She's Got You High.

The next few days went by quickly. Shows were played, many miles were driven, and a million memories were made in between. And my homesickness was starting to go away, piece by piece. At this point, it almost felt like the road was my home. Hotel rooms, the back of the van, couches in the back of the venues. It was now a familiar routine to me.

The calendar had flipped from January to February, and we had moved on from Texas into Florida. Even in the south, it wasn't nearly as warm as I thought it'd be. But the weather wasn't what was on my mind- my birthday (and Garrett's...) was approaching, and fast.

Birthdays had never been anything special for me. While Garrett was always excited for our joint party, I was the one hiding from all the guests. I didn't really care about the presents, the cake, or the games. And as the years went by, I would completely forget why February 16th was so different from any other day. In more recent years, Garrett would usually come over to my house (or vice-versa), our families would have dinner, we'd open presents, and he'd stay the night, watching movies into the early morning. Our birthday(s) were just another excuse for Garrett and I to spend time together. Not that we didn't do that enough as it was...

The day snuck up on me this year, though. The stress and challenges of being on the road took up all of my focus, and it wasn't until we stopped at a Wal-Mart with a Party City next to it did I remember. It was the 15th, and we had a day off in Orlando, with a show there the next day.

"They aren't doing what I think they are, right?" I asked Garrett, as we walked through the relatively empty aisles of Wal-Mart, picking up various items.

"They probably are, June. Just don't get mad at them, alright? I know how much you hate parties. They're determined to have one though." He sighed, running his hand through his hair, before comparing two different brands of deodorant.

"More like they're determined to find a reason to drink..." I mumbled. Garrett laughed, and tossed a stick of Old Spice into our basket, walking down the rest of the aisle. We entertained ourselves for the next hour and a half, before Garrett received a text from Pat, asking where the hell we were.

"Took you guys long enough!" I yelled as they met us in the toys department. Garrett and a few of the guys went back to look at video games (Why, I had no idea. Not like there was anywhere to play them on this tour.) and I stayed in the toys section, looking at all the different kinds of action figures. I thought I was alone, but I could see someone walk into the aisle from the corner of my eye. I looked up, and to my surprise, it was John.

"Shouldn't you be looking at video games with the rest of the losers?" I asked, and John laughed, shaking his head.

"There's no point!" he smiled down at me, as I looked at all the various figures from Cars. It was silent for a minute or two before John's voice cut through the tension and silence like a knife.

"So, Junie. Your birthday." he started, and I glared at him, shaking my head.

"Don't even bring it up."

"But why not? You're turning the big 1-8! You can...buy porn! And cigarettes!" He countered, and I struggled to keep a serious face.

"But the porn is what's most important, right?"

"But of course!" his voice dropped down to a deep tone, suggestive. I knew he was only kidding though, and we both burst into laughter a moment later.

"Seriously though. What do you want?" he asked, as we left the action figure aisle, and made our way to the Barbies. He grabbed my hand, and lightly thread his fingers through my own. I could only help but wonder how the guys would react if they saw us.

"Nothing, honestly." I said, looking down at the floor. I wanted to adjust my sweater, crack my knuckles, any of my nervous habits that I usually relied on in situations like this. But seeing as one of my hands was pre-occupied, it was impossible. John's hand was different than Garrett's - he had a bigger palm, longer fingers, and a tighter grip. It felt like he actually knew what he was doing, instead of grasping for straws. I sighed.

We walked through the aisles slowly and quietly. John couldn't give up the fact that I didn't want anything for my birthday, and kept offering to buy me things. I was starting to get sick of him by the time we were back in the entertainment section, and I let go of his hand once we rounded the corner. I didn't want Garrett to see us.

But strangely enough, Garrett and the other guys weren't looking at video games. They weren't even anywhere close. John had shut up by this point, and I walked away from him, looking at the camera and film section. Suddenly, an idea dawned upon me. I grabbed a few boxes of disposable cameras, and walked back up to John. He looked down at my hands, then back at me, a smirk on his face.

"Are you actually going to let me buy you something?" He asked, and I nodded.

"This is what I want for my birthday, John. Memories. I'm gonna fill these cameras up by the end of tour, and then we can develop them and laugh at all the stupid shit we did. And it'll be fun!" John was still smiling as he grabbed my free hand and started to walk towards the exit. I could come up with a good idea when I wanted to. I could feel my phone vibrate in my pocket. I took it out to a new text message from Garrett.

"Where are you? Have you seen John?" I sighed. I guess I had to tell him the truth this time.

