Hand of Blood
Nowhere Kids
"Argh! I'm bored," Kayla announced for the hundredth time, causing five pairs of eyes to turn to her blankly. Her gaze shifted between all of us as she rose an eyebrow. "What? I am!" She enforced, pursing her lips and crossing her arms across her chest in a sudden sulk. There was a unanimous chuckle around the room, before everyone fell back into their own original conversations, or points of interest.
I glanced to my left, as mine just happened to be with Matt, who was currently stretched out over the larger sofa in the bus, with his legs across my lap. We shared a smile at Kayla's outburst, before I turned my gaze lazily back to the rest of the guys scattered about in the front lounge, as in truth Matt and I were simply enjoying a comfortable silence. We hadn't come to discuss the night I spent over at Jay's place, which was barely a few days ago, and neither had we informed Kayla of her mistake in leaving me as we had originally planned. I suppose it was one of those things that we had just brushed under the carpet, but still, something was definitely different now. I think I had found a new trust and comfort in Matt that I didn't have before, or at least just a more developed one. I assumed, or at least hoped, the feeling was somewhat mutual. I still hadn't completely worked Matt out to know, either way.
"This is a bumpy ride," Jay muttered from beside me, sitting on the floor next to my legs for lack of anywhere else to go. I smiled faintly as the bus rocked lightly as it took another corner. We had managed to use Matt's bus 'connections' to get a driver for the day, who was currently taking us somewhere that certainly wasn't in Bridgend anymore. The point? There was none, but it was a way to pass the time, and avoid me having to stay at home. My very limited money funds had almost run out, so any oppertunity to go out with the guys where they would be more than willing to chip in to buy me food, was extremely welcomed.
"Come on, guys!" Kayla whined, wiggling in Padge's lap from their position on the opposite sofa, and causing him to scowl at her. Moose, sitting beside them, simply rolled his eyes and folded his arms across his chest. You could tell he wasn't comfortable with the seating arrangements.
"Well," Jay started thoughtfully, instantly attracting Kayla's attention. "I suppose there's got to be some club we can blag our way into," he reasoned, looking around the group with questioning eyes, seeking confirmation of his idea.
"Yes! Padge, honey, let's go!" Kayla exclaimed, jumping to her feet and turning to tug at Padge's hand, attempting to get him up too.
"Uhm... Go where?" He asked lightly, frowning up at his girlfriend. "Do you want to jump out of a moving bus?" He questioned, causing me to stifle a laugh as Kayla's expression suddenly dropped, before turning into a scowl. She grudgingly dropped Padge's hand, before folding her arms across her chest and heavily collapsing back onto his lap. Padge pulled a face in what seemed like pain, which Kayla chose to ignore, causing my smile to grow. Kayla was honestly the most interesting character I had ever met. She could bounce from excitable young teenager, to the most mature member of the group, or even the most aggressive one, all in the space of a minute. Limitless energy, could be one way of putting it.
"Hey, I know where we are!" Moose called out suddenly, causing everyone's gaze to fall onto him. During Kayla's performance, no one had noticed he had moved up on the sofa and was now peering out the window, his forehead pressed against the glass to see through the darkened tint. It probably didn't help his field of vision, that it was early evening and the sun was quite low. "There is probably somewhere we could go, too," he added, glancing over his shoulder at the rest of us. He visibly flinched as he noticed our hungry eyes burning into him, suddenly craving something to do. Kayla was the worst perpetrator.
"Erm..." He started again nervously, slowly sliding back down into his seat. "But... We might not be able to get in," he mumbled sheepishly. Everyone groaned simultaneously, Jay even going so far as to throw the plastic water bottle he had earlier been drinking from at his band mate.
"Well, why not?" I asked, lightly slapping the back of Jay's head for his act while my eyes stayed on Moose.
He smiled faintly at my fight in his defence. "Well, it's usually an over 21's place," he stated simply, looking slightly sympathetic. I paused as I suddenly realised I was half of the reason behind ruining the fun. I sighed inwardly before glancing down, as had other people in their disappointment.
"We could wing it!" Kayla cried suddenly, causing everyone to snap back to attention. They all shared nervous glances, before Kayla turned back to Padge, appealing to him for help. He sighed and looked away from her.
"I suppose so," he said carefully, his eyes landing on me for a moment, before moving left. "Matt, you got Bri in somewhere before, right?" Padge asked, his tone timid as he unwillingly fought for Kayla. Padge was way too sensible to usually suggest something like this.
I turned to Matt to see his eyes flicker to me and meet with my own, before tearing back to Padge. "Yeah.. But..." He said defeatedly, his gaze resting on me once more before turning to Padge. "That place wasn't usually under 21's. I'm assuming this is?"
"Aww but Mattie!" Kayla whined, sticking her bottom lip out and pleading with her eyes. This time, Moose and Padge both rolled their eyes.
