Status: Slowly Active.
Mad as a Hatter, Thin as a Dime
Chapter Seventeen
“I can’t believe you’re leaving,” Vesper sniffed, eyes glistening brilliantly in a way that broke the boy’s heart right before her.
“I know Ves,” he whispered, holding her tight. “I’m so sorry.”
“Imagine,” she hiccupped humour. “Only a month and a half ago and we didn’t know each other.”
“It’s crazy.” He shook his head. “I can’t even remember what I did before I had you. You’re my best friend.”
“Girl best friend,” Jared laughed drunkenly, quickly interrupting the special moment before stumbling off to farewell Kyra.
“Best friend of all,” Garrett confirmed.
Vesper glanced behind her shoulder quickly. Ryan was there. Her heart lurched unpleasantly and she turned away, before his conversation with Jon could get uninteresting enough for him to catch her watching him. She couldn’t even remember the last time they’d spoken. Three days ago at the bar, maybe? Four days? She couldn’t recall. Garrett had kept her well distracted. Ryan had been her best friend, once. Not so long ago, even. But they’d hardly spoken since Garrett came along; what kind of best friendship was that? One that could be broken by the involvement of one new person? That’s not a friendship. That’s a complication.
“Your mine too, Garrett,” she smiled. She saw him glance at Ryan behind her too, but she grabbed his chin and forced his eyes back to hers. “You’re all I’ve got now.”
“I’m not sure that’s true, love,” he frowned.
She shook her head, but before another word could be spoken John pulled a megaphone from the back of their tour bus and turned it on, the screeching echoing across the venue parking lot that the band members were all scattered over.
“Alright folks,” he announced. “Get yourselves together; it’s time for us Arizona kids to hit the road.”
Garrett felt awful as Vesper’s head drooped. He’d never seen this kind of misery before, and certainly not pertaining to him.
“Thanks for bringing my stuff back to the Feign van for me,” she sniffed, not looking at him.
“Hey,” he began, tilting her head upwards to see thin silvery streams shining on her rosy cheeks. He wiped them gently with the sleeve of his white hoodie. “Don’t cry, Ves. It’s not like we’ll never see each other again. You’re coming to visit us in two weeks in Phoenix when the band’s playing in LA, yeah?”
“Yeah,” she nodded, wiping her own tears. “I’m just so used to seeing you everyday… it’s gonna be hard.”
“I know, I know…”
“Come on Gar,” Kennedy called out. All the others were in the bus and ready to go. “Sorry Vesper, we’re gonna have to whisk him away now.”
She smiled and waved to Kennedy, who was probably too far away to see the accompanying tears.
“Bye Ves,” Garrett managed reluctantly for the last time. “I’ll miss you.”
He leaned in and placed an innocent but lingering kiss on her pink lips. There was some sort of spark there, she felt it. It was probably just how close they had become. The kiss felt like it lasted forever. She forgot that they were surrounded by about twelve other people; she forgot that best friends don’t normally kiss each other; she forgot that she was Vesper Ashelford; she forgot that the world was spherical. All she could comprehend was the sweet transfer, and how it brought her soaring high.
When they parted, after what seemed like days but was really just four seconds, a wolf-whistle sounded from one of the mature fellows beyond their bubble and reality began to set. Instead of pulling away, Garrett pulled her into another hug and positioned his lips next to the shell of her delicate ear and whispered three significant words. He gave her one last smile and squeezed her hand before running across the parking lot and jumping into the revving vehicle.
The remaining people in the parking lot waved and shouted goodbyes as the Maine bus drove away and beyond a brick building, out of their sight. Slowly, the members of Panic! and Feign began to depart as a gloomy, melancholy mood set upon the grey concreted area. Vesper stayed where she was, even when she thought that everyone else must have left and found something better to do than wallow. The sunshine that had shone before Garrett had gone slowly turned darker, and she guessed it was bound to start raining soon. She should probably head inside.
She was momentarily frightened out of her skin when she felt a hand on her shoulder, and she spun around expecting to snap at Kyra. But the boy who stood there definitely wasn’t Kyra, and she had no idea what to say to him.
“Hey Ves.”
“Uh, hey.”
“You okay?”
“I guess.”
There were a few moments of silence where she felt bad for her short answers, but the moments were quickly surpassed by others filled with words.
“You want to hang out tonight?” he asked her, a hint of hope in his vocal inflection. “It’s been a while since we’ve hung out… I thought you might need a friend…”
“Uh, yeah, sure…” she replied, a little bedazzled by how fast things were moving today. “I don’t think I’m going to catch the show tonight… Not really in the mood.”
“Oh yeah, of course. Uh, well I’ll come get you from the van when we’re done? Or you can hang out in our bus if you want…”
“No, thanks, but it’s fine. I’ll be in Feign’s.”
“Okay.”
“Okay…”
“Guess I’ll see you then.”
“Guess so.”
“Alright… see you a bit later then, Ves.”
“Yeah. See you then Ryan.”
He smiled a little and walked away, disappearing through the doors of tonight’s venue. Vesper began to walk slowly towards the same doors, her mind a whirlwind of thoughts. Of all her thoughts, though, there was one outstanding and echoing through her head that she couldn’t chase away if she tried; Garrett’s farewell words…
“Ryan was watching.”
