Speechless.

"Mia! Hey, Mia!" It was a sweltering 98 degrees in Maryland which unfortunately was not an abnormal temperature for Warped Tour. But it was Maryland--that alone had Amelia bent out of shape. "Amelia!"

The woman sighed, slowing to a stop as she held a box of All Time Low’s merch in her arms. It was Matt's idea to appoint his sister to merch; he said it would give her something productive and positive to do. But Amelia was on the verge of showing him just how negative the whole experience would be for everyone. Amelia didn't want to sit in the sun frying like an egg all day while having to deal with bruised, dehydrated teenagers who cared about nothing but getting that piece of merch only sold on the Warped Tour.

John jogged up to Amelia, his sandy hair already sticking to the small beads of sweat on his forehead as he haulted just behind her. He reached for her shoulder and made her turn around to face him. John was wearing a simple white v neck tee and Amelia had to admit he looked hot in it.

"Hey," He smiled grinning from ear to ear. Amelia smiled softly at him; he was so innocent and carefree in his own way. John, along with many others, were like little kids in a candy store when it came to Warped, his enthusiasm and excitement had her smiling too. "I haven't seen you in a few days. I wasn't sure if Matt had shipped you off or something."

Amelia just rolled her eyes and shook her head before she continued to walk across the venue in the direction she thought was All Time Low's tent. According to Jack it was, "the farthest possible point from the bus. Pass the huge ass schedule hanging up, pass the condom table--hey can you grab me some? It's around that area where the rest of the tents are. Can't miss it. I think it's blue…or maybe it's green and We The Kings is blue..."

"Back to the not talking thing huh?" John questioned following on her heels. The early mornings of Warped were the only time Amelia found peace on this tour. If she wasn't being followed by men for any number of reasons she was being harassed by heat stricken teenage girls who made the mistake of wearing makeup to Warped, or finding that anarchy is possible when you run out of the size medium in the limited edition tee. But the early mornings were when the grounds were still clean, the atmosphere calm, and nothing drastic had happened yet; it was the calm before the storm.

"Alright listen," He began and Amelia tried to suppress the dread slowly spreading inside her. Amelia didn't want to talk about anything John probably did. She didn't want to talk about why she had run from Renee or hid from her brother. She didn't want to explain why she didn't talk or why she had woken up screaming in John's bus. She just--didn't. "I wanted to talk to you about something."

When Amelia chanced a glance at the lanky singer his gaze was fixed ahead of him, determined not to look at her as he licked his chapped lips. But then his eyes darted away and suddenly those sea foam eyes were scanning hers, searching for some hint of how Amelia would react to his words.

"Nevermind," He sighed.

Every fiber of Amelia's being wanted to ask him to explain, to not forget about it. She didn't like that he'd decided not to confide in her when she had gone to him in the past. But in the same token there was some small voice in Amelia's head telling her not to say anything to leave it be, because the possibility of what John wanted to talk about scared her more than anything else had in a long time.

Besides, what right did she have wishing John would talk to her when she didn’t want to do the same in return? Amelia was beginning to understand just how difficult and contradictory she really was—and she didn’t like it.

Amelia felt guilty for ignoring John but he was acting weird and she was already on edge from being in Maryland. Her instincts were telling her not to have that heart to heart conversation she knew John was looking for. She knew she couldn't deal with that right now. In fact she'd been proud she'd dealt with so much already. It was obvious to everyone that Amelia Flyzik didn't handle things appropriately or at all for that matter.

"Look John," she sighed quietly. She didn't want to talk but then again, John had a way of making her do a lot of things she didn't initially want to. "I can't do...this," She paused mentally kicking herself. Amelia hated that she had a tendency to be socially awkward, nervous to a fault, and stumble over her words. She just wanted to say what needed to be said without the added awkwardness.

"And what is this, exactly?" He questioned hesitantly. His eyes were on Amelia and all she wanted him to do was look anywhere but at her. John was making Amelia’s heart race and it was getting hard to speak as her mouth ran dry. Fear suddenly shot through Amelia as she comprehended what exactly it was that John O’Callaghan, the not so subtle singer, was alluding to. Now all Amelia wanted to do was bolt.

"Not now," She hissed after a moment knowing he understood. "I'm not doing this with you know. I can't. I have to much going on right now. Talk to me Tuesday when we’re in North Carolina. But I’m not doing this now, not here."

"What is going on Mia," John questioned attentively suddenly realizing that she was silently freaking out long before John had found her. She was doing what she did best, keeping her true feelings hidden and being utterly silent all the while. But John knew her best, he could only imagine the list of repercussions and effects this would have on her. Whatever this was that is.

"What’s going on?" he demanded. Dark thunderclouds were starting to roll in and hover ominously over the venue grounds. The gentle breeze was starting to pick up and turn into something more. "It’s because we're back in Maryland isn't?"

"Just stop, John." She growled defensively. It was bad enough that Amelia had let her guard down yesterday and let Matt in. It was bad enough that he knew just an inkling of her old life. She'd let her guard down and now Matt was involved, she wouldn't make the same mistake with John. "It doesn't matter,"

"What doesn't matter?"

"This doesn’t," she said weakly gesturing between them. "You knowing won't matter--it wouldn't change anything. So just--just stop okay? Because it doesn't matter, it doesn't change anything."

Something flashed in John's eyes and he gave her a reproachful look, his eyes coldly indifferent to his normally hot chocolate colored orbs. It shocked Amelia, she wasn't used to the cold look that suddenly adorned his face but she recognized it instantly; it was defensive, annoyed, hurt, and ultimately it was a shield. He'd gotten it from her, suddenly Amelia understood what it meant, what it felt like to be shut out...and she hated it.

"You're wrong," John stated finally, his voice indifferent. "It could change everything." Then he was walking away, leaving as quickly as he had come and leaving Amelia both baffled and annoyed.

“Damn it!” Amelia burst angrily. She hated that John just couldn’t be compliant, she hated that her carefully built walls were crumbling, she hated that Matt was slowing getting dragged into her old life, she hated that Logan had died, that he had kept her secrets to the grave, she hated that she was in Maryland, she hated that it was 96 degrees in the shade, she hated that she hated so much. Amelia was truly grateful for the world that Matt had let her into but in that moment Amelia was nothing short of pissed at everything and everyone.

She threw the box of All Time Low merch to the sizzling asphalt angrily. Several heads turned toward her curiously.

“What the fuck are you looking at?” She demanded of the sun burnt Warped Tourist; some looked away startled, others sent her dirty looks.

Amelia abandoned the box merch, not caring that she would get a talking to from Matt about it later—that is, if she returned later that is.
Because as Amelia stormed away from the deserted box, she walked farther from the tour, out of reach of Matt’s good conscious, and more distant from everything she’d built up.

Because Amelia was going home and it wasn’t to visit Mrs. and Mr. Flyzik.