Mental Fiction Follows Me

“Incoming!” I yelled as my body flew through the air. I landed on something soft, and I heard a loud curse from behind me. I turned around and was met by eyes partially covered by blond and black hair.

“Hello, Monte, darling,” I said as I leaned back to rest my head on his shoulder.

“Hi, Syd. Why are you sitting on me?” Monte asked as he moved my hair away from his face.

“Well, I was sitting in the kitchen with the rest of the village idiots, and I realized that you were missing. So I wanted to see what you were up to,” I said.

“Okay, that explains why you’re in here. But why are you on me?” Monte asked.

“Because you’re oh-so-comfy?” I asked.

“Good enough for me,” Monte replied and went back to staring at the TV. I followed his gaze, and then I felt laughter bubbling in my stomach. It slowly made it’s way up my esophagus, tickled the back of my throat, and then escaped between my lips. I felt Monte’s hands on my hips, holding me in place, as I continued to laugh.

“Umm...Syd, are you okay?” Monte asked.

”Quit laughing like a moron before everyone finds out how crazy you are!” Sage yelled, which just made me laugh harder.

”Sage! She is not crazy!” Lillian exclaimed. My laughter had dimmed slightly, but now it was fresh and renewed, mainly because I already knew Sage’s response.

”How in the hell do you think we got here?!”

“Oh, make it stop!” I yelled.

“What’d you do to my cousin?!” I heard Brian yell.

“I didn’t do anything! She just flipped out and started laughing,” Monte said. He pulled me upright, and I felt my back slam against his chest.

“Syd?” Brian asked and eyed me curiously. I patted the couch arm beside me, and Brian slowly sat down. I finally stopped laughing, took a deep breath, and pointed to the TV screen.

“Did you realize that you were watching the Tyra show, with special guest Sue Johanson?” I asked Monte.

“Yeah. So?” Monte asked.

“I’m not getting it, Syd,” Brian said.

“It’s the freakin’ Talk Sex woman! You know, the old woman on the Oxygen channel!” I yelled.

“I...umm...” Monte looked up at Brian, who simply shrugged.

“Am I really the only one seeing humor in this?” I asked.

“Seeing humor in what?” I heard Aiden ask. She sat down next to Monte and I and looked over at me expectantly. Finally, someone who might understand.

“Monte’s watching the Tyra show-”

“I love Tyra!” someone yelled and then jumped on the couch next to Aiden. I looked around her and saw Max with his knees drawn up and rubbing his hands together.

“Do you see what’s so funny now?” I asked Aiden.

“They’re watching the Tyra show?” she asked me, with one eyebrow raised.

“And check out the special guest,” I said with a smile. She looked back at the TV, and I watched as her face stretched into a smile.

“Is that-” Aiden’s laughter filled my ears, and I felt myself start giggling too.

“No! You are not allowed to laugh!” Monte yelled and grabbed my ribs. I leaned back against him and rubbed my cheek against his.

“That’s not fair. Why does she get to have all the fun?” I asked.

“Because you’ve already been a laughing maniac today,” Monte said and ruffled my hair. I poked his stomach and then leaned my head to the other side, resting it on Brian’s thigh.

“Well, what do we have here?” I heard a voice from above ask. I twisted my head and smiled up at Robert.

“A Tyra party. Care to join?” I asked.

“I’m so glad you asked,” Robert said before falling into my lap. He leaned his back against Brian’s leg, and then he threw his feet all the way into Max’s lap, with Aiden trapped in the middle by his legs.

“This is so unfair,” Aiden mumbled.

“How do you think I feel?” Monte asked and looked over at her.

“Like a million bucks!” I yelled and kissed his cheek.

“It feels like a million pounds is sitting in my lap!” Monte exclaimed. I let out a fake gasp and placed my hand over my heart.

“Are you calling me fat?” I asked.

“Of course not. I’m calling him fat,” Monte said and pointed to Robert, who was carrying on a conversation with Brian.

