Learn to Fly

“Can’t stop won’t stop; I must be dreaming,” John sang into the microphone. He looked to the back of the familiar venue and lifted his hand, “Can I get more sound in my mic?”

Sound check was John’s least favorite part of the day by far. He would much rather be doing something else right now but he was here and he wasn’t going to complain. He got to do this as a career while most of his friends still worked at Starbucks—he had it good.

John looked to the merch tables in the back of the venue at the thin blonde girl he had become very close with. She was rolling her eyes at the boy next to her who was no doubt making fun of her. John chuckled and finished the sound check, leaving the stage. He walked over to where Peyton and Eric were sitting and she was animatedly retorting something that Halvo had said.

“Eric, stop it,” Peyton said firmly.

John took a seat in the folding chair next to the two, “Halvo, why are you so mean to her?”

“I’m not!” Eric laughed, “She’s just strange.”

“I’m glad you finally got a new synonym for weird,” John chuckled.

Halvo rolled his eyes, “I had to because I was saying it so often. Anyways, Peyton and I were just talking about the…interesting events of last night.”

“Eric Halvorsen, I swear to God. Shut the Hell up,” the girl spoke confidently.

Halvo smirked at the girl, “Miss Peyton here kissed me.”

John watched as Peyton dropped the water bottle in her hands and raised them up, her palms facing forward. “Eric, I was so drunk last night.”

John felt his eyes widen as he realized that for once Halvo was telling the truth. Peyton Hayes had kissed him last night—and here John was thinking that the two hated each other. He didn’t know why he suddenly felt so angry at Eric, John barely knew the girl and he had a girlfriend of his own, but he did. He felt like he a job to protect Peyton from being hurt. “You what?” John chuckled tensely.

“Peyton kissed me,” Halvo sang.

“Eric, stop it!” Peyton whined.

“You kissed me! And you liked it!”

“Hey! You did too! So maybe you should be thanking John,” the girl replied.

“Why?” John asked confused.

“Because, you got me that drunk and you were the one who told me about Halvo’s crush on me!” Peyton replied, her blue eyes looking into his.

“Dude,” Halvo began, “How did you even know I had a crush on her? Did you like, read my mind or something?”

John chuckled, “Well, I didn’t know until now. I made that up.”

He watched as his best friend’s cheeks turned a crimson red. “Oh,” he said simply.

Peyton giggled, “Eric Halvorsen has a crush on me!”

“Peyton Hayes kissed me!” Halvo yelled in competition.

John laughed, “Will you two shut up?”

“John, it was crazy, first she kissed me. Then she took of my shirt and put her hand down my pants.”

“Oh my God, Eric, that never happened!” Peyton yelled, placing her hands on her red cheeks.

“And then she told me that she was impressed,” he said wiggling his eye brows.

Peyton narrowed her eyes, “Two can play at the game, Halvorsen. I have two words: blue balls.”

Eric gasped as John began laughing at his friend’s embarrassment. He could tell that Halvo liked Peyton in some bizarre kind of way even if he refused to admit it and he couldn’t help feeling a little jealous. Peyton was a great, beautiful, sweet, funny… John caught himself thinking of the girl that would be coming to see him tonight. Melissa; yes, Melissa, he said to himself.
_____

Peyton sat at A Rocket to the Moon’s merch with Eric as she laughed at his ridiculous comments about girls entering the venue. He wasn’t very nice and he was extremely blunt about every girl that passed them as he critiqued them. There weren’t many fans by them because The Maine was inside the part of the venue where the stage was located performing. Peyton giggled as Halvo’s jaw fell to the floor. “She is one fine piece. Mm.”

“You know, you are really horny,” Peyton laughed.

“Yeah well with you teasing me last night I just got all riled up,” he winked. He used his finger to point at a girl who was getting her ticket scanned. She had brown hair and a tiny waist. Her skin was very tan and much revealed, and the second she smiled Peyton thought the girl looked familiar. “That’s my sister.”

Peyton chuckled, “Do you want to go say hi to her?”

“No,” he said in a nonchalant tone before typing something on his phone.

She looked at him confusedly, “Didn’t you just tell me that she was your sister?”

“Yeah, and?”

“Why wouldn’t you want to say hi to her?”

“I said she was my sister. I didn’t say I liked her,” he replied.

“Are family ties on the West Coast not important?” Peyton chuckled.

“No they are just not everyone is as weirdly close with their cousins as you and Nick. I don’t even know my cousins,” Halvo laughed.

“Eric.”

Peyton followed his eyes to the girl who he had identified as his sister and she now stood in front of them. “Delilah,” he responded in the same monotone voice. “You look like a slut.”

“I’m surprised you could see me with how unusually far apart your eyes are spaced.”

“I don’t have to see you to know you’re a slut, I could smell fish as soon as you walked into the venue.”

Peyton stared at the two in amazement, chuckling at how fast Delilah seemed to keep up with Eric’s witty remarks. She could tell that they’d spent her childhood growing up with this. “Who’s your friend?” Delilah asked, nodding at Peyton.

Peyton stuck out her hand, “Peyton Hayes, nice to meet you.”

