...and the mistake takes the cake.

I bounced the ball against Pat's head for about the 5th time. And once again,he made no motion of any kind that showed he cared or was hurt.

This was how it'd been since 2 days ago when I came back into the van with John.

No one could explain it, he would talk to everyone else normally. But when it came to me, it was like I was invisible to him. John says Pat gets like that sometimes.

But I know that it's not true. Pat never acts like this. He never has in his lifetime. I should know, I mean, best friend over here!

If there's one thing that pissed me off, it's when people ignored me. Much like Pat was now. I had this thing where I require everyone to like me, I know it wsa stupid. But it got me through Highschool without any road bumps and it was awesome.

So as I would have it, I was doing everything in my power to get Pat to say at least one word to me.

I even asked Tim his own brother to talk to him, but no matter how sternly he talked to Pat or how hard I poked him. The message that I wanted him to talk to me again never got through.

And the worse thing is, I don't even know what to say sorry for to make it right.

"Paaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaatttttttttttttttttttt." I whined for the umpteenth time, then throwing a ball at his head and missing. The ball ended up hitting Jared's head with a thud however, waking him up. He groaned and kicked John's seat by accident. Then John woke up, groaned very much like Jared and kicked Kennedy's seat. Resulting in the domino effect.

Soon the whole bus was groaning, all whining my name and asking why the fuck I woke them up. The thing is, they had no evidence that it was me. They just knew it HAD to be. Who else would do something stupid that results in a whole van full of hungover 19-20-something-year-olds at 8 in the morning.

"I hate you Anna. You do know that right." Said Kennedy.

I rolled my eyes, I knew Kennedy loved me. "Oh Kenny, don't have to be such a downer. It was an accident."

I could see Kennedy rise up in his seat, his eyes red from lack of sleep and his hair stuck out in multiple directions. "No, I'm pretty sure the whole van hates you right now." He mumbled to me.

I laughed mockingly. "I bet John doesn't."

"I bet John does." Kennedy countered, "Watch. Hey John, do you hate Anna?"

I looked over to John, waiting for him to say no and throw something at Kennedy. Which was what I trained him to do.

He rolled over in the double seat, smacked his lips together and didn't bother opening his eyes. "Yep." He replied, slinging his long lanky arm over his shut eyes.

Kennedy chuckled lightly to himself. I gasped and mumbled "No head for you." in his general direction.

The whole van laughed (minus Pat) insync, maybe I did really wake them all up.

Even though John didn't budge, I knew he would be begging for forgivness later.

Rolling my eyes, I watched as all the guys got back into comfortable positions. Keeping my mouth shut, Tim told me something about not waking them up or they act like divas before a set.

And though I had had my laugh while envisioning all of them in dresses and makeup, the stereotypical diva, I decided to respect Tim's suggestion.

It was still pretty funny to imagine John and his hairy leg self in a fabulous pink sparkly frock however.

Kennedy was the only one who stayed awake, he whipped out a case of coke and brought out week old Starbucks coffee from under the seat. Then drank it.

I grimaced. When I was younger, I used to watch my older cousins and Pat's older brothers sleep 'till 4 in the afternoon and stay up at all hours of the night.

I used to think they were mixed with a nocturnal animal or something. Or an experiment of a lab.

But as I grew up, I realised, it was just the teenage male. Being a teenage male.

And here we see, an average teenage male doing a very normal thing. Drinking out of a starbucks cup that I'm pretty sure we got last Thursday. Hell, it wasn't even one of ours. I'm positive someone threw it through the rolled down window or something.

I just shook my head and started braiding Pat's hair. He HATES when people braid his hair. But, if he's going to ignore me, I'm going to piss the shit out of him. However much sense THAT made.

Kenny noticed this, "Still trying to get Pat to talk to you?" he asked, putting the starbucks cup back under the seat.

I nodded, not bothering to even look at him. I had finished one braid, and Pat was still looking out the window.

"You're not going to start trying to make up a rap as to why Pat should talk to you are you?"Kennedy asks clinging to his head and popping a random pill.

Okay, I should probably explain the reason the whole band is like death right now. It was Saturday last night. And even though that should be enough of an explaination, considering they were 20 year old guys. I'll go into detail. We had went to a local bar in whatever state we were in yesterday. The whole band besides Tim, me and Pat got shitfaced. I think the only reason Pat didn't drink was because there's no way he could pass for 21 unlike the others.

