You're No Good At Lying

“It looks like the bleeding’s stopped,” Kara mused after she, Spencer and Rian (he had informally introduced himself as they walked quickly from the field) entered the, much to Spencer’s surprise, All Time Low tour bus. The inside was so dirty, Spencer was glad the metallic stench of blood was the only thing she could smell.

“Yeah,” she muttered in agreement, taking in the sight before her, “and it’s beginning to hurt a bit less.”

“Hopefully it’s not broken.” Mumbled Rian as he handed her a damp washcloth. Without any care for the fact that the light gray cloth was slowly turning a dingy red, Spencer carefully patted the blood away from her nose, watching to apply as little pressure as possible.

“It’s not broken.” Spencer said calmly, yet a strong confidence washed away any doubt that may have lingered. “I’ve broken bones before, and it doesn’t feel broken.”

“What’s going on?” A voice came from the other end of the bus, and Spencer glanced suddenly as three more guys emerged from the depths of the All Time Low bus. “What happened?” The same one asked, directed at Spencer as Kara handed her a bag of ice that replaced the cloth on her nose.

Spencer didn’t answer, and instead Rian jumped in, “It was an accident. Some guys and I were playing football and it hit her in the face.”

“Ouch,” a tall, lanky guy with two-toned hair said, flopping down on one of the sofas.

“So what’s your name?” Another asked, sitting down on top of the skinny one. The third guy stuck around in the back, leaning against the doorframe casually. Spencer would have enjoyed getting a better look at him, but the first two held her attention for the moment.

“Spencer,” she responded, lifting up the ice bag and seeing that her nose had, thankfully, halted bleeding.

The thin one laughed. “That’s a guys name!”

Spencer didn’t know how to respond to that, so she merely said, “My brother’s name is Morgan.”

The lanky one scoffed, “Your parents had issues with gender names.”

“Wait, isn’t there a Morgan O’leary working for Strike 4?” So that was the name of the band her brother tuned guitars for, then? Spencer made a mental note to remember that.

“That’s my brother.” She replied.

“He’s awesome!” Exclaimed the one with two-toned hair, jumping up from under the guy sitting on top of him. “I’m Jack, that’s Alex, and that’s Zack.” He pointed to the one standing further back in the bus with his arms crossed over his bare chest. “He’s kind of quiet, but you’ll like him.”

Spencer glanced over at Zack, trying to figure out his calm expression and relaxed demeanor. Spencer had always been excellent at sizing people up upon first impression, but for some reason she couldn’t figure Zack out. There was something about him that she couldn’t wrap her mind around, and though her face remained expressionless (like always) she made a reminder to stay as far away from him as possible.

Anyone that she couldn’t read, Spencer didn’t want to be around.

Kara and Rian both took a seat on one of the sofas, leaving Spencer as the only one standing (well, Zack was standing, too, but Spencer didn’t count him). The bag of ice was still pressed against her nose, but she could feel the ice melting into a bag of cold water, so she slowly tore it open over the sink and let the ice and water drain down the metal tap. “So what are you up to tonight?” Alex asked as Jack turned on the Xbox and threw a controller to Rian and Zack, who finally sat down on the floor in front of Jack.

“Nothing,” Spencer responded. “I guess I’m supposed to meet the band that my brother’s working for.”

“You can sit down if you want,” Kara added, standing up so she was sitting on Rian’s lap, leaving an open space on the end that Spencer grabbed cautiously.

“Thank you,” she replied.

“Why don’t you hang out with us tonight?” Alex continued as the game began to play. For a moment Spencer considered saying no, that Morgan wouldn’t want her to spend the first night on tour with some people she had just met. But as she watched the video game come to life and the three boys battle it out, Spencer couldn’t tear her eyes away from the screen. No matter how much Morgan had begged growing up, Mrs. O’leary had never relented and never allowed any kinds of video games in her house.

“Can you teach me how to play?” She questioned, still staring at the game as Rian’s character blew up Zack’s. They all laughed and Zack tossed Spencer his controller, and Spencer suddenly felt… normal.

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Nearly three hours later, Spencer had received almost twenty-five text messages from Morgan, though she hadn’t opened a single one. Her video game skills had improved, but she had yet to beat anyone. “Suck it!” Spencer exclaimed, throwing up her hands in the air as she defeated Jack’s person. “I beat you! Suck it!” Jack rolled his eyes while everyone else laughed.

“I wasn’t even trying,” he grumbled, handing off the controller to Kara. “And besides, Zack beat you after you beat me. You didn’t actually win.”

Spencer just smirked confidently. “That’s you trying to make yourself feel better because you were just beaten.” There was suddenly a knock on the door, and all six heads turned to see who it was. Jack stood up and opened the door, and Spencer wasn’t surprised to see Morgan enter the dirty, crowded bus.

“Jesus Christ, there you are,” he mumbled, running a hand through his hair, “I’ve been looking for you forever.” Morgan paused, expecting Spencer to stand up and walk towards him, but she stayed put. Her eyes were glossed over with the emotion Morgan could only attach to his sister; to the onlooker it was a look of false confusion, of innocence, but Morgan knew better. “What happened to your nose?”

“I hurt it,” she responded simply.

“Oh,” he said. “Well, I’m going out with some friends tonight, so –“

But before he could even finish his sentence, Spencer cut him off, “You met a girl already?” Jack and Alex both chuckled.

“I didn’t say anything about a girl,” he responded quickly.

“But your hair is combed and you’re wearing your new shoes.” Spencer pressed.

“So I can’t look good to go out with my friends?” Morgan asked, a hollow laugh escaping from his lips.

“But why would you wear the cologne mom bought you, then? It’s way too formal to wear with your friends.”

“I –“

“And besides,” Spencer cut him off yet again, before glancing back towards the TV, “there’s a condom in your pocket.” Morgan blushed slightly, causing Spencer to smile inwardly. She turned back towards her brother, “I can see the outline. Trojan?”

“You know what,” Morgan began, and Spencer could tell he was trying his best to restrain his temper, “you guys can keep her.” And with that being said, Morgan stormed off the bus. The air was quiet for a minute, all eyes on Spencer.

“It happens a lot,” she finally said, feeling a small need to explain her actions. “Did you know that he once brought home a girl who had an STD?” Jack smirked, but Alex shot him a look that could kill. “I do it because I love him.” They all seemed to accept that answer, because in silence they turned back to the video games.