We Can Shine Like the Sun

The next morning, Jonathan was the first person on the Kill Barbie bus to wake up, although, he was really worried about how he’d gotten there in the first place, he’d fallen asleep in his bunk, in Forever The Sickest Kids’ bus. He scrambled up off of the couch and went into the kitchen where Caleb and Holly were engaged in an epic thumb war battle. It appeared that Holly was the reining champion; because soon enough Caleb was jumping around squealing that Holly had broken his thumb and that they needed to get to the emergency room A.S.A.P.

“Whoa!” Holly exclaimed when she saw him, “what the crap are you doing here?”

“I have no idea!” Jonathan replied, “I fell asleep in my bunk, in my bus!”

“Yeah I bet,” Caleb muttered. Jonathan’s head shot up and he glared at Caleb, who stared back innocently.

“You two need to work out which of you loves her more,” Holly observed. The two boys turned and stared at her, mouths gaping open. Holly went over to the fridge and grabbed the carton of milk and took a sip. “I mean, it was sorta funny at first, but now, it’s just kinda awkward.”

“I’m just gonna, you know; go back to my bus and... Goodbye,” Jonathan yelled, rushing out of the bus, letting the door slam shut behind him. Caleb laughed, but it sounded more of a giggle.

“And you,” she turned to him, “need to like, kiss her or something.” Caleb’s jaw dropped open once again. “Cheerio monkey boy, I’m heading back to my bunk to snuggle with your drummer.” Caleb let out a few noises and then shut his mouth with a snap and went to the pantry and pulled out Kill Barbie’s peanut butter, grabbed a spoon from the draw, sat in the booth and started eating it.

Holly climbed into her bunk under the curtain, climbed over Kyle’s sleeping body and pulled her blanket up over herself. She grabbed one of Kyle’s arms, and pulled that over herself as well. She snuggled down, and entwined both of their legs together.

“Where’d you go?” Kyle asked huskily, hugging her closer and pushing his face into her neck.

“Caleb informed me that we were due for a thumb wrestle, and I like, totally pwned him at that, and then he screamed and said he needed to go to the emergency room and, and.”

“Yeah,” he laughed, “that’s pretty much sounds like Caleb.”



A few hours later, FTSK were all on Kill Barbie’s bus while it was moving heading towards the next venue, they hadn’t left the previous just yet. They also had a lady there interviewing them about what the tour had been like so far with Kill Barbie. The group talked with her about what was going on with them so far. First, they told her about their ‘best bunk awards’ and Austin even accidentally got himself disqualified, when he accidentally let slip something about his bunk.

“What is one word you would use to describe this tour so far,” the girl, Alison asked. The six guys and four girls all thought.

“Clockwise?” Kyle asked.

“Sure,” Alison smiled.

“Me first,” he said, “Tremendous!” The five other guys and three of the girls gave him and Holly knowing looks and grins, “your turn Holly.”

“Amazing I think, Austin?” Austin opened his mouth and began to banter with Jonathan and Marc, before Caleb spoke up.

“I-I’m gonna go with, can I say something?” Caleb asked.

“Yeah, yes you may,” Alison replied, she was grinning at the last insult Jonathan had just ‘inconspicuously’ sent her. But she seemed to think he wasn’t being a bitch to her.

“Or do you just wanna talk?” Caleb kept talking.

“Nah, it’s cool Caleb,” Austin muttered.

“I would love for you to talk,” Alison smiled. Avara sent her a glare because she seemed be flirting with him and then turned to look at Caleb, waiting for him to talk.

“It’s fine,” Austin said, muttering again.

“You’re always interrupting me Austin,” Caleb told Austin.

“I’m not trying to,” Austin said.

“You are.”

“If you would have had what I had just now...,” Austin argued.

“See...,” Caleb said.

“...You’d be upset.”

“...It’s true.” The two argued.

“You both fight like an old married couple,” Tadem told them, laughing and slapping her knee. Suddenly, Harlee stood up, went over to the door blocking the lounge off from the bunks, pushing it open and rushing through. “What’s up with her?” Tadem enquired. Harlee came running out with her special bright blue acoustic guitar in her arms.

“Playing a song for us Harls?” Holly asked. Harlee shook her head and laughed.

“No,” she said,” I heard Travis going into the toilet,” she told them. The six guys and Alison gave her questioning looks while Holly, Avara and Tadem burst out laughing.

“I don’t get it,” Kent said after a second of thinking intently.