“You know I’m sexy,” Robert said without missing a beat of talking to Brian. Something like that, takes a lot of skill.

“What in the hell’s going on in here?” Matt asked.

“Tyra party,” Aiden, Monte, and I responded. Max was a little too into the show. Matt sat down in his chair, that no one else was allowed to touch, and Nikkita fell into his lap. She looked at the TV, and then she turned to look at the guys on the couch.

“Do you guys really need tips on how to reach a female orgasm?” Nikkita asked. Brian and Robert stopped talking and instantly started laughing, Monte groaned and dropped his head into the crook of my neck, Aiden began giggling and leaned her head against Robert’s legs and then Monte’s shoulder, and Max continued to stare at the TV screen.

“You girls are always complaining about how us guys don’t know what a woman really wants, and then you laugh when we try to learn. Please, tell me, because I’m confused...” Max turned and was now looking at Nikkita ...”WHAT DO YOU WANT?!”

“I wanna be on top for once!” I looked up just in time to see Deandra fly over the table and land perfectly in Max’s lap.

“Whatever you want, sweetheart,” Max said quietly. It sounded like he was in pain, and I could only guess why.

“What’s going on?” Johnny asked as he walked into the room.

“Get your ass off my feet!” Robert yelled.

“Hold your horses!” Deandra yelled just as Craig stepped into the room.

“I am Craigafer! Hear me roar! -” Robert’s feet swung wide, and connected with Craig’s stomach. Craig bent over, holding his stomach, and the whole room went silent.

“Meow,” Craig whispered and then limped around the table. He sat down in Deandra’s lap, who was laughing along with the rest of us. At almost the exact same time, Johnny stepped over the table, grabbed Aiden and pulled her up, sat down, and then pulled Aiden into his lap.

“Nobody move!” Jimmy yelled and ran by.

“I’m scared already,” Nikkita said. Jimmy placed something in the giant stereo, and then he disappeared with the remote. He returned a few seconds later and turned the TV off. Max, Monte, Matt, Johnny, Brian, and Robert instantly started yelling.

“Just hold on!” I heard Zacky yell.

“It’s going to be worth missing Tyra!” Jimmy yelled.

“Liar!” Max yelled.

“Don’t worry, darling. I’m sure Tyra will be back on later,” Deandra said and patted the top of his head. Then Craig started pouting, so she had to pat his head too.

“You know, I just wanted to chill by myself and watch TV today before the show,” Monte said.

“Isn’t this so much better?” I asked. Monte rolled his eyes and blew on the back of my neck. I mumbled under my breath and continued to lean against his chest.

“What’s taking so long?!” Nikkita yelled.

“Matt, subdue your woman!” Zacky yelled.

“Seduce?! Okay!” Matt yelled back.

“Matt, cut it out!” Nikkita yelled, but she was smiling when I looked over.

“I’m just doing what the man said!” Matt yelled back.

“Well, do it later!”

“Yes, ma’am!”

“Guys, pay attention!” Jimmy yelled in a whiny voice.

“Why is everyone yelling?!” Deandra yelled.

“Guys!” Jimmy yelled in that same whiny voice.

“Just do the damn thing!” everyone yelled.

“We need silence!” Zacky yelled. Everyone became silent, and things seemed a little too quiet since everyone had stopped screaming. Robert shifted in my lap so that his back was against Brian’s legs, and his legs were stretched out all the way to Deandra’s lap.

“Okay...hit it...press the damn button!” I heard Zacky whisper.

“What the fuck do you think I’m doing?!” Jimmy whispered back.

“Dammit, Jimmy!”

“I got it!”

There was that eerie silence again, but then I heard a beat. It seemed familiar, but I couldn’t quite place it. Everyone else looked like they were also trying to figure it out.

“Oh...my...God,” Brian whispered. I looked up at him, but he was staring straight ahead, where I noticed Jimmy and Zacky were now standing. For some reason they were both shirtless and wearing purple pants. Zacky was wearing one of his famous bowties, and Jimmy had his tie hanging loosely around his neck. As for the pants, they weren’t purple jeans, but something more similar to windbreaker pants.

