Growing Up Won't Bring Us Down

Jimmy literally rolled out of his bunk, his top bunk by the way, and hit the carpeted floor. No matter how soft it was it still hurt. You fall from a three foot height on your side and have it not hurt. He let out a soft groan, holding his head. He was pretty thirsty for something non-alcoholic now that he was up. He stood to his feet, stumbling to the ‘living room’. He opened the fridge door to grab a bottle of apple juice. It wasn’t until he shut the door and turned around he noticed anyone was in the room.

“Oh shit Markie,” Jimmy gasped, holding to where his heart was beating rapidly. Marco sat on one of the couches, only visible as the passing highway light posts bled through the slits in the blinds. He could faintly see iPod earphones in her ears with the little bit of light. “What are you doing up?”

“I couldn’t sleep,” she replied simply. He turned to look at the clock on the microwave. 4:25 AM.

“You didn’t take your medicine, did you?” Marco shook her head ‘no’ in reply. Marco had been diagnosed with insomnia last year. She didn’t want to take her medication which led to the guys having to usually watch her and make sure it was taken. Since she never left her bunk last night, not even for dinner, and since they were kind of drunk it wasn’t accomplished.

“I didn’t need it,” Marco muttered. As Jimmy sat on the couch across from her he noticed she was clenching something to her chest. From what he could tell it was a small, old, raggedy, medium brown teddy bear. Around it’s neck was a bow with white material and brown dots and brown and white plaid.

“What’s that?” Jimmy asked, pointing a scrawny finger at the stuffed animal. Marco held it tighter as if it would disappear into her chest.

“A bear,” Marco said smartly. Jimmy raised an eyebrow which caused Marco to sigh and pull the bear back from her chest to stare at it. “It’s Mr. Fluffs.”

“Mr. Fluffs?” Jimmy echoed, giggling a little. Marco shot him a dirty look which shut him up instantly.

“I named him when I was five, okay? I got him from my mom before she ended up hating me. I just never parted with him. I had to sew his right leg back on twice, but I just love him too much to get rid of him,” Marco explained, shrugging her shoulders. Jimmy smiled faintly.

“How come I’ve never seen him before?”

“Because…well, I just never wanted to show anyone him. Especially if you guys knew where he came from I thought you would make me toss him out,” Marco replied quietly.

“Why would we do that?” Marco stayed silent, only shrugging. It was very unusual for the girl to say so little. Jimmy sighed, running a hand through his slowly greasing hair. He cringed, knowing what he was doing later in the morning. He stood, Marco’s hazel eyes following his every move. “Well I’m going back to sleep. Try to do the same.”

“No promises. Oh yeah, morning Jimmy,” Marco called with a smirk. Jimmy paused in the bunkroom doorway, smiling softly.

“Oh haha.” With that Jimmy disappeared out of sight. Marco sighed, lying on the couch again. The only sound was the soft sound of the engine of the bus and the singer LIGHTS playing in Marco’s ears. Finally she gave up, standing and walking to the very front of the bus. In the driver’s seat was Jason Berry. It was his turn to drive instead of Thor. He looked over for a moment before turning back to the road.

“Hey Marco. Whatcya doing up?”

“Couldn’t sleep,” Marco said, sitting in the passenger seat with her legs pulled to her chest. She had Mr. Fluffs on her legs to cradle the bear to her chest. “So how’s the front of the bus treating you?”

“Pretty boring. Luckily I have energy drinks so I’m good,” Jason laughed, shaking an empty Monster can. Marco smiled, let out a soft giggle. “How are you liking tour so far?”

Marco shrugged, staring out the window at the dark night. Well, morning actually. “I dunno really. I’ve been stuck on a bus sick this whole time.”

“By the way, any better?”

“Temperature’s gone,” Marco replied happily. “That means tomorrow I can actually see the show.”

“As long as you don’t soak another band.”

“Shuddup,” Marco muttered, picking a fuzz off of Mr. Fluffs’ ear. As if he had actually decided to follow Marco’s demand, something no one ever did, it lapsed into silence between the two. It wasn't awkward or anything, actually just comfortable. So comfortable in fact that Marco’s eyes finally began to droop before they finally shut.

“Hey Marco, I - ” Jason cut himself off when he looked over to see the teenager’s breathing evened out, the small bear clenched to her chest. He turned back to the road with a smile. “Well, at least she’s finally sleeping.”