“Harlee practices songs in the bathroom,” Holly explained.

“Better acoustics in the bathroom hey?” Marc asked. Harlee nodded her head.

“Yeah, it vibrates of the walls and is louder, and makes me feel like I’m in the studio, so it gives me a better feel for the songs that I’m playing,” she told them all.

“I’ll have to try that,” Caleb laughed.

“Sometimes,” Tadem said, “Harlee, Avara and Holly all squish into the bathroom and have a jam sesh.”

“Your not invited Tadem?” Alison asked.

“I’m the drummer,” Tadem laughed, “my bongo’s wouldn’t fit in there with four girls and an acoustic guitar,” she said, “sometimes, I sit outside the door with them, and play along.”

“Loner,” Jonathan breathed out in a teasing voice.

“Holly?”

“Yes Kyle?”

“Don’t look now, but crazy Gaskarth appears to be calling your cell-phone.”

“Ew.”

“Oh, let me answer it!” Avara yelled. Kyle tossed her Holly’s phone which she expertly flipped open and answered.

“Yo Gaskarth,” she said, “You sober?” Silence. “Oh, you hung over?” More silence. Then...

“Where’s Holly?” He asked huskily.

“Excuse me who?” She asked.

“Don’t play dumb with me. This is her number, put her on.”

“I don’t seem to recall you using a certain magic word, Mr Gaskarth,” Avara said, keeping her cool. Although, she was just about ready to get off her bus, try and find All Time Low’s bus, get lost, ask for directions, actually find All Time Low’s bus, kick Alex’s stalkerish ass, and laugh the whole time doing it. The only thing stopping her was that Kyle would get jealous if she did it alone, and if he went with her, he would probably end up getting his own ass kicked.

“Abracadabra,” Alex said, “Put her on.”

“Or what?” Avara asked.

“I don’t think you want to know,” he hissed.

“You sound dangerous,” Avara giggled. This seemed to infuriate Alex even more, if that were possible.

“Sometimes, I can be,” he replied.

“Look stop threatening me okay. You’re lucky she hasn’t warmed up to you yet or you would probably already be in hospital. Stop stalking the poor girl, she doesn’t like you.”

“Are you threatening me now?” Alex asked her.

“Yes,” Avara told him, “I am. And I think that considering it’s immoral for men to hit woman, but not the other way around, and that I have two more kick ass chicks and seven guys, plus the rest of your own band that will defend Holly, BACK THE FUCK OFF!” And with that, she hung up the phone.

“Oohh,” everyone on the bus said.

“Oh, I didn’t realise everyone was watching me. Excuse my language,” Avara said, looking at her feet shamefully.

“Also,” Austin said, “The interviewer left.” Avara scratched the back of her head.

“Sorry, I hope she doesn’t write anything about that.”

“Nah, she left before any bad language was thrown around,” Jonathan informed her.

“Wait a minute, aren’t we moving?” Avara laughed. “Did she use a window?”

“We’ve stopped,” Marc said, walking into the lounge with a gas station sausage roll.

“Oh, I didn’t even notice you were gone,” she told him.

“You really know how to make people feel important,” he said.

“Well,” she said, getting up and stretching her back, “Then I’m going to go chill on FTSK’s bus.”

“Why?” Austin asked.

“I can’t breathe in here,” she shrugged. “And I believe my two best friends should accompany me.” Holly, Harlee and Tadem looked at each other.

“Um, there are actually three of us,” Tadem told her.

“I wasn’t talking about you. Caleb, Jonathan,” she clicked her fingers and pointed to the door of the bus.

“Is that really a good idea?” Holly asked her.

“Why wouldn’t it be,” Avara frowned. Apparently she was completely oblivious about the war going on between her two ‘best friends’. No one said anything. “Or I could always go hang by myself,” she said. Both Caleb and Jonathan jumped up at the same time, trying to inconspicuously glare at each other when Avara turned her back to them.

“Have fun,” Harlee called.

“Should we send someone else with them?” Kyle asked.

“Nah, she might be able to sort em out. If they start fighting, she’ll wack em,” Holly said.

“Why does Caleb have to be here,” Jonathan whined on their way to their bus. Avara whacked him.

“Be nice, he can hear you. He needs large ears to go with his abnormally large head ya know,” she scolded.

“Haha, she thinks you have a big head,” Jonathan teased Caleb, making sure it sounded friendly for the sake of Avara. And because he didn’t want to get whacked again.