Delilah smiled at her, “You too! I’m Delilah, this kid’s older sister. You’re not dating him right?”

She laughed out loud at the girl, “No!”

“Oh good I can already tell that you’re too good for him,” she laughed.

Eric gasped, “Why would you say that?”

“She’s not cross eyed or drooling or something,” Delilah laughed.

Peyton watched amused as they got into another argument. She adverted her eyes to the tall girl and boy that had walked up behind Delilah. The girl was tall and gorgeous. She had long flowing chestnut hair and chocolate colored eyes. Her tanned skin made her plump pink lips shine. Her thin frame was accented by a cream colored dress. She wore a small amount of makeup, the most of it being blush that sat on her high cheek bones. Peyton suddenly felt self-conscious next to the stunning girl.

“Well, well, well, if it isn’t Eric Halvorson,” the girl spoke smoothly.

“Melissa Butler,” he replied back, giving the girl a tight hug. “This is my girlfriend Peyton.”

Peyton rolled her eyes, “I am definitely not his girlfriend, but hi, I’m Peyton.”

“Melissa,” she repeated, laughing as she shook her hand.

“As in John’s Melissa?” She asked with her eyebrow raised.

On cue Peyton watched as the girl in front of her squealed and ran over to John’s tall, lanky frame. “Hey baby,” he grinned, welcoming the girl into his arms. He held her tightly before looking down at her stomach. It was formless because of the way her dress fit her loosely.

He looked at Peyton who was sitting next to Halvo talking to Delilah and he saw the man next to the girl: Trent. He was not as tall as John but he was buffer, something that John had always envied. John put confidence in his step as he shook the guy’s hand, “Hey man.”

Trent nodded at him and gave him the same hello before letting his eyes drift back to Peyton, making John’s jaw tighten. He watched as they introduced themselves and began talking, rolling his eyes before looking at the girl in front of him. He smiled, “Let’s go in the lounge before some crazy fan girls try to kill you,” he laughed.

Melissa followed behind him as they made their way to The Maine’s dressing room. He was relieved to see it was empty. He shut the door behind them and as he turned to face Melissa she was pressing her lips against his tightly. He smiled into the kiss and put his hands on either side of her face. “Mm, I missed you baby.”

“I missed you too,” Melissa smiled.

The night went on and John was happy to see that Halvo had never left Peyton’s side so she never once was alone with that creep Trent. They would be staying the night in Tempe for another night before they headed out for Texas. After the show Melissa, John, Peyton, Eric, Nick, and Delilah all made their way back to the boy’s apartment. John unlocked the door and grinned when he saw his living room. He loved being on tour but there was nothing like being home.

“Oh my God! I get to sleep in my bed tonight! I am so excited!” Eric yelled.

“I call the couch,” Nick laughed before looking at Peyton.

“No!” She yelled, “I don’t want to share a bed with Eric again! He likes to snuggle and it’s creepy.”

“That’s not what you said last night,” Eric sang playfully.

“What did you say last night?” Nick asked protectively.

Peyton’s cheeks blushed and she grabbed Halvo’s hand, “Nothing! Good night everyone! Eric shut your mouth,” she mumbled, pushing the laughing boy into the room.

Nick looked at John, “If he touches her I will cut off his balls.”

He kept his mouth shut, “Oh yeah man, totally. Uh, Melissa let’s go to bed,” John chuckled, leaving Delilah and Nick in the living room.

Melissa and John walked into his bedroom and he smiled as he saw his bed. “Oh man, I missed you!” He laughed, speaking to it.

John ran and jumped on it before stretching out. He watched as his girlfriend took off her heels and placed them on the floor before walking over to him and lying next to him. The whole night they had been avoiding what was blatantly on their minds, trying to keep it a secret.

John crawled on top of her thin frame and balanced his weight on his elbow as to not put any pressure on her stomach. He looked into her deep brown eyes before reaching behind her back and unzipping her dress. He pulled it off of her shoulders and slid it down her frame. Her eyes displayed her nervousness as he let his eyes fall to her stomach.

It still was flat like it normally had been. Melissa didn’t seem to have a small round bump appearing in the upper region of her waist. John looked at her with wide eyes, “Babe, how far along are you?”

“Six weeks,” she replied softly. “I know, I’m still not showing but I am definitely pregnant.”

John put his hands on her stomach lightly, trying to feel a swell. “Why didn’t you tell me you were pregnant, Lissa?”

“I knew you wouldn’t go on tour,” Melissa said sadly. “You need to be there. We have at least six more months to plan for this baby, John.”

John leaned his lips down to her stomach and gave soft kisses along the supple skin. “I would have taken you with me.”

“I couldn’t have gotten off work,” she said. “John, it’s okay. My mom and friends have been helping a lot.”

“I should be here though,” he argued. “It’s my baby.”

Melissa pulled his lips up to hers and gave him a kiss, biting his bottom lip playfully. “You’re fine, honey. We’ll work this out…it’ll be okay.”

John smiled, her words reassuring his nerves. “So, even though you’re pregnant you can still...do stuff right?”

She giggled, “I thought you’d never ask.”