Matt sighed and scratched the back of his head. "Well... It's up to you girls, I guess," he decided finally. "We're not the ones who are underage."
Kayla nodded, her smile growing. "You'd wanna come though, right, Hun?" She asked hopefully, her eyes now digging into mine instead of Matt's. I tried to ignore her influence as I turned my eyes to the mirrored ceiling, my puzzled expression looking back at me. I thought about it for a moment, honestly not knowing what to do. Putting me and Kayla in the same boat was easier said than done; she was barely one year under age, where as I was three.
"Uhm," I mumbled, fighting for time. I looked around the rest of the group receiving a mix of expression. Everyone secretly wanted out, and who was I to stop that? "I suppose it would be okay," I sighed eventually, smiling lightly. "As long as the music's worth it."
"It's a pretty good place," Moose supplied with a profound nod, as Kayla squealed beside him.
I smiled between them. "Well then, its fine with me," I confirmed with a light chuckle. "Up for some breaking and entering?" I asked, patting Matt's legs and glancing over at his face. A split second silence spread between us as his eyes seemed to question me for a moment, before deciding I had made up my mind and smiling lightly.
"If you are," he said softly, inclining his head as we shared a smile.
"Yes!" Kayla cheered loudly, throwing her arms in the air and leaning back onto Padge.
Moose slid to the side as the two of them proceeded to take up more of the space on the small sofa. "Well, you might want to stop the bus then," he started in a matter of fact tone. "Because we're already way past it."
Kayla bolted back up to attention, her instantly panicked gaze settling on Moose. "You're joking me," she stated bluntly. Moose smiled weakly back and slowly shook his head, before Kayla's screaming eyes found Matt, once again. "Mattie, stop the god damn bus!" She screeched urgently, her eyebrows knitting together as she scowled. I could feel Matt flinch as she shot at him with her words, briefly frozen in shock.
"R- right!" He stammered once the instruction registered in his head, quickly rolling off of the sofa and straight onto the floor. Jay and I both snickered in amusement as Matt quickly pulled himself back to his feet, and I couldn't help but grin as he stumbled awkwardly away through the swaying vehicle.
"Rory! Stop the bus!" Matt shouted once out of sight, causing me and Jay to helplessly fall into laughter. Suddenly, the whole bus shook violently as the breaks screeched to an abrupt halt, causing me to tumble from the sofa and land next to Jay, along with Kayla who was also on the floor, while Padge and Moose clutched to the sofa like their lives depended on it. After a brief moment of silence, Rory's voice could be heard through the thin dividing walls, hurling abuse at our friend, which only caused Jay and I to collapse into another fit of laughter on the floor. Kayla didn't appear to see the funny side.
I glanced to my left, as mine just happened to be with Matt, who was currently stretched out over the larger sofa in the bus, with his legs across my lap. We shared a smile at Kayla's outburst, before I turned my gaze lazily back to the rest of the guys scattered about in the front lounge, as in truth Matt and I were simply enjoying a comfortable silence. We hadn't come to discuss the night I spent over at Jay's place, which was barely a few days ago, and neither had we informed Kayla of her mistake in leaving me as we had originally planned. I suppose it was one of those things that we had just brushed under the carpet, but still, something was definitely different now. I think I had found a new trust and comfort in Matt that I didn't have before, or at least just a more developed one. I assumed, or at least hoped, the feeling was somewhat mutual. I still hadn't completely worked Matt out to know, either way.
"This is a bumpy ride," Jay muttered from beside me, sitting on the floor next to my legs for lack of anywhere else to go. I smiled faintly as the bus rocked lightly as it took another corner. We had managed to use Matt's bus 'connections' to get a driver for the day, who was currently taking us somewhere that certainly wasn't in Bridgend anymore. The point? There was none, but it was a way to pass the time, and avoid me having to stay at home. My very limited money funds had almost run out, so any oppertunity to go out with the guys where they would be more than willing to chip in to buy me food, was extremely welcomed.
"Come on, guys!" Kayla whined, wiggling in Padge's lap from their position on the opposite sofa, and causing him to scowl at her. Moose, sitting beside them, simply rolled his eyes and folded his arms across his chest. You could tell he wasn't comfortable with the seating arrangements.
"Well," Jay started thoughtfully, instantly attracting Kayla's attention. "I suppose there's got to be some club we can blag our way into," he reasoned, looking around the group with questioning eyes, seeking confirmation of his idea.
"Yes! Padge, honey, let's go!" Kayla exclaimed, jumping to her feet and turning to tug at Padge's hand, attempting to get him up too.
"Uhm... Go where?" He asked lightly, frowning up at his girlfriend. "Do you want to jump out of a moving bus?" He questioned, causing me to stifle a laugh as Kayla's expression suddenly dropped, before turning into a scowl. She grudgingly dropped Padge's hand, before folding her arms across her chest and heavily collapsing back onto his lap. Padge pulled a face in what seemed like pain, which Kayla chose to ignore, causing my smile to grow. Kayla was honestly the most interesting character I had ever met. She could bounce from excitable young teenager, to the most mature member of the group, or even the most aggressive one, all in the space of a minute. Limitless energy, could be one way of putting it.
