My Words Are a Matter of Pride

Holly slipped her sunglasses onto her face as she exited the foyer of the Hotel she was staying at in Sydney, Australia and looked both ways before crossing the street to a small coffee shop she found the previous day. She walked inside, hearing a small bell above the door ding to announce her entry, and approached a girl at the counter that she had met, also the previous day.

"Hi Holly," the girl smiled. "What can I get you?"

"Hi Ellen," Holly smiled as she pushed her sunglasses back onto the top of her head. "I'll have," she started, absent mindfully playing with her lip ring as she examined the choices of cakes, muffins and cookies. "A slice of pavlova please." Ellen grinned and got to work cutting a slice of pavlova, handing it to Holly and taking the money she offered. "Keep the change," Holly smiled, "Are you coming to the show tonight?"

"Of course," Ellen grinned, "I've had my ticket for months!" Holly grinned and bade the girl farewell before returning across the street to the hotel and entering an elevator, where she shoved some of her pavlova in her mouth. She exited the elevator with half a slice left and walked down the hall to the room she was sharing with Avara. She swiped her card and let herself into the middle of an argument.

"You don't spell 'gone' with an 'r'," she heard Shaun Diviney, lead singer and guitarist of Kill Barbie's co-headliners Short Stack, yelling.

"It's another way of spelling it!" She heard Andy Clemmensen, also of Short Stack, say back.

"I think you need to go back to school, Ando," Holly grinned as she waltzed around the corner with her pavlova. Harlee glared at her jealously. Andy glared at her meanly. He was Short Stack's bassist, so there was always competition between them. They'd known each other for a while, so this competition created a tension that made them absolutely hate each other.

"Shut up," Andy snapped.

"Don't be jealous because I've been on Warped Tour, and you haven't," Holly replied, sticking her tongue out and sitting in a plushy armchair next to the window.

"Shut up, I don't care!" Andy said.

"Uh huh," Shaun mumbled. He was lying on Avara's bed with his guitar on his lap.

"Are you finished tuning yet?" Andy asked him as he plucked a string on his guitar.

"Yes," Shaun said.

"Are you listening to it?" Andy asked.

"Are you looking at it?" Shaun asked mockingly, nodding his head toward his electrical tuning device.

"Can you hear the note? You know that just goes to the nearest note," Andy told him. Avara shook her head from where she was sitting at the end of Holly's bed. Shaun and Andy were always snapping at each other, just like Andy did with Holly. Shaun ignored Andy. "Does it say E?"

"Yes!" Shaun snapped.

"Show me," Andy said, getting up from next to Avara and walking toward Shaun. He picked up the tuner. "Go on." Shaun plucked the string again. Andy smirked and held the tuner up to Shaun's face. "Yeah, dickhead."

"It said E you faggot," Shaun yelled.

"It said F," Andy argued.

"It says E, there is no F," Shaun argued back. Holly laughed and covered her mouth with her hand. "What are you laughing at?" Shaun asked.

"I missed my mouth," she replied, "Harlee, want my cake?" Harlee jumped up and took the cake from Holly, then went back to her seat and started eating the cake. Holly laughed again, and then grabbed her phone from her pocked to read the message she'd just received

Caleb Turman.
Holly we're coming to Australia!

Holly didn't know why Caleb was texting her, she hadn't spoken to him since about a month after they'd left America.

"Forever The Sickest Kids are coming to Australia," she said out loud.

"Oh... Really?" Avara asked slowly. She hadn't spoken to Jonathan for ages, and Holly wondered if they'd had a fight.

"Yeah."

Holly Burming.
When and where?

"Well this is awkward..." Shaun said, trailing off. Holly laughed and got up.

"You boys gotta leave, we have to start getting ready for the show tonight." Andy, Shaun and Bradie got up and left slowly. "Harlee and Tadem, your clothes are in your room..." Tadem laughed and got up. She then dragged Harlee from the room squealing about her plate slipping from her hand. "Wanna talk about it?" She asked when the door was finally shut.

