My Way Home Is Through You

I shook my head as I looked back a them. This was probably going to be the worst show of tour. Not only because I had to wear pants, but because Savana was wearing a skirt and Ryley was wearing a dress.

Pat, Kennedy, Jared, and Garrett were already on stage, waiting for me. "I'm so not getting paid enough for this," I muttered to myself. Garrett saw me and I nodded.

"Are you guys ready to party?" he yelled into his mic. The crowd screamed back. I waited. "Well, by now you probably realized that we aren't actually on this tour, but the opening band had a small problem and couldn't make it. We had no intention of playing today, but we got talked into it by those lovely girls in No One Cares." Again, the crowd screamed. "We are most of The Maine, but tonight, John isn't singing." And there was my cue.

I ran out on stage and took my place on the middle of the stage. I was going to get hell for this. I just knew it.

During the Hoedown Throwdown, I managed to fall down twice, Savana almost pushed me into the crowd, Ryley accidentally punched Savana and then Savana tackled Ryley. By the end of the song, half of the girls in the front row just looked completely horrified as they pointed.

"You guys look like you just saw Zach kiss Savana," I laughed. I doubted that had actually happened. The nods from all the kids in front of me made me question my doubt. I turned to see Savana running to get off the stage. "Whoa. Zach, what happened? Did you tell her that Zev isn't real?"

Ryley had her hands covering her mouth. "I think I kissed Savana," Zach said, wide-eyed, before he ran off stage too.

--

I sat behind the merch counter with Klondike. "It was the worst concert I've ever been in," I groaned.

Klondike smiled. "It was pretty damn amusing, though. You should've seen the look on Savana's face when Zach kissed her." I glared at him and his smile faded. I hoped that I could at least get a semi-normal amount of sleep tonight. Hell, I would get my own hotel room if I had to, but I was going to get sleep.

"We still have a meet and greet," I mumbled, leaning back in my chair. Being me, I leaned slightly too far, and fell on my back. Of course I managed to hit my head again, but then again, what did you expect?

Klondike extended his hand and helped me up. "Nah. You get out of it tonight," Savana said as she walked towards us. She smiled innocently. "Garrett's kidnapping you. Said something about a romantic evening, meaning he'll probably pass out and then we can put him in the bathtub and go rent an Xbox360!"

I raised an eyebrow. Maybe I should've questioned how she knew more about what my boyfriend was planning than I knew... Which probably meant she talked to him-- or at least SOMEBODY in The Maine who knew something about it-- more than me. Maybe it just felt weird being around him because I was planning on breaking up with him before he left if he hadn't already dumped me.

"By romantic...?" I started.

She shrugged. "I heard that he got a single room with one of those huge king sized beds and has a billion candles and and flower pedals all over the room... And movies... But he's Garrett, so he probably picked something with zombies in it... Or some romantic comedy that he'll fall asleep during." Probably the zombies. We all knew him. Way to set the mood, Gare.

"Probably zombies," Klondike snorted. "The guy doesn't have a romantic bone in his body." He snorted again. "Seriously, Lizz. When are you going to find someone better?"

Savana nodded. "Someone with messy brown hair and pretty hazel eyes?" I wondered to myself if I talked about Cameron a lot, if she was holding it over my head that she knew I liked it when I had yet to believe it myself, or if I had started talking about him in my sleep...

"How many guys do we know that fit that description," Klondike said, wrapping his arm around Savana's shoulder. They had the same evil smile that I knew far too well. They were plotting.

"Well, I can only think of one... And would you look at that? He's on stage right now!" She jumped over the counter and ran towards the sound booth. This couldn't be good. I followed her as she got a mic right as "Journey to the End of My Life" ended.

"My mic isn't working," Zach complained into Cameron's microphone. The look on his face was priceless as he tried to see what was going on.

"Zach, this is your conscious speaking," Savana said into the mic.

I watched Cameron point to the sound booth. "You mean my conscience?" he asked, a confused look on his face.

I looked over at Savana then turned to see Klondike laughing hysterically. "Yeah, sure. Whatever you want to call it. You know you can't just kiss me on stage in front of all these girls... And guys... And then not ask me on a date, right? DON'T ANSWER, I'm still talking. That would be rude." I shook my head. This was where she would probably start ranting.

"Dude," Cameron said into the mic. "Savana. Stop messing around."

"THIS ISN'T SAVANA!" she yelled. "So, I will take that kiss as an offer. Let's go out for breakfast, Porter! Meet me by the pool at three AM. I'll be the one with the red hair and the goofy smile from lack of sleep." She put down the mic and walked away.

"Okay, Red. See you then," Zach laughed as his mic got turned back on.

I decided I would go sit backstage as I contemplated arguments I could use to break up with Garrett. Was that wrong?

I didn't stop smiling during the rest of their set. They came off stage and rushed over. "That was awesome!" Cameron exclaimed. I was lost in my thoughts. "Lizz?"

I looked up. "Huh?" Cameron sat next to me and wrapped his arm around my shoulders.

"Are you okay?" He studied my expression.

I nodded. "Yeah. I'm fine. Why wouldn't I be?" I saw Garrett walk by, giving me a disapproving glared before he turned his attention back to Kennedy. I tried not to let my expression change, but I was sure it had.

Cameron looked concerned and Zach sat on my other side. "What was that about?" he whispered.

I covered my face with my hands. "Nothing. Can we just let it go?" I mumbled. It came out slightly muffled. I drew in a deep breath and dragged my hands down my face.

"I don't know what you see in him," Cameron mumbled.

I groaned as I stood up. I ran my fingers through my hair. "I honestly don't know anymore." Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Garrett watching me. "I have to go," I said quickly before I walked away. I found my way outside and tried to just relax.

--

The meet and greet had finally ended, and I had put on the best smile I could even though I really needed to eat and really wanted to take some Benadryl to help me sleep. Savana and I walked towards our van with the boys.

"Oh my god!" Zach exclaimed. I stared at them like they had lost it. "You! It was you!" They all shared a look--except Nathan, who seemed clueless. "You guys flashed us!"

"What are you talking about?" Savana asked, giving them a look.

"On the road. On the way to the first show. You guys flashed us!" Zach exclaimed. I had no memory of this. I figured he was lying, but there was that slight hint of doubt in the back of my mind screaming that he wasn't lying. Maybe that was why we had tinted windows now....

I shook my head. "I think you've lost it."

"You were wearing a hat," Cameron said, staring at the ground; I wasn't sure if I was seeing things, but it looked like he was blushing. I blushed. There was no way I couldn't believe him. "And Savana..." He shook his head. "Never mind. I don't wanna talk about it."

My eyes widened. "You mean.... Well this is awkward," I mumbled, crossing my arms over my chest. I stared down at the ground, not saying anything.

Savana snorted. "Lying liar! LIAR! You may not know or believe it, but one day, your lying ways are going to make your pants catch on fire."

Klondike jumped out of our van. "Are you guys ready? I need sleep!"

"Klondike," Zach said. "Will you tell them I'm not lying?"

Klondike eyed him suspiciously after studying Savana and I. "Lying about what?"

Cameron was still blushing and I was starting to wonder what else Savana and I did on those days where we just couldn't sleep. "They don't believe that they flashed us."

A look flashed on Klondike's face and even he blushed. "Yeah... That's why we have tinted windows now." He nodded.