“So,” Caleb replied, “She likes my bunk better.”

“Actually,” she said as they climbed onto the bus, “Jonathan’s bunk is more comfortable, yours is just bigger.” She said.

“Why are you being mean?” Caleb whined.

“Awww I’m sorry,” she said, reaching up on her toes to mess up his head, “You’re hair is cooler.” She told him.

They got into the back lounge, and this time Avara didn’t miss the glares the boys shot at each other. She stopped in the doorway as Jonathan and Caleb sat down on the couch.

“Alright,” she said, “Stop this.” Jonathan and Caleb both stared at her. She walked toward them and sat herself between them on the couch. “You two boys are my favourite boys on this tour, apart from my Travis and Jake,” she told them. “And you’re band mates, and best friends.” The boys didn’t know what to say. “Please stop fighting,” she said quietly.

The boys still didn’t say anything. They were looking anywhere but each other, and the girl they both liked. Avara on the other hand was looking from one boy to the other. “Boys,” she sighed, shaking her head. She stood up in front of them. She clicked her fingers at them both. “Look at me.” They both guiltily looked up at her. “I don’t know what is going on with you two, but it isn’t worth your friendship. And as long as your going to continue this stupid fighting, I don’t want to be around either of you,” she ranted, heading for the door of the back lounge.

“Avara,” they both called.

“What?” she spun around.

“The bus is moving,” Caleb said.

“Great,” she huffed. Caleb and Jonathan didn’t show any sign making up so Avara sat on the floor in front of them. “What am I going to do with you two?” She asked herself. She wanted to sort all this out, but it didn’t make it easy when she didn’t know what was going on in the first place.

Meanwhile, on the Kill Barbie bus, everyone was still lazing around.

“I wonder how Avara’s going,” Holly sighed.

“Call her,” Kyle suggested.

“Nah,” Holly shook her head. “But,” she said, “We should eat some cake.” Holly went into the kitchen, but stopped and backed up so her head was poking through the door. “And by ‘we’, I mean ‘me’.”

“Can I have some cake Holly?” Kyle asked, grabbing her arm when she came back into the back lounge with a plastic plate filled with chocolate cake. Holly eyed him for a moment before she sat down on his lap, got a bit of cake on her spoon and put it up to his face. Kyle grinned triumphantly, and took the bit of cake off of the spoon with his mouth. Tadem and Harlee looked flabbergasted.

“Wow,” Harlee said, “she actually let you eat cake off of her spoon.” Again, all of the boys looked confused. “She has a phobia of spit,” Tadem laughed.

“Oh,” Austin said, “interesting...” Holly looked up to see that Harlee was staring incredulously at the TV remote.

“Harls -” Holly started, but she was shushed by Harlee.

“Shhh,” She said, “I’m trying to find the upside down button.”

“Excuse me?” Holly asked her. She looked at the TV and then nodded her head knowingly. The upside down show was on. It was a show they had back in Australia that consisted of a lot of door opening and two smart ass comedians that made up buttons on an imaginary remote. They were currently hanging upside down and wanted the viewer to put them right again by pressing a made up button. Holly watched as Harlee directed the remote at the TV and pressed a button, with perfect timing. The men were the right side up again and were congratulating the audience on pressing the right button. Harlee on the other hand was giggling and clapping like a child.

“Found it,” she grinned.

“So Harlee,” Marc started, “I heard you were getting a new guitar.”

“Who told you that?!” She asked, jumping to her feet in an accusing way.

“You did,” he said slowly, “Yesterday.”

“Ah,” she said, sitting down again and diverting her attention back to the TV, where there were currently two butch men wrestling. One guy threw the other to the ground and Harlee made a funny noise, “Wouldn’t that, like, hurt?” She frowned.

“You’re so weird today Harlee,” Holly laughed, “And, I love it.” Harlee grinned and held her hand up for a high-five; Holly pushed her plate of cake in Harlee’s direction, ignoring her raised hand. “And by ‘I love it’, I mean, ‘eat my cake!’”

“I will gladly eat your cake Holly, gladly!” Harlee grinned, snatching the cake from Holly’s hands, and setting to work on shovelling it into her mouth. “I freaking nuff cakeb!”

“You love Caleb?” Kent asked, raising hid eyebrows. Harlee gave him a disgusted look. She swallowed her mouth full of cake, and glared at Kent some more.

“I said, CAKE!” Kent jumped, knocking Austin’s face into the wall that he was next to.