“This thing right here-Is lettin all the ladies know,” Zacky said. I could hear him better than the stereo.

“What guys talk about-You know-The finer things in life,” Jimmy said.

“Hahaha-Check it out,” they said together before busting into song.

”Ooh dat dress so scandalous
And ya know another - couldn't handle it
See ya shakin that thang like who's da ish
With a look in ya eye so devilish”

Zacky and Jimmy were both dancing around, and all the laughter exploded after they turned around and started shaking their ass.

”Uh
Ya like to dance at all the hip hop spots
And ya cruise to the crews like connect da dots
Not just urban she likes the pop
Cuz she was livin la vida loca”

They had been dancing in everyone on top’s laps, but now they moved back to their spot in the center of the room for the main part of the song.

”She had dumps like a truck truck truck
Thighs like what what what
Baby move your butt butt butt

Uh
I think to sing it again

She had dumps like a truck truck truck
Thighs like what what what
All night long
Let me see that thong”

Both guys grabbed a handful of pants fabric on each thigh and pulled, and I could hear buttons rapidly unsnapping. Jimmy’s pants hit me and Aiden in the face, and my jaw was dropped beneath the fabric. Both me and Aiden ripped the thin, and silky, fabric away from our eyes and stared at the scene in front of us. Zacky and Jimmy were both now dancing and singing along in nothing but a thong (and a bowtie and one tie).

“Dude! He’s wearing a leopard one!” Monte yelled behind me, pointing at Zacky.

“Forget that! I’m a zebra girl!” I yelled and winked at Jimmy. He just smiled back and they finished their song.

”I like it when the beat goes da na da na
Baby make your booty go da na da na
Girl I know you wanna show da na da na
That thong th thong thong thong
I like it when the beat goes da na da na
Baby make your booty go da na da na
Girl I know you wanna show da na da na
That thong th thong thong thong”

By the time they were through with their...performance, we were all in tears. Robert had literally rolled off me and into the floor. Brian had me in a headlock and was laughing hysterically while I held onto him with hot tears running down my cheeks.

“Tell us we’re sexy!” Zacky yelled.

“’Cause you know we are!” Jimmy yelled. Brian released my head, and I looked to see them both standing proudly on the table. Their hands rested on their hips, and it’s very easy to say that there was no shame in their game.

“Zacky! Get your junk out of my face!” Aiden yelled. By now I was laughing hysterically again and almost headbutted Monte. Robert was under my feet laughing his ass off.

“I can’t...believe...you guys...just fucking...did that!” Nikkita yelled out between laughs.

“I can!” Deandra yelled. I looked over to see that she had her phone out, and I’m guessing that she had filmed the whole thing. Max looked over her shoulder and smiled.

“Can you say YouTube?!” Max yelled.

“Oh shit,” Jimmy mumbled.

“Run!” Zacky yelled and jumped off the bed. Jimmy followed behind him, and two very white asses disappeared from sight.

“Oh...my...Christ!” Aiden yelled. I turned to look at her with a raised eyebrow.

“What?! It was an accident!” Johnny yelled.

“There is no way that was an accident!” Aiden yelled.

