Things Have Changed

Ryan found Brendon a few hours later. He was buying luggage inside Burberry. Turns out he has a luggage fetish.

We were delayed by another two hours when Brendon had to unload all his luggage from his Versace suitcase and re load it into his new Burberry cases.
Why? You ask.
Because Brendon’s a demanding O.C.D bitch.

So after three hours we were on the road. Words can’t really explain the feeling that bubbles up inside of you when you hear the engines roar and the bus lurch forward. It’s almost like when a plane takes off, except less terrifying.

I spent most of the day reading in my bunk or talking with Ryan, Jon and Lilly away from the other three.

I found it kind of stupid that Spencer was being such an asshole. I could understand Brendon and Ella, I was even still surprises that me and Ryan had become friendly so quickly. Spencer on the other hand, I hadn’t even been that close with at school so he was just holding a grudge on his girlfriends behalf.

“Come on Liz” Ryan sighed “Let’s go get some lunch; we’ve stopped outside a taco bill.”

I looked up at him “Do you know how many calories are in the average meal at Taco Bill?”

Ryan gave me a disgusted look “Don’t start that bullshit with me Liz.”

“I’m just being honest mum!”

“Liz, out, now.”

I sat in a booth in Taco Bill with Ryan while the rest all sat in another booth and Lilly went to the gym. She had had McDonalds for breakfast so it was necessary, extra kilos isn’t wanted here!

“I hate this” I said quietly to Ryan over a bowl of Nachos.

“Hate what?”

“This whole tour, everything about it, I wish I never agreed to it.” I said stuffing six nacho’s into my mouth creating a mess around my spot on the table.

“Gee, thanks” Ryan said quietly.
“Oh, sorry Ry, you know I love being here with you” I said patting him reassuringly on the arm “It just that things are so awkward” I said looking over at Brendon’s table.

“Then why did you come?” Ryan said simply.

“My job depended on it.”

“The whole being a journalist thing?”

“Yeah” I smiled “Something like that.”

We sat quietly through the rest of the lunch, Ryan giving me the I know there’s something you’re not telling me Liz look.
“Ryan stop giving me that look” I hissed.

“What look” he grinned smugly.

“Oh you know what look” I glared at him folding my arms over my chest.

“What did you do?”

“Nothing” I said defensively.

He raised his eyebrows and I sighed “You don’t want to know.”

“Liz” he said, a hint of warning in his voice.

“I slept with someone.” I said hanging my head down in shame.

“What!” Ryan shouted.

“Shhh” I cried.

“Liz what did we talk about” he half yelled.

“I had had a really shitty day; I just needed to... y’know.”

“No Liz” Ryan shouted “I don’t know, don’t you have any self restraint!”

“Gosh, aren’t you meant to be supporting me here?” I cried.

“What? Supporting you in becoming a slut?”

“I’m trying here” I said beginning to cry.

He sighed “Sorry Liz I just hate to hear you doing that to yourself”

I looked back up at him “Anyway” I continued “Turns out he was a colleague, he told the
boss and I was almost fired, until I got requested to do this job. It was my avenue back in,
I’m not gonna deny it, I was reluctant to say yes, but I felt as if I had to y’know.”

Ryan nodded “So what happened to the guy?”

I shrugged my shoulders “Nothing.”

“What?”

“It’s a boys club, and I’m a slut. Enough said.”

The boys played at a small club that night to very enthusiastic and predominantly female crowd. There were nervous going on, well mainly Brendon and Ryan. Brendon spent had spent the last half hour in the bathroom vomiting and Ryan had gone into another room to perfect his already perfect make up – for the seventh time tonight.
Spencer and Jon were playing basketball with those small plastic nets that come in cereal boxes while Ella kept score.

It’s fair to say that Lilly and I were the misfits in this scene. It was to be expected, we were here to detail their lives but there has to be a difference between being a misfit and purposely being isolated and ignore by half of the people on tour.

The boys went on an hour and a half late as Brendon didn’t want to go on with breath smelling like vomit. So, he had to wash his mouth out with salt exactly six and a half times and brush his teeth twice and have a bottle of red bull before he went on – yep, he was quite the diva. Ryan also had a mental breakdown when he noticed that one of the bats he had craftily drawn on the side of his face was missing an ear. He had to redo his whole face, and let me tell you, it does take a while to get your make up looking that good.

Once they were finally on stage, I’ll openly admit it, they didn’t exactly blow me away like I was expecting them to. Spencer and Jon were great on their respective instruments but Ryan and Brendon, well; it was evident through their performance that they were fighting. Sometimes Brendon would be singing way too fast for Ryan to even try to keep up with him and sometimes the guitar and voice were so out of sync it was painful to listen to.
Ryan and Brendon got into another fight after the show, this time about who had first call on showers, but everyone knew that that was just a cover. They were really fighting about me.

Ryan came into my bunk where I was searching for nearby gyms cursing and swearing Brendon for using all the hot water.

“Ry” I sighed putting away my laptop “I don’t want you fighting my fights for me.”

“Huh?” he said looking up at me.

“All this fighting with Brendon, you’re fighting because you both have different views of me. Don’t honestly, when you two are fighting the music suffers – a lot.”

Ryan sighed “Sorry, it’s just...I don’t even know. He just gets snappy about everything.”
“It’s like he’s on his period all year long” I agreed.

Ryan laughed resting his head on my shoulder “So no more fighting okay” I smiled at him.

“But he starts it” Ryan whinnied.

“You’re just as bad as he is” I laughed getting ready to go to bed.