We Can Shine Like the Sun

Later that night, not too long after the four girls and Jake had been across the city to a studio to design shirts; they were sitting in the back lounge, doing their own thing. Holly was sitting by the window writing lyrics, Harlee and Avara sat together on the couch in the kitchen practising tunes on their acoustic guitars, Tadem was playing tennis on the WII with Travis, who was losing and Jake was typing away at his computer.

“Alright guys," Jake yelled, so everyone could hear him, "tomorrow, you guys have a sound check at the Hurley stage after Paramore’s finished their check," he looked up from his computer screen and made eye contact with Holly. “And I’m guessing that I should warn you all now that a whole lot of other bands will be there watching you, because they don’t know who you are.”

“Ew,” Harlee muttered, “a crowd.”

Holly, Tadem, Travis and Jake barely heard her but Avara's loud laugh told them they were right when they thought she'd said something. So Tadem, Holly and Travis laughed while Jake rolled his eyes, trying to ignore her.

An hour or so later found the four girls, Travis and Jake curled up inside of their bunks fast asleep.

The next morning Tadem was the first to wake up, due to several loud and obnoxious knocks on the bus door. She groaned loudly and got up. She was usually a morning person, but was beyond exhausted from the jet-lag.

"I'll get it," she muttered as she ambled out of the bunk corridor, through the bus and onto the stairs where she peered out of the window on the door. Surprisingly, she found All Time Low standing their with massive grins on their faces, and Jack was lifting his hand to knock once again when she pushed the door open.

“Hey, we came to visit,” Jack greeted, ignoring the fact she was in her pjs and wasn't wearing a very happy expression. He jumped up the steps and slammed himself down on the kitchen seat, “Your bus smells new.”

“Hey Tadem,” the other three boys greeted as they followed Jack past Tadem and into the new bus.

“Yeah, hi,” she yawned, shutting the door behind her, “let’s go to the back lounge so we won’t wake anyone up.” She led all the boys to the back lounge, but was surprised to find Holly fast asleep on the couch with her notebook on her lap and her shirt riding up her belly, giving everyone a view of her belly button piercing.

“Who’s that?” Zack asked from behind her.

“Uh, that would be Holly," Tadem replied, biting her lip. "I’m not sure why she’s in here, but it looks like she may have been writing some lyrics,” Tadem replied, trying to spy at the notebook sitting on Holly's lap.

“Lyrics?” Alex asked, following Zack and Tadem in, Jack and Rian following him, “Do you think she’d mind if I looked at them?”

Tadem looked from Holly and then to Alex. “Uh, no, she lets everyone else read them, why wouldn’t she let you?” Alex looked at her as if she was crazy and was about to reply when Jack answered for him.

“She ran away from us screaming yesterday.”

“Oh,” she chuckled, "she had a fan-girl moment. It's okay, seriously."

Alex shrugged and walked over to sit beside Holly. Gently, he pulled the notebook from her fingers and flipped it open to the first page. He read the first paragraph and smiled at what was written. It looked like a bit of a song she’d been thinking of for days, because of the eraser marks and smudged pencil. He scanned through the rest of the page, his smile growing evidently bigger.

“Wow,” Alex smiled, “these are fucking amazing.” He flipped through the rest of the notepad until something else caught his eye, part of another song.

“So she really wrote these?” Alex asked, looking up at Tadem, who was wearing a guilty expression. He frowned. “What?”

“I lied,” she smiled innocently, ”Holly actually doesn’t let anybody read her lyrics unless she’s certain they’ll be a good song, I guess she doesn’t think those songs are good enough.” Alex stood up and threw the pad onto the couch like it was coated in acid.

“You know,” he said in a harsh whisper, “lyricists never, ever like people reading their lyrics unless they give permission, she’s gonna fucking hate me!”

“Oh no she won’t,” Jack and Tadem muttered under their breaths. Alex gave them a look that told them that he didn't care and sat back down beside Holly.

“Oh well, they were awesome lyrics, I don’t care.”

In the moment, no one had noticed that Holly had stirred and had heard most of the conversation. She was sitting there watching them with huge, wide eyes that were brimming with tears. With a loud and sudden whoosh, she jumped up and stormed out of the back lounge, ran through the bus, out the door and then wondered over to where catering was. She grabbed a soda and sat down at a bench by herself to think.

Holly wasn’t by herself for very long, because soon enough three boys had spotted her and had come and sat down with her, pretending they knew her and trying to get her to talk. Although they were failing at first, they kept trying.

“What’s wrong, pretty girl?” The ginger headed guy asked. She recognised him straight away as Caleb Turman, the guitarist and singer from Forever the Sickest Kids.

“Nothing,” she muttered, "I'm just mad."

“You’re Australian!” The long haired brunette from the trio exclaimed loudly, grinning creepily at her. This one she knew also, he was from the same band. The bassist and his name was Austin Bello. She'd spoken to him before on MySpace about his Blood: Water Mission, but she knew he wouldn't remember her.