“Well, next time it won’t be!” Johnny yelled back. Aiden started to yell, her mouth opened, and then she looked around the room. Everyone had become silent. I heard a small giggle, followed by a male giggle, and then everyone was laughing again as Aiden and Johnny’s cheeks turned a bright red.

~~~ | ~~~ | ~~~

“I’m off to find the Wizard!” I yelled over my shoulder.

“But you’ll miss the show!” Deandra yelled after me.

“I’ll be back in time! I promise!” I yelled as I disappeared. My feet smacked against the hot pavement as I ran around outside. Fans were everywhere looking at merch booths, but the majority of them were out front and waiting for Escape The Fate to play. I pushed back a few people and almost fell into one of the Avenged Sevenfold booths.

“Syd? That you?” I looked around for the voice, but I couldn’t find the source.

“Hey! Down here!” I stopped looking around the tent and focused my eyes downward. A pair of piercing green eyes met mine, and pierced lips smiled up at me.

“What’s crackalacking, Syd?” the chick on the floor asked.

“Nothing mush, Ti. Just looking for your crazy ass. What are you doing down there anyway?” I asked.

“Well, I was running something over to another booth. I’m not sure how this shit gets mixed up, but hey, that’s life, right? So I was on my way back, and this huge ass fucking rock just exploded out of nowhere and tripped me! And now here I lay,” Tiana said.

I had met Tiana about two days after tour started, and she was officially my favorite merch person ever. She was young, only twenty-one, and your first impression of her is that there were a few screws loose. About a week ago I found her drunk and laying outside her van, and she spilled her whole life to me while in her drunken state. The girl whom I thought to be crazy was actually very independent, strong, and smart. She just hides that side of herself.

“Would that be the rock?” I asked and pointed to a pebble about two inches from her left foot.

“Do you see how big that thing is?!” Tiana asked.

“Freakin’ huge. Are you busy?” I asked. Tiana lifted her head slightly and looked around.

“I don’t think so. Just about everyone left to go watch ETF,” she said.

“Good. Get your ass up,” I said and grabbed her arm. She was a few inches shorter than me, so she smiled up at me and started dusting herself off.

“Hey! Merch boy! It’s your shift!” Tiana yelled.

“I just got off!” the guy yelled back.

“Hey! Management talking! Get to work!” I yelled. The guy grumbled and walked behind the table that had been set up. I grabbed Tiana and started walking.

“Hey! Where’s the fire?!” Tiana yelled after me.

“Fire? I see no fire here,” I said.

“Why are we in such a hurry?!” Tiana yelled. Why does everyone choose one particular day to yell?

“Because we’re gonna miss the show!” I yelled back.

”Oh, great. Now I’m the one yelling. Will it ever end?”

”Pay attention!”

”Syd, look out!”

I felt my body collide with something, and I heard Tiana’s scream as we both started falling forward. Something groaned under me, and I could hear Tiana mumbling from her spot on my back. I tried to lift myself up, but then something liquid hot ran up my arm.

“Hey! It’s another Syd sandwich!”

“Shut it, leopard boy!” I yelled. The pain in my arm had made it’s way to my head, which was now pounding intensely. It felt like some construction guy had a jackhammer in my head and was having a field day while his buddy was using a pickaxe on my arm.

“Dude, that is not good!” I heard the person under me yell. I finally opened my eyes to see Jimmy.

“What’s not good?” I asked. Jimmy quickly looked down at my left arm, which was cradled between both of our chests while my right arm supported my upper body. I now realized that the weight on my back had been removed.

“That’s sick!” Tiana yelled beside me. I saw a glimpse of pearly white in the sea of red, and for a second I thought it was a truly amazing white. Then my brain registered the fact that the pearly white thing was a piece of bone and the “red sea” was blood that was continuously flowing from my arm.

“Holy Christ, Syd!” I heard Aiden yell. I felt hands go around my waist, and then my whole body was lifted upwards. I looked behind me to see Matt, and a very worried Nikkita was by my side.