He's just too small and dainty. I doubt he'd be able to pass for 21 when he IS 21.

And as terrible as it sounds. I wish Pat had a terrible hangover like the others. Not because I wish pain upon him 'cause he's being a jerk (though I'm on the verge of it) but because it would have meant that he would have been drunk or slightly tipsy last night. One thing I know about Pat is that when he's drunk, you could find out basically anything.

"No, shut up Kenny. That plan was abandoned when a Katy Perry song came on the radio and I started dancing. I can't rap with Katy Perry playing. It's not right." Kennedy laughed and fell back onto the couch with a flop.

I looked at Pat's profile. He had such a cute nose. His big brown eyes were amazing too....and what about his hair. Though very badly treated and never brushed, I had a strange attraction to it.

Wait. What the fuck. I'm thinking about Pat the way I think about John. Does that count as cheating?

No, I don't think it would. I'm sure John thinks about much worse things than that.

I shook my head and poked Pat's cheek. He didn't budge, it didn't really matter to me anyway. I hadn't expected him too.

Sighing, I grabbed his arm and wrapped myself around it. It was pretty cold in the van right now, all the blankets were being used up by the guys.

Normally, I would have just pulled one from them. Not really caring if they freeze. But I think they know better now, they probably figured out that once I'm near by, they have to have a section of their body ontop the blanket.

I looked around. My teeth started to clatter. Pat's arm wasn't supplying enough warmth at the moment.

Okay, count of the blankets.

Jared had one and Kennedy had one (he fell back asleep by now). Now I'm no whiz at math, but I was pretty sure that was two. And Tim had supplied the bus with three blankets, which was pretty stupid considering there were 6 people.

Damn cheap Kirch brothers. They were all cheap.

Okay ther ALL weren't. Just Tim. But I'm pissed at Pat, so at the moment, he's a cheap bastard too.

Wait. There were THREE blankets. THREE. That means one is hanging around somewhere.

I quickly looked at John and Garrett who were sharing the back seat. Garrett was embracing John in his arms and his finger was twitching by John's mouth. I furrowed my eyebrows. I don't think they have it.

I looked away and at Tim, he had the heater on him. I doubt he had it.

That means....Pat had it. Quickly I looked in his other hand. And of course, the blanket was there. I sighed. No way I was getting THAT.

Shaking my head, I wondered why Pat had to be mad at me when I was freezing to death. I could SEE the windows frosting up.

I sighed once more, turning in my seat and assuming the fetal position. Eventually John would wake up and give me a blanket.

But then, my teeth started to clatter. And I don't mean a tiny amount of clattering. I mean HARDCORE DEATH METAL clattering. Or atleast, that's what the genre of music it would be if my clattering teeth were a song.

'It was going to be pretty hard to fall asleep with all that going on in my mouth' I started to think, before I felt the place where Pat was sitting move.

And as he moved, I felt a soft cotton blue blanket drape over me. Immediately stopping the clattering.

'Had he really just done that?' I thought, my eyelids getting heavy.

I yawned. Guess I was more tired than I gave myself credit for.

I couldn't let this moment pass though.

Taking the last of my strength before I pass out into a heap of exhaustion, I raised my head and mumbled a small, soft, but meaningful, "Thank you." to Pat.

Now I'm not sure if it was just me hearing things, or maybe the beginning of a dream. But, at the moment I felt a limp object softly caress the hair by my ear, I heard an even smaller, "Your welcome."

...

"WHO'S GOT SHORT SHORTS?!"

"I'VE GOT SHORT SHORTS!"

Was what I awoke too.

This could not be good.

I groggily tried to go back to sleep. Hoping the voices would all just go away or the people making the sound would die or something.

I am NOT a wake up person.

But just as soon as I was awoken, another round of the annoying song went on.

"WHO's GOT SHORT SHORTS?!" Said a slightly highpitched guy's voice.

"I'VE GOT SHORT SHORTS!" Replied a chorus of similar sounding men.

I rolled my eyes under my eyelids. This was how I seemed to ALWAYS wake up.

Holding my head, I rose up. Immediately getting a massive head-rush. My eyesight went black, as it often does when I get a head-rush. Which is about 20 times a day.

As soon as it cleared up however. The music continued.

"WHO's GOT SHORT SHORTS?!"

"I'VE GOT SHORT SHORTS!"