“That was my face, Kent!” He exclaimed, “Why is everyone picking on me today?” He asked, standing up and going into the kitchen. “Holly, I need some cake.”

“Go right on in and get some Atizzle,” Holly replied with a motherly tone, “go right on and get some.”

Meanwhile, on FTSK’s bus, Jonathan and Caleb were still sending each other mean glares over Avara’s head. She’d decided to sit between them, so as to break the awkward silence that seemed to be going on in there.

“Caleb,” Jonathan snapped, “your breathing too loud.” Caleb looked over Avara at Jonathan and glared at him some more.

“Jonathan, your face is in the way of the T.V.”

“Caleb and Jonathan,” Avara snapped, “your both annoying the fucking shit out of me.”

“Avara,” Jonathan said, “Caleb just gave me the finger!”

“Avara,” Caleb said, “Jonathan just hit me!” Avara stood up and glared at them both angrily.

“You both are going to suffer from my fist in your faces, now im going to see the driver!”

“Why?” Jonathan asked.

“I want off this bus,” she replied, “I want to be where no one is ignoring anyone.” With that, she stormed out of the back lounge, down the middle of the bus and to where the driver was. “Excuse me?” She said politely.

“Yes honey?”

“Would you be able to pull over, so I can get off?” The driver looked at her with an odd expression.

“What’s wrong?”

“Jonathan and Caleb are jack-asses, they have too much testosterone, and they need to get over themselves!” The bus driver nodded and put his right flicker on. “Thank you.”

“That’s fine honey; we’ll wait until your bus stops for you.” Avara got her phone from her pocket and dialled Holly’s number. She knew it off by heart. Holly picked up after the second ring, except, it wasn’t Holly. It was Tadem.

“Hello, Holly’s sex line, she’s not in at the moment, may I take a message?” Avara chuckled, she was used to this. They all made up funny things when they answered each others phones.

“Get the bus driver to pull over,” she muttered, “Im coming back on our bus, this one sucks.”

“So does this one,” Tadem chatted, “Austin’s angry at Kent because Holly scared Kent and he knocked Austin’s head into the wall. Austin and Holly are now in the kitchen, Austin has problems, and Holly’s being an ear.”

“Well that’s,” Avara started, “pretty interesting Tades, but can you please get the driver to pull over now? I want Holly to be my ear!”

“Yes well, okay, If I really must,” Tadem sighed, “but you did just interrupt my chat with Kyle about drum sticks, and well, that was a really important conversation, hey Kyle?”

“Yeah!” She heard Kyle’s muffled reply.

“Is he eating something?” Avara laughed.

“Yeah,” Tadem replied, “Harlee gave him Holly’s cake- OH, that reminds me!” She said, suddenly getting excited, “guess what Holly did while you were gone?!”

“What did Holly do while I was gone?” Avara asked, stepping off of the bus and waving at the bus driver before he re-closed the doors and moved off because Kill Barbie’s bus was slowing to a stop behind it.

“She let Kyle eat off of her fork!” Avara’s eyes widened.

“Serious?”

“No syke Avara, it happened!”

“Oh me and her are so thumbs up knuckle punching when I see her!” The bus stopped and the doors opened. Avara climbed in and closed her phone. She heard Tadem yell something about hanging up on her and she laughed. Avara went into the kitchen and grinned when she saw Austin and Holly. “Holly thumbs up knuckle punch for sharing a fork with Kyle!” Holly jumped, she hadn’t realised the bus was stopping, or that Avara was coming back.

“Vara, your back, what happened?”

“Caleb and Jonathan are ass-feet, and were being dicks, so I called your phone, and talked to Holly’s sex line about random shyte while I waited for our bus to stop.” Holly frowned.

“Tadem!” She yelled.

“Yeah?”

“I thought we agreed I was movie producer today!”

“Oh yeah,” she heard Tadem yell back, “sorry, I thought you were a sex line today.”

“I’ll let it slide this time Tadem,” Holly said sternly, “Just don’t do it again!” And then Holly finally collided her knuckles and thumb to Avara’s patiently waiting one.



A few hours later, the busses pulled up to the next venue. Avara, Holly, Harlee, Tadem, Kyle, Kent, Marc, Austin, Travis and Jake hopped off the KB bus and stretched.

“Oh my god,” Austin said suddenly, “Didn’t anyone think of Jonathan and Caleb?”

“What do you mean?” Harlee asked.

“They’re on your bus,” added Avara.