“Syd, are you okay?” Long fingers trapped my face, and I felt rough palms on my cheeks. Blue eyes caught mine, and I suddenly felt very calm.

”Syd, you need to go to hospital. Tell someone to call 911!”

”We don’t need no stinkin’ 911! We’ve been through worse than this!”

”This is really not the time, Sage!”

”It’s not like you freaking out is going to help the situation any!”

”Both of you shut up so I can think!”

“Syd?” Jimmy asked.

“Maybe she’s in shock or something,” I heard Tiana mumble.

“I don’t think I’ve ever seen Syd go in shock,” Brian said. I looked down away from Jimmy’s eyes and down at my arm. The bone stuck out about halfway through, and now the entire lower half of my arm was completely red. I could feel the warm liquid tickling my fingertips as it ran down. I hadn’t seen this much blood since...

The darkness was everywhere...there was no escaping it. No, running away from the awful darkness was impossible. But, after a while, the darkness melted away, but only slightly. Sunlight filtered through the cracks, and my eyes cracked open. I looked down and was amazed at the amount of blood I saw. I was sitting in a dried pool of it.

My wrists were bound behind my back, and the position caused fresh blood every time I moved. The stench of it was horrible enough to make a person go insane, so I felt lucky that I was already there. The pain in my side had become numb, but there was a still a river of blood cascading over my ribs. I was still shirtless, so it wasn’t hard to see the extent of that particular injury. If I cleaned all the blood away, I knew I’d be able to see the white gleam of bone. I had seen it before all the dried blood. The mesmerizing white and the glistening maroon...

“Syd?!” I felt my entire body jolt, and my eyes readjusted. I wasn’t stuffed into a closet. I was standing backstage at an Escape The Fate concert.

“I’m okay, Aiden. But, I think I need a doctor,” I said and felt my lips tip into a smile.

“Whew! I thought you were a goner there for a second,” Tiana said. Her smiling and relieved face filled my vision, and I smiled back.

“Me too,” I said and smiled back.

“Come on. You’re going to the hospital,” Brian said and grabbed my good arm.

“How thoughtful of you, dear cousin,” I said and smiled over at him.

“Syd.”

“Syn.”

“Sydney.”

“Synyster.”

“I quit.”

“I win!” I yelled and started to throw my arms in the air. Brian held one, and the damaged one gave a shriek of pain that caused black dots to cloud my vision.

“Whoa, Syd! I gotcha,” I heard someone say. I felt myself get picked up, and then I looked up to see who had kept me from falling.

“Hi, Jimbo,” I said and smiled up at him.

“Hey, Syd,” Jimmy smiled back.

“Alright, keep it still, Syd,” I heard Brian say.

“Be careful!” Nikkita yelled. I felt something wrap around my broken arm, and I looked down to see Brian’s shirt wrapped around it.

“But you love that shirt,” I said.

“I’ll buy a new one,” Brian said.

“Why are we walking?” I asked.

“Because the hospital’s right up here,” Brian said and pointed. He had a good point. The hospital was in walking distance, and I wasn’t exactly walking, so I didn’t have much room to complain.

“Is everyone coming?” I asked.

“Well, duh!” Deandra said and popped up beside me.

“Did you really think that we’d just stay behind and worry?” Nikkita asked.

“Oh, well...umm...I thought it might be a possibility,” I said.

“Ha! Fat chance, granny,” Deandra said and smiled at me.

“Granny?”

“Oh, everyone! I’d like you to meet Tiana! Tiana, this is Nikkita, Aiden, Deandra, Matt, Johnny, Zacky, Brian, and Jimmy,” I said, making sure to point to everyone. Everyone yelled out a hello, and I could see Tiana smiling out of the corner of my eye.

“We’re here!” Johnny yelled as he walked through the automatic doors.

“I really hate this place. Where’s my nurse?!” I yelled.

“Right here, hun,” Aiden said, and I felt a hand take mine.

“Alright, Jimmy. Set me down,” I said. He slowly placed me on my feet, and then he made sure I could stand fine on my own before stepping away.

“Okay, everyone else wait out here. We’ll be back soon,” I said and smiled. It looked like a few were going to protest, but Aiden quickly turned me around and we walked up to the receptionist. It was a small emergency room and completely empty, so she let us right on in.

