Do Overs and Second Chances

Izy jolted awake as a result of her phone going off right near her head. She instantly sat up causing her head to bang against the ceiling. She was confused for a moment before the headache splitting through her skull made its presence known. “Shit,” she said louder than planned after saw that she had been lying naked next to John, and blurs from last night started to come back. She gathered what she could find of her clothes and threw them on before throwing the curtain to John’s bunk open only to pause once she looked out.

“Izy?” Jess spoke. Her and Stephen were standing across from the bunk. They had been about to leave to look for Izy when the noise from John’s bunk made them freeze. The look on Jess’ face was a mixture of confused and relieved, but Stephen was harder to read. He was looking away refusing to make eye contact with Izy. “Cameron called looking for you, no one knew where you were.”

“Well Cameron can go to hell for all I care, Amber too for that matter,” Izy told Jess as the sadness she felt yesterday turned to anger.

Jess was about to respond before John grunted and turned over in his sleep and reminded them that he was still there. Izy was amazed that he could even still be asleep. “Izy how about we talk outside?” Jess asked. Izy agreed and the two girls left the bus. “Izy, I know you’re hurting right now but, dear god women get your shit together.” Izy was caught off guard and didn’t even know how to respond to her friend. “You slept with John! Did you even think about how this would affect him?”

“What do you mean?” Izy asked even more confused.

“John’s tried so hard to get over you and this is just going to be one giant step back for him,” Jess told Izy.

“I think you’re over reacting. It was just one night we were both drunk and high and shit happened,” Izy explained.

“Izy, this can’t happen again. Neither of you need this right now it would only make things more complicated.”

“You’re right, Jess. I fucked up everything is so messed up. Maybe I should just leave,” Izy said feeling defeated for the first time since she met Cameron. She had felt so great when she was with him and now that was all gone.

“No, Izy don’t do this to yourself again. You need to finish tour you owe it to yourself to see this through,” Jess reasoned with Izy, but with everything that had happened in this short amount of time Izy wasn’t ready to listen.

“Fine,” she sighed. “Will you at least let me go on a walk to clear my head?” she asked the drummer.

“I suppose, but I want your cell phone and money,” Jess said sternly.

“Ha-ha Jess very funny,” Izy didn’t believe Jess had been serious, but the look on her face told her other wise.

“I mean it. I don’t want you booking a last minute flight to god knows where. You’re not running away again on my watch.” Jess stood firm on this point. Izy needed to just face something for once in her life and Jess was going to make sure she did just that.

“Fine, mom,” Izy said sarcastically and accompanied her words with an eye roll.

“Love you too, baby. Don’t stay out to late.” Jess jokingly added on to the motherly act once Izy handed everything from her pockets to Jess. “Have fun just don’t get pregnant.”

“Jess, I fear for the day you have kids,” Izy told her half believing it.

Jess pretended to not hear Izy, but her smile grew before she shouted one last piece of advice. “No glove no love,” she shouted receiving a few odd looks from the people near by and a middle finger from Izy.

Izy tried to think of somewhere to go but she had no idea where. She had honestly considered just leaving. There was nothing here for her now anyways. Music had never particularly been her thing she had always just been surrounded by it. She didn’t have a future in guitar and she knew it. She was only here because she thought her and Cameron could have a future.

“Hey watch where you’re going!” Izy was pulled out of her own self-pitying thoughts when she walked into someone who had been carrying a few boxes stacked up completely hiding their face.

“I’m so sorry. I don’t even have a good excuse. I just wasn’t looking and I’m sorry,” Izy started to ramble while scrambling to put t-shirts into one of the boxes she caused to fall and pick it up.

“It’s fine it’s just a few boxes, it’s just a reflex reaction,” he said referring to his previous outburst. “It’s Izy right?”

“Yeah, and if I remember correctly you’re Auggie,” Izy tried to sound friendly but she couldn’t force a smile onto her face.

“Yes ma’am,” he replied holding out his hands to take the box Izy was holding, but she held onto it.

“I got it. It’s the least I can do after making you drop them,” Izy offered.

As the two of them started walking Auggie spoke up again. “Hey Izy, don’t take this the wrong way but we’ve got to stop meeting like this.” Izy wasn’t sure where this was going so she stayed silent. “How about the next time we see each other neither of us end up on the ground?” he teased.

“I’ll see what I can do,” Izy responded with a half smile threatening to tug on her lips.

“So what brings you to Warped?” He asked trying to make conversation.

“Oh well, I’m playing guitar in my ex-boyfriends band,” she said reluctantly not really sure why she felt the need to tell him that extra detail. Auggie seemed pretty chill, but she still prepared to throw her guard up for the questions that never came.

“Cool I play guitar too!” She noticed the excited look on his face when he talked about music and it made her surprisingly sad. She wished she had something like that. Just something she could be good at and be excited about. Auggie went on for a while asking Izy questions every once in a while, before they got to his destination. “Here we are,” he told her while placing the boxes he was carrying on a table. Izy followed his lead and he thanked the girl.

“Don’t mention it. It was no problem.” She had actually liked the little time she had spent with him. He didn’t care about all the stupid little things, like Izy’s relationship failures and he didn’t look at her like she was going to bolt at any minute.

Auggie was about to say something when Izy cut him off after seeing David and Eric walking towards them. Neither of them had seen Izy left but they were definitely looking for someone. “I’m sorry I have to go,” she quickly said hoping to avoid the two musicians who where getting closer every second she stayed in one place.

“Ok, but before you go take this,” Auggie said handing her a flyer. Izy quickly glanced over it seeing the standard band promo picture with the words You, Me and Everyone We Know. “There is still plenty of tour left. At least check us out before it’s over.

Izy thanked him and then tried to make a run for it, but it was too late. She didn’t make it far before David spotted her and called out her name. “Shit,” Izy cursed under her breathe before turning around not even pretending like she didn’t want to be anywhere but where she was.

“Izy we know you’re hurt,” Eric started.

“No shit I’m hurt. How would you feel?” Izy cut him off. Her guard was now firmly in place the last thing she wanted to do was appear weak in front of her ex-boyfriends best friends.

“Look, Izy, can we just talk. We just want a few minutes of your time and for you to hear us out,” David tried cautiously to get Izy to listen. “We know what Cameron did wasn’t ok. He feels really bad. We had to fight to get him to not come out looking for you with us. He was worried sick when you didn’t show up at the van last night.”

“Good he should feel bad and you have ten minutes.” She reluctantly let them slip past the tiny crack in her armor. She was mad but David and Eric hadn’t done anything to her and they had been there for her in Virginia as well as Cameron.

“The truth is Izy we need you. We won’t be able find someone else to fill in for guitar for at least a couple weeks. I know you probably don’t want to be around us but we really need you to stick around,” David pleaded.

“I’m sorry, but it’s not you too that have a problem with. I just can’t be around him right now,” Izy had fought to keep the emotion out of her voice but based on David and Eric’s responses she wasn’t successful.

“I know, Izy, but you will only have to see him during the set times. That’s just half an hour a day. I already talked to Jess and she said you could stay with The Summer Set until we find a new guitar player and then if you really want to leave we will pay for your plane ticket or whatever you need,” David offered.

“I don’t know, guys…” she started hesitantly. Everything inside her was telling her to flee. To escape before she had the chance to get hurt even more. Then she saw the pleading looks in David and Eric’s eyes. “Fine I’ll stay but the second you find a replacement I’m gone.”