This Is the World We Left for Dreamers and Believers

“HAPPY BRITHDAY!” I jumped and sat up. We were stopped outside of a Florida gas station. Everyone from tour was standing outside the open door of the van. Whoever I had been laying on was shifting his weight under me.

“It’s not my birthday?” John said. How the fuck did I end up on John? Talk about awkward situations.

“Not yours douche. It’s Annabelle’s!” Kennedy said offering a hand to help me out.

“Guys! Come on. Let me sleep. I’m in freaking shorts for god sakes!” They all laughed.

“Stop freaking, baby. We’re all in the same exact thing!” Omar said wrapping his arm around my waist. I nodded and rubbed my eyes.

“No pictures. I look like shit therefore we won’t document this.”

“Annabelle! Look at me real quick!” Eric yelled. I looked over just as the flash went off.

“Son of a bitch. Halvo! Why would you do that?!”

“Because I love you!”

“Are we seriously going to celebrate my 18th birthday in a gas station parking lot at two am?!” I asked stomping my foot.

“This is the before the party- party!” Kennedy said from somewhere in the back.

“Can I have five dollars?” I asked no one in particular. Ten sets of hands shoved five dollar bills at me.
“Five not fifty. I’ll take it all though.” The money rained down.

“Bella makes it rain.” Matty F said. We all laughed.

“I’m going to get some tea and when I come back you best all be gone. I don’t want to see any of your punk ass faces until eleven.” I said grabbing my jacket and walking inside.

“You seemed pretty comfortable leaning on John in the van.” Someone said from behind me. I turned and found Tim behind me. I shrugged.

“When did that happen? I fell asleep leaning on Kenny.”

“Kenny doesn’t stay still in his sleep. He’s the worst person to fall asleep with.” He said handing me the trademark green can. We walked up to the counter and sat the stuff down.

“Are you buying the whole store? Damn, Tim. Hey, where’s the bathroom at?” Tim shook his head and the cashier pointed to a room behind the counter. I walked into the cold, brightly lit room and pulled out my eyeliner and phone.

New text message was across the screen.

>Get your ass to Florida already. Happy b day baby girl!

I laughed and leaned over the sink, applying the black eyeliner quickly. Tim was standing impatiently by the door.

“Can you come on? Here you are yelling at us and you just spent five in the bathroom.

“Sorry! I had to put some eyeliner on!” I said picking up a magazine that was covered in plastic.

“John prefers the natural look.”

“Your point is?” I asked dropping the magazine and looked at him.

“Come on. Everyone knows you want that.” He said pushing me out the door.

“Tim! It’s my birthday! Not today. I don’t want your man crush. Fuck.” I said pushing his arm.

“Whatever. Then at midnight tomorrow, we can talk?”

“Whatever.”

“Pinky promise?” He asked holding out his pinky. I looked at my own hand.

“I don’t think so.”

“Do it.”

“No.” He linked his pinky around mine.

“You can’t break one of those!”

“I can! That didn’t count! Tim’s a cheater!” I yelled sitting down in the van beside Pat.

“Duh. He cheats on everything. Imagine growing up with the jerk.”

“Tim is the biggest d-bag ever! Agreed?” I asked looking at Pat. He nodded and hugged me around the shoulders.

“Ugh, another girl falls for Pat. Stupid drummer charm.” Jared said rolling his eyes.

Have you ever had that awkward moment where someone says you and insert name should go out and said person is standing there? The awkwardness was the equivelent to that.

“Uh…me and Pat are just friends Jared.” I said looking out the window.

“Hey! We’re all friends here! You can admit your feelings!” Tim said. I smacked him in the back of the head.

“You shut the fuck up. Stupid ass.”

“Oh, What’s the hate on Tim?” Kennedy asked leaning his arms on the back of the seat.

“Nothing. He cheats on pinky promises. Now I have to stay awake and talk with him.”

“Doesn’t John normally do that? You actually sleep in this hunk of metal.” I looked at the driver who was smiling and focusing on the road.

“Well looks like pinky promise is off. I’m gonna sleep.” I said laying my head on the seat.

“You can’t break pinky promises! You have to stay up!”

“Nuah! Not when the pinky promise was forced! Wake me when we get there.” I said grabbing my mp3 player and tuning them all out.