Brian’s POV:

“Why does Aiden get to go with her?” I asked as I fell into one of the chairs.

“Because she’s an actual nurse,” Johnny said in a duh tone.

“So? I’m her cousin,” I said.

“Aiden still knows more in this situation,” Matt said. I started to reply, but then I just closed my mouth and crossed my arms.

“So, are things always like this?” Tiana asked.

“Pretty much,” Deandra said.

“You’ll get used to it no time,” Nikkita said.

“Oh! Show time!” Deandra yelled and whipped her cell phone out.

“Come on, Dee! Don’t do that!” Jimmy yelled. Deandra smiled at him and then continued to play the video with everyone surrounding her. I was tempted to go watch it again, but I still felt like sulking.

Everyone basically stayed in a group on the other side of the room, so I was able to sulk very easily. I couldn’t help but to worry about Syd. She had been my best friend the whole time we were growing up, and then she had vanished for ten years. She comes back even more mental than she was to start with, and now she’s broken her arm. And what was with her spacing out? Something wasn’t right about it.

A scream ripped through the air, and I felt my entire body tense. My hands gripped the sides of the chair, and then the scream faded away. I knew it had been Syd, and I knew that she must be in some serious pain if she actually screamed. That’s one thing about Syd-she isn’t a big screamer like most girls.

“She’ll be fine,” someone said and grabbed my arm. I looked down and saw pale fingers paler than my own skin, and I slowly relaxed my grip on the chair arm.

“I know. She’s tough, she’ll be okay,” I said.

“Yeah, you sound real convincing,” Zacky said and laughed.

“Shut up,” I mumbled and gave him a light push. I bent over slightly, resting my elbows on my knees and sighed. Maybe Syd coming on tour really wasn’t the best idea.

“Brian, man, just relax. Syd’s going to be fine,” Zacky said and placed his arm around my shoulders. He shook me lightly, and I looked up at him and nodded my head.

“Yeah, okay,” I whispered.

Syd’s POV:

“Alright, Ms. Haner, you’re good to go. We can go ahead and fill your prescriptions here, and you can get them refilled anywhere. I’ll be right back with your paperwork,” the doctor said as he walked away.

“Well, that was excruciatingly painful,” I said with a dry laugh. The bone hadn’t ripped my skin too badly, so the doctor was able to put liquid stitches on it. The whole screw-and-metal-plate thing had been horrible though. The doctor had given me two options: 1.) I could transfer to another hospital so they could do everything or 2.) this doctor could do everything without anesthesia and I could just grit my teeth. I went with option number two.

“It was your decision,” Aiden said. She had been the one holding my hand, and I’m not that surprised to see the nearly black bruises on her pale skin. The good doctor had let me bite down on some leather strap thing, so I had only let out one good scream.

Now my arm had a very thick layer of gauze and a brace over it. I was given the option of a sling, but I declined. Sling’s were always in the way, and the only thing they did successfully was get on my nerves. I’d make it just fine without one.

“I’m really sorry, Aiden. I didn’t realize I was holding on that tight,” I said as I looked down at her bruised hand. A few places were an angry red where my short nails had broken the skin. It made me feel like the worst friend alive.

“I told you not to worry about it. It’s fine,” Aiden said and gave me a reassuring smile. Her smile didn’t reach her eyes though. There was something hidden in them, and I didn’t have to guess at what it was.

“Go ahead and say it, before we go back out to the others,” I said quietly and looked away.

“You had a flashback, didn’t you?” Aiden asked.

“Yes,” I said quietly.

“Syd, that’s not good. You’ve never had a flashback while you were awake before! It just means that it’s getting worse!” Aiden said just as quietly.

“It was set off by the blood, that’s all! I promise, it’s not getting worse,” I said and finally turned to look at her.

