She's Got You High.

It took a while, but finally around midnight, the boys were done signing for everyone, and their gear was all packed up in the trailer. Most of the tour was heading to a local bar down the street, but seeing as Garrett and I weren't even 18 yet, we figured it was best to stay back.

"You guys promise to be back by 3, right?" I yelled out, as John put a thumbs up out in the air.

"Promise Junie! It's a shame you're not coming along." He slurred out, as I shook my head. John's condition had obviously deteriorated once I had gone back inside. Garrett and I waited till the guys rounded the corner, before we got inside the back of the van, settling down beneath the various blankets and pillow surrounding us. In the dark, I could faintly see Garrett taking his shirt off - not surprising, since the Texas heat was relentless, even in late January. His chest was pressed against my back a moment later, arms wrapped around my waist, his breath steadied out long before I even considered sleep. It felt nice to lay down, even if it was in the back of the van.

My first day of tour was nothing like I expected it to be. It was an adventure, to say the least. I learned more about the boys then I had ever planned to. I had my first taste of alcohol. I was already further east then I had ever been before in my life. It was only going to get colder, and probably more difficult. But I wouldn't give up this, these moments with my best friend, for the world.

I closed my eyes, and tried to zone out, told myself to stop thinking for once. Sleep surrounded me moments later.

----

"Hey, assholes, get the fuck up!"

I felt groggy - the sky was still dark, and Garrett was still next to me, head buried into my neck. The lights inside the van were on, however, and a face was hovering over the back row of seats. I could barely make it out as Jared.

Garrett was waking up, and I could see him squinting as his eyes adjusted to the light.

"What the fuck?" he murmured under his breath, as Jared tossed a pillow in our direction.

"Alright alright, we're up!" Garrett yelled, sitting up, pulling himself away from me, reaching for his shirt, beginning to put it back on. "What do you guys want, anyways?"

"Do you really want us to wreck? You guys are the only two that didn't drink tonight. Get up there." Kennedy chimed in. I sighed - I could only hope this wouldn't end up being an every day occurrence. I opened the back doors to the van just enough so that Garrett and and I could hop out, instead of climbing over seats to get to the front. Garrett took the drivers seat, so I was stuck on the passengers side. He was the better driver anyways. I took the job of turning the GPS on, and typing in the address of the next venue into it's program. I placed the small piece of technology back on the dashboard, and turned around - all the boy were looked like they were already asleep or passed out. Meaning it'd be a quiet drive for Garrett and myself.

"Ready to go?" Garrett's voice shocked me in the silence, and I jumped a bit. "Geez June, you're sure on edge tonight..."

"I'm just tired, alright? Let's get out of here."

"Alrighty then." I heard the van start up, and a moment later, we were on the open road. The ride to the next venue was only 4 or 5 hours long - not that bad. The clock read 4:17 - the guys had obviously gotten back later then I had wanted them too. We left the radio off for the first few minutes, before I couldn't stand the silence any longer. I plugged my iPod into the radio receiver, and looked over at Garrett.

"Anything you want?"

"Do I even have to request? You know what I want, June."

A smile broke out onto my face, as I selected Ryan Adams from the list of artists. A moment later his voice was playing through the speakers to mostly deaf and asleep ears.

"Most people never find the love, sometimes you just can't be a man, when you're living in the darkness of the shadowlands..." The lyrics spilled out from my mouth carelessly, almost like a chant. Garrett was focused on the road, but I could see his hands on the steering wheel, tapping along to the beat every once in a while.

There were nights back at home in Arizona, where we'd lay out in my backyard, a makeshift fort of blankets and pillows. Looking up at the stars, my old shitty boombox playing Love is Hell as loud as it could possibly go. We never really talked about anything - these were the days where the band had just started up, where schoolwork and family and new girls and boys kept us slightly more apart then we were used to. But then there were the days where Garrett knew something was up - he'd show up unexpectedly, bookbag in hand full of clothes and movies. And he would take care of me. He was always taking care of me.

"June?" Garrett was waving one hand in front of my eyes, the other gripping the steering wheel tightly. I blinked and flinched, surprised at any object being less then 2 ft from my face. "Good, you're not asleep. I don't want to be the one sane person in this van." He laughed to himself, before quickly stopping.

John was right - I let Garrett baby me. It was just a routine we were used to ever since we were kids. But I wondered how long both of us would let it happen - one day Garrett would have to stop caring about me. And one day I would probably fuck up so badly enough that he wouldn't want to look after me. I didn't even want to imagine tha-

"June, are you alright?" Garrett's voice broke through my head again, and I nodded. I didn't want him to worry. He had enough to focus on with driving, and touring in general.

We drove most of the way in silence, the only noise in the van was the steady voice of Ryan Adams. Eventually however, Garrett pulled off at a rest stop. The sun was just beginning to rise - I was surprised the place was even open. He rested his head on the steering wheel for a moment, before lifting up, looking at me.

"Could you do me the worlds biggest favor right now?" he said, and I could see how tired he was in his eyes. I knew what was coming.

"I'll drive the rest of the way," I started. "Do me a favor though and get me a large Cherr-"

"Cherry Coke, no ice. Got it." He said, practically leaping out of the van. Only then did I doubt how tired he actually was. I disregarded it though, and exited the passengers side of the van, making my way into the driver's seat. Garrett came out of the gas station a moment later, and entered the van, placing my Cherry Coke in the drivers side cupholder. He got himself a small cup of coffee, and was greedily drinking it.

