Be My Escape

For the next month, I really got to experience firsthand what loneliness felt like. It was a completely different kind of loneliness though; this loneliness was the result of being alone in a country where I had no friends and the friends I did have were now back in their own homes, living their life.

To put it simply, it sucked.

All I did was work and go to my father’s place. I occasionally baby-sat for him and Hanna, but other than that I didn’t have much of a life. I guess it was for the better though, because I really didn’t need anymore people coming into my life who weren’t planning on staying. I had experienced my fair share of that and I really didn’t care for it.

And while it sucked being so alone, it was also a blessing in disguise because I started to fall into a regular routine my last month in England. I think that was the only thing keeping me from going absolutely insane. I worked, I came home or went to my fathers, and I just tried to keep it together. And it worked, for the most part.

Until my very last day in England.

I was packing up the rest of my things and cleaning up the flat for my father before my flat that night. I had said my goodbyes to Hanna and my father, promising to visit again soon, and now I just had to wait until it was time to go to the airport.

My cell-phone rang just as I was putting the remains of my clothes away. I didn’t even check the call ID before I answered. I knew who it was. “Hello?”

“Peyton!” he exclaimed on the other end of the line. “When’s your flight?”

I smiled. “I have a red-eye out of Heathrow tonight, with a fucking layover in Philadelphia for several hours. I’ll be in Boston sometime tomorrow,” I told him, even though I knew it wasn’t what he wanted to hear. Even if I was lying.

“Aw, Peyt!” he cried. I swore, I could even hear him stomping his foot like a three year old. It made me roll my eyes, even if he couldn’t see me. “You’re not comin’ out to Chicago?”

“I can’t, Max. I have too much to do in Boston to get ready for the upcoming semester.” That was also a lie. I had nothing to take care of in Boston. I had overstacked my classes a ridiculous amount the year before, and I was completely on track to graduating early. Thank God.

“You bloody suck,” Max grumbled on the other end of the line. “Haven’t seen you in over a month and you’re just not even bothered by this fact?”

I rolled my eyes again as I threw the final pieces of clothes into my suitcase. “Of course I’m bothered by it Max, but I have things to do. I can’t just drop everything. I need to get back to my life. I’ve done enough running.”

He sighed. He couldn’t argue with that. “Fine. Call me when you land in Boston, yeah?”

I nodded. “Of course I will, Max,” I told him as I sat on the bed, my plane ticket in hand. “I’ll talk to you tomorrow,” I smiled, reading over the ticket. When we hung up, I laughed to myself.

“Chicago, here I come,” I said quietly to myself.

I was determined to have a few more days with my friends, even if it meant dealing with Josh. I figured I would cross that bridge when I got to it.

***

”Flight 835 to Chicago, Illinois, will be landing at O’Hare International Airport shortly where the local temperature is a nice 70 degrees and sunny and the local time is 7:35 AM. Please return your trays and seats to the upright position and turn off any and all electronic devices. As always, on behalf of myself and the rest of the flight attendants, thank you for flying with British Airways.”

I sat up and opened the window next to me. The sun had just risen over the horizon and it was casting a nice, pink color on all the clouds. If I wasn’t so nervous about whom I’d be seeing in less than an hour, I’d probably take a picture. But nervous I was, so no pictures were necessary.

When we landed, I immediately went in search of my luggage. It was going to be a pain in the ass to lug all my shit to the amphitheater, but I didn’t have a choice.

As soon as I got outside, I hailed a taxi and informed him of the address of the amphitheater. Once I was situated, we were off. I took my phone out as the cab driver drove and dialed Max’s number. I listened to it ring once, twice, three times before almost deciding to hang up. It was almost eight in the morning, so he was probably asleep. But then, I heard a groggy, “’ello?” from the other end of the line.

“Max? Did I wake you?”

“Bloody hell, Peyton! It’s…” he paused, probably checking the time. “It’s almost eight in the morning! What the hell? You know I’m not a morning person!” he scolded me, and I just laughed.

“First of all, you told me to call you when I landed, so here I am, calling you as I sit in the taxi.”

He was quiet for a minute, and then once everything sunk in he said, “Taxi? What about your mum? Shouldn’t she have picked you up?”

I smirked. “Well if I was in Boston, that would be the case yes.”

Silence again. And then, “Peyton, where the hell are you?”

“Currently? Well, I’m sitting in the back of a taxi right now leaving O’Hare airport, on my way to the amphitheater.”

