There Will Be Rain

Isobelle

I stood up onto my feet gesturing to the guys not to follow, Jemma nodded almost as if she knew what was about to follow; I was determined to get to the bottom of this. Cautiously and slightly disorientated I navigate myself and Jemma to the back lounge of the tour bus. Gently I pushed the door to, before turning on my heel to face a nervously fidgeting Jemma.

“What the fuck happened back there Jemma?”

I spoke quietly, still unsure whether the boys could hear us due to the silence that had surrounded the bus.

“What do you mean?”

She questioned like I was stupid, she was treating me like a child; a child who had just witnessed her best friend suffer a slap across the face from her pothead boyfriend.

“Don’t play fucking stupid Jemma. Your reaction to Ethan hitting you, you flinched. That wasn’t the first time he had hit you was it?”

Breathing heavily my fingers dug into the palms of my hands, it all began to make sense, the bruises…it was Ethan. Her head shot up in shock, her eyes swirling with fear as she shook her head furiously side to side.

“NO, he had never hit me before. That was the first time Belle I swear”

She whispered convincingly, I didn’t believe Ethan was truly responsibly for all of them bruises; that reaction just proved it. I raised my brow slightly in a sarcastic fashion, Jemma sighed heavily placing herself down on the leather, brown couch situated in the middle of room.

“It was Jerry who beat me up before. He has done since I was 14, he’s in prison because I told the police…I was the one who attacked him”

Jemma refused to trail her eyes up to meet mine; instead she incessantly tugged a fray piece of cotton on her shorts. My jaw dropped instantly, the pieces of the jigsaw clicking together one by one, of course everything was starting to make sense. I understood Jemma was scared but I was pissed, why couldn’t she tell me she was my best friend after all?

“WHAT! Why didn’t you tell me!”

I shouted out in anger and confusion, Jemma looked shocked and jumped up to cover my mouth muffling my need to continue and Shhh’ing me with the action of her index finger.
Noting the building tears in her eyes I decided to drop the subject, she always had a hard life and to be honest I didn’t want to pry into all the details until she was ready to tell me everything.

“Sorry”

I whispered back covering my mouth with my hand; I always was known for overacting at the wrong moments. Jemma just shrugged and we silently decided to end it there, but I couldn’t help how I felt; I may appear loud, childish and energetic but in reality I was just as shy, caring and unselfish. If anyone hurt my friends, they felt my wrath, a wrath my tiny frame had hidden deep down inside.

&&&

“DONE!”

Simon screamed from the tops of his lungs, his sheer volume making me flinch in fright slightly. I honestly didn’t want to celebrate my birthday; I hated celebrating with big groups of people…especially groups of people who I have never met before.

One of my traits was I was extremely shy, I found it hard to make new friends I would always close up or make some excuse, mumble on some occasions and hardly ever approach others. It was a miracle I had Oli and Jemma in the first place but then again I wasn’t the one who talked to them first, they approached me.

Gustav was still glancing at me apologetically but I smiled in return. They had gone out of their way tonight, well Gustav saved Jemma and Simon had apparently arranged a party (I’ll believe that when I see it). The least I could do was try to put on a fake smile during the whole party right?

Half an hour later the bus had considerably grown in numbers, the support bands from the tour had joined us much to Jemma’s dismay. I, she and Gustav remained at this moment primarily planted to the couch in the front lounge, not daring to move just observing the scene in front of us…a lot of drunks and a lot of dancing. We tried to remain undetected but it didn’t last long.

“WOAHHHH, Shit little one underneath me!”

Simon staggered across the lounge, aimlessly stumbling over an empty beer bottle. He tripped into the table which inevitably caused him to land up on my lap, his beer swaying slightly but remaining perfectly in his hold.

“HEY! Birthday girl UP!

Shaking my head silently, I tried to push his heavy weight that was currently crushing my tiny frame. It was no use and after giggling at his persistence I took his extended hand to join him for a dance in the middle of the lounge, a liquid substance pushed into my hand in a trusty plastic cup from one of the support bands. Simon smiled at me goofily in his intoxicated state, and giving up the will to fight with him I chugged the contents down in one.

Luckily for me I wasn’t a lightweight, I learned quite early on that I could handle my liquor quite well. Half way through the night, Simon was finding it extremely harder. Nirvana began blaring through the speakers of the entertainment system hooked up to the laptop.

“WOOOAAHHHHH!”

Simon jumped up onto the table in the lounge, grabbing my arm forcefully pulling me to dance with him. Giggling to myself I tried to search for Jemma and thankfully found her dancing along to the music with Ben and Fraser, who were now currently rolling their eyes in my direction and pointing over to Simon.

A brisk opening of the tour bus door averted my attention away from making sure Simon didn’t fall over to mass of dark red hair, dishelved and poking through a grey beanie who had stepped up onto the bus. Gustav noted this entrance and smirking to himself made his way over.

“Alex, long time no see. Lucky you’re in the UK at the moment. Where are the others?”

Squinting in my somewhat state, I squealed inwardly as I identified the dark red hair to be that of Alex Gaskarth. Wide eyed I turned to Jemma, whose mouth was now slightly agape. All Time Low were my favorite band period, not even Young Guns could beat them. However being on a bus with the two of them was slowly inducing a major heart attack to occur in my body, not literally though.

“Hey Bro, I know sweet isn’t it. They’re coming now Jack crashed the tour segway, I left him running from Matt, while Rian and Zack try to save him”

He chuckled, his obvious hint of Essex accent coming through; I smirked to myself at the thought of Jack Barakat crashing a segway. Jack was obviously childish as portrayed in many of their online videos, and from that everyone knew you never let Jack drive…anything.

Alex handed Gustav over a crate of Fosters beer and a bottle full of Captain Morgan before he wondered out of sight to talk to some other party goers. Honestly I had to suppress the urge to go all fan girly, I couldn’t believe I was on a bus with my two favorite bands on my 18th. Zack was my favorite, but there was just something unique to all of them. Like Gustav, he had his unique stage presence.

“CROWD SURFING!”

Simon slurred cutting me out of my daydream, the others on the ground moved away while Simon spread his arms wide just about to jump. Instinctively I pushed forcefully down onto his shoulder to stop him jumping, but as he made a failed minor attempt to jump; his height advantage got the better of me as I lost balance up on top of the table.

Jemma must have noticed this far off because I noticed her shocked expression and hand held out, I then noted Gustav and Alex running towards me and shutting my emerald eyes I prayed for the best. Suddenly I felt my feet leave the table, floating momentarily, before my body felt a skinny pair of arms wrap tightly around my body; catching me and setting me back down onto my feet.