"Hey, I know where we are!" Moose called out suddenly, causing everyone's gaze to fall onto him. During Kayla's performance, no one had noticed he had moved up on the sofa and was now peering out the window, his forehead pressed against the glass to see through the darkened tint. It probably didn't help his field of vision, that it was early evening and the sun was quite low. "There is probably somewhere we could go, too," he added, glancing over his shoulder at the rest of us. He visibly flinched as he noticed our hungry eyes burning into him, suddenly craving something to do. Kayla was the worst perpetrator.
"Erm..." He started again nervously, slowly sliding back down into his seat. "But... We might not be able to get in," he mumbled sheepishly. Everyone groaned simultaneously, Jay even going so far as to throw the plastic water bottle he had earlier been drinking from at his band mate.
"Well, why not?" I asked, lightly slapping the back of Jay's head for his act while my eyes stayed on Moose.
He smiled faintly at my fight in his defence. "Well, it's usually an over 21's place," he stated simply, looking slightly sympathetic. I paused as I suddenly realised I was half of the reason behind ruining the fun. I sighed inwardly before glancing down, as had other people in their disappointment.
"We could wing it!" Kayla cried suddenly, causing everyone to snap back to attention. They all shared nervous glances, before Kayla turned back to Padge, appealing to him for help. He sighed and looked away from her.
"I suppose so," he said carefully, his eyes landing on me for a moment, before moving left. "Matt, you got Bri in somewhere before, right?" Padge asked, his tone timid as he unwillingly fought for Kayla. Padge was way too sensible to usually suggest something like this.
I turned to Matt to see his eyes flicker to me and meet with my own, before tearing back to Padge. "Yeah.. But..." He said defeatedly, his gaze resting on me once more before turning to Padge. "That place wasn't usually under 21's. I'm assuming this is?"
"Aww but Mattie!" Kayla whined, sticking her bottom lip out and pleading with her eyes. This time, Moose and Padge both rolled their eyes.
Matt sighed and scratched the back of his head. "Well... It's up to you girls, I guess," he decided finally. "We're not the ones who are underage."
Kayla nodded, her smile growing. "You'd wanna come though, right, Hun?" She asked hopefully, her eyes now digging into mine instead of Matt's. I tried to ignore her influence as I turned my eyes to the mirrored ceiling, my puzzled expression looking back at me. I thought about it for a moment, honestly not knowing what to do. Putting me and Kayla in the same boat was easier said than done; she was barely one year under age, where as I was three.
"Uhm," I mumbled, fighting for time. I looked around the rest of the group receiving a mix of expression. Everyone secretly wanted out, and who was I to stop that? "I suppose it would be okay," I sighed eventually, smiling lightly. "As long as the music's worth it."
"It's a pretty good place," Moose supplied with a profound nod, as Kayla squealed beside him.
I smiled between them. "Well then, its fine with me," I confirmed with a light chuckle. "Up for some breaking and entering?" I asked, patting Matt's legs and glancing over at his face. A split second silence spread between us as his eyes seemed to question me for a moment, before deciding I had made up my mind and smiling lightly.
"If you are," he said softly, inclining his head as we shared a smile.
"Yes!" Kayla cheered loudly, throwing her arms in the air and leaning back onto Padge.
Moose slid to the side as the two of them proceeded to take up more of the space on the small sofa. "Well, you might want to stop the bus then," he started in a matter of fact tone. "Because we're already way past it."
Kayla bolted back up to attention, her instantly panicked gaze settling on Moose. "You're joking me," she stated bluntly. Moose smiled weakly back and slowly shook his head, before Kayla's screaming eyes found Matt, once again. "Mattie, stop the god damn bus!" She screeched urgently, her eyebrows knitting together as she scowled. I could feel Matt flinch as she shot at him with her words, briefly frozen in shock.
"R- right!" He stammered once the instruction registered in his head, quickly rolling off of the sofa and straight onto the floor. Jay and I both snickered in amusement as Matt quickly pulled himself back to his feet, and I couldn't help but grin as he stumbled awkwardly away through the swaying vehicle.
"Rory! Stop the bus!" Matt shouted once out of sight, causing me and Jay to helplessly fall into laughter. Suddenly, the whole bus shook violently as the breaks screeched to an abrupt halt, causing me to tumble from the sofa and land next to Jay, along with Kayla who was also on the floor, while Padge and Moose clutched to the sofa like their lives depended on it. After a brief moment of silence, Rory's voice could be heard through the thin dividing walls, hurling abuse at our friend, which only caused Jay and I to collapse into another fit of laughter on the floor. Kayla didn't appear to see the funny side.