Expect Anything Less

Present Day:

I open my eyes after a night of terrible sleep on this tiny ass bus with these tiny ass "bunks." I had to spend the night listening to Rian's snores and Jack's talking. Thank god Alex and Zack are quiet sleepers or else I would have started yelling and no one would want that.

I quietly get up, grab some clothes, and get dress in the back seat. Then I sneak out of the car. No way am I going to be spending my vacation socked up in that tiny bus with all of them. Why can't they just get super famous already and get a real bus?

I decide to just walk around the city we are in before their first show tonight. I grab today's newspaper off of a bench and read the date: January 11, 2008. Ugh, I can't wait for this tour to be over already. Sadly, it won't be over till like February or something. That's an entire month stuck with all of them.

Just to fill you in (cause I don't want you too confused) All Time Low is on the Man Whores and Open Sores Tour. It's their first headlining tour and some random bands called Every Avenue, Mayday Parade, and Just Surrender are opening for them. I'm proud of my brother for making it this far and I can tell they're going to make it huge, but until they're famous enough for a real bus, I'd rather not tour with them. It's not even a bus, just a big dark blue van.

This isn't my first tour with them. My first was also there first "real" tour; the 2007 Vans Warped Tour. I only stayed for a few weeks before some important people politely asked me to leave the tour for the rest of that summer. It was fine with me but I felt a little bad after wards cause Jack had called me and said they weren't having any fun without me there which kind of sucked cause it was there first "real" tour. When I left, the party left and I couldn't do anything to fix it cause I was banned for the rest of the year.

I guess that's why Jack so easily agreed to let me come; he thought I was still a huge fun, non-alcohol kind of party girl. You see, things have changed over the year.

First of all, I dropped out of the regular school program and am finishing my senior year on the computer. Second, I got a boyfriend and he tried to change me and I kicked his ass to the curb. Third, I started hanging out with a few guys and we did some stuff and lets just say that drugs are never fun. Forth, I went to some college New Year's Party and got so drunk (alcohol's fun sometimes) and I hooked up with this really hot guy but don't worry, he wasn't my first. Fifth, my parents somehow found out about a lot of stuff I've done over these past few months and now I'm here.

As far as Jack knows, I'm still a fun, innocent, little girl. Poor Jack, he doesn't know any better. He'll learn within the next couple of weeks that I'm not really the type of girl anymore that you want to take on a trip with you.

I think Alex should have at least tried to change Jack's mind. I mean, Alex at least somewhat knows the real me. He did, after all, come home for a week during Christmas and saw me at the climax of my wild streak. Alex should know better than to let Jack bring me here.

I'm bored I thought to myself. I guess I'll just head back to the bus.

I start to walk back and not even two minutes into my walk I see Rian in the distance. He looks like he's trying to find something or someone. . . Probably me. I don't really feel like being given a lecture so I duck into a little shop and wait for Rian to pass and for there to be a good distance between us before leaving the shop. Then I head back to the bus.

When I get there I see that no one is there so they all must be out looking for me. We probably should be on the road right now and I don't feel like being blamed for making us late to our show tonight so I just pull out my sketchpad and climb to on top of the bus and pretend like I've been here all along and I just fell asleep or something when they were calling my name. Yeah, that should work.

I sit up there for probably thirty minutes before I turn my head and see Jack and Alex start coming into view. They look a little ticked off and boy, they're about to feel really dumb when they find me up here.

They get a little closer and I start to be able to hear their conversation, "This so isn't like her," Jack says, "She doesn't just disappear without any notification. She's not like that."

"Dude, it's been forever since you've seen her. She could have changed," Alex responds and he's so right.

Jack just shakes his head and states, "No, not my Carter. She's the most considerate person I know."

"Jack, you're sounding smart. Stop it, it's not natural."

Jack just kind of laughs and says, "I guess that tends to happen when I get worried about my little sister that I'm suppose to be watching out for."

I decide then to sit up and poke my head out over the side so they're able to see me. "Are you guys talking about me?"

They both jump back, startled.

Alex immediately starts accusing, "You've been up their the whole time?! Why didn't you say something when everyone was here and we were all worrying about what happened to you?!"

I shrug my shoulders and reply, "I must of fallen asleep. It was really hot in this van so I just wanted to get out and feel the breeze. I'm sorry." Haha, I have so gotten them (or at least Jack) fooled.

Jack automatically becomes relieved and turns to Alex,"I told you she would never purposely run off and leave us all to worry. Now I'm bored, why don't we go get some ice cream then get back on the road?" And just like that my weird brother was back and I was out of trouble.

Eventually Jack will find out that I'm a different person now but while we still have a few hours of driving, I'd rather not get into the whole behavior thing. Jack may come off as a child to all his fans but I know the real Jack and he can definitely be a grown up when he wants to be.