“I know Ves,” he whispered, holding her tight. “I’m so sorry.”
“Imagine,” she hiccupped humour. “Only a month and a half ago and we didn’t know each other.”
“It’s crazy.” He shook his head. “I can’t even remember what I did before I had you. You’re my best friend.”
“Girl best friend,” Jared laughed drunkenly, quickly interrupting the special moment before stumbling off to farewell Kyra.
“Best friend of all,” Garrett confirmed.
Vesper glanced behind her shoulder quickly. Ryan was there. Her heart lurched unpleasantly and she turned away, before his conversation with Jon could get uninteresting enough for him to catch her watching him. She couldn’t even remember the last time they’d spoken. Three days ago at the bar, maybe? Four days? She couldn’t recall. Garrett had kept her well distracted. Ryan had been her best friend, once. Not so long ago, even. But they’d hardly spoken since Garrett came along; what kind of best friendship was that? One that could be broken by the involvement of one new person? That’s not a friendship. That’s a complication.
“Your mine too, Garrett,” she smiled. She saw him glance at Ryan behind her too, but she grabbed his chin and forced his eyes back to hers. “You’re all I’ve got now.”
“I’m not sure that’s true, love,” he frowned.
She shook her head, but before another word could be spoken John pulled a megaphone from the back of their tour bus and turned it on, the screeching echoing across the venue parking lot that the band members were all scattered over.
“Alright folks,” he announced. “Get yourselves together; it’s time for us Arizona kids to hit the road.”
Garrett felt awful as Vesper’s head drooped. He’d never seen this kind of misery before, and certainly not pertaining to him.
“Thanks for bringing my stuff back to the Feign van for me,” she sniffed, not looking at him.
“Hey,” he began, tilting her head upwards to see thin silvery streams shining on her rosy cheeks. He wiped them gently with the sleeve of his white hoodie. “Don’t cry, Ves. It’s not like we’ll never see each other again. You’re coming to visit us in two weeks in Phoenix when the band’s playing in LA, yeah?”
“Yeah,” she nodded, wiping her own tears. “I’m just so used to seeing you everyday… it’s gonna be hard.”
“I know, I know…”
“Come on Gar,” Kennedy called out. All the others were in the bus and ready to go. “Sorry Vesper, we’re gonna have to whisk him away now.”
She smiled and waved to Kennedy, who was probably too far away to see the accompanying tears.
“Bye Ves,” Garrett managed reluctantly for the last time. “I’ll miss you.”
He leaned in and placed an innocent but lingering kiss on her pink lips. There was some sort of spark there, she felt it. It was probably just how close they had become. The kiss felt like it lasted forever. She forgot that they were surrounded by about twelve other people; she forgot that best friends don’t normally kiss each other; she forgot that she was Vesper Ashelford; she forgot that the world was spherical. All she could comprehend was the sweet transfer, and how it brought her soaring high.
When they parted, after what seemed like days but was really just four seconds, a wolf-whistle sounded from one of the mature fellows beyond their bubble and reality began to set. Instead of pulling away, Garrett pulled her into another hug and positioned his lips next to the shell of her delicate ear and whispered three significant words. He gave her one last smile and squeezed her hand before running across the parking lot and jumping into the revving vehicle.
The remaining people in the parking lot waved and shouted goodbyes as the Maine bus drove away and beyond a brick building, out of their sight. Slowly, the members of Panic! and Feign began to depart as a gloomy, melancholy mood set upon the grey concreted area. Vesper stayed where she was, even when she thought that everyone else must have left and found something better to do than wallow. The sunshine that had shone before Garrett had gone slowly turned darker, and she guessed it was bound to start raining soon. She should probably head inside.
She was momentarily frightened out of her skin when she felt a hand on her shoulder, and she spun around expecting to snap at Kyra. But the boy who stood there definitely wasn’t Kyra, and she had no idea what to say to him.
“Hey Ves.”
“Uh, hey.”
“You okay?”
“I guess.”
There were a few moments of silence where she felt bad for her short answers, but the moments were quickly surpassed by others filled with words.
“You want to hang out tonight?” he asked her, a hint of hope in his vocal inflection. “It’s been a while since we’ve hung out… I thought you might need a friend…”
“Uh, yeah, sure…” she replied, a little bedazzled by how fast things were moving today. “I don’t think I’m going to catch the show tonight… Not really in the mood.”
“Oh yeah, of course. Uh, well I’ll come get you from the van when we’re done? Or you can hang out in our bus if you want…”
“No, thanks, but it’s fine. I’ll be in Feign’s.”
“Okay.”
“Okay…”
“Guess I’ll see you then.”
“Guess so.”
“Alright… see you a bit later then, Ves.”
“Yeah. See you then Ryan.”
He smiled a little and walked away, disappearing through the doors of tonight’s venue. Vesper began to walk slowly towards the same doors, her mind a whirlwind of thoughts. Of all her thoughts, though, there was one outstanding and echoing through her head that she couldn’t chase away if she tried; Garrett’s farewell words…
“Ryan was watching.”