Diamonds in the Rough

When the van pulled to a stop, Jasey’s eyes were the first to open. Apparently they had stopped a while ago, since Matt was now in the passenger’s seat with Val in his arms.

Jasey had tried to sit up to go wake Val up, but a pair of arms around her pulled her back.

“Stop moving.”
“But I have to get up,” She whispered, “We have to unpack.”

“Shadds is going to do that with Valary,” He said opening his eyes.
“Well I guess no merch today then,” She giggled.

“Shut up, I’m getting up,” Valary called from the front seat.

“Oh really now?” Jasey challenged.
“Spend your day with Brian. We’ve got this.”

“Well then,” She said looking up at him, “What are the plans for today?”

“We go to my hotel, order room service, and just lay in bed, naked, all day.”
“You’re a funny man Gates,” She giggled lightly.

“How bout we just go back to sleep for a little while,” He said digging in to the front pocket of his jeans for his phone, “It’s only seven.”

“FUCK!” Valary groaned from the front seat.
“Matt! What did I tell you about fucking while everyone else is in here!” Jasey scolded.

“It’s going to take forever to carry all these boxes to the middle of the fucking place,” Valary complained, opening the door and getting out.

“I take it that it’s time to go,” Matt said, following her out of the van as well.

“They’ve got two hours, why is she in such a hurry?” Brian asked, a little confused.
“It takes a while to set up a merch table.”
“You throw a couple stickers on the table, hang a few shirts up behind you and call it a day.”
“It takes a lot more effort than just that. Now about going back to sleep……”
“Right,” he smiled, wrapping his arms tighter around her, closing his eyes and resting his chin on top of her head.

An hour and a half later, the two of them woke up.

“We could just lay here all day,” He said half asleep.
“I don’t think Rev and Christ would like that very much,” She giggled.

“Well then maybe we should get up,” he suggested.
“Close your eyes though; I want to grab a different shirt.”

Jasey decided that wearing a white tank top probably wasn’t the best idea to do if the forecast was calling for rain. So instead she grabbed a deep purple, thin tank top and threw it on, matching her torn and ripped denim shorts.

“Alright, you can look now.”

He uncovered his eyes and smiled at her, letting out a quite girlish sounding ‘damn’ escape past his lips, causing Jasey to laugh her ass off.

“What’s so funny Ms. Merrick?” He asked, cocking his eye brow at her.
“You’re a freak, you know that?” She said after catching her breath.
“I’m a freak with magic fingers,” he grinned, wiggling his fingers in front of his face.

Jasey just shook her head and got out of the van. Just like the weather man had predicted, the skies were overcast and grey. If it were up to her, she would’ve just stayed inside the van all day, but there was work to be done and boys to attend to.

Moments later Brian jumped out of the van, and yes, he really did jump. You lock him up in a small space like that for six hours and he ends up like this.

“So,” he said kicking the tiny rocks on the ground, “I was thinking ……”

“You’ve never been this bashful Syn,” Jasey noted.
“When a beautiful girl is in your view, it’s hard to concentrate,” he admitted, though he probably didn’t mean for her to hear that.

“Why aren’t guys like you always around?” She asked, rocking back and forth on her heels. He just shrugged and stepped over to her, slinging his arm around her shoulders.

Val sighed as she watched Jasey and Brian walk away from the van.

“What’s wrong?” Matt asked, sounding concerned as he walked up behind her.
“Nothing,” She smiled, “They just look so damn cute together.”

“If only he would grow the balls to really ask her out.”
“Reminds me of someone,” She smirked.
“Who?”
“You.”

“So where exactly are we going?” Jasey asked after they had walked through a giant gap in the chain link fence that separated, or at least was trying to separate the parking lot from the event.

“That’s a good question.”
“Oh great, both of us are going to get lost,” She said with a voice that was dripping with sarcasm.

“We’re not going to get lost,” He reassured, “I won’t let us.”
“Alright,” She sighed.

The two of them had wandered up to a hill that overlooked the fenced off enclosure that was going to contain hundreds, even thousands of kids in less than twenty minutes.

“Wow,” Jasey said looking down at everything.
“This place is huge.”
“Tell me about it!”

Jasey sat down on the grassy hill, pushing her knees up against her chest, resting her chin on top of her knees. She was trying to take in everything.

It was only weeks ago that Valary had asked her to come on Warped Tour with her.
It was only months ago that Jasey had met everyone in the band.
It was only seconds ago that she had felt like the luckiest girl in the whole world.
It was only nights ago that she dreamed of something like this.

“What?” Brian asked, noticing her subconsciously letting out a laugh.

“Nothing,” She giggled.
“I want to laugh too,” He said with a pouty face.

“I was just thinking about how funny life is.”
“Why is life funny?”
“My life is very funny,” She said with a smile.
“Oh really now?” He pressed, sitting down as close as possible to her, resting his arms on top of his knees.

“The people in it are funny and the things that happen seem like they should be in a movie.”

“Am I funny?”
“Looking like that,” She giggled, “Yes you are.”
“Ha ha,” He joked.

“All I need is a Romeo with a white horse.”

Brian’s eyes shifted from hers, to the grass surrounding them. He was way too nervous to tell her now, but he felt like he had to. His head was telling him one thing, his heart was saying another.

His heart won.

“Look Jase,” He started, getting a little nervous. She picked her head up and looked at his eyes.

“I could be your Romeo with a white guitar if you’ll be my Juliet.”

Her eyes lit up and a smile grew across her face as she nodded vigorously.

He licked his lips, “I’ve been dying to do this since I met you.”

There wasn’t a moment of hesitation from either of them as they leaned closer to each other and let their lips finish the talking. It was a brief kiss, but it still sent the butterflies in her stomach on over drive. He pulled away and her eyes were sparkling. He put his arm around her shoulders and pulled her closer, attaching his lips to hers once more.

And as the weather man had predicted earlier, it was raining.