Stranded

Alley walked on the bus a while later during Jack’s speech on why we should play strip poker, no one was on board.

“You’re so weird.” She laughed, going to her bunk. She was the only one who didn’t have to share. Lucky. She gave a smile to Sara’s sleeping form before she turned to her bed.

Train, now getting too big for Sara’s shoulder, jumped up on to her lap, curled into a ball, and went to sleep. “Guys, is it okay if I went on the Kids’s bus? So it’s not too crowded in here?” Alley asked, coming from her bunk with her bag. “At least while Gabe and Vicky are here…” Her cheeks were tinted pink, Jack nudged me. I knew what he was getting at.

“Sure.” Alex nodded, petting Train’s head.

“You’ll have to talk to Sara tomorrow about it.” I said to her. She nodded, resituating her bags on her shoulders and headed off the bus to meet Caleb. I was glad to see that he wasn’t too upset about me.

After poker, Jack and I got from the booth and to the chairs father away. Everyone else went to separate ways but Alex and Sara. Sara was still sleeping while Alex looked perfectly fine sitting there, petting Train absentmindedly.

“They need to hurry up and make out.” Jack said. I laughed at how outright he was.

“Alex has Lisa, and Sara’s not down with messing that up.” I shrugged, wrapping an arm around his waist, with the other I took a gulp of water.

Just as I was swallowing, “He wants to break up with her.” You know those spit-take things that happen in movies a lot when something surprising is said? Yeah, cue one of those.

Alex glanced over while Jack laughed and the bus started rolling again. I could see it now. Alex looked really…sad. Torn.

“What?” I whispered to Jack, pulling him to the back room where Zack and Rian were. I didn’t care if they knew. I needed to know. “Alex wants to break up with Lisa?”

“Yeah.” They all chorused.

“Why am I the last to know?”

“Sara doesn’t know…”

My head on Jack’s shoulder at the news. “When did he decide this?” I asked, eyes closed.

“I don’t know…he told me last night though. It was one of his ‘Oh my Gaskarth’ moments…a few weeks ago probably..” Jack shrugged, playing with my hair, I was going to fall asleep again.

“But Mike showed up…it kind of made him start to rethink it…”

“But…he loves Lisa.” I said quietly. This just got more and more complicated.

“Well, Sara loves Mike, but she’s staying away because of Alex.” Zack put in. He really didn’t miss much, did he? Maybe that’s why he was so quiet; he was listening and figuring people out.

“What are we going to do?” I asked, and they looked at me, I raised my eyebrows. “Well, we need to do something to push them in a direction? They’re stuck…”

“I knew I like you for a reason.” Jack smiled, kissing my cheek.

“I thought it was because I was so sexy.” I struck a pose.

Jack gave a smile, “That too.”

..

I was beginning to nod off, pulling a Sara and sleeping on Jack’s shoulder didn’t sound so fun to me, so as the end credits to ‘Donnie Darko’ played, I yawned and got up from the couch. “I’m going to get a glass of water and head for bed, okay?” I patted Jack on the knee.

“Yeah, good night.” He kissed me lightly.

I smiled, “Good night, love.” I went to get a water from the fridge and found out that Alex and Sara were still there, though Alex was now asleep. His arm was slung around her shoulder, his head resting on hers, Train stretched across both of their laps now. I quickly took a few pictures, definitely going to put them in a photo album, maybe a few frames. They were so cute together. I bet Sara would say the same about Jack and me.

Exhausted, I went to the bunk. Vicky and Gabe said they would share the bunk, so Sara’s was the only empty one besides Jack, who was probably playing Halo and trying to defeat Alex’s scores.

..

“Kay! Kay! Kay! I got pictures!” Jack said excitedly.

“Huh?” I asked, not seeing anything properly. Jack shoved his phone in my face.

“They’re so cute!” He squealed. I growled, shoving his face away and sliding the curtain shut again. Silly Jack. He opened the curtain again. “Please wake up? We’re at the venue super early and I want to hang out with you…”

I sighed, sliding from the bunk. “Fine.” He did a little victory dance and grabbed my hand. We went to the kitchen first after I detoured and pushed him out of the back living room as I changed.

Since I hadn’t actually seen the pictures on Jack’s phone, I didn’t know that Sara had shifted. She was now curled up on the booth (don’t ask me how she did it) with her head in Alex’s lap. Alex was now awake (Jack probably wasn’t too subtle with his picture taking) and he was messing with her hair, pushing it behind her ears and then back again. Occasionally, he would pet Train, who was curled up under Sara’s arm.

Sara and Train were so alike. Like owner like pet, I guess. “Hey, Al.” I greeted, smiling knowingly at him when he looked up. He gave me a small smile.

“Hey, Kahla.” He gave a small wave.

“Are you stiff?” There was an awkward silence that I saw both Jack and Alex were trying not to laugh at. Wha—oh, wait…EW!

“What’s what she said!” Jack apparently couldn’t hold it in anymore. Both Sara and Train jumped awake at our outburst.

“What’s going on?” She rolled to look and her eyes widened when she saw Alex. “Alex?” She sat up, confused, discontent look on her face. “Huh?”

We all laughed again at her face, not able to calm down. Jack and I held on to each other for support, not getting why we were laughing so hard and it only made us laugh harder.

Alex explained to Sara, except the last part, and they started talking. Jack and I finally did calm down and we went outside to do some exploring. The venue wasn’t open yet, since it was only ten in the morning, so we walked around the block, me struggling with my crutches. “Why are we doing this again?” I sighed, managing anyway. As long as I was with Jack, I didn’t really have anything to complain about.

“I never got my breakfast,” Jack mentioned on our second time around the block.

“There’s a McDonald’s and….a Denny’s.”

“DENNY’S!” Jack screamed running and leaving me behind. What a great guy…