"Um, not really, no," Avara replied. She got up and went to her suitcase and began to rummage around for some clothes. "What will I say to Jonathan Holly?" She asked finally. Holly stopped taking her shoes off and stroked her non-existent beard.

"I guess you don't have to see him if you don't want too..." She trailed off, "I want to see Kyle though, so I'll still see him."

Caleb Turman.
All Time Low will be there too, so will Paramore.

"And ATL will be there, so will Paramore," Holly said, "so we can see Hayley." Avara sighed and stood up straight holding a pair of black skinny legged jeans and a grey shirt.

"All Time Low.... Meaning Alex gaskarth.... Reckon I'd be able to sue him for hitting me?" Holly chuckled and grabbed a dress from her case.

"I don't think you'll be very popular with their Australian fans Avara Law." Avara chuckled.

"I guess your right."



"Welcome!" Holly cheered, standing on her speaker and staring out over the huge crowd. "Thank you all for being here tonight, it means a lot. I'm sure you all know this is our first tour since Warped Tour in the USA, im sure some of you have heard of it before, it's only a very small tour..."

"Holly, its way smaller than that..." Avara laughed.

"That it isn't," Holly replied, "anyway, I'm sure y'all know we are Kill Barbie, and this first songs called 'Alex Gaskarth from All Time Low is an asshole!' Avara cracked up laughed and began to play the first song on their set list.

An hour later, the four girls stumbled sweatily off of the stage. Holly handed her guitar to a random stage boy, while Avara and Harlee handed theirs to Travis.

"I'm dying of thirst, who wants water?" Tadem called from an esky just off the other side of the stage. Holly, Avara and Harlee raised their hands. "Okay, catch." Tadem threw a bottle to Holly, who caught it, a bottle to Harlee, who caught it, and a bottle to Avara, who missed and watched cross-eyed as it smacked her in the forehead. She went to catch it before it fell, but ended up smacking herself in the face. The bottle dropped to the floor and the top burst off, causing water to noisily glug out of it. Avara sighed in frustration and rubbed her head as she bent down to pick up the bottle. She took a sip, returned the cap, and threw the bottle back into the esky before taking a step toward the lounging area the stage hands had set up for the bands. A step that landed in a puddle of water. Avara let out a squeal as she slipped and almost fell flat on her ass. Almost, because Shaun caught her from behind on his way to take the stage.

"Careful Vara," he smiled. He helped her straighten up and she turned and smiled at him.

"Thanks," she smiled, her face growing red with embarrassment. He ruffled her her and took his guitar from the stage hand.

"Watch where you're walking kid," he grinned. He gave a small wave and stepped up the few steps leading to the stage. Avara followed her band to where they were seated on a lounge and took the only available space; Tadem's lap.

"Howdy," she said.

"What's up," Tadem asked her as she rested her chin on Avara's shoulder. Avara looked at her hands as she thought about what was bothering her. She explained to Tadem that for weeks after Avara and the rest of Kill Barbie returned to Australia, herself and Jonathan would publicly display affection toward each other. By publicly, she meant not-so-privately on the internet. Then it stopped. Just as she knew it would. He stopped tweeting about missing her and stopped replying to her comments on myspace, even though she used the secret password; muffin, to let him know it was really her and not some creepy fan. She asked Caleb what was going on, but he didn't reply either, so she asked Kyle. Kyle told her that Jonathan was probably just really busy but promised he would find out why Jonathan wasn't talking to her. Kyle never got back to her, and when she asked Holly, she found out Kyle had stopped talking to her as well.

"So, we've been ditched by The Kids?" Tadem sighed.

"It appears so," Avara nodded sadly, "It appears so." Holly rested her head back and closed her eyes after she had finished eavesdropping. She wondered, now that FTSK were heading to Australia, if their paths would cross. And if they did, the first thing she was going to do was kick Kyle William Burns' skinny, white butt.