We Can Shine Like the Sun

Avara and Holly watched from behind a huge stage box behind the stage as Caleb casually walked away from the eyes of his fans. He then went over to his bimbo face girlfriend, who immediately jumped all over him as though they were all alone in a room. She didn’t get very far in taking his clothes off before a storm of girls came around the corner with backstage passes and began screaming his name. Avara and Holly giggled as they watched Miley, or was it Molly? They weren’t sure, but they watched her get pushed out of the way.

“Eek, Caleb,” she squealed, though Caleb was too busy taking photos with a small group of the girls. “Caleb!” She screamed again as she was elbowed in the stomach by a girl who looked as though she was about to pass out. “Do you know who I am?” Miley shrieked at the girl, who in return gave her an empty look and shook her head. “I,” Miley said, pointing to herself, “Am Caleb Turman’s girlfriend.”

“Right,” the girl nodded disbelievingly before looking away. Miley stomped her foot on the floor and squealed in frustration.

“I am so tweeting about this!” she exclaimed. The girl who elbowed her stared at her as if to say ‘like anybody cares’. At that point, Avara and Holly emerged from their hiding spot to help her, only because they would be in trouble with FTSK- and by FTSK, I mean Caleb Turman- if they were mean to her. “Thank god your here,” she said when she saw the KB girls, “Tell them who I am.” Holly shook her head, laughing.

“You have to yell obscene things at them,” she told her helpfully.

“Oi bitches! Hands off of my boyfriend!” Miley screamed. Everyone, including Caleb, stopped and stared for her for a second before continuing to take photos.

“No,” Avara said, “Like this. obscene things!” she yelled, before grabbing Holly’s arm and dragging her away, giggling like crazy.



Kill Barbie had already played, so Holly and Avara were wondering around the grounds looking for trouble, as Kent had called it. The two girls held hands while they walked, not wanting to get separated by the very large and ever growing crowds.

“Oh my, gosh, Avara look!” Holly exclaimed, yanking Avara behind a sign. Avara giggled. “What are you laughing at?”

“You do realise, that whoever your hiding from can probably still see our legs seeing as the sign is on stilts and is only covering us from the waist up, right?” Holly looked down and laughed, “And,” Avara continued, “you wanted me to see someone, yet now I can’t because we’re half hidden behind a sign.”

“Shut up Avara,” Holly laughed. She bent down and looked under the sign, “see that guy over there?” She asked Avara, who had also bent down to look.

“Which one?”

“The one in the orange sombrero.”

“Oh yeah, what about him?”

“I just saw him, pick, his nose!” Holly laughed. Avara stood up straight and glared at Holly.

“Is that really why we’re hiding behind a sign Holly?” Avara asked. Holly leant down again.

“No,” she said, “see that other guy over there?”

“Holly there are like a million guys around us, which one are you talking about?”

“Why are you guys hiding behind a sign?” A voice asked, and then Austin was between them, also staring out from under the sign.

“That guy over there, with the bright yellow shirt and ugly shoes,” Holly said, ignoring Austin.

“Yes,” Avara said.

“Who is he?” Austin asked.

“I saw him kissing someone who looked like Jake.”

“Jake’s gay?” Avara asked, perplexed.

“Yes, didn’t you know that?” Another voice chimed in, another body wedged between them.

“Jack, when did you get here?” Austin laughed.

“Just then bro,” he replied.

“Apparently,” Holly replied to Avara, the two of them ignoring Jack and Austin still, “he is.” And that’s when Holly and Avara saw Austin and Jack. “Oh my, gosh, what are you two doing here?”

“And when did you get here?” Avara exclaimed.

“I’ve been here since you talked about the guy with the yellow shirt and ugly shoes,” Austin grinned, his paedophile grin.

“Ever since y’all found out that Jake was gay,” Jack laughed. Holly and Avara exchanged confused looks. “So there’s a party tonight at our bus, and Rian sent me to invite you guys.” Holly looked at Austin and grabbed his hand.

“Austin and I can’t go, sorry Jack,” she told him, pretending to be sorry. Avara stared at Holly and Austin for a moment, before she glared at them.

“Why can’t you two come?” She asked, “Why haven’t you told me why you can’t come?” Austin looked just as, if not more confused as Avara was.

“Austin and I have a Skype date,” Holly told Avara. Avara laughed at Holly.

“Your aware that one; Austin has a very committed girlfriend, and two; what point is a Skype date, when you are practically living together?” She laughed. It was Holly’s turn to frown at Avara.

“I’m not stealing Austin away from Ashley you moron, me and Austin are having a Skype date with Ashley,” she said, “well, more of a gossip session than a date, but you get the picture.”

“Then why can’t I come?” Avara asked sadly.

“Because,” Holly told her, “you’re going to Jack’s party!”



Later that night, Holly was curled up in her bunk reading her Vampire Academy book, and chewing on a cheese stick. She was so into her book, that she didn’t hear the bus door beep and open, letting someone onto her bus.

“Holly,” a familiar voice called through the bus to her, “Are you here?” Holly peaked out of her bunk and down the bus hall to where the voice was coming from. She smiled a wide toothy grin at the freakishly tall blonde man grinning back at her.

