‹ Prequel: Smiling Politely
For One Beat More
Hit The Floor Bruised And Broken
“This heat is ridiculous already,” Matt sighed, pulling off his red Drop Dead vest.
Lexi pushed her pale pink sunglasses further up her nose, “It’s only going to get worse.”
“That mean yer goin’ t’ be runnin’ around in yer bikini all the time?” his head lolled in her direction and a wicked grin spread across his face.
She laughed, “No it doesn’t,” she stretched her body out. It was the first day off of Warped and they had been given a boat to mess around on for the day, most of the boys were taking full advantage of the cool water by launching themselves off of the boat while Tom was messing around with his camera. Lexi self consciously adjusted her green animal print bikini top to make sure nothing was escaping and smoothed her black shorts out against her hips.
“Stop fidgeting wi’ yerself,” Matt said softly, “Ye look fine.”
“I keep feeling like I’m falling out,” she laughed quietly.
“Not as much as some people,” he nodded in the direction of Jona who, like all the boys, had come unprepared so had resorted to diving in his boxer shorts that were now saturated with water and hanging precariously off his slim hips.
“Not fancy a swim?” he asked, shaking his soaking arms over Lexi who made a vain attempt at swatting away the water droplets with her hands.
Matt shook his head, “Oi Weinhofen it’s only me’s allowed to get my girlfriend wet,” he grinned.
***
Lexi sat in the front lounge of the bus checking and replying to her e-mail and updating her little blog that she was pretty sure no one read when Oli appeared at the top of the bus stairs.
“Anyone abou’?” he asked.
She shook her head, her eyes not leaving her laptop, “Think there was chat of a beer run or something.”
He grunted in acknowledgment and threw himself down on the sofa furthest from where she was seated at the little table beside the kitchen area. He flicked on the TV and began flicking channels, then he stopped on one for a fraction of a second longer than the others if it was a particularly interesting infomercial or a particularly brightly coloured cartoon animal, then he would flick again.
“Ol,” Lexi sighed and got no reply, “Oli,” again nothing, “Oliver!”
“What?” he turned to look at her.
“That’s really annoying can you just pick a channel and stick with it?”
He scoffed, “That’s rich.”
“What?” she frowned.
“You telling’ me t’ pick somethin’ and stick t’ it,” he was continuing with his flicking only going slightly slower so that just when it was about to be revealed what was playing he changed the channel to something else.
She looked at him over the top of her laptop and frowned, “What have I ever done to you Ol? Seriously, why are you being such a prick? Is it cause I’m the only girlfriend here, did you want this to be some kind of boys only tour? Cause you really should have told Matt that before he asked me.”
“As if Nicholls listens to anythin’ I tell ’im abou’ you,” he scoffed, continuing to flick.
“Jesus Oli, we used to be friends, pretty good ones at that. I know I messed up with Matt so I therefore messed up with the rest of you guys but everyone else seems to have gotten over it apart from you.”
He turned to face her, “That’s cause ye treated one of my best mates like shit and no one else seems to remember that.”
“Don’t you think about what you say Oli?” she demanded, “Don’t you think that you reminding Matt again and again of how much I hurt him is going to eventually drive him away from me? Or is that your goal?”
He scowled like a kid caught with his hand in the cookie jar, “Ye’ve go’ tha’ covered yerself. I jus’ think he forgets jus’ how shit ye were t’ ‘im las’ time and someone needs to remind ‘im so he can see when yer goin‘ t‘ do it again.”
She threw her hands in the air, “I’m not going to leave him again, Oli. Why are you the only person that can’t see how sorry I am for the way things happened last time?”
He shrugged, “Cause I don’t believe it’s not gonna happen again.”
“And you want to be able to say ‘I told you so’?”
“I wan’ t’ know tha’ I did my best t’ warn him before the shit hits the fan again,” he frowned, “Cause tha’s what friends do.”
Lexi pushed her pale pink sunglasses further up her nose, “It’s only going to get worse.”
“That mean yer goin’ t’ be runnin’ around in yer bikini all the time?” his head lolled in her direction and a wicked grin spread across his face.
She laughed, “No it doesn’t,” she stretched her body out. It was the first day off of Warped and they had been given a boat to mess around on for the day, most of the boys were taking full advantage of the cool water by launching themselves off of the boat while Tom was messing around with his camera. Lexi self consciously adjusted her green animal print bikini top to make sure nothing was escaping and smoothed her black shorts out against her hips.
“Stop fidgeting wi’ yerself,” Matt said softly, “Ye look fine.”
“I keep feeling like I’m falling out,” she laughed quietly.
“Not as much as some people,” he nodded in the direction of Jona who, like all the boys, had come unprepared so had resorted to diving in his boxer shorts that were now saturated with water and hanging precariously off his slim hips.
“Not fancy a swim?” he asked, shaking his soaking arms over Lexi who made a vain attempt at swatting away the water droplets with her hands.
Matt shook his head, “Oi Weinhofen it’s only me’s allowed to get my girlfriend wet,” he grinned.
***
Lexi sat in the front lounge of the bus checking and replying to her e-mail and updating her little blog that she was pretty sure no one read when Oli appeared at the top of the bus stairs.
“Anyone abou’?” he asked.
She shook her head, her eyes not leaving her laptop, “Think there was chat of a beer run or something.”
He grunted in acknowledgment and threw himself down on the sofa furthest from where she was seated at the little table beside the kitchen area. He flicked on the TV and began flicking channels, then he stopped on one for a fraction of a second longer than the others if it was a particularly interesting infomercial or a particularly brightly coloured cartoon animal, then he would flick again.
“Ol,” Lexi sighed and got no reply, “Oli,” again nothing, “Oliver!”
“What?” he turned to look at her.
“That’s really annoying can you just pick a channel and stick with it?”
He scoffed, “That’s rich.”
“What?” she frowned.
“You telling’ me t’ pick somethin’ and stick t’ it,” he was continuing with his flicking only going slightly slower so that just when it was about to be revealed what was playing he changed the channel to something else.
She looked at him over the top of her laptop and frowned, “What have I ever done to you Ol? Seriously, why are you being such a prick? Is it cause I’m the only girlfriend here, did you want this to be some kind of boys only tour? Cause you really should have told Matt that before he asked me.”
“As if Nicholls listens to anythin’ I tell ’im abou’ you,” he scoffed, continuing to flick.
“Jesus Oli, we used to be friends, pretty good ones at that. I know I messed up with Matt so I therefore messed up with the rest of you guys but everyone else seems to have gotten over it apart from you.”
He turned to face her, “That’s cause ye treated one of my best mates like shit and no one else seems to remember that.”
“Don’t you think about what you say Oli?” she demanded, “Don’t you think that you reminding Matt again and again of how much I hurt him is going to eventually drive him away from me? Or is that your goal?”
He scowled like a kid caught with his hand in the cookie jar, “Ye’ve go’ tha’ covered yerself. I jus’ think he forgets jus’ how shit ye were t’ ‘im las’ time and someone needs to remind ‘im so he can see when yer goin‘ t‘ do it again.”
She threw her hands in the air, “I’m not going to leave him again, Oli. Why are you the only person that can’t see how sorry I am for the way things happened last time?”
He shrugged, “Cause I don’t believe it’s not gonna happen again.”
“And you want to be able to say ‘I told you so’?”
“I wan’ t’ know tha’ I did my best t’ warn him before the shit hits the fan again,” he frowned, “Cause tha’s what friends do.”