I started the van up, and began to drive, looking cautiously at the GPS. We were mostly on the highway, before we would get off at a certain exit, then follow the streets to the venue. It seemed easy enough. I looked over at Garrett, and his eyes were closed. He had fallen asleep in the short moment it took for me to figure out where the hell I was going.

It was just Ryan Adams' voice and myself for the rest of the ride. And for some reason, I didn't really mind.

---

We eventually made it to the venue, around an hour later then we should've been. I got lost once we got inside the city limits, and then Garrett had to take over for me. We made it all pieces in tact though, just bits of our sanity were missing.

"Seriously June, how could you miss the same turn 4 times in a row?" Garrett asked, leaning back and resting his head on the headrest. The rest of the van had woken up due to the shouting match that had occurred between Garrett and myself just trying to get to the damn venue. I could see a few of the guys in the rearview mirror yawning, rubbing at their eyes sleepily. The van was turned off and parked, and I looked to Tim.

"What are we doing today, anyways?" I asked.

"Well, soundcheck is in 3 hours, if I remember correctly. Check-in for the hotel doesn't start till 4, so there's no point in getting that done yet, so-"

"Basically, we're stuck here for the next few hours with almost nothing to do." Tim was cut off by Kennedy, a bitter tone to his voice.

"Exactly." John mumbled from the back of the van, and I looked at his face. He was definitely hungover.

I looked over at Garrett, who shot me a small smile, before hopping out of the van. Nobody else followed suit, except for myself. I walked over to him, where he was standing on the sidewalk.

"I guess sitting in a van hungover is enough entertainment for them." he muttered, and I laughed. There came advantages to being under 21 sometimes. I looked around at our surroundings - we were still in Texas - Dallas, to be exact. Garrett and I began walking down the street, and after a minute of awkward silence, his hand found my own, our fingers entwining seconds later. I felt at peace - I felt invincible.

It was early in the morning, so most stores around us were just beginning to open up. After walking for a few minutes, we found a quiet little coffee shop - The Readers Cafe.

"This looks interesting enough..." Garrett mumbled, pulling me inside. The smell of books mixed with coffee hit my nose a moment later. The place was tiny - two storied, the second floor serving as a balcony, with little tables and chairs crammed next to bookshelves. Behind the counter, there were stained glass windows. It almost looked like it was a church in its past life.

"What do you want?" Garrett asked me, breaking the silence. Nobody was behind the counter, but nothing about the place said they were closed either. I studied the menu - I was never really a big coffee person. Nothing really jumped out at me. A minute or two later, a middle aged man came out from a room to the right of the counter, smiling at the two of us.

"What can I get you two today?" he asked, and I could see him staring at our hands, lazily tangled together. He probably got the wrong idea, but I didn't even care at this point. I was so tired, I needed something to wake me up.

Garrett rambled off some order that I missed completely, before looking over at me. "I'll just get the same thing he's having." I said quickly. The man smiled at me, before ringing us up. I began to reach into my bag for my wallet, but Garrett stopped me, pulling out his own.

"I'm paying for this one, Junebug." He murmured, pulling out a 20 dollar bill, getting change back a few moments later.

"If you guys want to go ahead and take a seat up on the balcony, I can bring your coffee up to you!" The worker shouted, his back turned to us while he prepared our drinks. I smiled up at Garrett, before leading the way. A long, slim set of stairs stood before us. I walked up it slowly, taking my time and admiring the place around me. Who knew such a beautiful building could exist in a place like this?

Garrett and I took the table in the middle of the balcony. Two wire chairs sat at a circular table, with napkins and book suggestions to the side. From where we sat, we could see people come in, talking with the worker, looking at books, reading the menu.

"Y'know, I think we have this people watching thing down pat." Garrett said, laughing slightly.

"We're just creeps Garrett, didn't you know that?" I whispered, seeing the worker approaching quickly, a tray in hand. He placed down two coffees, and a muffin for each of us.

"On the house," he quickly said, as Garrett tried to protest. "You guys aren't from around here, are you? You're just so cute together, I couldn't help it."

"Oh, we're n-"

"Thanks, sir." Garrett said, grasping my hand from across the table. He looked at me with a familiar smile and a wink. I knew to shut my mouth. The worker walked away, and I could hear him mumble "Kids these days...."

"Garrett, I can't believe you did that!" an exasperated tone escaping my voice as soon as the employee was out of earshot.

"Not our fault we're so cute together." He countered back, and I sighed.

"Whatever. I'm starving. What kind of coffee is this anyways?" I asked, looking down at it. Whipped cream and cinnamon topped it, so I couldn't even tell what is was.

"Just try it, you'll like it." I could barely understand him, due to the chocolate muffin he just crammed halfway down his throat. I moved the cup up to my lips, and took a sip. The contrast of the cold whipped cream, and the hot coffee tasted delicious - a hint of cinnamon completed it. It was delightful.

We were quiet for the most part, as we ate our breakfast. Every once in a while we got a conversation going, but it would die fast. I finished my coffee in minutes, while Garrett still had a bit of his left in his cup.

"This sure beats hanging out in the van..." I said, as Garrett laughed. Silence, yet again. He looked down at his phone, before looking back up at me quickly.

"What time did you say soundcheck was again?"

"1, why?" I asked, as Garrett suddenly gulped down his coffee.

"It's 12:57, June. We gotta get back!" We rushed down the stairs, being incredibly careful not to trip, and ran outside of the cafe, into the streets of Dallas as fast as our legs could carry us.