We Can Shine Like the Sun

Avara rolled over in her bunk and sighed. She was nestled in-between Caleb and the bunk wall. Caleb was all snugly and warm. His arm was draped loosely over waist and his head was snuggled into the nook of his other arms elbow. Avara smiled, she really did like him, more then she was willing to let on. With a sigh, she crawled over him and ambled down the hall and into the back lounge. She was surprised to see Holly and Kyle asleep together sitting up, laptops on their laps. Holly’s glasses askew on her face from where it was on Kyle’s shoulder. Kyle’s face held a smile from where his head laid on Holly’s head. Avara mentally kicked herself. Why hadn’t she and Caleb thought to check Kill Barbie’s bus? And why had they gone straight into her bunk, when they could have gotten Kyle and Holly back while they were sleeping.

She shook her head; it was too late at night to be thinking seriously. She turned and went in to the kitchen to grab a bottle of water. She drank deeply and the glanced at the clock on the way. Make it, early in the morning. With yet another sigh, she pushed her half empty... Or half full bottle of water back into the already full fridge and ambled back to her bunk. She noticed Harlee and Tadem weren’t in their bunks, and the bus was moving. She wondered where they’d be.

She shrugged and climbed back over Caleb and settled down again. She’d wonder more in the morning, for now, she was just gong to sleep until she was woken up later.

When she did wake up later, it was because her phone was ringing from somewhere in her bunk. It turned out to be lying underneath a grumbling Caleb and Avara giggled as she tried to push him off it.

“You’re phone is like, super annoying,” he mumbled sleepily.

“Well get off it silly,” she said. He rolled over enough for her to grab her phone, just as it stopped ringing. She looked at the screen which told her she had a missed call from Jonathan, as well as a message, so she went into her inbox and read said message.

Where are you? I thought we were breakfast buddies 

Avara slide open the curtain of the bus and peeked out the window. They were still moving.

On my moving bus. Because I am in a band on tour and that’s what we do. She replied to him. She attempted to climb over Caleb, but he wasn’t making it easy. He rolled over and Avara lost her balance and ended up falling on top of him, leaving them in an awkward position. He was lying on his back, and she was lying on her stomach on top of him, with her phone between them, and he was fully awake now.

“What a lovely way to wake up,” he smiled up at her. The moment was broken when Avara’s phone vibrated between them.

“Awkward,” Avara whispered as she rolled off Caleb and grabbed her phone.

“It’s Jonathan isn’t it,” he sighed. Avara nodded while reading the message.

“How did you know?” She asked. Caleb didn’t say anything; he just climbed out of Avara’s bunk. Avara shrugged off his weird behaviour and replied to Jonathan’s message. He said the busses were stopping for gas soon and that she should get on his bus and have breakfast with him because they were ‘breakfast buddies’. She told him she would.

Avara got dressed and soon enough she heard the voices of Austin, Marc and Kent so she knew they had stopped. She grabbed her phone, IPod and various other personal possessions before skipping off the bus and heading toward the FTSK bus, which was parked a little up the road from a service station. She knew their code so she let herself on the bus.

“Jonathan?” She called.

“Avara!” He exclaimed delightedly before embracing her. “Hey, where’d my band go?” He asked.

“On my bus,” she smiled. Jonathan’s phone suddenly rang and his expression turned annoyed when he saw the caller ID. He held up a finger to Avara to say he’d be a second and went into the back lounge. She silently followed him, eager to hear what he was going to say.

“No I did not kick everyone off the bus,” he snapped into the mouthpiece. “You’re such a dick when you’re jealous.” Avara cringed at the language Jonathan used. She’d never heard him speak like that before. He seemed really angry and it frightened her a little bit. “We’re just having breakfast together.” Avara’s ears burned. She knew he was talking about her. “She’s not an object Caleb.” Avara gulped. “You can’t own her. She’s not even your girlfriend. Butt out.” Avara gathered he hung up on Caleb and she backed away so he wouldn’t know she was standing there.

“Are you okay?” Avara gasped, rushing toward Jonathan when he came back into view. He looked worse than he sounded. He just smiled unconvincingly and nodded. She didn’t fully understand the conversation she had over heard but it didn’t matter because she forgot about it all anyway. All she was worried about was cheering Jonathan up. She wrapped her arms around him in a hug. “You sure?” He nodded again and she rested her head on his chest as he returned her hug. “You sure you’re sure?”

“Yes,” Jonathan laughed, “Now let’s have breakfast.” And with that, Jonathan pushed her into the kitchen part of the bus.

While Avara and Jonathan were happily enjoying their breakfast, Kyle and Holly were exchanging high fives from various heights. Up high, down low, to the side, to the other side, normally, way up high and on the ground. After they’d high fived every way they could think of, Holly grinned.

