Sweet Child O' Mine

I was about to send Pete another text when, well fuck all, my goddamn phone died. "DAMMIT!" I yelled, kicking a tree, wincing. Aren't I just a smart cookie? Parents turned to me disapprovingly when I cursed some more, covering their children's ears and scurried off. "Motherfucking cunt sucker!!" I would get left behind....again!! I flinched when I felt something cold on the back of my neck. Don't you fucking dare tell me that-- Something hit me again. Cold, wet. Rain! "SHIT!"

I ran, stumbling, thanks to these heels. I growled in annoyance and took them off, throwing them at a tree in a bout of anger and ran some more towards a -- as fate would have it -- IHOP. I grabbed for the handle and yanked. Locked. Oh come on! I started pounding on the door, pissed off like you wouldn't believe. Thank God. Someone came to the door, pointed to the sign, eyebrow raised. I grimaced then pulled out my best puppy dog eyes. The guy laughed and pushed the door open, letting me in.

"Thank you, thank you, thank you!" I gushed. "I'd totally hug you right now if I weren't soaking wet right now." I smiled sheepishly, shivering. Great day to not wear a jacket, Juliet! Just bloody perfect.

The boy nodded. "No problem." He smiled, snakebites glinting in the flourescent light. "I'm Jake." He held out a hand. I grabbed it and shook it.

"Juliet. Nice to meet you," I said. Great, just my luck that the guy would be hot.

Jake nodded shyly. "Yeah, I know." He scratched the back of his head nervously. "I'm a fan..." He trailed off, smiling ruefully at me. "Um... May I ask why you're still here if the buses took off without shoes on?"

I flushed, embarrassed. "Oh, haha, funny story, actually.... See, I took Pete's hair straightener and and started running around with it, dropped it somewhere, and wound up in the park completely lost, my phone died, it started raining, so I started booking it, but doing that while wearing heels ain't exactly easy, therefore I took them off, chucked 'em at a tree, and ran here." I could see the laughter he was holding back. "Oh, go on and laugh, it's pretty hilarious now that I think about it."

Jake shook his head, still holding it in. "Nah, I'm not that mean. Here, let's get you a seat..." He smiled, taking my hand gently and lead me to an empty table. "You want something to eat? Or a warm drink? You look like you're freezing." I laughed dryly but shook my head. I didn't need anything. He bit his lip then shrugged off the hoodie he was wearing, draping it over my shoulders. I was about to protest when he stopped me. "You need it more than I do. You know anyone's number by heart that you can call?" He asked me, pulling out a phone from his pocket.

"Hey, cool, you have the same kind of phone I do." I perked up, taking it and dialed Luke's number. He answered immediately with, 'City Morgue, you slash 'em we stash 'em, how may I help you?' in a bored tone. He totally stole that from me. "Luke, I got left behind."

"So I've noticed," he said dryly. "Hey, you wouldn't happen to be sitting in an IHOP with a cute guy, would you?"

I froze. What the fuck? "Yeah. Why?"

"Look to your right."

I did... And breathed a sigh of relief. He went to the door and I let him in, Jake trailed behind me. "How'd you know I'd be in an IHOP?"

"Because the last time you got left in one, you said if you ever got lost, search in the nearest IHOP, we'll most likely find you there." He laughed as I handed Jake back his phone. "Who's this?"

"My new bestest friend, Jake." I joked, smiling cheekily.

Luke rolled his eyes. "Jamie or Jimmy won't be too happy..... Max got you clothes and I brought a towel, go dry yourself off and get changed." He ordered, shoving the stuff in my arms and shooed me away. I stuck my tongue out at him but did as demanded. I got into a bathroom and got out of the wet clothes, quickly changing into the new ones. I swear that boy had to be secretly gay or something. His choice in fashion was just too cute. I pulled my hair back in a messy but and put the other clothes in the bag.

"That's it, Max is my new favorite," I announced upon meeting up with the boys again. "Hey, we should bring Jake on tour with us." I grinned, hugging him and returning his hoodie. Luke arched an eyebrow at me. "Aw, come on! Please? He's awesome and can help sell merch instead of having a couple of us do it all the time. That way we'll all have fun and he'll still get payed instead of getting stuck here bored." I jutted out my bottom lip.

"Zack won't be too happy you're adding a new boy to your 'reverse harlem'."

I giggled at that. "So? Zack'll be cool with it after a day or two. Oh, and it's your choice if you want to come, I forgot." I bit my lip, looking sheepish.

Jake laughed. "Sounds cool to me. I'll just have to pick some things up at my place, if that's okay?" I looked to Luke who shrugged and nodded. All clear.

"Yay!" I chirped.

--

At the next stop, I was bombarded by the Crue and Avenged guys, all asking me if I was okay. I answered them all the same, "Shut the fuck up already! I'm fine!" It made them laugh so all was good. "Oh! Hey, meet my new best buddy." I gasped, going to the van to get Jake. I tugged him over to the group, it wasn't easy seeing as how he was pretty reluctant in doing so. "Avenged, Crue, Panda, this is Jake. Jake, meet my buds."

Nikki, of course, was the first to step forward, a sinister (I giggled at that thought) smile on his face. Jake audibly gulped. "Jake, huh?" Jake nodded, his grip on my hand tightening. "So what are you doing on tour with my daughter?"

"Um.. I-I -- Selling m-merch." He stuttered, so I slapped Nikki's arm.

"Pops, chill, he's cool. He's the guy that let me in the IHOP when it was locked. But then I'm not really sure why it was locked...." I shook that off. "Still! Be nice." I huffed, hugging Jake protectively. Pete raised an eyebrow and grinned wide. I gave him a confused look then froze in realization. Ah, well, let him think what he wants. Jake was cute, I didn't care.

Don't think I didn't notice Brian's eyes narrowing when I hugged him.

"Nothing else, right?" Zack spoke up, looking as threatening as he could. I almost burst into laughter but slapped his arm too.

"Be. Nice."

"Aw, fine. Good to have you on tour." Nikki shrugged, holding his hand out. Jake took it and they shook hands, him and Zack doing the same.

When we left, he was still shaking like a leaf. I found it cute so I hugged him and cooed. "Aw, it's alright. They won't harm ya. I'll kick their asses if they do." I told him, kissing his cheek. Okay, so I was an easily affectionate person, whoop-dee-doo. He still looked unsure. "Jake, really, you're fine, they're cool with you. Relax."

He nodded, hugging me back. "Okay."