I’m perfect.”       “Yeah, perfect,” Peter laughs with contempt. “Maybe, those, who fuck you, don’t care about your character. But if you want a serious relationship, you’ve gotta change somehow.”       “Oh, Rose, don’t start it,” Blake moans tiredly. “When you were silent, it was so good.”       “We’re gonna say one thing, Connor: a person truly loves someone not for their eternal beauty but the way they treat someone and what they are,” Daniel notices confidently.       “Listen, clones, don’t tell me some shit. I’m gonna solve it without you.”       “But why did you come to us?” Edward resents. “Turn around and get out of here!”       “I told Rose and Perkins that you wouldn’t get off me at the nearest time.”       “Fuck, find a girl and spend time with her, after all!” Peter moans loudly. “Do just something and leave us alone! You annoyed us! An-no-yed!”       “You’re starting to make me enraged, too. But sadly, I have to work for you and serve your precious asses.”       “Actually, nobody makes you do it,” Terrence says confidently. “You can leave! You’d do a great favor to the lads and me.”       “I’d do that with great pleasure, but…”       When Blake wants to say something and tries to insult one of the men, three girls enter the room. Two of them are a little silly at first sight, slim, and short twins with blonde and brunette wavy hair brushed up with bright makeup, wearing the same sparkling costumes that show their long, tanned legs. And the third girl is a glamorous, middle-height platinum blonde with short hair and a one-sided bang, wearing a white high-waisted mini-skirt with a crop top of the same color. That’s why it’s possible to see the top of her belly with good abs, on which the beauty definitely works hard.       “Hey, Blake,” the brunette says in a soft voice with a shy smile.       “There you are, pretty boy,” the blonde adds with a thin voice.       “We’ve been looking for you.”       “Courtney!” Blake exclaims with a wide smile, kisses the brunette on her cheek, and looks at the blonde, not hiding how nice it is for him to be with these twins, who tenderly stroke his hair. “Hannah!”       Blake does not forget to kiss the cheek of the blonde, Hannah.       “My girls!” Blake purrs with a wide smile, hugging the girls by the waist.       “That’s good Brie and we met someone to tell us you went here,” Hannah says with a slight smile.       “I’ve been looking for you, too. You kinda finished your performance and disappeared then.”       “We went out for two seconds while Brie was giving an interview,” Courtney exclaims quietly.       “But I’ve finished it,” the platinum blonde smiles amicably.       “Oh, Brie, you were incredible!” Blake smiles widely, smiling at the other girl, who fixes her hair slightly. “Just like always!”       “Thanks a lot, Blake. You’ve always been very nice.”       “It’s true, cutie,” Hannah purrs tenderly.       “Aw, my sweeties,” Blake smiles widely, hugging Courtney and Hannah tighter. “While you were performing, I felt bored. I have nothing to do.”       “But now we’re free because Brie has already performed her song,” Courtney says confidently. “She’s gonna have some interviews and doesn’t need dancers anymore.”       “I was watching you, my beauties,” Blake confesses with admiration. “You were so gorgeous! What grace and elegance! You dance so well. I’d watch you forever.”       “You make us blush, Blake,” Courtney whispers with a slight smile.       “I’m just telling you the truth. Looking at such dollies, I can’t be silent about it.”       “Aw, sweetie…” Courtney and Hannah get tender feelings.       With these words, the twin sisters cutely kiss Blake on his cheeks, while he keeps smiling widely and has the pleasure of telling them a couple of compliments. And Terrence, Peter, Daniel, and Edward standing near them cannot hide a chuckle, as they watch the young boy flirting with the girls, keeping his head proudly raised and looking like a cat, whose head is getting petted.       “Damn, someone, get it out of my way,” Daniel says through a quiet laugh. “It’s funny for me to watch this face.”       “Oh, yeah, that’s so hilarious to watch him pretending to be a macho boy for these twins,” Peter laughs.       “You look how he’s showing off for them,” Edward says with a quiet chuckle. “Even Terrence doesn’t show off for Raquelle like this.”       “Listen, he’s like a sultan that has a few mistresses and wives,” Daniel says confidently.       “Aha, but that sultan only has his underwear,” Terrence notices.       “Well, it’s good enough for girls that don’t need serious relationships,” Edward laughs quietly. “For fucking him once, he doesn’t need a rich inner world.”       “He’s acting like he’s about to take off his clothes and have sex for three right now,” Peter assumes. “If he hasn’t had group sex, it’s gonna be an incredible experience for him.”       “Oh, yeah, he may get a double pleasure if he’s caressed by two girls,” Daniel laughs quietly.       “C’mon, guys!” Terrence exclaims with a slight smile. “May the boy flirt with the girls! Maybe, he’d finally leave us alone and pay all the attention to these twins.”       “Right, I didn’t think about it.”       “C’mon, girls, take that parasite with you,” Edward encourages quietly, moving his eyes to Courtney and Hannah, who are happy to flirt with Blake smiling widely. “We’re gonna be so grateful to you.”       “Listen, my cuties, let’s go to a different place,” Blake suggests with a slight smile. “There are too many people here. Our kind of worldwide stars are gonna go on the stage soon…”       “You’re right, pretty boy,” Hannah says with a slight smile, caressing Blake’s cheek tenderly. “Let’s give the guys a chance to get ready. So, they rock on.”       “Yes, sweetie, let’s go to drink something,” Courtney says playfully, pulling Blake’s t-shirt slightly and stroking down his rebel hair.       “Let’s go!” Blake exclaims with a wide smile. “Exit, my dolls!”       Hugging Courtney and Hannah by the waist with a sense of pride, Blake confidently goes to the exit. But before leaving, he glances at Edward, Terrence, Daniel, and Peter watching him with a sly smile and their arms crossed over the chest and not missing a chance to laugh at him.       “Good luck, celebrities!” Blake exclaims. “I wish you not to screw it all! Especially, you, Perkins. Because you’ve been messing up with taking high notes. I wish your fans wouldn't blame you for getting your voice changed at the studio.”       Courtney and Hannah take Blake by the arms to the exit of the room. And he lets them go ahead with a slight smile and slaps them on the buttocks without being shy. They make a quiet squeak and get blush, looking at the young men with wide smiles. It makes Peter, Edward, Daniel, and Terrence laugh quietly and open their mouths slightly, while the glamorous blonde, who is still here, shakes her head. And when the four leaves the room, the girl comes to the young men with a shy smile.       “Blake doesn’t definitely know what shyness is,” the girl says with a slight smile.       “How, my dear?” Terrence wonders. “This word isn’t still in his personal vocabulary.”       “I got it. Though, Hannah and Courtney aren’t indifferent to him.”       “Hard not to see,” Edward nods. “They’re walking around him.”       Silence settles in the air for two seconds, during which the girl glances aside.       “By the way, guys, I think you’re gonna go on stage soon,” the girl says thoughtfully. “In ten or fifteen minutes, if I’m not mistaken.”       “We know,” Daniel replies amicably. “We’re ready and waiting for a sign.”       “And I think you better find your manager. Mr. Smith just came to me and asked if I had seen you somewhere.”       “We’ve also been looking for him,” Peter says quietly.       “He’s somewhere not far.”       “Alright, thanks a lot.”       “By the way, Brianna, you performed great,” Daniel says amicably. “Well-done! We really liked your new song.”       “Thanks, Daniel,” Brianna says with a slight smile. “I worked on that for a long time.”       “Yeah, the song is really amazing,” Terrence notices confidently.       “Despite being the beginning artist as well as you are, my songs are popular enough.”       “But you’ve already released your debut album, while we will do it soon,” Edward shrugs. “We only have one song and one music video.”       “I’m sure your songs are gonna be popular, too,” Brianna expresses hope. “Your debut single is amazing. I added it to my personal playlist of songs that must be listened to. Excellent job, lads! You worked well.”       “Thanks a lot, Brie!” Terrence thanks amicably. “Although we love different music, your album also sounds fantastic.”       “Thank you, Terrence.”       “By the way, I’m surprised that you haven’t offered a collaboration to your cousin, Marty,” Daniel confesses thoughtfully.       “No, Daniel, I don’t wanna do it,” Brianna shakes her head, bending her arms to her elbows and locking her fingers, on which there is a perfect manicure made in the colors of her clothes. “Marty is a very hard person I can’t work with. You know it well.”       “Yeah, we do know Ms. Patch was dreaming of sharing fame with nobody but her. And it seems like she didn’t use a chance to get famous as a pop star when Peter and I left Albert’s band.”       “She’ll never do anything on her own. My cousin is used to the fact that my aunt and uncle agreed about everything. Even if she had thousands of chances, Marty wouldn’t move a finger.”       “Wow…” Terrence pronounces thoughtfully.       “Of course, I love my cousin and say nothing bad about her, but sometimes she is too unbearable. So, I try to speak to her as rarely as possible.”       “It happens that Marty didn’t build her career?” Peter wonders.       “Alas, there is not anyone to promote her to the show business.”       “What’s up? Marty’s parents and Albert had some agreements, and he was afraid of them like fire, always putting his tail between his legs in front of them!”       “I don’t know, Peter,” Brianna shrugs. “But Mr. Sanderson is now busy with his business. He doesn’t have time to work on someone’s career.”       “And what happened to him?” Daniel rounds his eyes.       “I can say nothing. I have currently had a lot of work to do and don’t care about my cousin’s business. I don’t almost speak to Marty, and my uncle and aunt. And my divorced parents also speak to them rarely.”       “I wonder, what’s Marty gonna do if everything’s so bad?” Terrence asks thoughtfully.       “Who knows, Terrence. But I’m ready to bet that she’ll be waiting for everything to be done for her. As I’ve said, my cousin didn’t get used to getting something by herself.”       “She’s gonna be waiting ‘till she gets old,” Peter laughs quietly.       “That’s her business. And I’m busy with my career. Unlike her, I have reached all of it by myself and have never asked my mother and father for help. And they don’t have contacts that would easily let me get into the show business.”       “That’s laudable that you know it’s important to work hard to get something,” Edward says amicably.       “Yes, Edward, it’s true. And if you, guys, also decided to become musicians, be ready to work very much.”       “I do know well how hard you’d have to work to get famous,” Terrence says thoughtfully.       Brianna smiles slightly and fixes her hair slightly. And two seconds later, the man of forty years with light brown hair and bald patches on the sides, wearing dark blue jeans and a dark red shirt, enters the room.       “Oh, there you are, young men!” the man exclaims. “I was looking for you everywhere!”       “Yes, Brianna said you were looking for us,” Peter says amicably.       “That’s good Blake was going by me with two young girls and said you were here.”       “We wanted to find you, too,” Edward confesses.       “So, guys, I see everybody is ready to go on the stage,” the man looks at all the men.       “Yes, yes, George, we are ready,” Terrence says quietly. “Don’t worry.”       “Good,” George pronounces with a slight smile.       “Alright, guys, I think I have to go,” Brianna says hesitantly, throwing a short look at Peter, Terrence, Daniel, and Edward. “I’m gonna have a busy day and can’t talk to you for a long time.”       “It’s okay, we’re super busy today, too,” Daniel says amicably.       “Good luck to you all. Show everything you can. And don’t listen to your haters! You work for your fans, who are waiting for your music, not for them.”       “Thanks, Brie,” Edward, Daniel, Terrence, and Peter thank at a different time with slight smiles.       Brianna looks at everybody with a slight smile, turns her back upon them on high heels, and leaves quietly, closing the door. George watches her with a slight smile that he shares with the members of “Against The System”.       “Good girl,” George says confidently. “And very talented. I’ve known her manager for ages, and he is madly glad to work with her.”       “Yes, Brianna is very talented,” Peter agrees with a slight smile. “And her cousin is. But that one has a terrible character.”       “Yes, yes, I heard about that girl. I heard that Brianna’s cousin doesn’t want to do anything by herself and wants to get everything when it’s ready. Though, she will not get anything in this way. You can’t become successful without making any effort. There is nothing that everyone could do incredibly easily. For everything, you have to work hard for weeks, months, and even years.”       “We mean the same…” Daniel says thoughtfully, clearing his throat. “But that girl doesn’t know her parents aren’t powerful and wouldn’t be able to agree with everyone forever.”       “It’s alright, early or late, she will have to get everything on her own. She will work as much as Brianna.”       Silence settles in the air for two seconds, during which George looks at everybody.       “By the way, as I understand, Blake was trying to hurt you again,” George says thoughtfully.       “Yes, he went to our dressing room and started to mock us,” Daniel says tiredly. “Peter and I were together, Edward came to us later, and then we all came here to Terrence. And as you saw, Connor came to this room.”       “And honestly, it’s getting unbearable,” Edward confesses. “He does always insult us and hints that Daniel, Peter, and I are using Terrence’s fame. It’s not true, though. We all work hard. We don’t have a leader, even if everyone calls my brother the one.”       “I understand you well. But you should not react to his provocations.”       “But he does provoke us on purpose,” Peter notices. “And we don’t know what’s our fault for him if he hates us so much and showers us with mud constantly.”       “I don’t understand it, either. Anyway, don’t start a conflict. Find him one of your haters. You are ignoring them – so, what did Blake do to deserve an exclusion?”       “We’re trying, George, but sometimes it’s too hard,” Terrence says tiredly. “We all terribly want to slap him as hard as possible. Maybe, it leads to nothing, but our hands itch… You know…”       “No, guys, do not do that!” George exclaims. “He is trying to get it – your reaction. Aggressors need your emotions. If you give them, they get pleasure and rejoice that they manage to hurt you.”       “Do we close our eyes to the fact that he’s insulting us?” Edward wonders.       “You’d get nothing if you waved your hands.”       “Just don’t think he’d easily explain the reason for his behavior,” Daniel says confidently. “Connor will never explain it.”       “I know… For two and a half months, which he has been working as your assistant, I realized that Blake has a hard character.”       “Hard is easy to say,” Daniel exhales tiredly, putting a hand on his forehead.       “Oh, we can’t wait to get another assistant,” Edward says thoughtfully. “I’m personally afraid that he might let us down someday and do his best to be innocent. Do his best for the lads and me to be charged.”       “No, Edward. Maybe, Blake is a complicated boy, but he will not do that.”       “We can expect anything from him,” Peter notices confidently.       “I know, Peter. Moreover, that guy is actually a child. He’s only nineteen. Although I don’t know how he’s living, he is probably doing badly. He’d hardly wear those, excuse me, terrible clothes if he had money. And young people rarely think of the feelings of others and don’t know they might give someone pain.”       “But it’s all very unpleasant for us, get it…” Edward says.       “I completely understand you, guys, but for you, it would be better not to react to his insults with insults. Just be quiet and treat him as your colleague. You aren’t the only one to work with those they cannot take. Collectives aren’t always nice and friendly.”       “Please, George, find someone to replace Connor as soon as possible,” Peter begs with pity in his eyes. “We don’t wanna work with the man. Who deprives us of energy and happiness. Talking to him always strikes us down. And it impacts the band’s work badly.”       “Alright, guys,” George nods confidently. “I promise I’ll come back to you if I look for someone to replace Blake.”       “We will also look for someone, who we’d feel comfortable with,” Daniel promises.       Silence settles in the air for two seconds, during which George smiles slightly and then glances at the closed door, behind which voices of people working on the shooting of the show are heard.       “Alright, young men, we will talk about your helper later,” George says quietly. “They are going to call you on the stage in five minutes.”       “Oh, already five?” Edward wonders truly.       “Yes. Come with me. Come on, come on, you are expected behind the scene.”       After looking at each other and shrugging, Terrence, Daniel, Edward, and Peter leave the restroom and go somewhere down the hall along with George, being ready to go on the air of the morning show that will be watched by lots of people and wishing to perform their song to surprise everyone again.       

***

      Anna, Natalia, and Helene woke up early and came together at Raquelle and Terrence’s house to watch the live translation of the TV show, on which their men are going to perform. Sitting on the sofa comfortably and having some food, the girls cannot wait for the beginning of the show and hope to get much pleasure.       “I can’t wait for them to go on air,” Natalia says with excitement, holding a glass of some drink. “Admire our proud eagles.”       “The show starts in five minutes,” Raquelle replies, searching for something on the laptop, on which her friends and she will be watching the translation. “But don’t forget that they’ll be talking to the hosts about their album first.”       “I wanna hear what they’re gonna say about the album,” Anna says with a slight smile, taking some cookies from the bowl and eating it. “It’s impossible to pull something out of the men. They talk about a surprise with mysterious smiles. What if one of them says something we don’t know yet in the interview.”       “Yeah, but they do know we’re gonna watch the show,” Natalia notices confidently. “And they might be silent. Talk about everything they said before.”       “C’mon, girls, their album can’t be bad anyway,” Helene notices, glancing aside.       “But we’re gonna get sick of waiting for its release,” Raquelle laughs quietly. “And the next song will be not out very soon.”       “Well, we’re just gonna enjoy their first single, ‘The Story About Us’. I often sing this song to myself. Even the girls at my work liked it after hearing me.”       “You aren’t the only one to sing it,” Natalia replies confidently. “Every morning of mine starts with playing this song and doing my business.”       “I believe the lads did a great job,” Raquelle says.       “Oh, yeah!” Anna smiles widely. “I’m truly proud of all of them. Though, I still can’t believe I listened to the first single that the guys released. I never thought it would be real.”       “And it was an honor for me to be a guest star in their first music video ever.”       “Yeah, I will never forget the great time we spent on the set,” Helene says with a slight smile. “Though, I doubted if I could meet the lads’ expectations.”       “And it was nice to get our money as a paycheck for our work,” Natalia confesses. “I didn’t expect they’d pay us so much. I didn’t have to ask my parents for money to buy gorgeous shoes, a couple of dresses, and an incredible crop top.”       “That’s right,” Anna laughs shyly. “When I got money, I also did a little shopping and bought many cool things.”       “And I spent a part of the money,” Helene confesses. “I donated something and gave the other part to Grandma. She wanted to buy something a long time ago, but I got enough money for it.”       “Think our men did a little party for us,” Raquelle smiles slightly. “We had fun on the set and spent the money that we honestly earned.”       “Maybe, the men acted like idiots, but the result was brilliant. We all gave our everything for the shootings.”       “Maybe, just because the guys were so careless and let themselves play the fool, we got such a good music video,” Anna assumes cheerfully. “Everybody knows that a good mood is a key to success in any situation.”       “You know, girls, maybe sometimes our men become idiots, but I do even love it,” Natalia confesses cheerfully. “I wouldn’t be able to speak to a boring fellow, who can’t joke and relax.”       “Agree! And honestly, I don’t know what I’d do without them. They’re our salvation from bad emotions.”       “That’s right!” Raquelle exclaims. “I don’t think about bad things when they’re near me, cheer us up, and have fun themselves.”       “And why should we think about bad things?” Helene wonders with a slight smile. “The lads are gonna make their dream come true and release their album soon… And we’re gonna also have the weddings of our cute lovebirds, Natalia and Edward, and Raquelle and Terrence.”       “Yeah!” Anna exclaims with a wide smile. “Our friends are gonna get married soon!”       “Ah, girls!” Natalia pronounces with a slight smile. “I still can’t believe I’m gonna get married soon… I’ve been engaged for a few months, but still think it’s a dream.”       “You wanted it so badly,” Raquelle recalls. “And you and I are gonna be brides soon. Get married to the wonderful men.”       “Oh, God, I’m so excited… I feel that I wouldn’t be able to stand on my feet or would cry because of an overabundance of emotions.”       “I’m madly excited, too.” Raquelle drinks some drinks from her glass. “And I can’t believe I’m gonna get married to the one, who I hated originally.”       “You know, Cameron, anything happens,” Helene notices confidently. “As they say, one step from hate to love.”       “Don’t worry, cuties,” Anna says confidently. “We’ll make you so beautiful that everyone will open their mouths. And all men will barely have time to wipe off the saliva.”       “I think I wasn’t so excited even when I had my first shoot ever,” Raquelle confesses. “Yes, I know nothing can happen, and Terrence isn’t gonna leave me and cancel the wedding. But I don’t feel quiet anyway.”       “I completely understand you, friend,” Natalia replies quietly. “Because I’m terribly nervous and afraid that something might go wrong, as well.”       “At least, Raquelle is used to this house and thinks it’s hers,” Anna adds. “Besides, Terrence and she managed to get to know each other better. So, they won’t have to spend time getting used to each other.”       “Maybe,” Raquelle shrugs. “Anyway, I regret nothing and am happy to get such a wonderful husband soon.”       “I wish I got him, too,” Natalia smiles slightly. “I wish Edward and I lived in the house that he bought.”       “Of course, you will!” Helene exclaims. “Rochester, come on! You’re engaged!”       “I know…” Natalia drinks a little bit from her glass. “I’m just terribly worried that Edward may suddenly decide not to marry me on the wedding day and leave me before the people.”       “No, girls, don’t even think about it! Edward and Terrence won’t surely leave you because they love you too much.”       “Yes, my sweeties, what the heck!” Anna smiles widely, clapping Natalia on the shoulder slightly. “Edward and Terrence would go insane without you. The girls and I do see how they always look at you.”       “That’s right! Edward is totally in love with Natalia, and Terrence is in love with Raquelle. These guys are ready for anything for the girls to be happy.”       “They’re queens for them! The queens that they take care of.”       “You all know well that I’d also do anything for Edward,” Natalia says confidently. “For my king, whom I just adore.”       “And I will do my best not to lose Terrence,” Raquelle promises. “I will no longer make the mistake that I could’ve made a few months ago.”       “No, sweeties, don’t think about it!” Anna exclaims with a slight smile, caressing Raquelle’s hand. “What happened then stayed in the past. Don’t remember that.”       “Exactly!” Helene agrees. “We’re gonna have fun at your wedding soon! Watch Natalia getting married to Edward and Terrence marrying Raquelle.”       “I know, girls,” Natalia smiles shyly.       Silence settles in the air for two seconds, during which Natalia thinks of something nice, glancing at her gorgeous braided ring covered with small brilliants with a stone in the form of a rose that Edward gifted her when proposing to her. In the current sunny weather, it beautifully shines under the light and often gets the attention of the girls, who really adore this magnificent jewelry on the left hand of the soon-to-be bride.       “Gosh, I can’t believe it’s happening to me,” Natalia says with a slight smile. “After having so many failures in relationships, I finally got lucky.”       “I’m sure fate didn’t let all your previous exes stay with you,” Raquelle assumes. “They wouldn’t have made you happy. I mean, nobody could have done it. I didn’t like anyone of those I knew.”       “But now, Rochester, get ready to accept a new member of your family,” Helene replies confidently. “Your school friend is gonna be your sister-in-law.”       “Yeah… I would’ve never thought we’d become a family.”       “I don’t also believe Cameron is gonna be a part of my family,” Natalia confesses, takes her phone from the table, and checks out something, noticing that it makes a quiet sound and sometimes distracting to look at her friends. “I can’t believe we’re gonna get married on the same day.”       “As far as I understand, the guys and you started to get ready for the wedding,” Helene says thoughtfully.       “Yup, the preparation has begun.”       “Have you already picked up a marriage day?”       “Not yet. We’re just looking for some information about what we need to do to organize a wedding.”       “And what about dresses?” Anna asks with a mysterious smile. “Did you decide what you’d like to wear on the wedding day?”       “I have some ideas, but I need to look at what they sell at wedding salons,” Raquelle confesses. “Or I’m gonna think about ordering it at an atelier if I see nothing good.”       “Haven’t you seen dresses yet?”       “I haven’t. But I will obviously ask you to go with me, so you say what you think.”       “I’ll call you, too,” Natalia promises. “I know my girls would help me choose the best.”       “Of course, girls,” Helene says with a slight smile. “What kind of question!”       “We’re gonna choose the best dress for both of you,” Anna promises confidently.       “Thanks, my sweeties,” Natalia smiles shyly.       “You’re the best, girls!” Raquelle adds amicably.       Silence settles in the air for a few seconds later. And then Natalia finds something on the phone that makes her chuckle quietly.       “Listen, I think today’s show has been canceled,” Natalia says with a laugh.       “Why?” Anna rounds her eyes. “The show won’t start?”       “Have you seen the last tweet on the band’s Twitter account?”       “That’s something bad?”       “Nope! Sit closer.”       Raquelle, Helene, and Anna move closer to Natalia to understand the meaning of the blonde’s words, and she shows them what makes her laugh.       “You just look at this masterpiece,” Natalia says confidently.       As it turns out, Natalia decided to show her friends the photo of the sleeping Terrence, which Edward recently posted on the band’s account some time ago, and left this signature:       “@ATS_Official: We’re ready for today’s show at @AWU_Show. Watch the live episode featuring us in twenty minutes. Our dearest @TerrenceMacClife is super ready and can’t wait for the show to start and kick everyone’s asses.”       After seeing the photo and reading the signature, Raquelle, Natalia, Helene, and Anna chuckle, as they shake their heads slightly.       “God, it seems like they definitely have nothing to do again while they’re waiting for the invitation on the stage,” Helene concludes.       “And Terrence decided not to waste time on them and went to take a nap,” Raquelle adds cheerfully.       “And those three idiots decided to have fun without him,” Anna says. “They didn’t miss a chance to mock Terrence.”       “Something tells me that Edward posted this photo,” Natalia assumes. “And he probably suggested doing it.”       “I think that’s the most harmless thing he could do,” Raquelle says confidently. “Thank God, Edward didn’t think of splashing water over Terrence.”       “Maybe, the guys wanted! But they decided not to make the peacock MacClife go on the stage in his wet underwear.”       “Were they afraid that his fans would get nicely shocked and die from a heart attack?” Helene laughs shyly.       “Sort of.”       “Hey, Terrence posted a similar photo of the sleeping Edward during the recording of songs,” Natalia recalls.       “Yes, yes, I remember,” Raquelle nods with a slight smile. “And I do know which one.”       With these words, Raquelle takes the phone from the coffee table and starts to search for something.       “It seems like the MacClife brothers decided to have fun with each other while they had nothing to do,” Anna says thoughtfully.       “Just like little children,” Helene says with a slight smile, shaking her head. “Really.”       “Like typical brothers and sisters,” Raquelle says quietly. “They can’t live a day without jokes. Though, they love each other with all their hearts, and they would tear anyone if someone hurt one of them.”       “Agree,” Natalia nods.       Two seconds later, Raquelle finds the photo that Natalia talked about and shows it to her friend.       “Hey, Natalia, did you mean this photo?” Raquelle asks.       “Yes, yes, that’s it!” Natalia nods confidently.       In the photo from Instagram that the girls are viewing on Raquelle’s phone, they can see Edward, who fell asleep while sitting on the writing table, being surrounded by many pieces of paper, letting one hand down from it and putting the other one under his cheek. And there is also a short signature taken on behalf of Terrence:       “@TerrenceMacClife: Working on new songs non-stop. My little brother @EdwardMacClife asks to tell you we’re working super hard and gonna make you happy with new music very soon.”       “Oh, God, I don’t even know what to say…” Helene says thoughtfully.       “Me too…” Anna replies thoughtfully with a slight smile, tucking a strand of hair behind her ear.       “Yeah…” Natalia exhales sharply.       “Girls, girls, come here!” Raquelle exclaims happily. “It’s starting! The guys are gonna be on the air now! Move closer to me!”       All the girls comfortably install themselves on the sofa next to each other, getting ready to watch the show, on which the band “Against The System” are about to appear.       

***

      The show’s shootings are happening in the air. But nobody considers it a problem because today’s weather is warm. The crowd is applauding and screaming while standing near the big scene, on which the musical instruments are set up. And two hosts at the age of thirty or thirty-five are showing up. The man with light brown hair and a fashionable bristle of the same color is wearing a dark blue suit and a light blue shirt, and the woman with shoulder-length honey-blonde hair is wearing a blue sleeveless, knee-lower-length dress. They confidently come to the scene with a microphone and a small tablet in their hands and wave a hand at the big crowd of fans. And because they are on the air, the hosts start to speak confidently while their eyes are set on one of the cameras that are filming them.       “Hello, everyone, again!” the woman exclaims loudly and happily. “You are still watching the show ‘America, Wake Up,’ and we are the hosts, Laura Clifford.”       “And Ethan Williams!” the man brings his microphone to his mouth, standing next to the woman named Laura.       “Some time ago, we accepted the amazing persona that gives great hopes and made her fans happy with a brilliant performance that left nobody indifferent,” Laura says confidently. “Brianna Armstrong is a rising star, whose fame is growing every day. She has many fans, who praise her and believe she can be famous enough. And it seems like these assumptions are coming true because the career of the young star is getting better and better.”       “But today we will accept someone else, from whom we can also expect very much, and who could compete with Ms. Armstrong,” Ethan says with a mysterious smile. “Who recently got into the music world but already make people talk about them and show their great talent.”       “These young and hot men got popular after the tour with the famous pop-rock band ‘The Loser Syndrome’. And the rising stars do steal the hearts of millions of people around the world, make them talk about their perfect appearance, and make young girls fall in love with them and admire how talented this gorgeous four is.”       “Those guys have recently released their first single, ‘The Story About Us,’ that, as the men say, lets you know more about them. The single has received positive reviews from many critics, and millions of streams on streaming services and the first place in music stores and pop charts let you know that the band is going to be popular. Also, their debut music video for this song is getting many views and lots of positive comments.”       “Now those young men will tell you everything you wanted to know right now,” Laura says happily. “Because we invited them to the show ‘America, Wake Up’, and they will show up on this scene.”       “Meet the band ‘Against The System!’” Ethan and Laura say loudly with wide smiles.       Everybody next to the scene immediately blows up with happy shouts, not hiding their happiness, applauding loudly and waiting for the incredibly talented and attractive young men from “Against The System” to appear on the stage. And one second or two later, Terrence, Peter, Daniel, and Edward finally go on the stage with their own song, sending a wide smile to everybody. The crown blows up with much louder shouts again and sings the band’s song with pleasure. The young men go to the hosts of the show with microphones in their hands and smiles on their faces. Some lucky folks manage to give a five to them and share a couple of words. At this moment, the friends just let themselves get pleasure from what’s happening and forget about Blake, who made their mood a little worse some time ago. And because they have visited similar appearances many times, they do not feel excited and do stay more than just confident, showing their disarming smiles and having a gloss in their eyes when looking at the crown that is welcoming them so warmly.       After coming to Laura and Ethan, they greet them by hugging and shaking them by the hand and share an amicable kiss on the cheek with the woman. But after this, Daniel, Terrence, Peter, and Edward stand in the line in front of the hosts. The crowd applauds at the men loudly for a few seconds but calms down later and starts closely watching them and listening to what the hosts say.       “Hi, guys, glad to see you,” Ethan says amicably, bringing his microphone to his mouth. “Thank you for agreeing to attend our show.”       “Thank you for inviting us,” Terrence speaks into his microphone.       “How are you feeling?” Laura asks.       “Better than just good,” Daniel replies with a slight smile.       “You have recently released your first single, ‘The Story About Us’ and a music video for it,” Ethan recalls confidently. “And your full-length debut album is set to be released soon. Your fans are waiting for it with impatience. Say, guys, are you super excited?”       “Yes, we are,” Edward, Daniel, Terrence, and Peter nod at a different time.       “In one of your interviews, you said ‘The Story About Us’ is based on your own life experience and lets us know you much better,” Laura speaks into her microphone. “Tell us, please, what made you write this song, and tell us something about yourself?”       “Well…” Peter thinks for two seconds, bringing the microphone to his mouth. “First, we wanted to tell our fans a little bit about us and let them know who we are. And show a part of our lives so everybody knows something about it. Erm… To know that we had hard times in our lives.”       “So, is it about your whole life?”       “No, no, we’d hardly tell everything about our lives and everything we’ve had to experience. There are many things, which we will not tell the whole world. Which are only known to us, each other, and our closest people. But thanks to this song, our fans can learn more about us, find out much more interesting and, maybe, figure out its meaning and see themselves or someone they know.”       “But why did you want to tell us about it in the single ‘The Story About Us?’”       “First of all, we wanted to be honest with our fans. We wanted to tell them that every one of us had to experience a little tragedy. And expressing your feelings through creativity could help you overcome some pain. It’s always helped me. I think… If you have nobody by your side to tell them about your personal drama, you can show your feelings on a piece of paper. You know, girls sometimes have personal diaries and write something in them. It’s almost the same. The difference is that notes in a diary will always be personal, but the lyrics of a song will not. Unless you want to make them public.”       “Are the other songs from your album also about your life and you?” Ethan specifies. “Or are they about someone to be important to you?”       “Actually, we talk about many things,” Edward replies into a microphone. “We don’t write songs only about love and friendship.”       “It’s all based on your experience?”       “Yes. Everything we write about was experienced by us to some extent. What we care about to some extent. I don’t think it would be right to write about what we don’t know. What we’ve never known. Our songs are about something from our personal experience that we've gone through the years. The older we get, the more we discover. Maybe we will have much more experience and ideas for new music when we start working on a new album.”       “So, are you going to keep creating music?”       “Of course!” Edward exclaims with a slight smile. “Although we haven’t released our first album, sometimes we talk about what songs from our second one would be about.”       “Does your forthcoming album have songs that you have dedicated to someone close?”       “Yes, there are some songs dedicated to the people, who we love very much, and who inspire us to do what we love.”       “Your girls?”       “Sure. But a couple of songs are dedicated to other people.”       “How much are your girls inspiring you?” Laura asks with a slight smile.       “They are our strongest motivation that makes us do what we do,” Daniel replies confidently. “The girls support us in everything and are a part of creating songs. They often give us ideas and fix the lyrics sometimes. It happened to a couple of songs: our girls came up with some lines that we liked. And we decided to use them.”       “Have they heard your album?”       “Nope, they don’t know what it’s going to be like. The guys and I want to make a surprise for them.”       “And because our beauties promised to watch this show, we’re going to keep our mouths closed,” Peter adds funnily and laughs shyly along with the other guys. “Not to mess up everything.”       “As far as I remember, one of your said on social networks that your girls constantly torture you and try to find out something about your album,” Ethan says with a slight smile.       “It’s true,” Daniel nods confidently. “But we’re holding on. But I’m not going to hide that we madly want to let them listen to our songs. We barely waited for them to be able to listen to ‘The Story About Us’.”       “Listen, if you say the girls are watching you, maybe, one of you wants to give them a greeting?” Ethan points at one of the cameras. “Say something on the camera!”       “Hey, girls!” Edward exclaims funnily, waving his hands.       “Hey!” Daniel pronounces cheerfully.       “Don’t go anywhere, we’re gonna be performing soon,” Terrence says confidently.       “Yes, beauties, get ready!” Peter exclaims cheerfully.       “We love you!” Daniel, Edward, Terrence, and Peter say funnily at a different time with wide smiles, waving their hands at the camera.       It’s all happening along with the loud applause of the people from the crown that calms down a few seconds later after the men from “Against The System” stop smiling widely, not missing a chance to show a couple of funny faces and play the fool at each other.       “Alright, guys, we understood it,” Ethan says amicably. “Do you have another source of inspiration?”       “Of course, we do,” Daniel replies confidently. “Our fans do motivate us, too. We feel the responsibility and create music for them. And we know that they are waiting for our music and want to hear it as soon as possible. It makes us understand that we cannot betray neither our girls, who give us the strength to keep going on, nor our fans, who inspire us.”       “Haven’t you come up with your fandom name?” Laura asks. “Just like many celebrities do it.”       “No, honestly,” Terrence replies. “But some time ago, Edward suggested we call our fans Rebels. Rebels.”       “Rebels? So, do you want to make them rebels?”       “Sort of,” Edward shrugs. “Those, who go against all stereotypes and rules.”       “Listen, I think that’s a good idea,” Ethan smiles slightly. “The army of your rebels would stand for you.”       “If these two chuckleheads and I have no ideas, we’ll accept the suggestion of my brother,” Terrence promises confidently, throwing a short look at Daniel and Peter.       “Alright, we got it.”       “Say, guys, is there a song that would motivate people not to give up, for example?” Laura asks. “Or the one that would inspire them to do something?”       “Yes, there is a song on the album,” Daniel replies with a slight smile. “We think it’s a motivator for people because it really gives you a stimulus to fight for your wishes, despite what people tell you.”       “And who wrote it?”       “We wrote it all together.”       “Is it going to be a single? Or do we have to wait for the album’s release?”       “Alas, I can say nothing yet. There are two songs that could be the second single, but we haven’t decided which one.”       “Alright,” Ethan says confidently. “And how much are you proud of yourself and what you have already reached?”       “It goes without saying, we’re incredibly proud of ourselves and each other,” Daniel replies confidently. “And we’re very happy our joint work was highly rated.”       “We have done a great job,” Edward adds. “But we have not reached so much, and we are far from many celebrities in the show business.”       “I think you made sure that it’s hard work,” Ethan assumes.       “Yes, sometimes it’s hard for us. Sometimes we cannot do something well. We ruin everything. The songs are terrible. No wish to perform. But that’s quite fine. A person doesn’t always have inspiration. And I think you shouldn’t make yourself create a masterpiece when you have no mood and don’t know what you want to do. I repeat, there’s nothing bad in not being able to do something after a first attempt.”       “It happened to you?”       “Yes, it did. But at these moments, the guys and I tell ourselves, ‘Okay, today is not lucky! Let’s try to do it again tomorrow!’ And we’re right, because everything may go well the next day. We may get so much inspiration that we’d write something all day long and wouldn’t notice that the day is ending.”       “Good!” Laura exclaims. “Did you have moments when you were arguing because of work on songs? Maybe, you thought differently? Or are you still doing that?”       “Of course, there were moments when the others did not like the ideas of someone, who did,” Terrence confesses. “And it’s hard to say when it happened: when we were writing songs together, in a pair, or alone. You should always do it so that all the bandmates like the result. Find a compromise… And because the guys and I are a little stubborn, sometimes it was very hard.”       “Have you ever fought during the work on songs?”       “It happened once,” Daniel smiles shyly. “The conflict happened because of one song that we were writing together. But it happened that every single one wrote it by one. We wrote our own versions. And when it was time to reveal our work, we were all, saying softly, shocked. In a bad sense. We disliked everything from what the others wrote and insisted that our idea would be much better, like headstrong donkeys. We eventually argued so hard that the lads and I slammed the doors loudly and went home, not wishing to talk to each other.”       “But the next day, we came together, apologized for being headstrong, and talked about the ideas for that song again,” Edward adds. “And we admitted that the decision to write it was the worst. We eventually decided to forget about it and not to include it in the album.”       “What a drama,” Laura wonders.       “It’s okay. As I said, there is nothing bad with having bad days. But we eventually wrote many wonderful songs that we all liked immediately.”       “And no fight happened again?”       “No, not saying about that fight, we always worked great,” Peter confesses confidently. “As Terrence said, there were moments when we didn’t like someone’s ideas. But our preferences are actually the same, and we rarely fight because of disagreements. And if there was someone to be headstrong, we were trying to find a compromise. In case the idea was fantastic.”       “And which song was the hardest to write?” Ethan asks.       “I think ‘The Story About Us’ was the hardest song to write. Because… First, this song tells a part of our life story… And second, we were writing it all together, and we had a goal to do our best for everybody to be happy. And third, in order to write it, we had to recall not very nice moments of our lives. Though, we knew we wanted to write something about a not very nice time.”       “I think the result was worth it, judging the fact that this song got popular among your fans for a short period of time.”       “Yeah, we also really liked the final result and are glad our fans rated this song highly. We think it’s a good start to our career.”       “This is the first single ever for our band, and it will always mean a lot to us,” Edward adds. “And the fact that our girls agreed to guest star in the music video also plays its role.”       “Your fans really love this song!” Laura notices confidently. “Although we have not heard the album yet, I think you made the right choice by picking ‘The Story About Us’.”       “Probably, many musicians could compete with you,” Ethan adds. “For example, ‘The Loser Syndrome,’ or Brianna Armstrong, who released the album, which got successful so fast.”       “We don’t want to compete with anyone,” Terrence confesses. “We do like the music of ‘The Loser Syndrome,’ and we are thankful to Liam, Zach, Brad, and Nate for such a perfect chance to end up here. And Brianna’s music is amazing. We all find her a very talented singer, who could definitely get much more.”       “Yeah, we’ve known that girl and befriended her for ages,” Daniel says confidently. “Brie is a very sweet girl, who's always been nice to the lads and me.”       “And don’t you want to compare your music with their music?” Laura asks.       “No, as Terrence said, we don’t want to compete with anyone. We just do what we love, and what unites us.”       “I personally think every artist is good in their own way,” Peter confesses. “Someone is perfect at one thing, someone is great at something else… We confess that there’s something every one of us is good or bad at.”       “Is there competition between you?”       “Maybe, a funny one,” Daniel laughs shyly. “But there is not anything like that. We’re on good terms and support each other in everything.”       “If we were rivals, we would’ve hardly decided to start a band,” Terrence notices. “No jealousy and hate.”       “Alright, are there artists that inspire you or impact your music in one or another way?” Ethan asks.       “Yes, there are many of them,” Edward replies. “We get inspiration from our favorite music. We make what we like perfect. It’s something like a book: sometimes you want to change or add something when reading. The same thing about songs. There are those we like but would love to change slightly.”       “We cannot deny that we borrow something from their music and use it for ours,” Terrence confesses. “But it does not mean we imitate them and try to be someone people already know. That’s just a source of inspiration. No more.”       “And don’t you want to be similar to someone?” Ethan asks.       “No, we want to be us!” Peter says confidently. “We want to show that you don’t have to change your image to become a star. We’re real! If we want, we laugh. If we want, we play the fool. If we want, we pretend to be tough. This is us! Terrence, Daniel, Edward, and Peter! What we’ve always been.”       “So, do you behave in the same way on a scene and in life?”       “Yup. We’re just ordinary guys that love having fun and getting pleasure from life.”       “Alright,” Laura smiles slightly. “Although you say you’d tell your girls nothing about the songs from the album, maybe, you just say if there are some of them dedicated to at least one of them?”       “Of course, every one of us dedicated one song to the beloved girl,” Daniel replies with a slight smile. “And we cannot wait for them to hear it.”       “Do you think they will like it?”       “At least we hope,” Peter says quietly.       “So. Let’s wait for the album release, after which we will know your fans’ reaction and your sweethearts' opinion.”       Edward, Daniel, Terrence, and Peter smile shyly and throw a short look at their fans, who watch them with interest and listen to everything they say to Ethan and Laura.       “Alright, guys,” Ethan says. “Let’s start answering your fans’ questions.”       “Yes,” Laura nods confidently and moves her eyes to one of the cameras. “Sometime before the show, we asked you, dear fans of ‘Against The System’, to send your questions for these guys. You can do it right now by making a post with the hashtag #AskATS on our accounts on Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram. Right now, on your screens, you can see our usernames on social networks. If you want to ask these guys about something, leave your comment right now.”       “I must say that we have received very many questions,” Ethan notices. “And we keep receiving them. Right now, we will ask you some of them, and you will have to answer.”       “I personally see not only questions but also comments about your band or one of you,” Laura adds, checking something on the small tablet that she is holding. “There are many comments that your haters leave.”       “Everyone has haters,” Terrence replies quietly. “But we try not to pay attention to them. And tell ourselves we work for our fans and those, who love and support us.”       “That’s right. Alright, right now, Ethan and I are scrolling through the Twitter feed of tweets with the hashtag #AskATS. And the user Aurora from Twitter asks you what your band name, ‘Against The System,’ means. Since you have never explained the meaning, do it now.”       “Actually, we could not pick up a band name for a long time,” Daniel confesses thoughtfully. “We had very many ideas… We started to think about it when Terrence, Peter, and I got the offer from Liam, Zach, Brad, and Nate to be the opening act for their shows. Edward wasn’t a member of our band, but he helped us work on songs. We completely understood that we must’ve picked up a band name as soon as possible, but we could not come up with anything for a long time. And that’s why we panicked. Because only one week left before the first show of ‘The Loser Syndrome’, but we couldn’t decide how to introduce ourselves.”       “First, we were trying to think up something with the initials of our names and last names,” Peter adds. “I’d say we could have picked up this type of band name, but something stopped us and made us look for another variant. And now we understand we did it right because we would have had to change the band name after Edward had become the fourth member.”       “Yes!” Terrence nods. “The idea of the name from the initials was put aside quickly, and we started to recall interesting phrases from our favorite songs.”       “So, is your band name based on the lyrics of a song?” Laura assumes.       “The idea for the band name came up accidentally when I said something like, ‘going against the rules.’ Honestly, I don’t remember why I said that, but Peter and Daniel liked my words, and we got an idea to name our band ‘Against The System.’ Against the system. Against the rules.”       “So, does the band name mean going against the rules?”       “I’d say it means differing from everyone. It shows a reluctance to be someone else. A wish just to be ourselves. Do what we want. What we like.”       “We don’t aim to make everyone like us,” Daniel says. “That’s fine when someone dislikes you. You should accept it quietly and work for those, who appreciate what you do. Who believe in you and think you can reach for something. The guys and I work on music because we love it, support each other, and get support from our friends and closest people.”       “I understand why you got the idea of calling your fans rebels,” Ethan says confidently.       “Not us, but Edward.”       “Oh, yeah, he’s our motor and generator of wonderful ideas,” Peter laughs shyly.       “By the way, I see a tweet from a girl named Kate that is wondering how Edward became a member of your band.”       “Honestly, I didn’t actually expect the men would ask me about it someday,” Edward replies shyly with a slight smile. “For me, hearing the question about joining the band was a great surprise.”       “But how it happened?”       “Once upon a time, the lads, our girls and I came together to have some fun. And we also met Helene, Peter’s girlfriend. And later he, Terrence, and Daniel decided to play something and make the girls happy, who literally begged them to do it. But before, the lads asked me to play with them, and I agreed.”       “But Edward was refusing to do it for a long time because he wasn’t sure he’d meet our expectations,” Terrence confesses. “But we persuaded my bro, and he played with us. At first, he was indifferent, but later he got free and surprised us.”       “Yeah… And after that, the guys officially asked me to join the band and become a guitarist. And I accepted this offer almost at once.”       “I will distract you a little,” Ethan says confidently. “I see a tweet from a Twitter user named Chase, who wants to know if Edward can really speak Spanish.”       “I can,” Edward confidently nods with a slight smile.       “Wow! Are you fluent in it or not?”       “I could say I speak well. And I try to improve it.”       “In this case, would you show your knowledge?” Laura suggests. “Tell us something in Spanish.”       “No problem.” Edward moves his eyes to one of the cameras and starts speaking into his microphone with his head proudly raised. “¡Hola a todo el mundo! Soy Edward MacClife, y soy parte de la banda "Against The System". Lanzamos nuestra cancion primera "The Story About Us" que puedes escuchar ahora mismo. Compre una single y preparaos para pre-order nuesra álbum "Against The System" que se publicará al final del año o a principios del año próximo. ¡Muchas gracias por atención!”       “Bravo!”       Laura and Ethan start applauding at Edward with slight smiles on their faces alongside everybody to be here, some of whom also makes happy whoops.       “Good, Edward, I see you are fantastic at speaking this language,” Ethan says confidently.       “Sounds very beautiful!” Laura admires. “Excellent, Edward!”       “Thank you so much,” Edward thanks with a shy smile.       “Dear viewers, if there is someone to be fluent in Spanish, let us know if Edward said everything correctly,” Ethan speaks into his microphone confidently. “Leave a comment on any of our social networks.”       “His fiancée can confirm it, because she is fluent in Spanish,” Terrence speaks in his microphone. “With whom my brother practices often.”       “Say, did you learn this language on your own?” Laura asks.       “I learned it at school,” Edward confesses. “I was lucky to have a teacher, who lived in Madrid for many years and got a talent for teaching. And after school, I learned something on my own. And of course, my fiancé found some mistakes and helped me fix them.”       “Wow! As it turned out, you’re an incredibly talented guy! You write songs, play guitar, and speak Spanish! Good!”       “I’m not only talented, but also freaking attractive,” Edward notices with a sly smile.       “It’s hard to deny it,” Laura smiles shyly. “You’re really very charming and attractive.”       “Oh, please, don’t praise him!” Daniel exclaims funnily. “Or we’re gonna get another peacock that would praise himself to the sky.”       “Yes, yes, we can’t deal with one!” Peter adds, while everybody to be here starts laughing quietly. “We can’t deal with two.”       “Okay, okay, I will not,” Laura laughs shyly, while the people keep laughing.       “C’mon, he is too far from me!” Terrence exclaims with his head proudly raised. “No matter how much Edward shows off, he can’t be better than Terrence MacClife himself.”       “I’m much closer to you than you think,” Edward smiles slyly, making everybody laugh shyly.       “Hey, guys, what about your foreign languages?” Ethan asks.       “All my fans know I speak French very well,” Terrence replies confidently. “Yes, I learned it for a role, but I still remember many things.”       “And I know a bit of German,” Peter confesses.       “Great!” Ethan smiles slightly. “Can you say something in German or French?”       “Erm… Let’s try… Hallo, mein Name ist Peter Rose, und ich bin aus der band "Against The System". Kauft und stream unser single "The Story About Us" der wir lieben. Danke für Ihre Aufmerksamkeit!”       “Wonderful! What about you, Terrence?”       “I’m going to say…” Terrence pronounces thoughtfully. “Bonjour à tous! Je m'appelle Terrence MacClife, et je sui la membre du groupe "Against The System". Achetez et stream notre première chanson "The Story About Us" que nous adore et attendez notre première album dans un avenir proche. Merci boucoup pour votre attention!”       “Wow!” Ethan exclaims. “That’s awesome! Friends, let’s applaud at these talented guys!”       Everybody starts applauding loudly and making whoops.       “Daniel, what about you?” Laura asks. “Do you know any languages?”       “Sadly, no,” Daniel pronounces shyly.       “So, very sorry. But I think you will have time to learn something when you and your band are traveling around the world for a tour.”       “Thanks to the lads, we all will feel confident when we arrive, for example, in France, Germany, or Spain, because they will understand citizens.”       “That’s right! With such excellent knowledge, you wouldn’t need a translator.”       “My French was highly appreciated by those, for whom this language is the first one,” Terrence says with pride. “My fans have watched moments from the movie when I speak it literally as many times as they’ve watched the all-famous ‘American Love Affair’.”       “And everyone praises my Spanish,” Edward confesses confidently. “Someone doesn’t even believe I’m not a citizen of a Spanish-language country that learned this language at school.”       “Oh, is that your gorgeous fiancé and her parents?”       “Did you personally ask French people what they thought of your pronunciation?”       “Anyone would say my French is as good as I am.”       “Who anyone?”       “Everyone!”       “Come on?”       “Yes, yes! Don’t argue with me!”       “No, you don’t argue with me!”       “No, you!”       “You!”       Everybody starts laughing shyly, watching a funny argument between Edward and Terrence. At some moment, Peter and Daniel standing near them shake their heads and then close the brothers’ mouths with their hands, but move them off when they calm down a little.       “Oh, alright, we got it,” Ethan laughs shyly.       “Yes, guys, we kind of distracted a little,” Laura pronounces, checks something on her tablet for two seconds, and moves her eyes to Daniel, Peter, and Terrence. “So… Alright… Where did we stop? Ah, here! Terrence, Peter, and Daniel, the question is for you. Tell us, please, did you plan to get another member to your band? Or did you come with this spontaneously?”       “No, no, Daniel, Peter, and I were thinking about it for a long time,” Terrence confesses. “I mean, we thought we were missing something for a long time. I realized it first, and then these boneheads finally agreed with me.”       “Didn’t they do it before?”       “They didn’t want to see that. But I think after the tour with ‘The Loser Syndrome’, Rose and Perkins realized we needed to change something in the band. I would say it wasn’t full at that time, and we needed changes. We were performing with the feeling that we needed something. And… Later I realized we needed another member. Someone to play another instrument. And probably sing. Our music wasn’t perfect without a rhythm guitar. As you know, I was a lead guitarist. But I started to play a rhythm guitar when Edward joined the band.”       “Did you want Edward to join you? Or did you have someone else?”       “No, there was nobody,” Peter shakes his head. “We always knew Edward would be good for us.”       “Moreover, he’s been with us literally since the beginning,” Terrence adds. “We got on well and saw that he was a really talented guy, who should’ve shown himself in music. And I didn’t even have to persuade Peter and Daniel to agree to ask him just to play with us. They agreed immediately.”       “And when he played just one song, we didn’t want to let him go,” Daniel confesses. “We felt that was what we needed. We realized what our band should’ve been like. And we stopped being sleepy flies to some extent.”       “Yeah!” Peter exclaims. “Without Edward, we didn’t have the energy. Yes, none of the guys screwed it all up, and everything was fine. But… There were no goosebumps on the skin. Hair didn’t stand.”       “And playing with my brother gave us everything we needed,” Terrence says confidently. “Although Edward seems to be too quiet and silent, we encourage you not to believe it because this guy has a real hurricane inside.”       “That’s right!” Daniel exclaims. “So, MacClife, Rose, and I quickly realized that losing this creature would’ve been a sin and got him immediately, so to say.”       “Yeah, this gang got me involved in their business,” Edward says funnily. “I resisted, but they eventually persuaded me.”       “And how did your fans accept these changes?” Ethan asks.       “Wonderful!” Terrence smiles widely. “When we recorded a video, in which we introduced Edward as a new member of the band, our fans got delighted and accepted this piece of news very warmly.”       “They did persuade us to take MacClife to the band!” Peter recalls. “Twitter feed was full of links to the video of Edward. They said it was a new star!”       “That’s true,” Daniel confirms. “And those videos became another reason that pushed us to the decision to make Edward a member of the band. The guys and I really liked his singing and play. After watching the videos, we finally realized that this guy was the one to shake our band up.”       “Yes, yes!” Laura nods confidently with a slight smile. “I remember! People keep leaving many comments on them. They’ve been one of the most popular videos on YouTube.”       

