If It Keeps You Around Then I'm Down

JACK!:

Ava was using the ladies' room and was making Matt switch her, which means she would be sitting next to me. I shouldn't be this excited, I probably stunk and I've been wearing these jeans for the past week, in a row. We were pumping gas and Ava came back with coffee for Matt and he kissed her cheek, I felt jealousy and then I remembered, I'm asleep. I closed my eyes slightly and Ava looked at me then to her seat, desperately for any other seat. She smirked and poked my shoulder.

"You're not actually sleeping," she smiled and I opened my eyes and stuck my tongue out. She was holding herself back around me, I suppose since I told her about Haley. I know she thinks the conversation with me ended when I put in my iPod, but just because I put my earphones in doesn't mean there was music playing. I heard everything she and Alex had said, most importantly I heard her say that she didn't really have a boyfriend.

"You caught me," I said moving up and leaning my back against the window, she smiled and threw her backpack down between us as if it would stop anything from happening. She was avoiding my eyes roaming all over her body, she had her hair thrown up messily and I wanted to run my hands through it Haley wore so much hairspray my fingers got stuck. She finally returned my look and smiled.

"What?" She chuckled and Alex snorted when he shifted again. I laughed and shook my head. No wonder when he slept with girls there was no actual sleeping involved, no girl would ever come back.

"Nothing, I just felt like we haven't talked in forever," I smiled childishly, that was the smile Ava told me she loved after a dinner-date we had gone on. It was just us and an empty parking lot, she smiled and used the tips of her fingers to trace my face, I loved it and she knew it, I ripped myself back into reality, Haley, Haley. I saw Ava looking confused before pulling out a book.

"We talked like an hour ago, Jack," She laughed, I spread my legs over her and knocked her book down, anyone else would be pissed but Ava laughed and looked at me with a 'really?' expression.

"Oh yeah, that just happened," I joked and she adjusted herself to get comfortable lifting my legs up to do it. I wanted to tell her I missed her, I don't know why should would lie about a boyfriend, but I knew she wouldn't have if she didn't have feelings for me. Wait what? That made no sense, Ava still likes me, I think. I still like Ava, interesting.

"Oh, no you get that look right off your face," Ava laughed looking at me, I brought out an innocent smile and flicked my hood over my head.

"What look?" I said dumbly.

"Your 'I'm a horny little boy look'" she said putting up quotation marks, Matt chuckled as he closed the door to the van and turned on the ignition.

"Isn't that just his normal face?" Matt asked sarcastically, Ava threw her back in a little laugh and I rolled my eyes. I forgot other people were here, and I liked it better when it was just us as the only two conscious people in the van.

"So true, Matty-boy, so true," Ava said leaning forward to take a sip of his coffee which he didn't notice because he was busy turning on to the freeway. She yawned and stretched her arms up, making her ribs stick out and her hair tumble over her shoulders. I yawned, because they're contagious. She plugged in her iPod and I could hear the Death Cab pouring out. I laughed and did the same. Matt started talking to us, but we were both drifting to sleep.

My eyes fluttered open and I saw Ava's head in my lap, her snoring lightly and I laughed. I looked to Alex who was glaring at me through the rearview mirror. I mouthed 'what?' and he simply brought up two fingers to his eyes and then turned around and pointed to me. I laughed, he didn't know half the things he pretended to know.

I rubbed Ava's back lightly and she let out a content moan coming up and smiling at me sleepily. "Morning sunshine!" I chirped and she let out a little laugh. She kissed Alex on the cheek and I felt a flame of jealousy, he stuck out his tongue and I flicked him off, while Ava was peering out the window to get her bearings.

"Are we almost there?" She asked yawning again, noting the city outside as opposed to the flat desert. Matt nodded and yawned sleepily. We had probably gotten a couple of hours of sleep and we approached the venue, via print out directions. Matt pulled up next to a tour bus and two other vans, all with trailers attached.

Ava smiled a light of excitement switched on in her mind. She loved meeting new people and I knew it. I couldn't help but smile, she looked like a child anticipating the first day of school. Alex winked at two half-asian girls in a circle with a bunch of guys. Matt honked at them as we pulled up, Alex got out of the van first with Ava following close behind. Rian woke up when the car finally stopped and yawned and then smiled his big toothy grin.

"So this is Ava, the girl I never stop talking about," Alex introduced her to the small circle, the bigger band we were touring with were slightly older and didn't come out to hang until right before shows. "Ava this is Meg, Dia, Kenji, Nick and Ryan a.k.a. Scooter," He said pointing to from the taller Frampton sister to the younger one and then consecutively around.

"Nice to meet you all," She said sweetly and I smiled, pushing Scooter over and jumping on him dramatically, Dia laughed and covered her mouth, she was really quiet and Alex and I didn't really know that much about her, except her obsession with Tom Petty.