+*+*+*+*+*+*+*

“She’s in the van. I think she’s still asleep though.” I groaned and closed my eyes tighter.

“Hey baby mama, I lost our baby. Do you have it by chance?”

“Quinn, go away. You ate the stupid- Quinn!” I threw my arms around his neck and kissed his forehead. He laughed and lifted me out of the van, placing me securely on the ground.

“I missed you too! Hey, this is new.” He said fingering the dog tag that was hanging around my neck.

“Yeah the guys got it for me. They all have one.” I said wrapping an arm around his waist and leading him through the mess of unloaded trailers.

“Your so at home doing this.” He noted as I waved to a security guard who was over seeing a sound check for Racing Kites. I shrugged.

“You get used to it a week or so in.”

“Please tell me you don’t miss your piece of shit dad?”

“Nope! Only you.” He laughed and hugged me closer. Nick walked past me, his cell in hand.
“Stop with the Twitter updates! Your going to force me to unfollow you!”

“Bella! Stop it! I’m not an addict!”

“That’s what they all say! Say….have you seen the guys?” He pointed to a door down the hallway.

“Give me something to tweet about!”

“At reply me or something. I don’t know. Half the time mine don’t even make sense.”

“They really don’t.” Quinn muttered.
“No one asked you big mouth!”

“Hey! Don’t talk to me like woman!”

“Did you just say the w word?” Nick watched with amusement.

“W word?” He asked.

“Woman. I dislike that word a lot.”

“Why?”

“She says its annoying and it sounds weird.”

“It does! Oh yeah. Quinn meet Nick. Fake ginger meet Quinn.” He rolled his eyes and shook Quinn’s hand.

“Don’t you have something to do?” He asked over his shoulder.

“Your walking away I can’t!” He half turned and stared at me.

“That wouldn’t make Justin too happy.”

“Your point is? We’re not together. He had his chance.”

“You know why though, right?”

“Yeah. Go away Nick. Gosh.” He laughed and waved.

“You and Justin were together?! The Justin Richards?” Quinn asked. I pulled him along to the closed door.

“Yeah, I told you right? It didn’t last long…there were…..complications.”

“No. You didn’t. What kind though?”

“The kind that involved a certain lead singer. When’s Katy going to come by?”

“She said she’d call when she got here.” I nodded and opened the door. The guys were doing their usual chill before the show routine. Act as though nothing was about to happen.

“Bella! Who the hell are you with?”

“Dude, that’s Quinn. She’s been talking about him for almost two weeks.” John said not looking up from the notebook he was holding.

“That was weird.” Quinn whispered. I laughed.

“That’s John for you.” Quinn’s phone loudly blasted a Valencia ringtone. I looked over at him.

“Yo, Katy? Yeah. I’ll be there in a sec. Love you too.”
“Are you coming with?” He asked pointing to the way we came.

“Er…yeah. I forgot my camera anyway. Anyone want to get un bored?” I asked looking around. Kennedy and Pat nearly threw themselves out the door.

“Jared’s being so awkward.” Pat whispered quickly leaving the room.

“Anyone else?” Quinn asked his hand already on the knob.

“I’ll go.” John said throwing the notebook and pen down in the chair. I sighed.

“Let’s go see Katy before she thinks we forgot her already! Gees!” I whined. John shook his head and poked me in the back.

“You’re the one taking forever!”

“You’re the one that…..makes girls nervous?”

“Do I make you nervous?”

“That sounds way to wrong to answer. I’m just saying. Read the boards. Every girl that’s ever met you has either said or done something completely embarrassing.”

“It’s cute though. Guys love it when a girl messes up. It’s the most adorable thing ever.” Kennedy said smiling. I rolled my eyes.

“I don’t know if you ever messed up in front of someone who you pretty much idolized but its pretty much one of those things that roll over in your mind for months.”

“Like that time when we met Oli Sykes and you babbled for ten minutes about how amazing he was and then shook like it was 32 below when he gave you a hug?” Quinn asked poking me in the side.

“Thanks for that. Exactly though.”

“Still rolling that over?”

“Almost everyday.”

“That’s sad.”

“You’re sad.”

“YOUR MOM IS!” Katy was leaning against her car, smiling wide. I ran over to her and hugged her.