***

      After hearing about the videos of songs Edward performed, Raquelle, Natalia, Anna, and Helene, who are watching the episode of the show, smile shyly.       “I still remember those videos,” Natalia says with a slight smile. “Although they weren’t taken at the best time, I watch them often and listen to Edward singing.”       “I watch them at times, too,” Helene confesses shyly. “I even showed them to Grandma Scarlett, who was delighted by the way Edward was singing.”       “And how he was dancing! I was at one of his performances and saw how he warned up the crown that danced along with him with pleasure.”       “I’m surprised that it’s been so long, but people still remember that,” Raquelle says with a slight smile.       “I think they won’t forget it in the nearest time,” Anna assumes confidently. “Edward sang those songs brilliantly.”       “If only we knew what he was singing about in one of them…” Helene says thoughtfully. “People in comments often ask about the meaning of that song and the performer.”       “I’ll translate it for you later,” Natalia promises. “But I’m gonna say it’s about love. I don’t know who sings, but do remember the original lyrics.”       “Sometimes Daniel plays it on guitar without singing,” Anna confesses. “He can memorize any melody for several minutes and repeat it with no mistakes.”       “If only MacClife learned to play it,” Raquelle sighs with a slight smile. “The melody is so nice and beautiful…”       “Agree,” Helene agrees, tucking a strand of hair behind her ear.       After sharing a slight smile, drinking some coffee from their cups, and taking a couple of cookies from a big bowl, the friends continue to watch the show on the laptop placed in front of them on the coffee table.       

***

      “By the way, I think you know that your fans like your girls very much,” Ethan says, seeing something on the tablet that he is holding in his hands. “I can see many photos that your girls, friends, and you post on social networks. They get tons of retweets, likes, and comments.”       “Hiding these beauties is a sin,” Daniel says with a slight smile.       “And everyone decided that you got an amazing taste in choosing girls. And I personally agree with them because your sweethearts are real beauties.”       “I agree,” Laura says with a slight smile. “All the girls are very cute. And I especially love the photo, with which Edward and his girlfriend, Natalia, announced their engagement. It’s so tender and sweet. I really like it.”       Laura shows the young men the photo of Edward and Natalia, which is shown on a big screen for the people being here. It’s possible to see the lovers smiling widely and wearing the same clothes that they wore on the engagement day. A smile automatically shows up on the face after looking at the couple in love. The man looks at the girl tenderly, while she sits on his laps, keeps a hand on his cheek, runs her fingers through his hair, and rubs the tip of her nose against his nose. The photo was taken so that it’s possible to see the magnificent ring on the girl’s left hand. And a short signature with a heart emoji and a ring emoji speaks for itself:       “@EdwardMacClife: This beauty has always made me happy, but today she gave me greater happiness. She said, ‘Yes!’ @NataEmily_G”       Edward does not hide his smile when seeing the photo of him and his beloved girl on the big screen. And Terrence, Peter, and Daniel also smile shyly and throw a short look at MacClife, Jr.       “We really love this photo, too,” Terrence says with a slight smile. “They are so cute here.”       “These lovebirds are cute anyway,” Daniel replies confidently. “Your bro and soon-to-be sister-in-law do know how to make people smile.”       “And I’m delighted by the ring on the hand of this girl,” Laura confesses with a wide smile. “Fantastic jewelry.”       “It’s barely seen in the photo,” Edward replies shyly. “But if you look at the ring closer, it will seem much more gorgeous.”       “Yeah, who took this photo? Terrence, you?”       “Nope, that was me,” Peter replies with a slight smile. “They were just so cute that it was hard for me to hold down my wish to take a couple of photos. And the guys agreed.”       “And Natalia and I liked the photo so much that we asked Peter to send it to us and posted it on our Instagram accounts,” Edward says with a slight smile. “If you check out my fiancée’s account, you will see the same photo.”       “Yes, yes, I noticed,” Laura nods. “And know that your fiancée is gorgeous.”       “Yes, Edward, watch out,” Ethan laughs shyly. “This beauty may get much attention on her.”       “If they just watch her, I don’t mind,” Edward replies confidently. “So, they bite their elbows because of missing the chance to get such a beautiful girl that’s going to become my wife soon.”       “Your bandmates would probably say the same about their beauties.”       “No wonder!” Daniel shrugs with an innocent smile. “Handsome guys must get beautiful girls. And my friends and I are madly lucky in this case.”       “Yeah, beautiful, caring, and good girls,” Peter smiles shyly.       “We got it,” Laura laughs quietly, fixing her hair slightly.       “But as the fans think, Terrence’s case is the hardest,” Ethan says confidently. “Because he is going to marry the one, who all men dream about. The model, Raquelle Cameron, whose heart was stolen by nobody.”       “Buddy, this is me, Terrence MacClife!” Terrence says with his head proudly raised. “You know that Terrence MacClife gets all the best. The career, the girls, and everything.”       “Damn, someone, turn off his microphone,” Edward laughs quietly. “Or take it from him. Otherwise, Terrence is going to talk about himself being irresistible and loved by everyone for half of the day.”       “Dude, how could you deny what’s clear? Everyone recognizes that I’m perfection! Freaking perfect!”       “Aha, freaking perfect peacock.”       “But Terrence is right,” Ethan notices. “His fans believe he’s madly lucky to date such a gorgeous girl.”       “Yeah, groom, when will you make us happy and call the day when those beauties become your wives?” Laura asks.       “We don’t know yet,” Terrence confesses.       “Do you have such a warm relationship that you decided to have a wedding on the same day?”       “Why wouldn’t I share my happiness with my beloved little brother?”       “And our girls are thrilled to get married on the same day,” Edward notices. “They’ve been close friends since school.”       “Yeah, they would’ve hardly thought they’d become a family someday,” Laura assumes.       “They never thought.”       “Alright!” Ethan exclaims. “Let’s come back to the questions from your fans. I see the user named Jack asking if Terrence is afraid of competition with other men. Whether he is worried that his fiancée is one of the sexiest women in the world that any guy dreams about.”       “No, I’m not afraid of competition,” Terrence replies confidently. “I’ve said many times in interviews that I don’t doubt that Raquelle loves me. Yes, she has many admirers, but I don’t care about it.”       “Are you proud to have a beautiful fiancée?”       “Of course, I am,” Terrence says with a wide smile. “But she is not just beautiful and sexual to me, but also smart, caring, loyal, and loving… I’m super lucky to have her. And Raquelle knows it well because she hears it from me very often.”       “And aren’t you confused that she sometimes shoots in quite explicit photoshoots and shows her body often? Many men are unhappy with it and ban their women from shooting nude and even in suits or underwear.”       “Why should I be confused? I’m unbelievably proud of her for being so gorgeous and not afraid to show her to the whole world! I completely trust her. If Raquelle shoots in an explicit photoshoot, I support her fully and admire her. It’s another reason to prove that my fiancée is an incredibly hot, sexy chick. Moreover, she’s got something to show. And if I like some photos, I post them on my Instagram and say something like, ‘Enjoy and bite your elbows, lower! That cutie is mine, and you can only dream about her!’”       “You’re risky, man!” Ethan laughs quietly.       “Everybody knows he’s mentally ill,” Edward chuckles shyly.       While Daniel and Peter laugh quietly, Terrence claps Edward on the forehead, while the guy keeps laughing.       “Well, what do you think of it, guys?” Ethan asks Daniel, Peter, and Edward.       “I’m kind of nervous but full of pride when Natalia posts photos in suits or explicit and attractive clothes,” Edward confesses. “But I try to take it quietly. Moreover, my fiancée loves dressing up and always waits impatiently for the summer to wear shorts or tops.”       “And I don’t want to make Anna a too shy girl and don’t ban her from anything like that,” Daniel says thoughtfully. “And I think many girls love publishing photos like these. To show a body, new clothes… They like getting compliments. Men also love taking photos of the naked torso and publishing them on their accounts to get tons of compliments.”       “If photos don’t cross the specific line and look beautiful and aesthetic, I see nothing bad,” Peter adds. “But excuse me, I may start a scandal for absolutely open sex. Though, unlike the men’s girls, Helene rarely photographs herself and publishes photos of herself. She is not a fan of social networks, to be honest.”       “So, I appreciate your honesty,” Ethan says confidently. “That’s what staying yourself means.”       “Alright, guys,” Laura takes a word, still examining something on the tablet. “By the way, I can see that your band’s fans are currently commenting and retweeting the last tweet from the Twitter account of ‘Against The System’ with the photo that was posted before the show started.”       “What kind of tweet?” Terrence pronounces a little hesitantly. “I didn’t tweet anything before the air.”       “M-m-m, I guess you don’t know what your friends were doing.”       “What do you mean?”       “Look at this,” Ethan says quietly and shows the photo that Laura means.       Terrence rounds his eyes and opens his mouth wider when he sees the photo of himself sleeping, while Peter and Daniel look at each other and Edward and laugh shyly.       “Hey, what is that?” Terrence asks through a quiet laugh.       “Now your fans know what you did before going on the stage,” Ethan smiles slightly.       “So!” Terrence sharply moves his eyes to Daniel, Edward, and Peter, who are laughing quietly with their mouths closed with a hand. “Boneheads, confess, who posted it!”       Daniel and Peter point at Edward standing between them with innocent smiles.       “What?” Edward rounds his eyes, looking at Peter and Daniel surprisingly. “Don’t blame me for everything!”       “Why shouldn’t we?” Daniel chuckles loudly. “You did suggest making a surprise for MacClife!”       “Me? Are you kidding me?”       “Yeah, don’t tell us you didn’t suggest we splash cold water over Terrence when he was sleeping,” Peter says with a sly smile.       “It didn’t happen, idiots! But you two actually wanted to go on the stage without him and tell everyone my brother refused to go ‘cause he wanted to go to sleep.”       “Little rat!” Terrence shakes his head with a sly smile. “Decided to mock me again!”       “What?” Edward wonders. “Bro, come on! I did nothing! And these two encouraged me to take a photo of you when you were sleeping!”       “You were betrayed! Why do you deny it?”       “They made me do it!”       “You’re gonna have a serious talk with me after the show.”       “Don’t kill this sweetheart, please!” a female voice from the crowd pronounces.       The people start thrilling with loud laughter, and Edward shows them the heart with his hands, as he smiles cutely.       “So, guys, everything is clear about you,” Ethan laughs quietly. “Typical relationship of siblings.”       “Hey, I actually love my brother!” Edward protests. “Even more than Raquelle Cameron!”       “Yeah, you start caressing the head after you hit it a couple of times,” Terrence chuckles kindly.       “It’s actually your thing.”       “By the way, some users assumed that Edward posted the photo,” Laura notices. “Because they know what kind of relationship you and your brother have.”       “Yeah, there is at least someone to strike a crown off the head of our irresistible pretty guy,” Peter laughs quietly, clapping Edward on the shoulder.       “They keep each other on a tight leash,” Daniel adds funnily, doing the same thing towards Edward.       “Oh, yeah, first, Terrence wanted to play the fool with his brother and posted a similar photo of Edward when working at the studio, and now it’s time for revenge,” Laura laughs shyly.       “He should’ve known my revenge would come true, early or late,” Edward chuckles kindly.       “You better watch out, rugrat,” Terrence advises with a sly smile. “Or I will have to start to educate you seriously.”       It’s possible to hear quiet chuckles from someone in the crowd, for which it’s definitely funny to watch what’s happening on the scene.       “Alright, guys, let’s talk about less positive comments,” Ethan says thoughtfully. “The user named Karina says that Edward, Daniel, and Peter shamelessly use Terrence’s fame to get famous. And the user named Lily thinks people love the band just because of their pretty faces and perfect appearance. You are kind of good only at running with naked torsos in front of cameras and seducing young girls.”       “They often send those things to us,” Terrence declares. “And I want to comment on them… Dear Karina, I want to let you know that Edward, Daniel, and Peter do not use my fame, and they got success thanks to their talent and hard work. I paid no money to some people, so my friends and younger brother got into the show business. Yes, maybe, I got famous much earlier, and now it has partly helped us. But it doesn’t mean everyone should say these three literally use my famous name and want to get the fans’ attention on them.”       “Do you really want to share fame with each other?”       “Sure. A wish to be a band is mutual, and nobody is going to get better than the others. If someone loves only Peter, Edward, Daniel, or me, it’s alright. Nobody makes people love all of us. We cannot be loved by everyone, and every one of us understands this. We’re the same for each other, and every single one works equally hard. And we don’t have a leader, contrary to the opinion that I am the one. We all write, sing and play.”       And while Terrence is defending his bandmates and answering a couple of more questions from Ethan and Laura, Edward, Daniel, and Peter standing together start whispering without microphones.       “Hey, guys, don’t you think Connor posted that?” Edward asks in a whisper. “He always says the same things!”       “Fuck, don’t remind me of that little parasite,” Peter replies, being a little irritated. “If I see that kid from far, I will strangle him personally.”       “Maybe, he didn’t do that?” Daniel assumes. “Connor isn’t the only one to say it. Some people on Twitter tweeted something like that or much worse things that I don’t want to talk about.”       “The most important thing is that the hosts don’t speak about it,” Edward says tiredly. “Or they’d dampen my mood. And getting ready for the performance is gonna be much harder.”       “Yeah, fame doesn’t mean everyone’s love,” Peter whispers tiredly, glancing at the microphone that he tightly squeezes in his hands. “It seems like it’s not the best day…”       “That little bonehead does always strike us down,” Daniel throws gloomily.       “And I must confess that saying all the same things in interviews is getting more exhausting. As if these interviewers don’t have other questions.”       “Oh…” Daniel clears his throat quietly. “I can’t wait to play the song… I know we’re gonna have so much to do, but I wanna get out of the shooting of this show.”       “Soon, bros, soon…” Edward replies thoughtfully.       Daniel, Edward, and Peter have to stop whispering because Terrence moves his eyes to them and secretly pushes Perkins on his hip, letting them know they better keep silent.       “So, sadly, all the questions that we see on the feed, are almost the same,” Laura says thoughtfully. “So, we think we should end our interview.”       “Yeah, guys, thank you so much for such an honest interview,” Ethan thanks. “It was very nice to talk to such interesting people.”       “Thank you,” Terrence, Daniel, Edward, and Peter pronounce.       “And now we’re asking you to surprise us and your fans, who are impatiently waiting for your performance on your first single.”       The crowd of fans literally blows up with happy shouts, as if they say they want to hear the song of “Against The System” right now.       “Oh, I feel that the people are dreaming of hearing your song!” Laura exclaims with a wide smile, glancing at the crowd clapping loudly. “Show everything you can!”       “Do not disappoint us, guys!” Ethan encourages. “We believe you can make everyone excited.”       “Thanks,” Edward, Daniel, Terrence, and Peter pronounce with slight smiles.       “Good, you have a few minutes to get ready for the performance.”       “Dear, watchers!” Laura exclaims, turning on the camera along with Ethan. “Do not leave! After a short ad break, the band ‘Against The System’ will perform their single ‘The Story About Us’.”       “Stay with us, we will be back soon!” Ethan says confidently.       Edward, Daniel, Terrence, and Peter go behind the scene to take their musical instruments, return to the stage and play the song, trying to forget all bad things and get ready to play perfectly.       

***

      After watching the interview, Raquelle, Anna, Helene, and Natalia conclude that it is not very good.       “This is definitely not the best interview of them,” Helene says thoughtfully, tightly holding a cup of coffee in her hands.       “I agree, it wasn’t inspiring,” Raquelle agrees.       “Maybe, they’ve already said what they wanted, and the hosts had no questions to ask.”       “Maybe. We heard much from what was said many times. No new information.”       “By the way, it seemed to me that the lads were a little tired,” Anna confesses. “Although they were smiling at first when talking about the album and us, something changed later.”       “Yeah, I noticed it, too,” Natalia nods confidently. “They joked only when they were talking about the photo that Edward posted.”       “Maybe, their helper said something to them?” Raquelle assumes. “Since Blake started to work with them, the guys haven’t been themselves.”       “I wouldn’t be surprised,” Natalia replies thoughtfully. “As the men say, their assistant literally steals all their energy and happiness, and it’s hard for them to focus on a performance.”       “But the boy works with them constantly,” Anna says and drinks some coffee from her cup. “Would Blake always insult the lads and leave nothing but emptiness?”       “And the question is, why he does it,” Helene adds. “The guys have never hurt him!”       “Hard to say,” Natalia sighs quietly. “Hating the guys for aiming to make their dream come true… I don’t get it…”       “And if George found that guy, why did he let Blake work with the lads?” Anna asks.       “And why did Blake agree if he didn’t want it?” Raquelle adds. “Being an assistant is by far not the easiest work that gets you exhausted. My helper, Deirdre, can confirm it. She’s said many times that it’s sometimes very hard to watch everything.”       “At least, they don’t see Blake at home and on the stage and look more cheerful,” Natalia notices.       “I bet that they’re now dreaming of going home as soon as possible not to see Blake,” Helene assumes.       “Probably,” Anna agrees. “But today they’re gonna have a lot of work. So, they wouldn’t get off Connor soon.”       “Oh, God…” Raquelle sighs tiredly. “Poor guys…”       The girls fall into silence for a few seconds, and then the TV commercial, which started some time ago, gets closer to the end.       “Oh, the TV commercial is finished,” Raquelle says thoughtfully.       “It was a short one…” Natalia blunts quietly.       “So, the guys are about to go on the stage,” Anna shrugs.       “I hope they’ll perform well,” Helene expresses hope.       Two seconds later, the three servants of different ages, who are working at Terrence and Raquelle’s house, come to the living room. Blair Stewart, a young, short girl with dark hair. Violetta Sparks, a slim lady at the age of thirty or thirty-five. And Christiana Warren, a thick woman at the age of about forty. They are going somewhere slowly and talking to each other joyfully. But after seeing Raquelle, Natalia, Anna, and Helene, they stop talking and come to the friends.       “Oh, hi, Natalia, Anna, Helene,” Blair says shyly. “I didn’t know you were here.”       “Hi, Blair,” Anna, Helene, and Natalia greet amicably. “Hey, Violetta… Hey, Christiana…”       “Hi,” Violetta and Christiana greet.       “How are you, girls?” Christiana asks with a slight smile.       “Good,” Natalia replies amicably.       “You have nothing to do?” Anna asks.       “Yes, we don’t have work now,” Violetta shrugs. “So, we will go upstairs and talk. But if you need something, let us know.”       “Listen, wouldn’t you like to watch our men’s performance with us?” Raquelle asks amicably.       “Oh, Terrence’s band is performing somewhere?” Blair wonders truly.       “Yes, they’re about to go on the stage,” Natalia replies.       “Wow, they were invited to ‘America, Wake Up!’” Christiana exclaims. “What a success!”       “Come on, join us,” Anna invites, making a calling gesture.       “We can also talk a little,” Helene adds.       “Yes, yes, go!” Raquelle says amicably. “I wanted to come to you and invite you to watch Terrence and his band.”       “Well, if it’s so, we’ll do it with pleasure,” Blair smiles slightly.       “We have nothing to do,” Violetta adds.       Blair, Violetta, and Christiana sit on the sofa along with the girls and set their eyes on the laptop, impatiently waiting for the performance of the band “Against The System” that is about to start.       