“What are you grinning at?” Kyle asked. Holly grabbed his hand, made him put it into a fist with the thumb up, and did the same with her own hand, and then she punched his knuckles. “I don’t get it,” Kyle muttered after a while. Holly rolled her eyes.

“I can’t say what that was out loud,” she said.

“Erm,” Kyle said, “why not?”

“Because,” she told him, “Avara will hear, and come bash you up for being a stealer.”

“But I didn’t steal anything,” he replied, thoroughly confused.

“She caught me and Caleb doing it the other day,” she said, “Avara got angry and said; ‘I’m watch you, and your best friend stealing knuckles’.” Kyle still looked confused by what she was saying, so she leant forward towards his ear and whispered; “you and I, we, just thumbs up knuckled punched.”

‘ Ooh, ahh, I lost my bra, I left it in my boyfriends car, why, did, I leave it there, because I needed to get some air. Oooh a-’. Holly snatched her phone up looking embarrassed and scared. The caller I.D. read ‘Avara’ and Kyle had a look on his face that visibly said; ‘what the crap was that song?’

“Twoo, Twoo, Sorry, a pigeon stole my phone, I’ll get back to you when I catch the pigeon that stole it, it gave it back so that I could leave this message” Holly said, “Beep, beep, beep,” she added onto the end.

“Quit it,” Avara yelled, “I know your not a pigeon!” Holly gulped.

“Yes dear friend?”

“YOU JUST FREAKING THUMBS UP KNUCKLE PUNCHED KYLE BURNS?!” Avara yelled, “you cheated on me with your blonde lover boy?!”

“I’m sorry,” Holly whined, “We were doing high-fives and then I just had this want to knuckled punch him, I’m sorry Vara!”

“Okay Holly,” Avara warned, “butnever do that again, or our friendship will be terminated!”

“Like, Caleb Turmanated?”

“No,” Avara said, “like I’ll kick your ass terminated.” Holly gulped.

“’Kay Vara, see you when we get to the next venue, ‘kay?” She said, “love you,” and hung up. “Vara’s angry with me,” she mumbled to Kyle. Kyle laughed and wrapped his arms around her.

“It’s okay Holly, I’m not angry with you.” Holly smiled.

“You mean that Kyle?” She asked, “really?”

“Yes,” he replied. Holly grinned, reached her head up and kissed his chin. She then got embarrassed that she’d done that and went to her bunk and crawled in, face red. “Can I join you?”

“Yeah,” she muttered, “just don’t look at my face.” Kyle laughed and crawled in with his shirt pulled up over his eyes. “You’re a loser,” she giggled.

The next time the busses stopped, Jonathan and Avara decided to go back to the Kill Barbie bus. They just had one problem, Avara had forgotten the code. To solve said problem, she started bashing on the door. Soon after, Holly stuck her head out the bus window.

“Who’s there?” She asked.

“Avara,” Avara yelled.

“Avara who?” Holly asked.

“The guitarist for you band you nong.”

“Oh,” Holly said, “What’s the password?”

“What password?” Avara asked.

“You know,” she shrugged “The password.”

“We don’t have a password,” Avara threw her hands up impatiently.

“Yes we do,” Holly corrected.

“No we don’t,” Avara argued.

“Do too! I made it up while you were gone,” Holly said.

“Well then how am I supposed to know it?” Avara asked.

“Oh,” Holly frowned, “I’ll give you a hint. It starts with b and ends with anana.”

“Banana,” Avara rolled her eyes.

“Nope,” Holly shook her head. Avara’s jaw dropped.

“Then what is it?”

“I’ll give it to you this time. Only because Harlee can’t head bang and play guitar at the same time, and our band is lost without someone with that exact talent. It’s bananana.”

“You’re such,” Avara fumed, “An ass nose!” She banged on the door again and a few seconds later Holly opened it.

“Oh,” she said, “If you had of said you were with Jonathan, I would have let you in.” Avara glared at her and pushed her out of the way so her and Jonathan, who was laughing uncontrollably, could get on the bus.

That night, apparently all the bands were going to some party that Alex had invited Holly to. Holly decided she wanted to go, just not with Alex. Instead, she had told Alex she wasn’t going to attend said party, and had asked Kyle to accompany her. If and when she saw Alex, she was going to tell him she changed her mind about going.

Avara on the other hand wasn’t one for parties, but Holly had convinced her to go with Caleb. At first, she gulped and tried to find an excuse to go alone, but she didn’t want to admit that she’d overheard part of his conversation with Jonathan, nor did she want to even think about said conversation.

So now Holly was standing in front of Avara in a low cut v neck shirt and some shorts.

“How do I look?” She asked.

“Like a hoe,” Avara smiled as she sat on the floor and pulled on her Dunlop volleys.

“I can’t believe your going to a party in volleys,” Holly rolled her eyes.

“I can’t believe your going like a hoe,” Avara replied. Holly clicked her tongue in annoyance. “Maybe this is how I want to be remembered,” Avara shrugged.

