This Is the World We Left for Dreamers and Believers

I stood in the pit, my camera angled up at Alex Ziabko. He was leaning down holding a girls hand who was singing her heart out to ‘Better Without It’. I smiled. He was amazing with the crowd. Someone poked my side. I looked over and smiled. Halvo was standing beside me, his own camera out and on.

“Are you stealing my job, Halvo?” He laughed and leaned close so I could hear.

“Nah. Just bored. Katy and Justin are getting pretty close really fast.” He said winking.

“Yes! It’s what I wanted to be honest. Better now than three days before tour ends.” I snapped another picture and looked over at Halvo who was inspecting a picture he’d just gotten of Matt H.

“Yeah. You’re okay with that?” I nodded.

“She doesn’t even know we were together or else she wouldn’t dare go for him. I’d rather they just be happy together.”

“You’re to nice for your own good.”

“You breathe through your mouth to much for your own good.” He scrunched up his nose.

“Don’t hate on the mouth breathing!”

“I’ll hate on it- Never mind. You know I love you.” I smiled and hugged him.

“Hey everybody! Thanks for coming out. Before I introduce the next band help me out in singing happy birthday to a very special friend. Annabelle, thanks for the talks and interesting pictures.” All the guys on stage pointed to me. I waved shyly to the crowd. Halvo laughed.

“Shut up.” I whispered. The guys started playing some off beat to happy birthday. The crowd sang the awful song that everyone so dearly hated.

“That’s all we’ve got for you guys tonight! Go back and see Dave! He’ll hook you up with the EP and some cool shirts!” Matty F yelled before waving.

“Come on, Halvo! You have to go get ready!” He groaned and followed me up the stairs that led to the band rooms.

“Found him!” Loren yelled adjusting the bright yellow hat on his head. What was with that hat anyway?

“I was hanging out with Bella! She wanted company!”

“Now he’s pyschic.” I said rolling my eyes and sitting down on the couch.

“Yep. But it only works for you.” I laughed and looked over at Justin and Katy who were sitting in the corner, heads bowed together talking quietly, a small giggle would emit from one of them. It was as if we weren’t even there.

“Hey. Annabelle, happy birthday!” Nick from HTL threw a card at me.

“What the hell? Thanks man!” I yelled picking it up. It was a pre-loaded $50 Visa card.

“Damn. I forgot how great turning 18 really was.” Nick said running his fingers through his hair. I laughed and shoved the card in my back pocket.

“Better dye that before those roots show up again.”

“Are you really that upset that it’s not real?”

“Yes! Gingers are adorable. Fake gingers piss people off and it looks so freakin real!” He laughed.

“It’s a secret how I got this color.”

“It’s not a secret! It was an accident!” Justin yelled.

“You suck.” I said getting up and peering out the door. A security guard blocked my view seconds later.

“Five minutes to stage.”

“Guess that’s my cue to go. Katy, you’ve got your pass?” She nodded and flashed the multi color passed that was hanging from my belt loop.

“You don’t have to go yet!” Halvo yelled jumping up and circling his lanky arms around me.

“I do! I have my own band to go deal with. Plus, I have to thank the RK guys for their lovely song.” He pouted and let me go.

“Fine. Dinner afterwards though? I don’t have anything material to give you but food works right?” I laughed and nodded.

“Yes, Halvo I’ll go out to dinner with you. Aren’t I lucky?” I asked smiling. Everyone in the room laughed. I hugged Eric and walked out of the room……well it was more of a skip.

“Someone has a bounce in their step.” Jared said joining me. I shrugged.

“Halvo’s taking me out to dinner. My best friend is coming on tour. Kenny and Quinn are friends. Nick just gave me fifty bucks. What the hell is there to be sad about?” I asked wrapping my arm around his waist. He sighed and dropped his arm over my shoulder.

“Daray broke up with me yesterday.” I looked at the floor.

“Yeah. I know.”

“For Alex.” I couldn’t bear to meet his eyes.
“But you already knew that.” He said quietly.

“Jared, I couldn’t tell you. It wasn’t my place. We talked it over and I couldn’t let her lead you on until the last day of tour.”

