Kelsie clings to my shoulders from behind as we shuffle through the mass of chattering bodies.
"I can't hear!" Her voice sounds muffled, as if I'm listening to her from underwater.
When Demi gave me the backstage passes, did she even consider the lack of privacy? The last thing I want to happen is for some crazy obsessed fan to snatch the passes right from me.
The bathroom lines are a mile long, and a crowd has formed at the merchandise booth, so I lead us outside.
The chill of the nighttime air hits me immediately. The sky is pitch black, the falling rain illuminated by the glow of the venue lights.
We push through the people, passing a group of fans standing behind a guard rail, observing the tour buses below. They're shouting Demi's name.
"Banner!" Keslie lets go of me to stand with the observers waiting to see Demi.
I internally groan, knowing that I need to give her the backstage passes and actually get her backstage before Demi leaves.
"Demi's gone, everybody!" Some venue guy shouts. "Move along."
Her fans are relentless, only shouting louder
"Kels," I grab her tee-shirt, pulling her back away from the crowd.
"Hey!" She continues to grumble and fight as I practically drag her down the sidewalk, away from everybody. "What's your problem, Banner?"
"If you scream, I swear to God, Kelsie, I will hand these off to some random person," I remove the passes from my pocket, and her eyes all but pop out of her head.
"If they're fake, Banner, I will kill you," She accepts them with shaking hands, staring at them in awe.
"Demi gave them to me herself," Her head snaps up.
"When? Where was I? You talked to her? Oh my gosh, what did she say? What-," I hold my hand over her mouth.
"Breathe," She nods.
I remove my hand, and she takes a deep breath. I expect her to go on another rant, but she's oddly quiet.
"Did she smell like vanilla to you?"
I blink at her, wondering if I heard her wrong.
"You smelled her?"
"Psh, what?" She scoffs. "No, of course not," Her eyes shift all around me before finally meeting mine. "Is it that weird?"
"Let's just get you to her, and please don't do anything that could get us arrested."
"Does hijacking her tour bus fall under that category?"
~
"Do you have a medical team ready in case she faints?" I ask Demi, eyeing my shaking, nearly hyperventilating sister.
"Sweetheart, breathe," Demi is clearly amused. "Please don't pass out on me."
"She's just a normal human being, Kels."
"I should punch you for making her sound so irrelevant."
"Yeah, way to make me sound irrelevant, Banner," Demi giggles.
"I didn't even mean it like that," I mutter.
"I don't see you about to have a heart attack," Kelsie retorts. "No pun intended."
I furrow my eyebrows.
"The song, Banner," Kelsie rolls her eyes.
"How am I supposed to be able to memorize all of your Lovatic references?"
"Buy a notebook and a pen."
"You two are cute," Demi comments. "Reminds me of how my sisters and I interact with each other."
"Demi Lovato just called me cute," Kelsie's jaw falls slack.
"So I heard. I, on the other hand, am offended."
"You're offended?" Demi arches an eyebrow.
"I prefer 'devilishly handsome'."
She throws her head back and laughs.
I'm beginning to understand how Kelsie can watch videos online devoted solely to Demi's laughter. It's infectious and joyous.
"Demi," Her bodyguard Max, I think, enters the dressing room. "There's a group of fans outside sitting near your bus, and they're refusing to move until you tell them to do so."
"You're serious?" She gapes at him, as if she doesn't realize that she's the famous celebrity adored by millions.
He nods. Biting her lower lip, Demi glances at Kelsie and I before returning her attention back to Max.
"I can't leave to go greet them, only to come back in here. They'll stay out there."
"They're relentless. It's raining, and it's cold, yet they're still insisting on waiting out there."
"They'll get sick!"
Max shrugs, and Demi sighs. He looks at Kelsie and I, at the passes around our necks.
"They're fans, too, Demi," He says, referring to me and Kelsie. "What's the difference?"
"Correction," I hold up my hand. "I'm the fan's brother."
Grumbling under her breath, Demi grabs a notepad and a pen.
"Are you two in a rush to get home?" She asks me.
"No!" Keslie interjects, causing Demi to chuckle.
I shake my head in response to her question, and she nods, continuing to scribble on the notepad.
"Here," She hands me the entire notepad as well as the pen. "So you can memorize those Lovatic references."
I furrow my eyebrows as I read over the top note. It sounds like a hotel room.
"Ya'll are the last show on tour, and that's where I'm staying tonight. I'd feel like complete shit if your meet and greet was cut short, so..." She trails off, allowing me to fill in the blanks.
"Demi," Max pipes up. "You can't do that. It's not safe."
"What are they going to do, tie me up and force me to watch her fangirl?" Demi rolls her eyes.
"I, um, I kind of agree with the bodyguard," I say.
"No, no you don't," Kelsie contradicts, seeming as if she wants to slap me right now.
"It just sounds kind of insane, I guess, and-,"
"In case you haven't noticed, I'm an insane person," Demi cuts me off, rising to her feet. "Max, just let them up to my room when they get there. Kelsie, sweetie, remember to breathe. Banner, stop worrying; you act like I'm going to murder you."
"You are obsessed with the I.D. Channel," I mutter.
"Oh, she has taught you very well. Don't worry, I'll be sure to slit your throat cleanly through so that it will be relatively painless," She winks.
~
"Drive faster, Banner! Go through the red light!"
"It's a four-way intersection, Kels."
She huffs, slumping back in her seat.
"What if she forgets all about us by the time that we get there?"
"She threatened to murder me," I deadpan. "I don't think she'll forget about us."
"Don't forget," She giggles, causing me to roll my eyes at the reference. "But, seriously, you were totally flirting with her."
"I was not! In case you've forgotten, she's the one that gave me her hotel room number."
"I don't blame you for flirting with her," She holds her hands up. "I just hope you realize that you have no chance whatsoever."
Rolling my eyes, I pull into the parking lot of the fancy, expensive hotel.
"Watch them think I'm trying to rob the place or something," I say, and Kelsie snorts.
"Yes because you're so intimidating," She laughs. "Can we go in now?"
"I'm not sure about this."
"You worry too much," She rolls her eyes. "What's the worst that can happen?"
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