“Yes, unsupervised,” Austin explained with some crazy eyebrow thing going on.

“Please never do that again with your eyebrows thankyou,” Holly said.

“I agree with Austin,” said Marc, “We could like go on our bus and they would have killed each other.”

While the others were talking, Avara slipped over to the FTSK bus and let herself on.

“Have you two sorted out your differences yet?” She called.

“Yes,” she heard Jonathan, “We’ve found out that I’m awesome and Caleb is lame.”

“I take it that’s a no,” she sighed to herself. “I’m over this,” she called, “I’m off to find a new best friend.” She stormed off the bus and slammed the door behind her.

“Yo Burns,” she said when she found everyone else. She pried him off Holly and dragged him toward her bus, “You’re my new best friend.”

“Do I have a choice in the matter?” he asked.

“No,” she said, as though it was obvious, “Of course you don’t.”

“So uh, what are we going to do, uh, best friend?” He asked more then stated. Avara looked at him and then dragged him back off the bus.

“We,” she said, indicating him and her, “are going to catering for some grub.”

“A worm?”

“What?” She asked, “I mean food.”

“Oh,” he said, “I thought you meant grub as in, worm grub, insect.”

“Your weird, not gonna lie.”

“Maybe we just don’t like, connect and stuff,” Kyle said, “So I’m gonna go hang out with your real best friend.”

“I don’t think so,” Avara exclaimed loudly, dragging Kyle back towards her, “You’re not ditching me for Holly.”

“Come on Avara,” he whined.

“Shoosh up and I’ll give you some cake.”

Kyle’s whining abruptly stopped and he raised his eyebrow suspiciously. “Cake?” He questioned. Avara nodded, “Well Avara my dear, we may be able to make this friendship work after all.” Avara grinned and led him to the kitchen.



Outside the bus however, something different was going down.

“She just like totally stole my Kyle,” Holly shrieked, putting a massive amount of emphasis on the ‘my’ part. “I am so going to go thumbs up knuckle punch Caleb now.” She took off toward the FTSK bus and barged on yelling for Caleb. He emerged from his bunk in a confused daze and she held out her fist with her thumb up.

“Are you sure?” He asked, raising an eyebrow. At that moment, Kyle skipped in followed by Avara.

“What are you doing?” Avara threatened menacingly as she eyed Holly’s fist. Holly stared straight back at her whilst picking up Caleb’s hand in her in un fisted hand and forming his into the thumbs up knuckle punch position. She then dramatically collided their fists together.

“You did not just do that!” Avara yelled.

“Oh, I did. You best friend stealer,” Holly yelled back. Kyle and Caleb just stood by awkwardly, not knowing whether the girls were being serious or not.

“Do it again,” Avara breathed, “And I will thumbs up knuckle punch your face. And you,” she added, pointing at Caleb, “I’ll just punch you.” He opened his mouth to say something but shut it again as Jonathan came out to see what was going on. “Jonathan,” Avara said, “Were best friends again. Caleb just thumbs up knuckle punched Holly.” And with that, she dragged her newest new best friend off to catering.

“Do you ever get tired of her making people her best friend?” Kyle giggled to Holly. Holly however was trying to come up with a devilish plan.

“What would happen if we,” she started, circling her finger around to show she meant her, Kyle and Caleb, “Did a three way thumbs up knuckle punch.”

“I don’t think we want to push her over the edge,” Kyle disagreed.

“And I would like to keep my face,” Caleb pointed out. Holly pretended she had a moustache, and twirled said make believe moustache. “One day, we will get her with our three way thumbs up knuckle punch. Caleb,” she ordered, “Grow a moustache so you can twirl it with me.”

“Oh that’s what you were doing,” Caleb laughed.

“Yes,” Holly said dropping her hand, “Why, did it not look like I was twirling a moustache?” The boys shook their heads before giving her moustache twirling lessons. They started arguing about different moustache twirling techniques until Holly gave up. “I’m just going to twirl my beard instead,” she said, making the hand movements of someone who was twirling their beard. The boys just looked at her strange.

“Um, Hols,” Kyle decided to inform her, “You don’t have a beard.”

“Oh,” she said, dropping her hand, “Well this sucks.”

“Yes, it appears we have a problem,” Caleb said.

“Well you two can grow beards and moustaches, and I can twirl your beards and moustaches,” she suggested. Kyle and Caleb pretended to twirl their moustaches.

“Good idea,” they agreed.