“Here you are, Ms. Haner,” the doctor said as he walked back in. I signed all the papers with my good hand, and then the doctor handed me a pill bottle. I stood up and stuffed them into my pocket.

“Miss, I have to ask, how did you stand it? Why didn’t you just choose the transfer?” the doctor asked. I rolled my shoulders lightly and turned my head from side-to-side.

“I did something similar once, when I was in the army. There were no metal plates, but there was some digging for extra glass and the extracting of one bullet. Then someone sewed me up, so it’s not the first time,” I said.

“Oh...my...well...umm...” the doctor said. His face was turning pink, and I felt a small smile on my lips.

“It was nothing, doc. Just doing my duty,” I said.

“Thank you,” the doctor said and looked me right in the eye.

“Thank you,” I said and nodded my head at him. Aiden tugged on my good arm, and she led me back towards the doubled doors that led to the waiting room.

“I’m alive!” I yelled as the doors closed behind us.

“Syd!” Jimmy yelled and wrapped his long arms around me. I felt my feet come off the floor as he held me in a bear hug.

“Hi, Jimbo,” I said in his ear. Everyone passed me around, and then we finally left the hospital. We got backstage just in time for the last song, and Craig gave us a weird look when they all ran over towards us.

“Where’d everyone disappear to?” Craig asked.

“This genius broke her arm,” Tiana said and patted my head.

“Whoa! Who are you?” Craig asked.

“I’m Tiana. The new girl,” she said. Apparently she had already been molded into the group while I was in the back, and Deandra had showed her Zacky and Jimmy’s little performance from earlier.

“Hi, new girl. I’m Craig, and they’re losers,” Craig said and wrapped his arms around her shoulders.

“I am not a loser!” Max yelled after them.

“Whatever helps you sleep at night,” Deandra said and patted his cheek.

“You help me sleep at night,” Max said and wiggled his eyebrows at her.

“Only in your dreams,” Deandra said.

“I’m pretty sure I was awake last night,” Max said.

“No, you were asleep. Me and Robert were making fun of you,” Deandra said.

“Yeah!” Robert yelled and high-fived her.

“I’m bored!” Monte yelled.

“Let’s go out!” Johnny yelled.

“Out where?” Aiden asked.

“We only have one kind of out,” Matt said.

“McDonalds?” Craig asked from the front.

“NO!” everyone yelled.

“I say we all get drunk,” Jimmy said.

“I second that motion,” I said.

“We need to get ready!” Nikkita yelled and grabbed my arm. She grabbed Aiden, who grabbed Deandra, and I grabbed Tiana as we ran by.

We reached Avenged’s bus before anyone else, and we instantly started looking for clothes. I wasn’t really in the mood to play dress up, so I simply changed shirts since mine had blood on it and walked into the sitting area. Aiden must have felt the same way, because she smiled at me and walked outside. Deandra, Nikkita, and Tiana crowded the back of the bus, and I laughed as I heard them talking. It was gonna be one hell of a night...

Aiden’s POV:

I leaned my back against the bus and sucked in a deep breath. The sun was starting to go down, and the sky looked like it was on fire. In all honesty, it was a truly beautiful sight. It made me wonder why people didn’t watch sunsets more often.

“I’ll catch up with you guys later!” I heard someone yell. Footsteps rounded the side of the bus, and a smiling face met mine. Johnny jogged over to where I was and stopped in front of me.

“Whatcha doing?” Johnny asked.

“Waiting on the girls to get ready,” I said.

“Why aren’t you getting ready?” Johnny asked. I looked down at my purple skinny jeans and white Misfits shirt.

“This is good enough for me. It’s just a bar, right?” I asked.

“Right,” Johnny said with a small light.

“You’re not the only one who needs a mirror!” I heard Brian yell from inside.

“Go to Craig’s bus!” Deandra yelled back.

“But this is our bus!” Zacky yelled.

“Why aren’t you getting ready with the rest of the guys?” I asked with a smile.

“Because I’m already sexy,” Johnny said. I covered my mouth with my hand, but Johnny still heard my few giggles.

“Oh, so you think that’s funny?” Johnny asked with a raised eyebrow.

“Yes, Mr. Christ, I think it is,” I said and smiled at him.

“I’ll show you funny,” he said and stepped forward. His fingers attacked my sides, and I bent over laughing.