“So you saved me from fake love?” I nodded.

“That uh sounds awful. I’m sorry. Friends?”

“Of course we still are. She also said we could still be friends. Think she was for real?”

“She better be. I threatened to hit her in the face if she said it and didn’t mean it.” He laughed quietly.

“Feisty little thing. You wouldn’t hurt a fly.”

“God damn she has you guys fooled hardcore!” Quinn yelled from an open door down the hall.

“Hey! Suck a fat one!”

“Whip it out!”

“Er. Well. I forgot it at home. Will Jared work?!” Quinn surveyed him.

“Yeah. Bring that ginger baby over here!”

“Hey! No! This is not happening!” Jared said stepping back. I laughed.

“It’s okay Jared. This really isn’t happening. Hey, Quinny! I’m bored!”

“Come in here and entertain Pat and John!” I stepped back a little. After the little John thing in the room earlier I’d stayed my distance.

“But Pat and John are boring!”

“Fuck you too!” Pat yelled.

“WHEN?!”

“Now. Let’s go. There’s a bathroom right there!”

“Ew. Bathrooms are trashy, Pat. You definitely just ruined the mood.” They all laughed. I walked into the room and sat down against the wall. John looked up from the same black notebook he’d been scribbling in earlier and waved slightly before looking back down.

“What the hell are you writing?”

“A song.”

“Oh.” Awkwardly quiet. Kennedy walked into the room loudly talking with Quinn.

“Hey, anyone know why Halvo is about to piss himself he’s so happy?” Kennedy asked.

“He finally asked Bella to dinner.” Jared said from his corner in the room.

“It’s just a happy birthday thing! Don’t make a mountain out of a mole hill.” I said throwing my phone in the air and catching it.

“You better explain that to him. Kid is happier than a kid at Disney Land without their parents!” I laughed and stood up.

“Damage control?” John asked. I shrugged.

“It’s not really damage. Halvo’s a sweet guy, just not the guy for me. He’s going to make some team mouth breather girl happy one day.”

“Aww. She cares about him.” Quinn said.

“You. Get over here. I want a piggy back ride.”

“What is it with you and the piggy rides?!” Garret asked.

“They make me feel powerful cause then I’m tall for a little while. Gees.” I said jumping onto Quinn’s back.

“Worst mistake I ever made.”

“He carried me to classes like this.”

“It was well worth a suspension.” He said reminiscing.

“Suspension?” Garret asked.

“Er. Yeah. We had a race down the hallway to see who get to class first with a girl on their back and we got caught, suspended for three weeks, and bitch lost her car.”

“Maybe someone shouldn’t have yelled squishy all the way down the 20 ft hallway.” I said smacking him on top of his head.

“We’d just watched Nemo! What else does anyone remember from that movie?!”

“Everything! That movie is epicness!” John yelled.

“See. John knows what he’s talking about. That movie was epicness. John, baby, you win!” He rolled his eyes.

“Can we go?”

“No one ever told you not to go.”

“I‘m going to go really fast. Hope your ready for this.”

“That’s what she said.” Kennedy muttered. I giggled.

“Just go, ugh.”

“So excited to crush the kids dream.” John tsked.

“Nah. I’m going to do what I should have done twenty minutes ago. Go to the RK guys’ room.” He ran down the hall. I tightened my arms around his neck and leaned my forehead against the back of his head.

“Afraid?” He asked stopping. I shook my head and breathed deep. He was still using the stupid Axe stuff for his hair. You never really realize how much you miss someone until your there with them again. The crowd below roared after Nick said something.
“Missed you, too.” He whispered.

“Knock on the door you dork.”

“Annabelle! Guy I don’t know! You’re both really loud.”

“We’ve been told. Presto, this is Quinn.”

“What’s up man?”

“I’m here ride.” Quinn said making air quotes around ride.

“What does she want now?! So worrisome!” Rick whined from somewhere inside. Preston stepped aside so I could see Rick. I stuck my tongue out at him.

“Thanks for the song! It was cute!”

“You are such a bad liar.” Matt H said.