"Yeah, he's with me right now. Where are you guys?" I typed back out, hitting send. By the time we were in line to check out, another text came through.

"Seriously June? We're in the van. Hurry up and get out here."

"Well, Garrett's pissed..." I mumbled, as John looked at me curiously. "It's nothing!" I said, putting my phone back in my pocket, and putting the disposable cameras up on the conveyor belt. John paid for them, and a few moments later, we were headed out towards the van.

To say Garrett looked upset when I opened the door was an understatement. He looked furious, like his fuse was about to blow. I sat next to him, mouthed "sorry", as John took the passengers seat up front. Tim turned around, to make sure we were all in the van, before he started the engine up. The short drive back to the hotel awaited us.

----

It had been a relatively quiet night at the hotel. Most of the guys went out to drink, while yet again, Garrett and I were stuck in the hotel room. We had the Disney Channel on, though neither of us were really watching it. Garrett had been quiet for most of the night, ever since I got back from Wal-Mart with John. I tried explaining it to him, but all I could get out of him was a quick "Whatever." I didn't know what to do, so I kept my distance. Garrett was on one bed, and I was on the other. Hannah Montana was playing in the background, and all I wanted was to close my eyes and get some sleep. I didn't want to face the reality of my birthday being tomorrow, and whatever the guys had in store for Garrett and myself. I sighed. Maybe a 10 minute nap wouldn't be so bad after all. I just needed the rest...

I didn't even remember falling asleep. The same episode of Hannah Montana was running through my brain, though the face inches in front of my own was a new addition. I opened my eyes, only to see a familiar pair of blue eyes, and hear Garrett's familiar voice.

"June. Junebug, get up."

"What do you want?" I mumbled, sitting up. I looked over at the clock - 11:59 pm. Exactly one minute till...

"I'm sorry for being an ass, June. I don't want us mad at each other, at least not today." he mumbled, looking down, his hand running through the back of his head. A nervous habit of his.

"It's fine, Gar, really, it's-"

He cut me off, putting a finger on my lips, smiling at me. His eyes glanced over towards the clock, and we both sat there, waiting for the numbers to turn.

12:00 AM.

"Happy Birthday, Junebug." Garrett whispered, placing a light kiss on my forehead, before moving back, grabbing my hand, and dragging me towards his bed. I lazily got up, before laying right back down, but this time next to him, his left arm draped around my back. As much drama as the road provided, and with how different it was from home, I knew there was always going to be one constant in my life - Garrett.

"How the fuck are we 18..." I mumbled, and Garrett let out a small laugh, before pressing his lips to my forehead again. He was feeling rather affectionate tonight. I didn't stay awake to feel much more of it though. I passed out slightly after midnight, the steady rhythm of Garrett's heart playing me to sleep.

-----

"Alright! So at this time, we're gonna pause-"

Cut to the next evening, and The Maine was on stage, playing to a small crowd in Orlando. John was putting on his usual in between songs banter, but something about tonight felt different.

"And we're gonna sing a very special song to two, very special people. One of them is already on stage, one of them needs to get their ass out here. Oh Juuuuunie!"

I sighed. I should've figured as much - I wanted to stay strictly behind the scenes, but with John already a bit buzzed for the evening, I wasn't exactly shocked either. I was pushed out on stage by Tim, and was greeted by a bright flash - one of my disposable cameras already being put to good use by John. I walked over to Garrett, who mouthed "I'm sorry" at me.

"18 years ago today, these two were born in some shitty hospital back home in Arizona. Big fat chubby babies, yknow. And not much has changed since then, obviously. So, let's sing a big round of "Happy Birthday" to them! 1, 2, 3..."

The crowd was led in song by John, (who was doing a shoddy job at conducting...) and Garrett and I stood there, awkwardly, unsure of what to do with ourselves.

"Happy Birthday to youuuu!" John finished, wrapping his arm around my back, planting a kiss on my cheek. I could feel the blush creeping up there, and fast. It was almost instinct for me to push him away. He smiled at me, and winked, before facing the crowd again. I didn't even want to see Garrett's face at the moment. I'm sure he was pissed.

"Now, where were we! We were gonna play some tunes, right? How about this one?" John turned around to face Pat, who began to count off. I figured this was my time to go, and I quickly rushed off stage.

"Junie! We'll finish this later boo, I promise." John said, as the beginning chords of "Count Em 1, 2, 3" were played. I sighed, not wanting anything to do with drunken John when he got off stage that night.

Did I ever mention how much I hated my birthday?