They repeated. I shook my head and looked to my right. Too see if Pat was still pissed off and looking out the window. Totally ignoring the song going on behing him. Like he normally does when he's pissed.

But to my suprise. Pat wasn't looking out the window. He didn't look pissed either. Not even MILDLY pissed.

I furrowed my eyebrows. Completely and utterly confused.

Did I go through a portal or something while I was asleep. Cause when I fell asleep, I remember Pat was very angry.

I was about to pinch myself, to see if it were a dream or something.

Then something that made my eyes almost pop out of my head happened.

Pat looked at me, opened his mouth, and SCREAMED.

"WHO's SHORT SHORTS?!"

I gasped, in amazement. Which was not a good idea, because I hadn't yet swallowed my spit, and when I gasped. It went down the wrong way.

Queue the coughing fit.

The band stopped singing and signs of worry hit their face.

"You okay there Anna?" John politely asked when my coughing was reduced.

I looked back at him and took a deep breath.

"No, I'm not. I'm extremely confused." I said, clearing my throat becuase it sounded a bit hoarse.

"Why's that?" Asked Pat. Which made my eyes buldge again.

"THAT!" I pointed at Pat. "THAT THERE! THAT. DID YOU GUYS HEAR THAT TOO?! HE SPOKE TO ME AMIRIGHT?! I'M NOT CRAZY AMIRIGHT?!"

The van was at first in silence as I kept my finger pointed at Pat in horror. Then they chuckled.

"Oh yea Anna, Pat isn't depressed anymore." Garrett answered.

"WHAT?!" I asked again in horror, well not in horror. I was just still very confused. I just wake up and all if hunky dory? This baffles me. "This is weird. Great. But weird." Pat's blank expression at me fell, it was replaced by a smile.

"Yea, Pat just talked to us about it when you were asleep." Jared said, sharing a knowing smirk with Kennedy and Tim.

"US, meaning the band besides you and me." Added John with a laugh. "I was getting something from starbucks and you were asleep. I'm not very curious about it though. But I KNOW you're going to be."

"By the way, you talk and snore in your sleep." laughed Tim.

"Like you didn't know that." I replied.

John raised his eyebrows suggestively. "I know I did."

I expected laughter, lots and lots of pervvy laughter. But instead it was silent. And once again, I was confused. With the company of John.

If anything, the band's faces looked anything besides amused. They looked worried or they just fiddled with something else blankly.

That got me scared. It made me think that John had herpes or something.

It's a good thing I went with him to that blood thing so I KNOW he doesn't have an STD.

"Fine, don't laugh." mumbled John.

I furrowed my eyebrows and Tim cleared his throat uncomfortably. "Right......" I said, breaking the silence. "Anyway, what was the reason Pat was pissed at me?"

They looked like they all knew it was coming.

Pat looked at Kennedy, Garrett and Jared pleadingly.

"He thought you took his jacket,"

"I told him you called him a dick once,"

"He had his period,"

All three answered at once. I looked to my right and saw Pat face-palm himself.

"What? Which one is it?" I asked. What the hell. NONE of these reasons could be right.

1) Pat never gets angry when I take his stuff. I'm weaing his hoodie and pants now and I'm sure he doesn't care.

2) I call everyone a dick. It's one of the top 5 words I use. Right below awesome and above fuck.

and 3) Answer is obvious.

"All those are impossible. He never gets that angry for any of those." I looked back at Pat, who had his eyes death glaringly locked on the guys.

Suddenly, Tim chimed in from the front seat. "He was pissed off cause you ditched him that night when you were looking for John."

The whole backseat (minus John) piped in with small meek "Yeas".

I looked at Pat. "Is this true?"

I could see the hurt swimming in his eyes. "Yea..." he croaked.

Woah. I never knew that would hurt him. "Ohmygosh, PAT! I'm SOOOOO SORRY!" I shouted highpitchly, throwing my arms around him and secureing them tightly. "I wasn't aware that's why you were so angry! Did it really hurt you THAt much? Aw Pat, you're my best friend. I shouldn't have done that."

But I knew the last few sentences weren't necessary for his forgiveness. Because from the time I threw my arms around him, I knew it was immediate forgiveness.

"It's okay Anna." He said, wrapping his arms around me too.

At this point, I didn't care if John would be jealous and angry because we were hugging like we were a couple. I got my best friend back.

Even if I KNEW that the reason Tim gave me wasn't true.