***

      The crown starts applauding happily, while one of the cameras pictures some folks and then moves to Laura and Ethan, who are looking into it with slight smiles.       “We are on the air again!” Ethan exclaims. “This is the show ‘America Wake Up,’ and we are still Ethan Williams.”       “And Laura Clifford,” Laura says.       “A few minutes ago, we talked to the members of ‘Against The System’. And now these talented guys are ready to perform their single, which became popular very fast.”       “Scream louder and raise your hands higher, fans of ‘Against The System!’ These young men are ready to sing for you right now! Get ready to rock along with the rising stars of the show business. They are ready to hit the bullseye.”       “Meet the band ‘Against The System’ that will be performing their single ‘The Story About Us!’”       The crowd screams louder with happiness and starts to applaud loudly, impatiently waiting for the appearance of the attractive young men with disarming smiles. And two or three seconds later, Edward, Peter, Daniel, and Terrence appear on the stage, acting like everything is alright and telling themselves to forget everything and just enjoy what is happening. The young men take their places: Terrence holding a rhythm guitar stands in front of the central microphone, Edward holding a solo guitar comes to the microphone positioned on the brother’s left hand, Daniel holding a bass guitar comes to the microphone placed on the frontman’s right side, and Peter sits behind the drums that are placed a little above the scene, from which he has a perfect view of the stage and the crowd. The men look at everybody with wide smiles before MacClife, Sr, speaks into the microphone loudly and cheerfully:       “Hey, everybody! How are you?”       The delighted fans start screaming immediately, and someone unsuccessfully tries to shout something.       “Are you ready to rock with us?” Terrence asks loudly.       The people make happy whoops again, making the guys relax a little and stay away from any negative thoughts.       “We need your help, guys!” Peter says into the microphone that he is holding. “Sing along with us and get pleasure from the song and the time you are spending here.”       “We hope you won’t be sad and will only think of good things,” Edward adds cheerfully. “Today the men ‘Against The System’ are gonna show everything they can do!”       “Fewer words, more work!” Daniel says into the microphone not less loud and cheerfully. “Two! Two! Three! Four!”       Before starting to sing the song, Terrence decides to sing a few lines a cappella, holding the microphone holder with his hands, while the fans literally wreck their throats and scream from happiness and delight. A little later, Edward joins him, taking his microphone in his hand and starting to walk near the edge of the scene and giving some people a five with a free hand. And seeing how harmonically the brothers sound, whose performance makes the people delighted, Daniel decides not to join. He just raises his hands up and, slowly walking on the scene, encourages everybody along with Peter, who does the same while sitting on the drum set. After a short performance, Edward and Terrence come back to their places, fix their microphone on the holder, and throw a short look at each other and their friends.       “C’mon!” Terrence exclaims cheerfully.       “Against The System” starts playing the song along with loud applause, forgetting about bad things and getting super busy with what they love. The men make sure again that performing their own song is an unbelievable feeling. The young men cannot describe everything they feel while performing what they worked on for several months. Even listening to someone’s music does not give them as much happiness as performing what they wrote and created. Something warm is getting born in the soul when seeing the people happily dancing along to their music. The young men are plucking the strings of guitars that shine beautifully under the sunshine with fingers or mediators, beating the rhythm of drums, dancing, and jumping with the crowd. They are kind of “infecting” each other with a wish to have fun and behave as they want.       Edward is giving his everything when playing a solo guitar and scampering about the scene like crazy, helping his colleagues feel free. Peter is getting adrenaline and bad emotions out of him by the energetic and incomparable play of drums. Daniel is plucking a bass guitar’s strings confidently and sometimes giving a five to some fans near the scene. And Terrence is playing a rhythm guitar and performing his solo first. The man literally puts his fans at risk of losing their voices because they are screaming with happiness as loudly as possible, while the all-favorite idol of young girls is showing his unique talent that he talks about too confidently.       “Funnier, guys, funnier!” Terrence encourages louder, raising his hands above his head and clapping his hands.       Daniel is the next one to perform his solo and does it brilliantly, not paying attention to the fact that the strong, warm wind is blowing his face and ruffling the hair of him and his bandmates. Terrence decides to play the fool and scamper about the scene with Edward, who gives a five to some lucky fans near the scene and waves a hand at the cameras of phones that are recording the performance. However, at some moment, MacClife, Sr., does the same and even shares a couple of words with someone.       Edward also sings a few solo lines, behaving confidently enough. Looking at this young man, it’s hard to believe that he did not somehow believe in himself and could have refused to play with the band because of his doubts about his talent. Over the past few months, Terrence’s younger brother has changed a lot thanks to the good influence of his fiancée, Natalia, and his close people, who helped him find the strength to become much freer. Now this man is showing the whole power of his truly terrific voice and unbelievable play on guitar and proves that he is not a log with the excellent dances that he performs alone and with the band’s guitarists.       “And now the chorus!” Edward shouts into the microphone cheerfully, raising his hand up. “Three! Four! All together!”       Edward starts to perform the chorus along with Daniel, Terrence, and Peter, while the fans are singing along with the song that they know heart by heart with pleasure. These fabulous four men, whose voices perfectly fit one another and give the song some charm, fall into the music, and the guitarists jump all together, as they stand in front of the microphone holders. Even the fans’ shouts do not stop them from playing and singing. Vice versa, the men are happy to sing for them and their beloved girls, who are currently watching their performance and getting much pleasure from dancing along to their incredible single. What’s happening makes Edward, Daniel, Peter, and Terrence happy that they chose this way, even if sometimes they have to run into difficulties and haters. By this moment, they forget about their bad mood and let themselves relax. Not without the help of Edward, a so-called motor of “Against The System” that does not let the guys relax.       “Excellent!” Peter screams loudly into the microphone, beating the rhythm of the drums and plates confidently. “Keep doing this!”       Edward starts singing a solo, while Daniel and Terrence keep playing guitars, play the fool, and scamper about the scene, and Peter shows a brilliant play on drums, looking like it’s easy for him. The blond would not also mind running on the scene or coming closer to the fans, but even the shyest happy smiles and shouts of fans make him truly happy.       At this moment, it’s possible to see a show of lights that change colors every second. And many cameras placed everywhere are filming their performances from different sides and trying to catch all the best moments. Some people from the crowd use the fact that they were not banned from recording something on their mobile phones, and they take a couple of photos and record videos. Later, Terrence and Daniel find time to take the mobile phones of certain fans, record a short video and take a few photos of their bandmates and each other. That’s what makes them scream with happiness and thank the men for their attention.       But then, they have to go back to the microphones because it’s their time to sing a solo that every one of them finishes perfectly. While Edward starts scampering on the scene like crazy and dancing too hard. And he does not miss a chance to play the fool and mock his singing colleagues, who make him run on the whole scene and share a couple of slight claps on the head, thrilling with laughter that nobody hears due to the loud music and deafening whoops of the people.       “Get ready to sing the chorus!” Daniel speaks loudly into the microphone. “C’mon! All together!”       The guys start singing the chorus again, still playing the instruments confidently. The people sing along with them with pleasure, scream out something, clap their hands, and dance funnily. Even if one of them does it, saying correctly, not very well, and does not listen to the rhythm.       “Now support our drummer!” Terrence encourages funnily. “C’mon, applaud at him!”       Because it’s Peter’s time to sing his little solo, the fans support him, screaming out words of support and love, and helping him sing. As well as his friends.       “C’mon, Pete, rock on!” Edward, Terrence, and Daniel encourage cheerfully at a different time. “C’mo-o-o-on!”       Peter brilliantly sings his lines, as he is beating a rhythm on the drums. The fans treat the attractive blond very tenderly, and they were madly scared by the suicide attempt that he committed a few months ago. They are very afraid that it might happen again and often send him words of love and support, letting him know that his fans madly love him and would let nobody hurt the drummer.       But unfortunately, during signing a little solo, Daniel gets problems with high notes that he cannot take. The man understands that he does not have enough air and gets terribly horrified by the thought that the fans notice it and laugh at him. The fear becomes the reason why Perkins begins to sing quieter and more hesitantly, looking at everybody with widely open eyes and a heavy breath. Edward, Terrence, and Peter understand it and, looking at each other, try to save the situation before someone notices it. The blond sings along with the bassist first, and then the MacClife brothers join and perfectly sing on high notes, creating the illusion of a successful performance. Daniel calms down a little, thanks the guys with a slight smile, exhales sharply, and keeps acting as if nothing happened, deciding to bring the case to an end.       Next, no bad confusion happens. Terrence, Edward, Daniel, and Peter perform the song until the end, even though the case of the bassist strikes them down, and they get much quieter. However, it seems like the crowd does not care about what is happening on the scene. The people just enjoy the song and the fantastic pastime that they will remember for a long time. A few seconds later, the young men strike the last chords, pluck the last strings, and make the last beat of a drum. Then the crowd immediately starts applauding loudly and shouting nice words to Terrence, Peter, Edward, and Daniel, who are breathing a little heavily and feeling tired. However, they do not show it and keep smiling and waving a hand at the fans, pretending that nothing bad happened.       “Thank you!” Terrence shouts loudly. “Thank you, guys! You were wonderful!”       “Stay as cool as you are now!” Daniel exclaims with a little false smile, for whom it’s very hard to pretend that everything is fine, feeling that his heart is beating faster, and its sound echoes in his head.       “We love you!” Edward adds with a slight smile and shows a heart with his thumbs and index fingers, as if he shows love for the fans, who start screaming much louder.       “See you next time!” Peter promises cheerfully, standing up from the stool, raising the drumsticks up, and coming closer to the scene. “Come back again! We’ll be waiting for you!”       Along with loud applause and happy whoops, Terrence, Peter, Edward, and Daniel wave their hands with shy smiles and give a five to some fans. And a few seconds later, the guys quietly leave the scene and go behind the scene, at heart feeling mixed feelings about today’s events and being afraid that the people would later watch the performance and realize how much the bass guitarist got confused.