- Time Lapse -

It wasn’t until eight that Johnny had woken up. He rubbed his eyes with a groan and sat up, his head pulsing with a hangover. He had only gotten maybe six hours of sleep. Marco had gotten him in routine to wake up about this time so it was pointless to try sleeping any longer. He pushed back his curtain on the bottom bunk and crawled out. He stood wobbly to his feet to stumble to the bathroom. In there he ‘relieved’ himself and pulled out the bottle of aspirin in the cabinet behind the mirror.

He walked out to the fridge, grabbing a water bottle. He cracked it open to take his two white pills with a huge gulp of the clear liquid. He sighed in relief to not taste the burning alcohol that they had taken a bit too much of. It was then he remembered that Marco had been in bed sick all night. He shook his head before forcing himself back into the bunkroom. He walked over to Marco’s bunk, the one above his, and pulled back the curtain.

“Marco?” The blanket was pulled back and the bunk was empty. He hurried back into the living room to see it empty, the bathroom obviously the same. He hurried back through the bunkroom to the lounge, quite possibly the fastest he ever had walked for being hung over. The lounge was just as vacant as the front of the bus. “Where is Marco?!”

“Bro, shut the fuck up,” Brian groaned from his bunk. Johnny stormed into the room and glared at the guitarist whose head was sticking out of his top bunk. His brown eyes grew wide and he actually shrunk a little under the angered glare of the bassist.

“Unless you have the exact location of where my daughter is I suggest you shut up now,” Johnny hissed.

“Whoa, whoa. Calm down Christ,” Jason laughed, walking into the bunkroom with his hands in front of him in defense. Brian turned to look at Jason with a confused face.

“Wait, if you’re back here…who’s driving the bus?” Brian looked alarmed all of a sudden as his mind clicked. Jason just laughed at the drunk and tired man.

“We’re already at the venue dip shit. I’m not going to leave the bus going with no driver,” Jason snorted.

“Oh.”

“Where is Marco Jason?” Johnny demanded, deciding he was tired of hearing the guitarist’s and roadie’s conversation. He didn’t know where his daughter was and he was five seconds from ripping off Jason’s head.

“She passed out in the passenger seat this morning. She’s still there. Just chill out bro.” Jason’s words smoothed Johnny enough to walk out of the bunkroom without killing anyone. Brian turned to stare back at the roadie, forgetting he was there in his intoxicated mind.

“Are you my new history teacher? I don’t wanna take it again,” Brian whined. Jason sighed, shaking his head.

“Just go back to sleep Brian. I’m getting in the shower.”

“Okay Mr. Johnson. Please don’t rape me.” With that the guitarist disappeared and his snores filled the air. Jason shook his head as he headed into the bathroom.

“The things I go through with these guys.” Just as the bathroom door shut, Johnny reached the very front of the bus after pausing to place his bottle on the booth table. He spotted Marco in the passenger seat, her legs pulled to her chest with a small bear in her arms. He shook it off and knelt down next to her.

“Marco.” The teen let out a whine, turning her head away from him. The bassist smiled, lightly shaking her shoulder. “C’mon kid, time to get up if you want breakfast.”

“Stop calling me kid,” Marco muttered out of instinct. She finally cracked open her eyes to see her father’s smiling face. “Oh, hey Daddy.”

“C’mon Marco. Let’s go get breakfast.” Marco nodded in agreement, standing to her feet with the bear’s left arm clenched in her right. As she walked away the brown stuffed animal lightly hit her thigh. He followed her to look in his bunk for a clean shirt. Above him Marco walked away to the lounge, shutting the door so she could change. Johnny pulled off his shirt to replace it with a black and white striped one.

He looked at the lounge door to still see it closed and took that time to examine the bear. It looked extremely old and the black thread on it’s right leg indicated self fixing on it. He racked his brain for a moment he could remember giving her this bear and found nothing. Not even a moment someone else had given it to her. Hell, he didn’t even recognize it. He placed it back on her pillow just as Marco emerged in her new set of clothes.

“Ready to go?” Johnny chirped, feeling slightly guilty he was playing it off as if he hadn’t just been snooping around with her stuff. Marco nodded, tossing her dirty clothes in a hamper at the end of the room.

“Yeah, I’m starved.”

“Well then let’s go.” Together, hand in hand, the father and daughter left the bus.