“Hey Kyle,” Holly smiled.

“Why aren’t you at the party?” Kyle asked, moving closer to her and sitting down on the bunk opposite hers. “Avara said something about you having a Skype date with Austin and Ashley, but when I went to my bus, and found Austin playing poker with Kent, and you weren’t there. Austin said you were here, so here I am.” Holly laughed.

“Kyle where was the party?” He frowned and eyed her like she was stupid.

“At Jack’s bus...”

“Who else lives on Jack’s bus?” Kyle thought for a moment, and then laughed.

“Oh,” he said, “oh, creepy Gaskarth, I get it!” Holly smiled and picked up her bookmark from beside her. She then placed it in her book, and shoved her book down the side of her mattress.

“Wanna lay with me Kyle?” Holly asked quietly. Kyle smiled and stood up; he yanked off of his shirt and his shorts, and climbed into Holly’s bunk beside her. Kyle pulled her blanket up around him and her and layed his head down on her pillow beside hers. “So what did you do today?” Kyle smiled.

“I played a show, wrestled with Caleb and Morgan called me,” he told Holly, “what did you do?” He asked. Holly thought for a moment, and smiled remembering her and Avara’s day together.

“I too, played a show. Vara, Austin and I found out the Jake’s gay; we saw him kiss a dude, and Jack told us when he and Austin snuck in between Vara and I behind the sign. We embarrassed Miley... Molly, Oh I don’t know her bloody name, god!” Kyle laughed at her. “Then I lied to Jack and told him I couldn’t go to his party to do a Skype date, and then I came here and started reading my book.”

“Well you had a very productive day then didn’t you my short lady?” Holly laughed and nudged his arm with her own. “Let’s twitter about our funness, you wanna?”

“Sure.” The two of them got out their phones from their pockets, and started typing in on the key pads. “Go check what I wrote!” Holly told Kyle excitedly.

HollyPollyKilledBarbie: Spending quality time with @djknucklehead. Raise your hand if you think we rule! *Raises hand*

“Go read mine!”

djknuckleheadhangin with @HollyPollyKilledBarbie in her bus, @Harleeeemay @TademFace @Vara-rama where you at?

“That’s pretty sweet,” Holly replied, nodding her head in approval, “way cooler than mine.”

“Yeah,” he agreed. Holly laughed and elbowed him.

“Let’s watch a movie and eat some ice-cream,” Holly yelled. She crawled over Kyle, and climbed down head first from her bunk. Kyle laughed and smacked her behind, but steadying her by holding her hips when she nearly fell. “You nearly killed me Burns,” she scolded.

“Sorry.” A light vibrating sound came from Holly’s phone, so she unlocked it, and found a tweet from Avara, a tweet from Tadem, a tweet from Harlee and a tweet from multiple members of FTSK.

Harleeeemay @HollyPollyKilledBarbie @djknucklehead, Where are you two?

HollyPollyKilledBarbie @HarleeeeMay I do believe we said ‘my bus’

Vara-rama @HollyPollyKilledBarbie @djknucklehead I’m coming to hang out too.

djknucklehead @Vara-rama, no, we don’t want you here.

TademFace @Vara-rama, @djnucklehead, @Harleeeemay, @HollyPollyKilledBarbie, @Calebftsk, @iamjonathancook, let’s have a party!

Calebftsk @HollyPollyKilledBarbie I see how it is, @djknucklehead stealing my place in your life!

“Oh my God!” Holly glared at her phone and then concentrated on her phone a little more.

HollyPollyKilledBarbie @Calebftsk, I see Miley, Milly or Molly stole my place in your life first, so shutup!

Just then, the door to the bus burst open, and the rest of holly’s band, plus the rest of Kyle’s came onto the bus laughing together. All except Caleb and Miley, Molly or Millie; who were probably somewhere having sex in some disgusting way.



The next morning when Holly woke up there was a foot resting on her forehead. Needless to say, she freaked out and pushed it away from her as fast as she could. Holly sat up and looked around her. She was sitting in the middle of the back lounge, on the floor, on Kyle, but under Avara, who was also half way over Jonathan, Kent and Marc. Talk about getting around.

Holly looked around for the owner of the foot that was in her face when she woke up. She found Jack Barakat. She giggled and then remembered that she and Avara had important business to attend to that day, so she put her face near Avara’s ear.

"Avara," she whispered in a sing-song voice.

"Holly?" Avara groaned as she woke up. “Holly,” Avara whispered again with her eyes still closed, this time in a sing song voice.

"Kyle!" Kyle screamed from underneath them. Holly and Avara screamed and threw themselves off of the awkward pile of bodies.

“That was NOT cool, Burns,” yelled Avara, ignoring the stirs from everyone else as they woke up. “I repeat,” she said, “NOT cool." Kyle responded by sticking his tongue out at her and running a hand through his messy blonde hair. “Why did you wake me up?” She asked as she turned to Holly.

“Because,” Holly said, grabbing Avara by the forearm and pulling her toward the bunks. “We’ve got shit to do today. What happened to your arm?” She asked, growing suddenly worried as she pulled the three-quarter sleeve of Avara’s shirt up past her elbow to reveal fading, red marks.

