American Honey

I was sitting staring aimlessly out my bedroom window subconsciously pulling at one of my snake bites, lost in thought.

Do I really wanna do this? I mean, I love Johnny and all, he's my best friend, but, I don't know these guys that he's wanting me to go with on tour. What if they're stuck up or-

My thoughts were interrupted by Johnny walking through my bedroom door.

"Hey Carls, you ready, yet? We just loaded up the last of the boxes." I sighed and spun around in the spin chair to face him. "What's wrong? You don't look very pumped." His smile faded.

"Johnny, what if your friends don't like me." I stated my true thoughts. He sighed and walked over next to me leaning against the window seal.

"Is that what you've been on about lately?" I just looked down at my hands placed in my lap and shrugged half-heartedly. "Carly listen to me, you're my best friend in the whole world. I'd never drag you into a situation that I though was improper for you. Look at me." He lifted my chin with to of his fingers so that my face was tilted towards his. "Smile pretty face, they're gonna love you." Of course it was inevitable for me to smile at his words and so my lips stretched across my face revealing my white pearly whites.

"I guess." I suddenly agreed, standing up along with Johnny.

"Alright, let's do this then." He grinned and led me down the stairs. I swallowed the lump in my throat as I knew I was about to face the people I would be living with for the next fourteen months. This was a big deal for me, because if so much as one didn't like me, it could cause big problems for the rest of the tour. And it was their tour, after all.

"Guys, I want you to meet my best friend since elementary school, Carly Epps." He grinned as he tugged on my hand pulling me from behind the wall and revealing me fully. I gave a shy smile and a small wave. The guys all grinned and waved. I took that as a good sign and released the breath of air I'd been holding. "Well, introduce yourselves." Johnny said, crossing his arms and gesturing to me with his head.

"Uh, erm, I'm Matt." The really tall, intimidating one spoke first. I smiled.

"And I'm Zack. Nice to meet you, Carly." He smiled. I smiled back.

"And I am Jimmy. The only one you need to know." He made his over dramatic introduction and then bowed before me before taking my hand and placing a kiss on the back of it.

"Alright Sullivan, I think she gets it." The dark haired man net to him stepped up and grabbed him by the back of his shirt, pulling him away. "I'm Brian." He smiled. "You'll have to excuse Jimmy, he's got problems."

"Like you don't?!" Jimmy accused. Johnny laughed.

"You all do." He walked over and wrapped his arm around me. "See? They like you, I told you there was nothing to worry about. They're all just a bunch of crazy nut loafs." He grinned.

"Hey, you're one of us." Zack crossed his arms. I shook my head and laughed.

"Alright, so who's ready to head out?" The one I knew as Matt asked. Everyone cheered in agreement and I followed them all outside to the big bus that awaited us.

"Woah." I breathed out as I climbed on the bus and looked around. Brian came up and clapped a hand on my shoulder gently.

"Trust me, honey, this ain't much." My eyes bulged as I gaped up at him.

"Are you kidding me? This bus is incredible!" He laughed.

"You think that now, but it'll become just another cramped space once you've lived with us for a couple weeks."

"Yeah." Matt laughed, walking up beside us. "I hear ya there. We wanted the newer one, but we have no income and this is all Val could get us for now. But we appreciate all she does." He smiled at the mention of this girl's name.

"Val?" I inquired. He was still dazed.

"His high school lover." Brian rolled his eyes, smirking. I chewed the inside of my lip. "They've known each other since the sixth grade and just did start going out a couple years ago." He rolled his eyes.

"Hey, you're no better. You no you've got a thing for Shelly and won't do anything about it." Matt finally snapped out of it.

"Nah, it's not like that with me an Michelle."

"Um, Michelle?" I asked, raising an eyebrow, confused by all the sudden new names.

"Val's twin." Matt cleared up.

"Oh." I muttered to myself.

"Speaking of which.." Brian trailed off and gave a small nod toward the glass bus doors.

"Hey." This 'Michelle' greeted as she walked over and stood next to Brian.

"Hey, what's up?" Matt spoke first.

"Just came to see how you guys are comin' along." She grinned. "Who's this?"

"Oh, this is Carly, Johnny's best friend since elementary." She smiled and held her hand out for me to shake. I accepted.

"Nice to meet you. It'll be nice to have another girl with us this time around."

"You're coming with us?"

"Oh Val and I always come to run the merch booths."

"True that, but we follow in the merch van so that we don't get all crowded from these sweaty pigs." Val, I'm assuming, finished her sister's statement. I giggled slightly at her comment. "Hi, I'm Val." She smiled, extending her hand to me just as Michelle had done.

"Carly, Johnny's friend." I smiled.

"I've heard a lot about you." She winked chewing her gum before blowing a bubble and looking thoughtful about something. "Ya know, you could ride with us if you want to."

"Um.." I contemplated it in my chewing on one of my snakebites from the inside.

"Yeah, it'd be a lot of fun!" Michelle chimed. I grinned.

"What's going on?" Johnny walked up from the back of the bus with Zack and Jimmy trailing along his side.

"We're trying to get Carly, here, to ride with us in the van." Val stated.

"You're trying to drag my Carls away from me?" Johnny asked, astonished, holding his hand to his chest. I laughed lightly.

"Oh come on, Johnny, you know she'd be a lot cooler in the van any way, and it least it'd be one less person for you guys in here." Michelle reasoned.

"But what if we want a girl on the van?" Jimmy protested.

"If you wanted a girl on the van that bad, you would've held Michelle back in the past tours." Val remarked.

"Yeah, but Michelle's...Michelle."

"What are you trying to say?" Michelle stepped up real close in Jimmy's face. I couldn't help but giggle at this.

"Look, if you wanna ride with the girls, it's totally cool. You can always come back on the bus at a pit stop or something if you want to." Johnny offered. I thought about it for a minute.

"Yeah, I think I'll ride with you guys." I smiled at Val.

"Cool, let's hit it."

"That sounded wrong."

"Shut up, Brian."

I laughed as we walked out the bus door and trampled over the lawn to the van.

"Gonna miss this place?" Val asked as she strapped herself in and started up the van. I thought back on all the memories in that place, the bad weighed out the good and I sighed.

"Not a bit." She gave me a sympathetic smile through the rear view.

"Well then, let's make some memories that you will miss."

With that, she pressed her foot to the gas pedal and left a trail of dust behind us as we followed the tour bus down the road.