“No! Stop!” I yelled between laughs.

“Not until you say I’m sexy!” Johnny yelled back and continued to poke my side.

“I’ll never surrender!”

“Neither will I!” Johnny yelled and tickled me harder. His legs trapped mine against the bus so I couldn’t escape, and my head fell against his shoulder as I continued to laugh.

“Okay! Okay!” I yelled. Johnny stopped tickling me, but he didn’t move his lower body away from mine.

“I’m waiting...” he said with a small smirk.

“Okay. Johnny Christ is the sexiest mother fucker on tour!” I yelled while looking up at the sky. I looked back down to see Johnny staring at me.

“Ah...I know,” he said and smiled at me.

“You’re such a...guy!” I yelled and gave him a slight push. Surprisingly, he didn’t move. Instead his chest pressed against mine, and I felt my breath hitch.

“But that’s why you love me,” Johnny said as his face got closer.

“Who said I loved you?” I said, barely above a whisper. I saw Johnny smile, and then his lips pressed against mine. My eyes fluttered closed and the rest of my body stayed immobile as his lips moved over mine. I tipped my head slightly to the side and sighed into the kiss. I felt Johnny’s fingers trail lightly down my arms and then he took both of my hands in his own. I quickly pulled away and gave a small hiss of pain as he gripped my right hand.

“Aiden? What’s wrong?” Johnny asked quickly. His warm breath fanned my face, and if it wasn’t for the pain in my hand I would’ve kissed him again.

“It’s just...” I mumbled and pulled my hand away from him. I raised it between our bodies, and Johnny’s upper body backed off slightly so he could see.

“What in the hell happened to your hand?” Johnny asked. He lightly traced the purple-black bruises with one finger.

“Syd...she...umm...”

“Syd did this? What kind of friend would do this?” Johnny asked. His hazel eyes were afire, and I felt my eyes do the same.

“Don’t ever say anything like that again. Syd’s a great friend!” I said.

“A great friend that nearly broke your hand,” Johnny said.

“It wasn’t her fault,” I mumbled.

“Then who’s was it?”

“No one’s! There wasn’t any anesthesia, and the doctor had to put in the metal plate. And she was in pain, and I wanted to be there for her. And she just squeezed too hard, but I can’t get mad because of how much pain she was in, and...”

“Shh...” Johnny whispered and pushed my forehead against his collarbone. I felt something warm on my cheeks, and I realized that I had started crying.

“It’s okay, Aiden. It’s okay. I’m sorry. I’m so sorry. Please, baby, don’t cry,” Johnny whispered in my ear as he held me to him.

“It was really bad, Johnny. I know I’ve been a nurse before, but the person was never conscious during a procedure. Syd was awake, and she could feel everything. And there was so much blood, and she kept squeezing but I couldn’t feel anything. It was just so...”

“Shh, baby. It’s all over now, okay? Syd’s fine and it’s over. You won’t have to go through that again. Ever. It’ll be okay,” Johnny whispered. I could feel his hands moving across my back to soothe me, and I brought both of my hands up to his shoulders. I looked up at him and the worry in his eyes caught me off guard.

“Johnny, I-” I couldn’t find the right words, so I leaned up on my toes and placed my lips on his. I had planned on a simple kiss, but Johnny’s lips moved hungrily over mine. My back pressed against the cool bus, and I felt Johnny’s hands on my hips. My hands tangled in his hair in an effort to somehow pull him closer, and our bodies were flush against one another.

“Aiden and Johnny are making out!” I heard Monte yell. Johnny pulled away from me, gave me one more quick kiss, and then smiled down at me.

“Aiden Fiction Angelis, will you be my girlfriend?” Johnny asked. I wiped away my few tears and smiled up at him.

“Yes. Yes!” I yelled and threw my arms around him.

“Nope! They’re PG now!” Monte yelled. Johnny and I both looked up to see him hanging out the window directly above us. We both flipped him off, and he disappeared back inside.

“Ready to go back inside?” Johnny asked.

“Might as well,” I said. Johnny laced his fingers through mine and we started back towards the bus door. All I could think was, this is gonna be one hell of a night...