Mutiny Below

Nick sighed as he tossed his bag into the back of the van. There were already five or six other bags just as carelessly tossed in the same spot. His mouth frowned as he shuffled toward the group of his friends huddled at the front of the van.

Most of them were hungover and still half asleep. He wondered how many of them knew. He was sure it was all of them. Some had been in the kitchen and witnessed the chaos first hand, and the others had been filled in shortly after.

There was a forced atmosphere of nonchalance. Eric was doing his best to keep things light as he made an absolute fool of himself. It was almost time to leave and head for first stop of tour, where busses and chaos were waiting.

Nick bit his bottom lip as he glanced around. He hated that Jayce wasn’t there. He’d begged her to show up, but he’d also known it was useless. She was too stubborn and too hurt to come around any one of the boys that surrounded him. His chest felt heavy as he imagined her face again.

He couldn’t get the picture of her crying out of his mind. That was the way he’d last seen her, just before she’d told him there wasn’t going to be a future for them just yet. All the shit was out in the open and he still wasn’t allowed to really have her.

He glanced over at John and his frown deepened. John was silent and moping, but nothing else was really expected. He’d lost one hell of an amazing girl and Nick could understand the devastation he must have felt.

“Did Nat’s flight go okay?” Nick was pulled from his awful thoughts by Gemma. He blinked a few times and then focused on talking.

“Uh, yeah. She made it the apartment at about seven this morning.” He gave a partial smile that wasn’t as convincing as it used to be.

“That’s good. When is she supposed to start classes again?” Gemma leaned into Kennedy as he wrapped his around her from behind. Nick couldn’t help the jealousy that crept into him. He wanted that with Jayce. He wanted a relationship. He wanted it easy and full of love.

It took another minute before Nick could push himself to talk again. “Next week, sometime.”

Gemma pouted. “She is coming to visit at least once on tour, right?”

He scratched the back of his neck. “Probably not.”

“I know she will.” Eric corrected and grinned. “I’m plotting the very extensive plan currently and it is coming along perfectly.”

Gemma snorted. “Yeah, because I’m sure she wants to see your face again.”

Nick dazed out again since they weren’t technically keeping him in the conversation anymore. He mostly day dreamed of seeing Jayce after tour. The smile on her face and how good her arms would feel around him again. It was hard to imagine three months without her.

“Time to roll out.” Tim shouted and surprisingly, everyone followed directions. They started piling into the van, squished together and laughing. Nick tried joking around and laughing right along with them, but it was hard.

It was hard because he was leaving a big part of himself behind. He was leaving the girl he loved in Arizona and it was slowly killing him.



Jayce brushed her hair and threw it up into a ponytail. She glanced at the mirror in the corner but didn’t really focus on what she saw. It didn’t matter how she looked. There was no one to impress anymore.

She searched around the room for her sandals, trying to ignore the water in her eyes. She was still working on both tasks a few minutes later when Adam popped his head into the bedroom. He watched her unnoticed for about twenty seconds before clearing his throat.

“Mom wants to know how much longer.” He gave a teasing smile as she looked over at him.

“I can’t find my shoes.” She sighed and sat down on the floor. She didn’t really have the energy to go out with her mother and Adam. She didn’t have the energy for anything it seemed.

“That’s cause their downstairs by the door.” He informed and then crossed his arms. “Don’t tell me you’re losing your mind already.”

“I’m trying to keep it together.” She smiled tightly. “I didn’t know I’d miss everything this much.”

Adam sighed and stepped into the room, going to sit by her on the floor. “It’s natural Jayce.” He wrapped an arm around her shoulders and leaned his head on her shoulder. “It was almost three years. It’s going to take a bit to adjust.”

“I know.” She nodded and inhaled deeply.

“It’s all going to be okay.”

“I know.” She repeated and bit her bottom lip. “It’s time to grow up, I guess.”

Adam snorted. “Shouldn’t you already be grown up?” He chuckled and helped her up from the floor. They walked down to where their mother waited, his arm still around her.

Jayce checked the time before they left. She knew the gang was just about ready to leave. She could feel the tension that would be in the van without even having to physically be there. She hoped they would loosen up and have fun. She especially hoped they would help John.

Her heart ached at the thought of him still. No matter how much she did love Nick, her heart was still attached to John in some ways. He had always been her safe haven and now he wasn’t even talking to her.

This would take some getting used to, she decided before locking arms with both her brother and mother, but it was possible.