Max was silent again for several minutes. I assumed he was just processing what I said. Then, he was freaking out in true Max fashion. “What? Why! Peyton, you little shit! Thanks for not tellin’ me!”

I just laughed. “I’ll be there in like, a half hour. Where should I meet you? Remember, I have all my shit. I flew right from Heathrow to O’Hare.”

We got our directions figured out and decided on where to meet before saying our goodbyes. I wasn’t sure how long I was staying with the guys, seeing as I hadn’t gotten to make any plans, but I knew the next few days were going to be absolutely bat-shit crazy.

***

I may have been nineteen and had a step brother, who was in a band that was apparently in the scene of Warped Tour, and I may have enjoyed most of the bands playing on the tour, but for some reason, I had never been to the “punk-rock summer camp” as it was so fondly referred to as.

It was amazing to see so many kids lined up at eight thirty in the morning. When the taxi pulled up to the amphitheater, I paid him and grabbed my suitcase out of the trunk. Then, I called Max. I had to get out of this heat, and fast. I had become too accustomed to the chillier climate of England, and now that I was back in the states, I was going to have to readjust, and fast.

The phone rang a few times before he finally answered. “Where are you at, Peyt?”

“Facing the amphitheater and staring down the line of kids currently. It’s amazing how curious they are just because I have a suitcase. It’s like they know I’m friends with a band or something,” I rambled, earning a chuckle from Max.

“Just stay put, I’ll meet you out there.” Then he was gone, and I was stuck again.

Luckily, I didn’t have to wait around very long. Max was showing his smiling face only ten minutes after we hung up. “Peyton!” he called out, catching my attention.

I smiled as soon as I saw him. Despite what I had told myself I wouldn’t do, I broke into a run as soon as I saw him. I didn’t leap into his arms, but I tackled him with a hug which was good enough. “Missed you!” I said when we finally pulled apart.

“Missed you too, love. I can’t believe you’re here! This is so excitin’!” he exclaimed, jogging by me to get my suitcase to take back to their bus. When he reached me again, we started walking. “The guys will be so happy to see you as well.”

The smile on my face disappeared as I thought of ‘the guys. “Do they…?” I trailed off, unsure how to ask what I wanted to ask.

“He has no idea. None of them do actually. They’re all still asleep.”

I nodded, happy with his answer, but decided to change the topic. “So when do you play?”

He shrugged. “Dunno yet. Hopefully a little later so you and I can talk. Oh! I need to get you a pass too. How long are you staying?”

I shrugged as well. “Only a few days. I lied when I said I had to get back. I’m actually extremely ahead college wise, so I’m set until September.”

“Brilliant,” Max exclaimed. “Now let’s go get you set up.”

***

As it turned out, the guys played at noon, merely an hour after doors opened, meaning Max and I had a little while to chat. We decided to go check out their merch guy, just in case Josh woke up and found me sitting in the bus. So after we dropped my shit off and after Max found a pass for me and after I changed out of my jeans into a pair of shorts and a tank, we were off.

“So how are things going?”

I shrugged. “Just going one day at a time. Everything’s going to get a lot harder once I get back to Boston, I can just tell.”

“How come?” Max asked, shoving his hands into his pockets and peering at me curiously.

I shrugged. “Everything’s harder back home,” I informed him simply. And it was true. Everything was going to be harder once I got back to Boston. That was just the truth and there was no way around it.

“You know, you don’t have to go back. I mean, I know you have your life there, but England will always welcome you with open arms.”

I smiled at his generosity. “Thanks Max, I appreciate that. And I may take you up on that eventually. But right now, I have to go back to Boston. At least finish school, y’know? Which I only have a year left. I’ll be graduating by the time I’m 21 if it all works out.”

Max smiled and stopped to hug me. “That’s awesome, Peyt! I’m proud of you.”

“Thanks.”

We were quiet for the rest of the walk, only bothering to speak once we got closer and realized we were not the only ones who would be occupying the small area.

“Oh bloody hell,” Max muttered.

I took in the scene before me and saw not only You Me at Six’s merch guy setting up, but Josh and Matt were there as well helping out. Max turned to me and said, “We can go back to the bus if you want.”

I started to nod silently, wanting out of there as soon as possible, but then Matt was calling to Max, and then everything was going to shit. My ideal escape time had just flown at the window and there was no getting it back.

Time to face the music, I thought bitterly to myself as I braced for impact.

It was going to be a very rough next couple of days.