“Yeah, so I’ve been told,” she mumbled, resting her head on the table and staring at a couple of people from Mayday Parade yelling at the lead singer to Skull his water.

“Who are you?” The final guy asked, resting his chin on his hand. This one Holly knew straight away. She'd accidentally vomited all over him once at Soundwave Festival back in Perth.

“I could ask you the same question,” she muttered, sitting up, “but I already know exactly who you guys are.” All three boys looked at each other, then at her with raised eyebrows, until the Austin piped up.

“Oh.” They sat and watched her, seeming to be waiting for her to say something else.

“I’m Holly Burming," she told them slowly. When they all looked blank she kept talking. "I'm in the band; Kill Barbie. It's our first Warped."

Again the three boys stared at her like she was insane. They seemed to think she was lying and was actually some crazed fan, trying to get into their tour buses and sleep with the whole band. Holly didn’t like them staring, so she stood up and began to walk away.

“Hey, where are you going?” Caleb called. Holly turned around and stared at them with a frown.

“I'm going somewhere, where band boys can’t think I’m a crazy fan who’s trying to sleep with you all,” she told them. "And I can tell you all think I'm not actually in a band. Go check the fucking line up." And with that, she walked out from catering and made her way to where Jake had said Kill Barbies merch tent was.

“We don’t think your crazy, pretty girl,” Caleb smiled at her when he came to a stop beside her. Holly looked at him and almost cracked a smile at his goofy expression. Holly eyed Caleb for a moment before continuing on to her merch tent.

“Ahh,” Caleb smiled, “you are in a band. Lead singer?” Holly raised a perfectly manicured eyebrow at him.

“How’d you know?”

“I’ve actually heard of you before,” he admitted with a small smile. Holly frowned again, while she went behind the table to sit down and begin to taking out all of the newly printed t-shirts from the boxes so Travis wouldn't have to when the gates opened the next day. Caleb followed her and began to help her with the shirts.

“You don’t have to Caleb,” Holly mumbled pathetically.

“Nah, I wanna help, doesn’t look like your bandees are here helping you," He told her with a smile, pulling a shirt from a box with a massive pink skull on it. "Oh, by the way, what was wrong before?” He asked. Holly sighed.

“I woke up in the middle of the night last night with some killer lyrics in my head, so I got up and went into the back lounge with my notepad, pen and a blanket. I must have fallen asleep because the next thing I know, Alex was telling Tadem off because she told Alex he could read them.” Caleb gave her a confused look.

“Alex Garcia or Alex Gaskarth?” He asked.

“Alex Gaskarth," she said, "I have no idea why, but the day we got here, All Time Low decided they wanted to be our best friends, and we’ve only been here since yesterday.” Caleb laughed and Holly smiled, her bad mood slowly lifting.

“You know what I think Holly?" Holly looked up at him and shrugged her shoulders. "I think that Tadem and Alex never meant to hurt you. Maybe Tadem thought that someone needed to see what you've written because she knows that you're an amazing lyricist, and she wants someone just as good to look over your work so that they can tell you how good you really are,” he said with a friendly smile while he grabbed the box full of extra smalls from under the table. "Maybe she thinks you're way too modest with your work, you know?" Holly shrugged and nodded her head lightly.

“Caleb, can I ask you something?” He stopped pulling shirts from the box and looked at her.

“Of course, darlin’.”

“Will you be my non-All Time Low, and non-Jake, and non-Travis and non-Kill Barbie best friend?” She asked, biting her thumb nail nervously, “Or for better terms, my brother-from-another-mother?” Caleb laughed and nodded in agreement.

“As long as you’re my sister-from-another-mother.”

“Sure,” Holly laughed. Caleb went around a couple of empty boxes that littered the floor and embraced Holly. She sighed, feeling oddly comfortable resting in Caleb's arms. She felt safe even, like no one could hurt her. It was then she realised that she would have a special and non-romantic relationship with Caleb Turman. It was also when she realised that her phone was ringing from her jeans pocket.

“Hello?” She said into the receiver.

"Holly Jade Burming," Harlee yelled down the phone. "Where the flipping heck are you?" Holly laughed because Harlee had said: 'flipping heck'.

“I’m down at the merch tent with Caleb sorting out the merch, why? What do you need?” Harlee was quiet for a moment, obviously wondering who Caleb was.

"Who the heck is Caleb?" She asked loudly. Holly heard voices in the back ground and she heard Avara asking someone if they smoked weed and if they did, could they keep the smell away from her because it was gross.

“Caleb is my new friend that I made this morning at catering,” Holly told her, “he's helping me sort out the merch.” Harlee went quiet for a little while.

"So I guess we should come help you out, huh?" She chuckled. Holly laughed and shook her head before realising that Harlee couldn't see her. "You just did something with your head, right?" Holly laughed.

"Yeah," she laughed again, "but don't worry about helping, we're almost done."

"Alright, when you're done though bring your newbie friend here to meet us."

"Alright, see you soon Harlee."

"Bye Holly-Polly."