“Oh, nothing,” said Avara, pulling the sleeve of her shirt back down.

“Avara, tell me what happened,” Holly pressed.

“It was nothing,” Avara repeated before shutting herself in the small bus bathroom, leaving Holly staring after her.

“Is everything ok?” Jonathan asked as he came toward her.

“I’m not sure,” Holly said, not taking her eyes away from the bathroom door, “Avara’s hurt and she won’t tell me how it happened.” She looked up at Jonathan just in time to see something cross his face. Anger? Worry? Both? “Jonathan?” she questioned.

“It’s probably nothing, Holly,” he said, though he didn’t sound convinced.

“It looked like finger marks, Jonathan,” She said. “Do you know something?”

“Well, she was with Alex, but it’s probably nothing,” he said. Crazy Gaskarth plus alcohol plus Avara couldn’t equal anything good.

“What happened Jonathan?” Holly urged.

“They were arguing. He was angry. It was probably nothing though, forget it. She probably just bumped into something.” Before Holly could get anything else out of him, he went into the kitchen saying he needed breakfast. Holly got some fresh clothes out of her bunk and sat in it, thinking, as she waited for the bathroom to become vacant.

Meanwhile

Avara got out of the tiny shower and wrapped a warm, fluffy towel around herself as she walked toward the mirror. The red finger marks on her arm were starting to turn from red, to purple. Avara never bruised easily, why was her skin so ready to show it now? She thought back to the previous night and shivered. Alex Gaskarth, drunk as was usual at a party, had asked her where Holly was, and when she told him she was with Austin and he had told her she wasn’t, he hadn’t believed her when she said she didn’t know where Holly was. Wanting to avoid any sort of argument, she went to leave but he grabbed her arm with a surprising amount of pressure. Avara wondered how far it would have gone if Jack hadn’t come looking for Alex, and she shivered again.

She put on a pretty blue dress, because she didn’t get to wear dresses often, as they played a show almost every day and it would be awkward for her to fall over or for a gust of wind to blow her dress up. But today she had the day off and Holly and herself were going to cross some things off their ‘To Do On Warped Tour' list, she wore a dress, but made sure to wear a black cardigan over the top so she didn’t have to show off her bruised arm.

She opened the door of the bathroom and smiled at Holly as she went in, mainly to show that she was fine so Holly wouldn’t ask her about her arm again. After the door was locked safely behind Holly and Avara heard the shower water running, she went into the kitchen to find Jonathan sitting on the counter eating a pancake. Avara froze.

“Where on earth did you get that pancake?” She asked. Jonathan shrugged.

“I found it,” he said as he held it out to her, “Want some?” Avara nodded vigorously and bit into the pancake. It tasted like Jonathan may have found it lying in the bottom of the fridge with all the other week old food, so she went to the cupboard get out the pop tarts. As she placed them into the toaster, she noticed Jonathan watching her out of the corner of her eye.

“What?” She asked, slightly annoyed.

“Holly asked about you arm,” he said. Avara sighed.

“And?”

“I told her you were having an argument with Alex,” he said.

“You told her what!” she snapped, but regretted it because he looked offended.

“Sorry,” he mumbled, and he got up to put the pancake in the bin so he didn’t have to look at her. Avara didn’t say anything; she just stared into the toaster. “I saw you and him last night,” Jonathan said finally, “arguing.”

“When have you ever seen me and Gaskarth doing anything but try and rip each others’ heads off?” Avara said to try and redirect the conversation.

I just thought maybe…” Jonathan shrugged as he trailed off, “Forget it, I was just worried.” Avara glared at him and was about to tell him he had no right to worry about her, but her pop tarts popped. She took them out just as Holly walked in.

“Ready to- oh can I have one of those?” She asked. Avara nodded, shoved one of the pop tarts she was holding in her mouth, patted Jonathan on the head in farewell and followed Holly off the bus. Once they were off the bus, they wondered across the packed venue, and towards the stages. Avara shoved her pass under the security mans nose, and they both went past. “Item one on our to do list,” Holly said, pulling a sheet of paper from her pocket and staring at it. “Shit, I forgot my glasses. Stay here, I’ll be right back.” Avara nodded and dropped to the floor to wait for Holly to get back.

When Holly got back, she had her glasses sitting on the bridge of her nose.

“Okay, so item one on the-“Holly stopped when her phone started ringing in her pocket. “Hold that thought Vara,” She said.

Holly you have to come back to the bus. Hayley from Paramore’s here to talk to you about a song.
- Tadem.

“I have to go...” Holly said slowly, and slowly turning around.

“Where?” Avara asked, standing up and eyeing Holly suspiciously.

“... To see... Marc...” She said. Avara frowned, she was getting awfully suspicious, and she was more than curious as to what Holly was up to.

“Why do you have to see Marc?”

“He has my... my sock,” Holly said, “Hey look, a chicken!” She yelled pointing behind Avara. Avara spun around yelling; ‘Where?’, so Holly legged it back towards the bus.