This Is the World We Left for Dreamers and Believers

We were tour of the walking dead. Instead of embracing the streets of New York with a smile we were groaning, rubbing temples, and smacking the few that had made the right choice and not drank.

I lounged against the wall outside the venue. My camera at waist level taking pictures. As a practical joke I’d woken to find the new All Time Low cd with a pink ribbon around it and a note attached that read “Good luck with your new boyfriend! Love HTL.” It still sat in the van. I didn’t have the heart to throw away music; the good, the bad, or the sucky.

“How’d you like our present?” Omar and Nick asked stopping at the door. I glared at them and raised the camera to their faces.

“Just fine. Thanks. Fucking douche bags.” I said watching John walk across the parking lot. He was always there for me. Recently though he’d treated me as nothing more than a friend other than the “you’re cute but what you do is stupid” forehead kiss. Cute or not I couldn’t put the thought out of my mind that I’d let my one chance with him slip away.

“Could you be anymore obvious?” I jumped and turned to a beaming Katy.

“Fuck. Hi. What are you talking about? How are you? Uhm…hi?” She laughed.

“You know who I’m talking about. He’s tall, handsome, beautiful green eyes. Ya know that guy?”

“He does have really pretty eyes.” I muttered looking at the ground.

“Aw. You like him. Don’t you?” I looked up at her.

“Of course not. He’s….he’s him.” I said watching him get closer. She lowered her voice and looked back at him quickly.

“Whatever. You’re more obvious than you realize.”

“If I liked him- which I don’t. I’d get all nervous whenever he was around. Which I don’t.”

“Yes you do! Look your fidgeting right now!”

“You are so high school.”

“You’re both so high school.” Dave said flashing us a smile and walking into the venue. I sighed.

“I don’t.”

“You do.”

“Nu uh!”

“Yes. You do.”

“I’m not fighting with you.” I said turning away and crossing my arms. Jared joined our small group throwing a questioning glance between us.

“Katy’s being a liar!” I finally answered.

“Annabelle’s being a bigger liar!” He held his hands up.

“Why are you both acting five?”

“Cause Kat-”

“Don’t blame it on-”

“Stop itt!” Jared whined. I giggled.

“Fine. Katy, we’ll talk later. There’s too many knowing, gossipy ears around here.” I said just as Eric and Justin walked past us.

“Of course we will. So you can deny it more.” She said rolling her eyes.

“It’s not denial if it wasn’t the truth in the first place.” I said sticking my tongue out at her retreating back.

“What are you not denying?” Jared asked.

“Some secrets are necessary, Jared. Come on. Let’s go eat. I’m starved.” I said linking his arm through my own.

“We could go shopping too!” He said excitedly. I smiled up at him.

“That’s the best thing I’ve heard all day. My moneys in my bag so I’ll be right back.” I said running over to the van. I slipped my wallet out of my bag and turned to climb out met with John’s serious face.

“Something wrong?” I asked.

“Yeah, I can’t find my other bag.” He said still searching. I reached under the heat and pulled on the canvas string. He sighed with relief when I handed it to him.

“It has the apartment keys in it.” He said jingling a set of 8 keys from a green ring.

“Apartment?”

“You don’t know?” He asked. I was now very confused.

“Uhm….no?”

“Did you even look at the schedule?!” He asked laughing.

“Nah. I left it to you guys to let me know where we were. Why?”

“We have a week off to record up here. The RK guys are going home for a little while and the Hit The Lights guys have a beach house on the shore so we took a week up here to calm down. You didn’t think we had 60 shows lined up did you?” I shrugged and looked at the floor.

“Aw. Well at least we finally get a real bed?” He said trying to comfort me. I shrugged and slid around him.

“Me and Jared are going shopping. Call us whenever we’re suppose to ‘move’.” He gave me a thumbs up and walked the set over to Tim. I slowly made my way over to Jared. He smiled at me and offered his arm out to which I linked my own through.

“I need new jeans.” Jared said blushing a little.

“How come your blushing?” I asked giggling.

“Because usually my mom goes with me to help or GK sends us jeans.”

“Aw. You need help?” He nodded. “Let’s go then!” I said skipping with him out into the busy streets. We took the subway to Manhattan and began our search for Jared’s jeans.

>>

“Come on! Just come out so I can see you!” I whined.

“No! My butt sticks out too much!” I laughed and leaned against the wall that separated the dressing room from the store.

“You have to work what your momma gave you!”

“My momma wasn’t suppose to give me anything!” He pouted. I sighed and leaned the three bags we’d already gotten against the wall and slid under the three foot space that separated the floor from the door. Jared stared at me shocked.

“What are you doing?!” He whispered.

“Inspecting these amazingly cute jeans. They look good but they had them in the next biggest size if that’s what you want?” He eyed me for a second and then huffed.

“From a girls point of view they look good?”

“You want my fan girl opinion?” I asked stifling a laughing.

“Yes! Stop being stupid and help me!”

“They look amazing Jared. By the way, nice ass.” I said smacking his butt and pushing the door open. The guy who was behind the counter watched me and winked like we shared a secret. I
rolled my eyes and sifted through the t shirts. A purple v neck caught my eye, I grabbed it and threw it over the door.

“No. They’re John’s thing. I do the vest.”

“Your stupid vest is old. New trend time.” I said pacing around in a circle. There was a sigh and then he emerged. As Jared had stated purple and v necks just weren’t his thing.

“Told you so.” He said gauging my expression. I shrugged and threw a black striped vest that had a gray hood attached at the back.

“Fine. You win.” I said sitting down on the floor. He re emerged wearing his Pink Floyd shirt and the vest that fit well.

