Slash's Snakepit

Grace's pov~

The café is small, tucked away on a side street, the kind of place that smells like burnt espresso and cheap vanilla syrup. The kind of place I wouldn't have chosen, but it's Katelyn's favorite, so here I am.

Katelyn has been my best friend since middle school, though we couldn't be more different. Back then, I was the impossible girl: tall, good-looking, with big boobs that made teenage boys too intimidated to even try flirting with me. Katelyn, on the other hand, was easy to get along with, always laughing, always knowing exactly what to say to make people comfortable.

Our lives took completely different turns after high school. I became a model, a Sports Illustrated girl with a strict diet and an even stricter routine.
Katelyn is studying to be a preschool teacher. But somehow, despite our differences, we still hang out, still talk about everything. Or to be more true to the facts: Katelyn does most of the talking.

She's sitting at a booth when I walk in, her tight curls bouncing as she waves me over. She is always really cute. She's short, chubby, and bubbly. I've always envied how she carries herself. How she proudly wears her large-sized clothes, how she doesn't care about her round tummy or thick thighs.

It's pathetic how much it pisses me of. Because, she's never been jealous of me. Not once. Not when I landed my first modeling job, not when I was featured in magazines, not when men turned their heads when I walked into a room. She was always just... happy for me.

I slide into the seat across from her.

"Finally!" she grins, shoving the menu aside. "I was starting to think you forgot about me."

I roll my eyes. "I told you I had a shoot after this."

"Yeah, yeah." She waves a dismissive hand before leaning in, eyes glinting with excitement. "Okay, before we get into whatever depressing shit you're dealing with, you will not believe what happened to me last weekend."

I already know where this is going. Katelyn is practically vibrating, her fingers drumming against the table like she's about to explode.

I sigh. "Let me guess: Guns N' Roses?"
She is a sucker for them. She is a sucker for every single rock band, but Guns n roses are her recent obsession. Especially their bassist, Duff Mckagan

"YES." She slaps the table, grinning. "But not just that. I SAW them live. Front row. And then-" she pauses for effect, eyes widening. "I went backstage."

I raise a brow, feigning interest. ''Let me guess. You got trampled in the pit? Or maybe Axl Rose personally told you to calm down?"

She swats at my arm, rolling her eyes. "No, bitch. I went backstage and then I went and partied with them."

My fingers tighten around my water glass. "Wait. What?"

She grins, wiggling her eyebrows. "You heard me. I was there, Grace. Backstage, with Duff, Slash, Axl, Matt, Dizzy- the whole damn gang. And when I say party, I mean party."

I feel a twist in my stomach. "Oh God. Katelyn, please tell me you didn't."

"Oh, I did." She smirks. "Duff McKagan is a god, Grace. And let me just say, he's very... talented."

I shake my head, taking a sip of my water. "You're insane. Those guys are filthy. Like, literally. Do they smell like they seem to smell??"

Katelyn shrugs. "Maybe a little, but who cares? They're rockstars. You just don't get it."

She's right. I don't. Sure, I like their music, but the obsession? The posters, the vinyls, the endless babbling about which song is the best? It's exhausting. And the men themselves? They're just a bunch of sweaty guys in leather pants, reeking of booze and cigarettes.