“What? As the girl whose friend goes to parties looking like a hoe?” Holly asked.

“No, I meant as the girl who rocks up everywhere in her skinnies and volleys. Don’t be so full of yourself.” Avara looked down at what she was wearing. Yes, she was wearing black skinnies and white volleys, but they blended nicely with her white top that showed off a decent amount of her upper figure without being skanky. She rounded up Harlee and Tadem, Jake and Travis, their merch guy, and headed toward the Forever the Sickest Kids bus to get the boys. She knocked on the bus door which was yanked open by Jonathan.

“Guy’s, your ride is here,” he yelled down the bus.

“Aren’t you coming?” Avara asked. He shook his head and walked into the bus out of eyeshot before the rest of the guys hopped off.

Kyle, Holly, Avara and Caleb were walking behind the rest of the group and had their arms linked together. They arrived at the part of the venue where the party was being thrown and were greeted by none than a drunken, stumbling Alex Gaskarth.

“Hollly,” he slurred. “Thought you weren’t comin’”

“Changed my mind,” she smiled.

“Come get a drink with me, we’ll dance,” he said, attempting to grab her arm but she quickly backed out of the way, causing him to loose his balance. Caleb steadied him before he could fall over.

“Maybe later okay, when I’m drunk to,” she said, thankful that his state wouldn’t allow him to understand the comment. She wasn’t here to get drunk.

“I’m not druunk,” Alex said, reaching for Holly’s arm again, but this time Kyle stopped him.

“She said no Gaskarth, beat it,” he growled. Alex glared daggers at him before stumbling off to hit on some blonde girl by the drinks.

“Shit, no one wants that for their daughter,” Holly commented.

“Your mum might,” Avara disagreed.

Kyle looked at Holly in concern. She was looking after Alex and Kyle noticed she seemed a little frightened.

“Let’s not get drinks yet, ‘kay,” she said. He nodded and led her off to another part of the party instead where he saw the entity that was Travis Clark’s hair. Travis grinned when he saw them, and made his way over, meeting them half way. “Gee Travis, your hair looks very,” she thought of a few words before deciding on; “organismish.” Travis chuckled and hugged her, and then turned to Kyle and ‘man-hugged’ him.

“What are you guys doing?” He asked.

“Nothing,” Holly replied, “absolutely nothing interesting, boring stuff, because that’s what you do at parties, right?” She laughed, she was being sarcastic. Kyle laughed. “What are you doing?”

“Well, I wasn’t going to come out and party,” he told her, “but then Danny and I had a skittle eating contest, and half way through, we remembered that he’s allergic, and now, he’s pussing out of his eyeballs, it’s totally sick man.” Holly gave him a disgusted look, while Kyle cracked up laughing.

“That makes me want to throw up whatever I’ve eated today,” she told them,” and I don’t think I have eated today, so I’ll basically be throwing up yesterday’s food.” Travis and Kyle gave her odd looks. “I’m bored, let’s go see what Avara and Turman are up to.”

“Yeah, you two go do that,” Travis said, “I’m going to go see Travis and Tadem.” Holly gave him a questioning look. “I mean, I have to go see Travis and Hunter, from We The Kings, not Tadem, why would I need to see her?” And without waiting on them to say anything, he walked off still muttering about why he didn’t need to go and talk to Tadem.

“He is so weird sometimes,” Holly noted, tapping her left index finger on her chin thoughtfully. Kyle agreed.

“Wanna go back to the bus?” He asked. Holly nodded; this had to be the most boring party she’d ever been to. As the two headed back in the direction they arrived, they faced Alex again. He was even more drunk now. He spotted Kyle and Holly and marched over, pointing a wobbly finger in Kyle’s face.

“You,” he told Kyle,” are an ass!”

“Why?” Kyle asked.

“I asked Holly to come to this party with me,” he slurred, this time jabbing his finger into Kyle’s chest, “and then she came with you, you woman stealer!” Kyle raised his eyebrows.

“Man, I’m not going to fight you,” he said.

“Well, I am going to fight you!” Alex told him. He straightened up, and bought his fist back, and swung. But because he was drunk, and slow, Kyle had time to move out of the way. Holly yelled loudly, and yanked Kyle back even more just as Caleb and Avara hurried over.

“What the hell are you doing Gaskarth?” Avara yelled, pushing him backwards into a chair that was conveniently near-by.

“He,” he pointed at Kyle,” is a woman stealer.”

“Your drunk,” Avara stated, “go back to your bus, and talk about Kyle and his womanising tomorrow, when you’ll know what the hell your saying and you’ll know how much of a face dick your being!” Alex didn’t reply to her, he just mumbled a few obscenities while he was lead away by a surprisingly sober Jack, who was embarrassed by his rambling lead singer and fellow guitarist.