Lay Down Your Arms; Give Up The Fight

The sun crept in through the windows of the bus, and shone through Shay's eyelids.
She opened her eyes and saw Halvo sprawled over her, and smiled. As gently as she could, she crawled out from under him and got dressed and freshened herself up. She couldn't wait for showers at the next venue.

As she walked out of the bathroom, she met a big ball of orange bedhead.

"Good morning, Santino!" Shay smiled. She was always a morning person.
Nick groaned and ran his hands through his troll hair.
"Sup, Shay? How are you this awake at 7? It blows my mind," Nick groaned.
Shay shrugged her shoulders and grinned widely.
"Shay, I hope you don't mind me asking, but what's up with you and Halvo?" Nick was trying to hold back his frustration. He couldn't stand seeing Shay with his best friend.
"Honestly, I don't really know. Eric's been talking to me about my John problems, and now that I know that John was leading me on, I realize that Eric's a good guy and I have feelings for him," Shay said with a laugh.
"I'm happy for you, Shay." Nick lied straight through his teeth and walked off.

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It was a short 5 hour drive to their next venue, and they got into Chicago early. The boys didn't play until 7:30, so they had a whole day to explore.

Breakfast, as usual, was at Denny's. When Shay and Halvo walked in with their hands intertwined, they received a lot of confused stares from the Maine boys. Nick was kind enough to spread the news quietly, without causing much commotion. Everyone was on the same page.

All through the meal, John stared as Shay and Halvo shared googly eyes and butterfly kisses. He cringed at the sight of Halvo spoon feeding Shay her waffles. How were they so... cute?

Kennedy saw John's disgust, and could only think, I told you so. John was green with envy.

"So, what are y'all doing today? We should go shopping!" Shay suggested.

"Umh, how about NO." Halvo stated. "Don't expect me to go pick out clothes with you!"

Shay was a little disappointed when no one seemed to want to go with her, but she was surprised when a certain someone spoke up.

"Well, I pinky promised you I would take you..." John muttered.

John? Shay wasn't really looking forward to spending a day with him, especially after last night.

Shay was short and blunt with him. "The pinky promise was that you would take me if I forgot something. I didn't forget anything, so no thank you." Her words came out like fire, and John's eyes widened with hurt. Shay instantly felt guilty for what she had said, but he hurt her badly.

There was an few moments of just tense silence, before Halvo finally succumbed to Shay's wishes.

"I'll go with you, Shay," he said, almost reluctantly.
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A day in the city was beautiful, and Halvo bought her these beautiful vintage earrings. She couldn't wait to wear them, so she wore them to the show with a new sun dress.

It was finally time for the boys to play, and she put on a smug face as she saw John take the stage. Her spot in the front row was a little too close for comfort. Throughout the whole set, he stared her down with daggers.

"Alright, guys, the next song I'm going to sing is from our new record, Black and White. I'm sure you've all heard it, it's called Saving Grace. I originally wrote this for a really good... umh, close friend of mine. Sometimes I regret it, but it makes me realize all that I've taken for granted." John's eyes wandered over to her and she saw the pain and hurt in his green eyes. They didn't have that sparkle in them that she loved.
"Guys, I'm gonna give you a little lesson here. When there's someone in your life that would give it all for you, don't let it go. This one's for you, my saving grace," John's words were soft, and he began to sing her favorite song.

"You are, you are my saving grace." Shay felt his eyes burning a hole right through her, and she felt a strange feeling. No words could be put on it.

Before he finished the song, she got up and walked backstage to wish Eric good luck before he went on. She couldn't take the guilt trip that song put her through. She was his saving grace? Why would he write a song like that about her if he didn't like her?

Even while having a conversation with Eric, she couldn't keep her attention off of John's voice while he sang on stage.

Back on the bus, she tried to sleep, but even with Halvo's arms around her, she didn't feel complete. She felt empty, and almost hurt; like she took a bullet through her heart. Nothing felt right and she couldn't figure out why.