“I missed you! Did you bring your camera? We really need to get you on tour!” She held up the latest Nikon. I whistled.

“Damn. This is nice. I must have one! Kenny, Pat, John you guys should go get me this for my birthday!” Kennedy walked over and inspected the camera.

“What’s different about this one than the one you have now?”

“John, can you grab my bag out of there?” I asked the man who was leaning over the front seat searching for something.

“The camera one?”

“Yeah.” He climbed out with a Gatorade and my bag slung over his shoulder. He handed it to me and leaned against Katy’s car.

“Hey, guys meet Katy. Katy you know the guys, need I introduce them?” She shook her head. I pulled my camera out.

“I don’t see it.” Pat said looking at the two that were now side by side.

“Look at how much sleeker this one is compared to mine. Less buttons. It’s got a 1gb internal memory. Faster flash speed. Pretty much everything mine isn’t.”

“I still don’t get it.” Kennedy muttered handing the camera back to Katy.

“I don’t understand why you have to have a certain kind of string for you bass.” I said shrugging. Quinn stepped up.

“Because each is different. Some are bad. Some are good. You need the best string for your particular instrument.” Quinn said matter of factly.

“Dude. I’m Kennedy Brock. What’s up?” Kennedy said stepping around me. Best friend and best friend were friends! Yes!

“Come on lets go find the Rocket guys!” I said pushing open the door and peeping through each door until I found them in a isolated room.

“Just when I thought things couldn’t get worse then they do!” Nick said sticking his tongue out at me.

“Guyss! I brought you a photographer who wants to shoot for ya’ll the rest of tour and I can certify that she is amazing!” I whined and kicked Halvo’s chair. He hugged my waist and waved to Katy.

“Let me see her stuff.” Justin asked. Katy shakingly handed him the camera. She’d had the biggest crush on Justin since Brighten had first come through on a tour promoting their Ep. All the guys gathered around Justin. I turned away from the group.

“Their going to love you! Don’t be so worried.” I whispered. She nodded and bit on her bottom lip. A nervous habit.

“Dude, you said you were looking for a place on tour right?” Loren asked. She nodded eagerly.

“Let’s do it!” Nick yelled.

“That’s uhm Nicks way of saying your on!” Justin said happily handing her the camera back. I was looking at the floor hiding the huge smile that had just spread across my face.

“We’ll get you information after tonight’s show. Your amazing by the way.” Justin said. The smile on his face was enough to make both Katy and I melt on the spot.

“See you later.” I said hurridley pushing her out the door.

“He’s so cute.”

“Nah. Not really.”

“Easy for you to say. John and Kennedy were both drooling out there.” I rolled my eyes.

“No they weren’t. Especially not John. Do not want.”

“Your such a liar.”

“You and Tim should be best friends.” I muttered.

“We will be. I have to go get some stuff from home but I’ll see you later right?” I nodded. I sighed and walked around the venue aimlessly. Someone grabbed my arm and jerked me into a dark room.

“I-uh-hi?” I said grabbing my phone and using the light to see who had grabbed me. John squinted from the bright light.

“Close that thing!” He whispered harshly.

“Turn on a freakin light then!” I whispered back.

“I don’t know where its at!” He whispered back.

“Why are we whispering?!” I asked and searched the wall for the switch. We both blinked in the light.

“I wanted to give you something for your birthday.” He said shoving his hands in his pockets.

“Did you have to scare the hell out of me?”

“I….no….but…..here.” He shoved a box into my hand. I looked at it and then back at him.

“What is this?”

“Open it.” I lifted the lid. It revealed a key with a long silver chain around it. The chain was linked through a heart.

“Aww.”

“Kennedy helped me pick it out. He said that it was something a girl would like.” He said shyly.

“John it’s cute. Thanks.” I said smiling up at him.

“You’ve been amazing. Dealing with all this shit. I tore apart your relationship and you’re still nice.” I shrugged and hugged him. He looked down at me. It was completely silent. He leaned down, his lips inches from mine. My phone blared out A Day To Remember. I jumped back and grabbed the phone. Katy’s name read across the front.

“I-uhm-I have to go. Thanks for the necklace its truly adorable.” I said and ran out the door.

“Annabelle-”

“See you later, John.” I said over my shoulder.