The restaurant door creaked and swayed, still not fully shut, its wobbly sound bouncing around the sleepy morning air. It only made the silence around the table feel heavier, like time itself had frozen for a moment—sounds and movements both stuck in a stiff pause.
The band members were still reeling, unable to process it. Their first thought was to doubt their ears; the second was to question their own understanding. They all turned to Alice, eyes wide, silently begging for confirmation:
What did you just say?
Scooter! Scooter Braun wanted to meet them and talk about today's performance? This sounded like some wild fantasy. How could a dream opportunity like this just land in their laps? They weren't the protagonists of some cheesy romance novel, where even the sunlight lingered on their shoulders. How could a pie just fall from the sky and hit them?
For seven long years, they'd been searching for a way forward with no luck. And now, out of nowhere, fortune drops in? It didn't add up.
Alice was still catching her breath, unable to steady herself right away, which left a brief gap of silence hanging in the air.
*Smack, smack.*
That relentless chewing sound kept buzzing in their ears, growing sharper in the quiet, until Maxim and Cliff couldn't take it anymore. They shouted in unison:
"Ronan!"
Ronan looked at his bandmates with an innocent expression, gesturing to the food in his mouth. "Mom always said it's rude to talk with food in your mouth. You've got to chew and swallow first."
Maxim burst out laughing, half-exasperated.
Ollie, surprisingly, kept his cool. "Alice, are you serious? What's going on?"
Alice finally steadied herself and summed it up quickly. "They noticed I was filming a documentary. That Scooter guy's interested in it, so he's willing to be on camera."
Before she even finished, Alice could feel Ronan's gaze shift toward her. She didn't need to look to sense the scrutiny and amusement in his eyes—like her little white lie couldn't slip past his radar.
Alice felt a pang of guilt.
So, what really happened?
Here's the truth: While Alice was shooting footage for her documentary, she accidentally caught Scooter and his crew in the frame. She didn't even recognize him—how could she know an "important figure" had wandered into her shot? But then Scooter's bodyguards stormed over, trying to snatch her camera and demanding she delete the footage.
That set Alice off. It wasn't just the aggression—it was their total lack of reason. If they'd just talked to her calmly, she'd have admitted her mistake. She'd never film someone against their will, and if they'd asked her to delete it, she'd have been open to discussion.
But no—they were used to throwing their weight around. Assuming she was some paparazzi sneaking shots, they skipped the talking part entirely. Their words were harsh, and it escalated to physical shoving. Two bodyguards lunged for her camera, and that was something Alice couldn't stomach.
Still, she didn't let her temper take over. Thinking fast, she demanded to speak to the person in charge. That's how she ended up face-to-face with Scooter—and only then, through a quick introduction, did she realize this was the big-shot producer Ronan's band had been dying to meet.
Seizing the moment, Alice turned the situation around. What started as a protest morphed into a negotiation—or, more accurately, a pitch. She laid out her documentary project in detail, tweaking the focus a bit:
The Full Moon Party.
Not One Day Kings, but the Full Moon Party itself as the heart of the film. She wanted to showcase New Orleans' music culture and festive vibe from every angle, while digging into the city's fading music scene and the talented indie artists still holding on.
Alice smoothly invited Scooter to join in, suggesting he could offer his take on the Full Moon Party and highlight standout bands from the stage. After all, with perspectives from the audience, the bands, and the organizers already in play, adding a professional producer's viewpoint—especially one passionate about music—would be the cherry on top.
How Alice managed to sway Scooter, she wasn't sure. Maybe he was keen on polishing his public image. Maybe he was already planning to chat with some performers face-to-face. Whatever the reason, it worked. Scooter not only agreed to her filming request but also offered to connect her with a few bands to help out.
One of those bands? One Day Kings.
So, Alice rushed over to break the news.
No need to spill the whole winding story, though. She wrapped it up in one simple sentence—and technically, everything she said was true. The only tweak was that she'd been the one to push One Day Kings hard to Scooter. As a fan, she'd told him they were her favorite act of the night, a band that truly captured the spirit of New Orleans.
In the end, she convinced Scooter to meet them.
To Alice, the important part was that Scooter would finally sit down with One Day Kings. Whether he'd suggested it himself, or she'd talked him into it, or he was already planning to meet various bands and singers—including them—didn't matter. The outcome was the same, and that was fine.
No point in nitpicking the details.
Ignoring Ronan's probing look, Alice turned to Ollie. "Scooter wants to meet you guys. I made an excuse about needing to wash my face in the bathroom to clear my head, so I slipped out. Get yourselves ready—figure out how you want to present yourselves for this meeting—and then head over quick."
As she spoke, Cliff's phone started buzzing. All eyes snapped to it. Their guesses were turning real—this had to be the call summoning them to meet Scooter. The fourth-wall-breaking reality of it left them stunned.
Alice tapped the table to snap them out of it. "Answer it. I'm heading back. Just pretend you don't know me." The words slipped out before she realized her mistake—
If Scooter was interested because Alice was filming One Day Kings for her documentary, why would they need to act like they didn't know her? And why would Scooter need to call them? Couldn't they just follow her over?
Wait a second. Too many holes. This story wasn't adding up.