Escaping Our Fate

“You should use that clip from the concert last night.”
”Nope,” I answered back, clicking another video file and starting the editing process on it, cutting out just the piece I needed.
“What about the one from-“
I shut my laptop and looked straight at Max. “If you don’t get out of my personal bubble” I waved around me, signifying the invisible bubble he was currently penetrating. “And let me do my job I will put in the video of you in drag.”
Max’s eyes got wide, “You said you deleted that!”
“I lied.” I smiled, remembering Max’s drunken fashion show. He decided to dress up in hot pink fishnet tights, a tight jean mini skirt, a DD bra stuffed with socks and hacky sacks, and a shirt with a plummeting neckline. He even pulled his hair up in a high pony tail and put on eye shadow. He strutted around the bus and said he was ‘Maxine’, trying to get all the guys to feel up his boobs. The bad part was that besides the obvious brightly colored hacky sack boobs, he could have passed as a girl who hasn’t shaved her legs…ever. All of the guys took pictures of ‘Maxine’ and I got my video camera out and recorded him.
“Fuck. Fine. You don’t love me anymore,” Max pouted, getting up and walking away.
“Love you Maxine!” I chuckled to myself.
“Fuck you Charlie.”
“Sorry, I’m not into chicks.” I opened up my laptop again, getting to work.
Max mumbled some incoherent things, probably about getting me back. I wasn’t too worried about it, he’d forget it about it soon enough.
I finished getting a clip of then playing a particularly good show and started my search for more clips. I got a few of the boys playing different shows, them chilling on the bus, drinking and doing crazy shit, them meeting and talking with fans, and then some video we took yesterday. We decided to go to the zoo because Craig wanted to see penguins really bad after watching Happy Feet. I hit play and started watching.

The five boys (I was behind the camera) made their way to the penguin exhibit; Craig was going on about wanting to see them dance.
”Dude, penguins can dance!” Craig told Max.
“They can’t dance man, they are just penguins.” Max laughed, shielding his eyes from the sun.
“The movie was based on a true story,” Craig argued.
“Was not. It was fiction.” Robert told him, pointing to the sign that said ‘Penguins This Way!’ with a giant arrow pointing left.
“I’ll prove they can dance.” Craig took off jogging in the direction of the penguins. We took off after him just to find him tap dancing (well…attempting to anyway) in front of the penguins. All you could hear was laughter, from us and some snickers from the surrounding people. Even the penguins were looking at him like he was retarded.
One of the penguins screamed, looking at Craig.
“Haha, look Craig, its singing to you.” Robert laughed, pulling his long curly hair into a tail at the nape of his neck.
Craig flicked him off and stopped dancing. “Fuck you.”
“Maybe you should try singing to them. They might dance.” Mike tried hard to keep his laughter in.
”What song?”
“I’m a little teapot.” Monte laughed from beside me, his hand holding mine securely.
“Do the dance too, dude.” Max held his sides, laughing silently.
Craig’s face fell as he realized what was going on. “You guys are making fun of me.” He looked over at me, “Char! Stop recording this!”

I laughed as the screen went black for a second. I was about to clip it before another video started playing.

Max’s face was in front of the camera, he was holding it to himself. “See, Bryan and Charlie went missing. So Michael” he turned the camera some so Mike was in it also. “Are going to go hunt them down and see what they are up to.” He turned the camera the right way, putting Mike in the shot as they walked around in search of Monte and I. After a few minutes of them getting distracted by a tiger eating a huge hunk of raw meat Mike called out.
”Dude! There they are!” he whisper/yelled. Max turned the camera in the direction Mike was pointing and zoomed in.
Monte and I were sitting in front of an ice cream stand, him eating a chocolate cup and I eating my cookies and cream cup. Monte scooped out a spoonful of mine before putting it in his mouth. You could hear what we were saying because we were too far, but you see me smiling and fussing at him jokingly. Monte said a few words before capturing my lips with his. The kiss lasted longer than was appropriate for public, but it still looked completely innocent and sweet.

It was weird watching myself and Monte kiss, but I couldn’t help but smile. I hit rewind and brought it back to the beginning of the kiss, watching it again.
“What are you doing, babe?” Monte asked, making me jump.
“Shit Monte, make noise next time you creep up on me!” I laughed, holding a hand to my rapidly thumping heart.
He smiled a toothy grin, “I’ll do that next time.” He looked at the screen. “When’d you get that?”
“Max and Mike got it yesterday.” I rewound it again so he could see it from the beginning. “Evidently they stole my camera when we went to get some ice cream.” I scooted over to give him more room on the bench. He moved so he was sitting right by me, his side pressed against mine.
After the part of us kissing the camera turned back to Max. “Damn lovebirds can’t keep their hands,” “Or lips” Mike added. “Off each other.”
“Holy shit…” Monte stared at the screen like he saw a ghost.
”What?” I looked at him curiously.
”Rewind it a little. Back to when Max is on the screen.”
I did as told.
“Can we put it on slow motion or something?”
“Yeah…” I hit the button and watched the screen, trying to find what had Monte so weird.
“Pause it, right there!” Monte yelled.
I hit the pause button and looked at the screen, still not finding anything odd. There were a few people behind Max, just other people at the zoo though.
“What is it?”
”Is that…Ronnie?” Monte pointed to the screen, pointing out a tall man in the background with long black hair.
I hit the zoom button, bringing the man in question into a larger picture.
“That’s Ronnie.” Monte stared at the screen, a blank look on his face.