“Your turn.” He said smiling devishily.

“Nooo! I only want small stuff. Shoes maybe.”

“Nope. Clothes too.” He said adding the vest to pile of shit we’d already picked out for him.

“Jared you’re not a girl though! You’ll just say everything looks fine!”

“I swear I’ll give you the honest truth no matter what!”

“No matter what? Even if it hurts my feelings and I might cry?”

“Please don’t cry.” I sighed and hung my head.

“Fine. Let’s keep it decent though. Alright?” He nodded and grabbed the objects he’d chosen. I tried on sunglasses while he paid. I cringed at the price on the sunglasses I was currently wearing. $113 for a pair of sunglasses. Call me cheap but I’d never paid more than $30.

“They look good on you. Want em?” He asked reaching for his credit card again. I shook my head and smacked his hand away.

“Don’t even think about it. Between you and John I’m going to be paying you both back months after I get home.

“You seriously don’t think I’d take your money do you? It’s a gift. Don’t worry about it.” He said slinging his arm around my shoulders. I huffed and walked with him to a small boutique that was down the street. I lost my breath walking in. Dresses and shirts of every color hung from racks. A whole entire wall decorated to necklaces, leggings, and other assorted jewelry. In the back of the spacious room were six neat lines of shoes ranging from heights, colors, and styles.
I looked up at him. He was trying not to laugh at my expression.

“I….Jared, you win. Choose whatever you want. I am your bitch.” He burst into a fit of laughter. I smacked his arm and calmly walked over to a rack where a dress had caught my eyes. By the time I had found two, Jared had doubled my amount and was still searching.

“What about this?” He asked holding up a sequin number that hung limply from the hanger. I shook my head and walked over to the shoes. So many choices. There was every brand possible, a few in a language I didn’t speak and others I didn’t dare look at that.

“What size?” I was startled by the young guys appearance. Barely 5’7 at the least, he was tiny, his jeans were practically painted on and his shirt was unreadable due to the purple hoodie he was hiding it with.

“Uh. Nine.”

“Bella?! Where did you go?!” Jared’s panicky voice rang around the small shop. I waved him over. He sighed and joined my side.

“I’m not lost, dead, or stolen. You’re safe with Tim.” He scowled and waved to the guy who had once been calm, cool, and collected was now staring, his mouth hanging open.

“You’re Jared Monaco.”

“The one and only. Sup man?”

“Er…..helping your girlfriend find stuff.” We both blushed.

“We’re just friends.” We both simultaneously said.

“Oh. Well….uhm…..that’s cool. The nines over there.” He said pointing to a shelf towards the back. I nodded and thanked him before rushing away and grabbing five pairs of shoes that I knew I couldn’t dare to think I could walk in. Jared was chatting with the kid, every now and then he’d peek around the corner to see where I was.

“Jared! I’m not a fucking kid. Jesus.”

“Sorry! I don’t want to lose you and then get killed!!” He answered stomping his foot. I sighed and threw the silver Chuck Taylor’s down on the floor.

“I’m sleepy.” I whined carrying over the shoes I’d chosen.

“And you’re not a child?” He asked taking the dress and shoes I’d taken from me.

“Shut up Jared! Let’s go. There’s a bed, kitchen, there’s a fucking house waiting for us dude!” I said pushing him over to the check out. He laughed and paid for the stuff.

We were on the subway and standing outside a 50 story building in less than an hour. The elevator was stuffy. We were too excited to stay still. Our bags leaned against the wall, the white cord to his ear buds hung between us while we both sang obnoxiously to The Used’s “Taste Of Ink”. The song finished just as we reached our floor. Jared excitedly dragged me to the end of the hall and yanked open the door that read 225. Scattered around the living room were members from both The Maine and A Rocket To The Moon.

“You’re back?!” Kennedy asked hugging me. I hugged him back.

“Yep! With new clothes!” I said excitedly showing him the bags. Jared appeared from a room in the back, his former tight jeans now replaced with loose shorts as were all the guys. One of those things you just never got use to seeing.

“For me?!” He asked nearly bursting with excitement. I leaned down on the floor and searched through the bags before I pulled out a thin necklace that had a dinosaur on the end of it.

“Aw!” I smiled and handed it to him.

“I thought that was for you?” Jared asked looking over his shoulder.

“That’s what you get for thinking. Wait! Where’s my bag and computer at!?” I asked frantically searching the room with my eyes.

“In the room. Calm down.” John said pointing to a room closest to the door on the right. I sighed.

“Thanks, Oh.”

“You’re going to call him Oh?” Halvo asked, an amused look on his face.

“If ya’ll are going to call me Bella then I’m calling him Oh. You’re Halvo. Kenny is Kenny. Garret is Garebear and Pat is a puppy. It’s only fair.”

“What about Jared?” John asked amused.

“He doesn’t get a nick name because I went shopping with him, had a lady tell us that it wasn’t okay for couples to mess around in dressing rooms, and some guy winked at me after I told Jared his butt looked cute in the jeans he tried on. I’ve been through enough. I’m done.” I said pouting on the floor. The others were giggling.

“Seems eventful. When do I get to go on one of these epic shopping trips?” Justin asked.

“You have a girlfriend, dear.” He sighed and stood up.

“I’m going to ours. Later!” He said happily walking out. I sighed and walked to the back of the apartment my bags sat on a red comforter covered full bed. I nearly cried at the sight of it.

“Don’t get too excited. We’re flipping a coin to see who gets the wonderful honor of sharing that bed with you.” Pat said walking out of the kitchen.

“Who are the contestants?” I asked disappointingly frowning.

“John and Garret.” I hung my head. Of course. My life.