“It was sweet though! Thanks!”

“You’re welcome!”

“Now get down there with your fans! That one girl was about to cry when you grabbed her hand!” Alex laughed.

“We will! I want to clean up first! Super sweaty.” My face scrunched up.

“Could have saved that.”

“You’re welcome!” He yelled back. I rolled my eyes. Such children sometimes.
>>After show.

I slid the necklace John had given me earlier that day over my head and looked in the mirror. Paired with the prior three necklaces and brown V neck it looked perfect.

“Knock, knock.” Quinn peeked his head into the bathroom. I turned and smiled sadly.

“I’m going to miss you….again.” I said reaching out for a hug. He wrapped his arms around me.

“I’m glad I got to see you. On your birthday at that. You’re living your dream. Be happy.”

“I am.” I muttered, my head laying on his chest.

“Could have fooled me. You seem pretty sad.”

“Maybe I should cancel with Halvo and hang out with you for a little while longer.”

“No! Don’t do that to the poor guy! He’s so excited! You should see him.” I laughed and looked up.

“You need a better talent so I could have found a way on tour.” He chuckled quietly.

“See me off?” I nodded and wrapped my arms around his tiny waist. We walked downstairs and walked out to his car.

“Promise we’ll stay in contact?”

“This seems like déjà vu reversed.” He said. I wrapped my arms around him tighter.

“I don’t want you to go.”

“I’m not the one leaving, honey. You are. Don’t be sad on your birthday.” Kids were still trickling out of the now quiet venue. Each with their own happy story about what had happened. Smiling faces, shining eyes. Happyness.

“I can sneak you with us in the trailer!” He laughed quietly.

“No you can’t. I love you. Remember that.” He said lifting my face up and kissing my forehead.

“Bye, baby daddy.” I whispered letting him climb into the car. He waved one more time before pulling out into the busy street. I let the tears roll down my face. Arms wrapped me and pulled me to them.

“It’s okay. Shh.” I looked up at Garrets pained face.

“Hey- Oh honey. Come here.” Katy was standing close behind him, Justin inches from her.

“Quinn left.” I said wiping my face.

“Yeah. I can see. You going to be okay?” I nodded.

“Yeah. I have to go find Halvo. We have a dinner thing.” I muttered. She stroked my hair.

“He invited me and Justin along too. That okay?” I laughed quietly.

“Of course it is. It’s just Eric. Tell him I’ll be there soon. I have to go call my parents.”

“Okay. Meet us out front.” I nodded. Justin lightly touched my arm.

“You sure your okay?”

“For the most part yeah. I dislike watching my best friend drive away in a car with little to no promise that we’ll hang out soon.” He nodded. I walked back into the venue and went to where all our stuff was sitting.

“Looking for this?” John was sitting on top of a case. My purse dangled from his uninjured hand.

“Yeah. Thanks.” I reached to grab it but he pulled away.

“Tell me something. What’s up with you and that Quinn guy?”

“He’s my best friend? I thought we’d gone over this.”

“That scene out in the parking lot before you got mobbed. That was more.” I furrowed my brow.

“We’re you watching?”

“I might have been.”

“That’s weird.”

“So what’s up with you two? Date at one point? Sleep together? Secretly related?”

“No. It’s none of that. We’ve always been there for each other. Trust. It’s hard to come by these days. Can you please hand me that?” He held my bag farther away from me. His eyes narrowed.

“What about Halvo?”

“What about him? John, what are you getting at? He’s taking me out for my birthday, kid is adorable. If something happens, something happens. I don’t think that’s any of your business.” I said angrily. He jumped down and came over to me.

“What I’m getting at is this- its not secret I’ve got feelings for you.”

“You have a girlfriend back home.”

“She was a one night stand. Is that what has been holding you back?”

“What? John. Give me my bag. I seriously can’t deal with this right.” I said grabbing my bag from him.

“Don’t be angry, please?” He asked quietly. I turned back to him.

“Don’t go into a conversation I’m obviously not ready nor in the mood to have.” I said walking away from him. Just when I thought things were going to get better they get even more confusing. Fuck. My. Life.