"Scoota!" I jumped up on him.

"Yeah don't bother helping!" Matt called up, Alex rolled his eyes and whispered something into Meg's ear before dragging Ava over to the trailer. I stayed and talked for a little before Ava grabbed me by the ear and dragged me over to trailer.

"Ow, Ow, Ow!" I called out, "Ava, I'll come!" She said letting go, she was laughing at me and I rubbed my ear and smacked her butt in retaliation.

"It's your fucking band!" She laughed carrying an amp the same size of her into the small building. Matt helped her carry boxes of merch we had and Alex helped her set up the table just until she could get the hang of it. She met with Ryan, Meg and Dia's merch guy and set up next to him breaking the ice with a joke.

"Jack you got some drool!" Alex said hitting me on the same side Ava had dragged me in with I groaned and realized that I was standing still staring at Ava, I looked around and walked back out following Alex, he handed me a box of shirts. "Don't you dare touch her if your still with Haley," Alex warned with danger in his voice.

"What are you talking about?" I asked innocently walking into the building with him.

"You know-" Alex stopped and smiled dropping off the box at the merch table and smiled at Ava, I did the same and she raised her eyebrow suspiciously at us. She rolled her eyes and went back to talking to Ryan.

"So you guys are from Utah?" I heard her ask before I turned my attention back to Alex, we sat in the relatively empty trailer and he glared at me.

"You know what I mean, Ava's my best friend and if you hurt her again, I'll turn your dick into dick juice and sell it at a stand for 25 cents per glass," Alex said raising his eyebrow, his eyes following Meg, who was wearing short-shorts and a white t-shirt, she smiled over her shoulder, before Dia slapped her lightly and they started talking quickly between themselves. Girls were weird.

"Haley doesn't mean anything, besides who says I'm even interested in Ava?" I asked trying to play it cool. Zack scoffed from behind us partially scaring the crap out of me

"Because you are and you can't hide it, you should treat Haley with respect or dump her," Zack said. Who said chivalry was dead, he kept walking at started talking to Scooter both of them carrying their bases back stage. I sighed.

"She has John," I made another excuse.

"She lied," Alex shrugged finding a bottle of vitamin water that he found in the trailer, he unscrewed it, smelt it and shrugged drinking it. I scrunched my nose in disgust, but then drank it when he offered me some. I recoiled, it was obviously old and had been rolling around in a hot trailer.

"You better not have given me herpes," I joked and he punched me.

"Do the right thing Jack," He said in complete serious, I felt my phone vibrate in my pocket and I sighed as I Haley's name across the screen. I flipped it up and walked away burrowing my free hand into my pocket.

"Hey," I heard her peppy voice loudly through my phone. I sighed.

"Hey, Haley-we have to talk..." I said beginning the long and awful process of making things right again. I wish Ava could know everything, the only reason I had broken up with this summer was because of her father, I knew she deserved better than me, but maybe I was selfish or just that she wanted me too. I remembered back before prom:

"Cigarette?" Mr. Brody offered, I shook my head and he nodded as if I had passed a test. I checked my watch making sure that everyone wouldn't take off with out me, Mr. Brody laughed and shook his head, "You know Jake-" he began.

"It's Jack," I corrected he looked at me with wide eyes, I already felt awkward looking down at him so I meekly added a sir.

"Jack, I can tell you're a better kid than most," I chucked uncomfortable, "trust me I do know. Here's the thing, I know all about your little band and how you're going to be alone with four guys meeting girls all across the country. Do you love my little girl?" He asked, I choked in the pressure.

"I believe so, sir," I said adding it again, he chuckled and nodded.

"I really believe THINK you do," I'd never felt so small, "but think about when your alone and some girls come and throw themselves at you. Are you strong enough to say no? Are you strong enough to protect my little girl's heart, because theirs two people in little relationship of yours, I want you to think about that Jake," he said patting my back and stamping out his cigarette walking inside. I thought about how many times he had said little in his speech, then guilt rushed over me. I looked out into the backyard and sighed.

I wasn't strong enough. I collected myself and walked into living room, silent with Alex and Lisa looking for a conversation starter. They didn't acknowledge me, I plopped down on the chair and started thinking about tour. I saw a pair of bright eyes attached to a big smile talking to me and my heart fluttered.

"Hello?" She asked and I got up, she looked amazing. She was perfect, and I would have to let her go for her own sake,but not till the last minute for mine.

Someone thew a football at my head jerking me back into the present, Haley was still yelling a bunch of curse words at me for breaking up with her and she simply responded by saying she was cheating on me anyways. I hung up, I didn't really care, I gave Alex a thumbs up and he nodded, my attention went directly to a short brunette walking next to Meg and talking to her about something, she noticed me and smiled brightly Meg looking curiously. They began gossiping, I suppose about me. I was going to make everything right, including the biggest mistake of letting her go.